Idaho Elk — Unit 48

Idaho Unit 48 covers 390,089 acres and lies 6 miles south-west of Ketchum and 16 miles north-west of Bellevue. 83% of it is public land, mostly national forest (69%) and BLM (12%). In 2025, 497 people hunted elk here and took 52 — 10% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 150 tags here for 219 first-choice applicants.

Tags (2026):245 Nonresident share:capped at 10% Applicants:277 Hunter success (2025):10% Public land:83% Size:390,089 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every elk license type on offer in Unit 48, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.

Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.

Simple view Odds at every point level

2026 Antlered elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 48 20 tags · 51 applicants

4% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
2027 Antlered elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 48 150 tags · 219 applicants

7% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
2137 Antlerless or Antlered elk, muzzleloader, Hunt Area 48 75 tags · 7 applicants

100% Undersubscribed 25% as 2nd choice

Hunt	Your odds	As 2nd choice	Points needed	Tags / applicants	Season
2026 ↗ Antlered elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 48 Rifle	4% Long shot	0%	—	20 / 51	Oct 1–14, 2026
2027 ↗ Antlered elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 48 Rifle	7% Long shot	0%	—	150 / 219	Oct 15 – Nov 10, 2026
2137 ↗ Antlerless or Antlered elk, muzzleloader, Hunt Area 48 Muzzleloader	100% Undersubscribed	25%	—	75 / 7 undersubscribed	Nov 15–30, 2026

What these columns mean

Your odds: the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
The badge: plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
As 2nd choice: Idaho lets you name more than one hunt on the application. Miss on your first choice and you go into the pot for whatever tags are left, alongside everyone else's second choices. Points never help a lower choice, so this number is the same whatever you have banked — it is usually worth naming a hunt that goes undersubscribed.
Points needed: the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
Tags / applicants: tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.

What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)

License	Up front	Gone if you miss	If you draw
Per application	$203	$203	$854.75

Application window: opens May 1, closes Jun 5, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.

The country

Unit 48 within Idaho

Unit 48 and its neighbours

Zoomable USGS topo, aerial imagery and shaded relief, with the neighboring areas drawn on.

Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.

Who owns the ground

National Forest 270,686 ac · 69%
Private 64,389 ac · 17%
BLM 46,068 ac · 12%
State land 8,945 ac · 2%

Source: BLM Idaho Surface Management Agency (land ownership / SMA)

Nearby areas

How the hunting has gone

What Idaho Department of Fish and Game publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. Idaho's figures are counts from mandatory hunter reports and check stations rather than survey estimates, so they behave differently from the survey states.