Idaho Elk — Unit 54

Idaho Unit 54 covers 874,027 acres and lies 20 miles south of Kimberly. 59% of it is public land, mostly national forest (35%) and BLM (23%). In 2025, 11 people hunted elk here and took 1 — 9% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 125 tags here for 27 first-choice applicants.

Tags (2026):235 Nonresident share:capped at 10% Applicants:1,804 Hunter success (2025):9% Public land:59% Size:874,027 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every elk license type on offer in Unit 54, 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

2035 Antlered elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 54 20 tags · 866 applicants

<1% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
2092 Antlerless elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 54 125 tags · 27 applicants

33% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
2127 Antlered elk, archery, Hunt Area 54 20 tags · 525 applicants

<1% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
2140 Antlered elk, muzzleloader, Hunt Area 54 20 tags · 361 applicants

<1% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
2160 Antlerless elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 54 (youth only) 50 tags · 25 applicants

20% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice

Hunt	Your odds	As 2nd choice	Points needed	Tags / applicants	Season
2035 ↗ Antlered elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 54 Rifle	<1% Long shot	0%	—	20 / 866	Oct 15 – Nov 10, 2026
2092 ↗ Antlerless elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 54 Rifle	33% Long shot	0%	—	125 / 27	Oct 15 – Nov 10, 2026
2127 ↗ Antlered elk, archery, Hunt Area 54 Archery	<1% Long shot	0%	—	20 / 525	Aug 30 – Sep 24, 2026
2140 ↗ Antlered elk, muzzleloader, Hunt Area 54 Muzzleloader	<1% Long shot	0%	—	20 / 361	Sep 25 – Oct 14, 2026
2160 ↗ Antlerless elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 54 (youth only) Rifle	20% Long shot	0%	—	50 / 25	Aug 1–29, 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 54 within Idaho

Unit 54 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

Private 355,932 ac · 41%
National Forest 302,338 ac · 35%
BLM 199,232 ac · 23%
State land 16,190 ac · 2%
Department of Defense 319 ac · 0%

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.