Idaho Elk — Unit 61

Idaho Unit 61 covers 506,989 acres and lies 36 miles north of St. Anthony and 47 miles north of Rexburg. 83% of it is public land, mostly national forest (71%) and state land (6%). In 2025, 1,505 people hunted elk here and took 221 — 15% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 200 tags here for 22 first-choice applicants.

Tags (2026):250 Nonresident share:capped at 10% Applicants:54 Hunter success (2025):15% Public land:83% Size:506,989 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every elk license type on offer in Unit 61, 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

2039 Antlered elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 61 50 tags · 32 applicants

16% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
2142 Antlerless or Antlered elk, muzzleloader, Hunt Area 61 200 tags · 22 applicants

91% Likely draw 63% as 2nd choice

Hunt	Your odds	As 2nd choice	Points needed	Tags / applicants	Season
2039 ↗ Antlered elk, any weapon, Hunt Area 61 Rifle	16% Long shot	0%	—	50 / 32	Nov 1–10, 2026
2142 ↗ Antlerless or Antlered elk, muzzleloader, Hunt Area 61 Muzzleloader	91% Likely draw	63%	—	200 / 22	Nov 15 – Dec 9, 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 61 within Idaho

Unit 61 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 359,380 ac · 71%
Private 88,153 ac · 17%
State land 28,974 ac · 6%
BLM 23,340 ac · 5%
Other public 6,272 ac · 1%
Bureau of Reclamation 284 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.