Unit 21 (Salmon Zone)
Idaho Hunting Guide — Mule Deer
Unit 21 lies in Lemhi County and covers about 508 square miles. Named ground inside it runs from 3,158 to 9,145 feet. Idaho Fish and Game's harvest estimates put deer success here as high as 50%. Federal land covers about 99% of it. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.
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Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 21
Unit 21 lies in Lemhi County and covers about 508 square miles. Named ground inside it runs from 3,158 to 9,145 feet. Idaho Fish and Game's harvest estimates put deer success here as high as 50%. Federal land covers about 99% of it. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.
Where to Find Mule Deer in Unit 21
Idaho Fish and Game draws an exact line around unit 21 and says nothing about where the mule deer stand inside it. The country below is verified; where to begin in it is our judgement, not the agency's. The unit lies in Lemhi County. It runs to about 508 square miles.
How Idaho Fish and Game sets up mule deer hunting in unit 21
Idaho Fish and Game keeps a general deer season page for unit 21, and that page is where this year's dates and weapon rules live.
What bounds unit 21
Idaho Fish and Game describes unit 21 as that portion of Lemhi County within the following boundary: beginning at the Idaho-Montana State line on U.S. 93, then west along the state line to the Idaho-Lemhi County line, then southwest along the Idaho-Lemhi County line to the Salmon River, then upstream to the town of North Fork, then north on U.S. 93 to the point of beginning. That is a legal description, not a habitat map. Its value is practical — those are the features you will navigate by, and the ridges that separate one day's country from another's.
High ground inside the line: Allan Mountain, Rocky Mountain and Blue Nose
Named high points inside the unit include Allan Mountain at 9,145 feet, Rocky Mountain at 8,684 feet, Blue Nose at 8,665 feet, Mist Peak at 8,629 feet and Parker Mountain at 8,505 feet. Several carry a public-land flag in our data, which makes them the first places to try for a view. Mule deer bed on broken ground with a view and feed on the brush below it.
Holding ground: Boulder Basin, Willow Meadow and Beartrap Gulch
Below them sit Boulder Basin at 5,214 feet, Willow Meadow at 5,141 feet, Beartrap Gulch at 4,996 feet, Glacier Gulch at 4,966 feet and Spruce Gulch at 4,945 feet. That is the low country of the unit — the ground animals drop into when they are pushed or when the weather turns. Two you can watch from a single knob is worth more than five you have to drive between.
Water: Bear Camp Spring, Horse Creek Hot Springs and Muleshoe Springs
The water inside the unit line comes to 59 mapped stream reaches, 6 lakes, 11 stock tanks and 18 springs. Named sources include Bear Camp Spring, Horse Creek Hot Springs, Muleshoe Springs, Coyote Spring, Valieaux Spring and Marlin Spring. Nothing in the data says which of them run in autumn, so a scouting trip earns its fuel.
Reading the land status
Our ownership read for this unit is approximate — it comes out as National Forest 60%, Private / Other 32% and State Trust 8%, so treat it as a starting point and check a current land-status layer before you plan a route. Named ground inside unit 21 runs from 3,158 feet to 9,145 feet — more than 4,000 feet between the named features alone, so the season you draw decides which part of it you hunt.
Unit 21 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 4,826–7,919 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 6,504 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 508.1 sq mi inside the boundary.
Who owns the ground
- National Forest — 60%
- State Trust — 8%
- Private / Other — 32%
Roughly 68% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.
Water on the ground
- 11 tanks
- 18 springs
- 59 stream segments
- 6 lakes
Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.
Named features inside the unit
Glass from: Allan Mountain (9,145 ft), Rocky Mountain (8,684 ft), Mist Peak (8,629 ft), Parker Mountain (8,505 ft)
Holding ground: Ax Park (7,325 ft), Horse Creek Pass (7,254 ft), Woods Creek Pass (7,171 ft), Bear Camp Spring, Horse Creek Hot Springs
Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.
How to Hunt Mule Deer in Unit 21
Mule Deer Success Rates
Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 harvest estimates put deer success in unit 21 at 50% — 368 animals taken by 733 hunters. The hunter count is large enough for the percentage to mean something and small enough that a good or bad year still moves it. The figure is IDFG's result for deer in the unit, not for mule deer alone.
These are the agency's own printed figures for this unit, not a modelled estimate and not a state average. They describe one season, so check Idaho Fish and Game's current harvest estimates before you read a trend into them.
Mule Deer Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts (n/p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled — 1st Drawing either sex (resident) | 4 | 309 | 1.0% | — |
| Controlled — 1st Drawing either sex (nonresident) | 1 | 91 | 1.0% | — |
| Controlled — 2nd Drawing either sex (resident) | 3 | 854 | 0.0% | — |
| Controlled — 2nd Drawing either sex (nonresident) | 0 | 122 | 0.0% | — |
Data from 2025 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number. This agency publishes no point thresholds, so the Pts column stays blank and these are pool odds, not what a point total draws.
Open in Draw Odds EngineIdaho Fish and Game's 2025 first drawing for mule deer in unit 21, with residents and nonresidents kept apart because they draw from different tag pools:
- Hunt 1013 — residents 309 applicants for 4 tags, 1% drawn; nonresidents 91 applicants for 1 tag, 1% drawn
Idaho draws at random with no point system, so these are what that year happened to look like, not a requirement to build toward. Idaho Fish and Game reuses hunt numbers for different areas between years, so the figures are matched on the area each hunt had in 2025. Checked against Idaho Fish and Game's hunt planner draw results on 2026-06-09.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Idaho unit 21?
What is the mule deer success rate in unit 21?
Where do you stay and resupply for a unit 21 hunt?
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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yrSources & Verification
Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-10-24.
- Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons & Rules — Idaho Department of Fish and Game · supports: Game management unit boundary description, Counties the unit lies in, Controlled hunt numbers, tags and season dates · accessed 2026-10-24
- IDFG general deer season page for unit 21 — Idaho Department of Fish and Game · supports: Season structure for the unit · accessed 2026-10-24
- IDFG Hunt Planner — 2025 general hunt harvest statistics — Idaho Department of Fish and Game · supports: Harvest, hunters and percent success for deer in unit 21 · accessed 2026-10-19
- IDFG Hunt Planner — controlled hunt drawing odds — Idaho Department of Fish and Game · supports: Applicants, tags and percent drawn by hunt, year and residency · accessed 2026-06-09
- IDFG GameManagementUnits and ControlledHunts_All feature services — game management units and every species' controlled-hunt areas — Idaho Department of Fish and Game · supports: Mapped extent of the unit or hunt area, Which named ground falls inside its line · accessed 2026-10-24