Idaho Mule Deer Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

Unit 26 (Middle Fork Zone)

Idaho Hunting Guide — Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep

Unit 26 lies in Idaho and Valley counties. Named ground inside it runs from 3,666 to 9,431 feet. Idaho Fish and Game's harvest estimates put deer success here as high as 30%. Federal land covers about 100% of it. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.

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Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready Idaho Unit 26 guide around your hunt: three ranked spots with morning, afternoon and evening plays, a day-by-day plan, topo maps with every pin numbered, a camp and access plan, the legal and retrieval rules for this unit, shot discipline, a meat-care and pack-out plan, and a pre-trip checklist. Every coordinate sits on land recorded as public.

Mule Deer guide Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep guide

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Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 26

Where to Find Mule Deer in Unit 26

Idaho Fish and Game draws an exact line around unit 26 and says nothing about where the mule deer stand inside it. So the ground below is the unit's own and the read on where to start is ours, labelled as such. The unit lies in Idaho and Valley counties.

How Idaho Fish and Game sets up mule deer hunting in unit 26

Idaho Fish and Game keeps a general deer season page for unit 26, and that page is where this year's dates and weapon rules live.

The lines of the unit: Big Creek, Middle Fork and Salmon River

Idaho Fish and Game describes unit 26 as those portions of Idaho and Valley counties within the drainage of Big Creek (tributary to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River). It tells you the shape of the unit and nothing about its inhabitants. 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: Shellrock Peak, Rainbow Peak and Center Mountain

Named high points inside the unit include Shellrock Peak at 9,431 feet, Rainbow Peak at 9,313 feet, Center Mountain at 9,300 feet, Murphy Peak at 9,231 feet and Missouri Ridge at 9,225 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: Cougar Basin, Hand Meadows and Upper Ramey Meadows

Below them sit Cougar Basin at 7,955 feet, Hand Meadows at 7,497 feet, Upper Ramey Meadows at 7,120 feet, Bear Trap Saddle at 7,085 feet and Blackburn Saddle at 6,825 feet. That is the low country of the unit — the ground animals drop into when they are pushed or when the weather turns. Work out which of them you can see from one position before you pick a camp.

Water: Crystal Spring and Coyote Spring

Named sources include Crystal Spring and Coyote Spring. Nothing in the data says which of them run in autumn, so a scouting trip earns its fuel.

How high the named ground goes

Named ground inside unit 26 runs from 3,666 feet to 9,431 feet — more than 4,000 feet between the named features alone, so the season you draw decides which part of it you hunt.

Unit 26 terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Shellrock Peak (9,431 ft), Rainbow Peak (9,313 ft), Center Mountain (9,300 ft), Murphy Peak (9,231 ft)

Holding ground: Brush Creek Summit (8,918 ft), Elk Summit (8,673 ft), Pueblo Summit (8,271 ft), Crystal Spring, Coyote Spring

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 26

Idaho Fish and Game's own harvest estimates put deer success in unit 26 at 30% across all manners of take. That is an ordinary spread for this country, and it rewards whoever scouted. The plan: glass the broken edges at first light, then sit still and keep glassing the same ground.

The 2026 controlled hunts in unit 26

Idaho Fish and Game's 2026 rules list 2 controlled hunts for mule deer on unit 26 under its own number.

Hunt 1017 — antlered deer, unlimited tags, Nov 1–Nov 18 and Nov 1–Nov 18
Hunt 1160 — outfitter allocation deer, antlered deer only, 46 tags, Nov 1–Nov 18

Dates and tag numbers are IDFG's as printed for that season, and IDFG changes hunt areas between years, so check the current booklet before you apply.

Applying for a unit 26 tag

Idaho Fish and Game's first application period for deer, elk and pronghorn runs May 1 to June 5, with results in early July, and a second period runs August 5 to 15 for what is left. A hunter drawn for a limited antlered-only deer hunt sits out the next year's first period for that kind of hunt; unlimited and extra hunts are exempt. Two to four hunters may apply together for the same hunt. Idaho's draw is random, with no preference or bonus points to build.

Glassing from Goat Mountain, Marble Mountain and Snowslide Peak

Take a position on one of Goat Mountain (9,098 ft), Marble Mountain (9,092 ft), Snowslide Peak (9,079 ft) and Dixie Mountain (9,064 ft) and be on it before light. Work the morning with the air falling away from you, then accept that by mid-morning the wind has reversed and the plan has to change with it. Work the glass in strips and go back over ground you already covered — animals appear in country you looked at ten minutes ago. On the rut hunts, late-season hunts put bucks with doe groups and moving in daylight.

A first plan from the pins on this page

The map above marks Shellrock Peak, Rainbow Peak, Center Mountain and Murphy Peak as places to see from, and Brush Creek Summit, Elk Summit, Pueblo Summit and Crystal Spring as ground to watch. Each pin is a named feature verified to fall inside the unit line, not a spot anyone has hunted. Walk between two of them rather than driving between four, and you will learn more in a day.

What a day here costs you

With 5,765 feet between the lowest and highest ground, the walk back up out of a kill site is the part to plan first. Leave the truck earlier than you want to and you will hunt the best half-hour of the day.

Idaho rules that decide your day

Summarised from IDFG regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.

Motorized retrieval

Idaho has no general off-road retrieval allowance on federal ground; stay on designated routes.

Tagging

Validate the tag by cutting out the month and day, and attach it to the carcass before moving it.

Leaving meat

Wasting edible meat is illegal.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting from or across a public highway, and no shooting toward an occupied dwelling.

Mule Deer: where to put the shot

Broadside or quartering away, on the back edge of the front leg about a third of the way up the body.

Shots to refuse

Nothing behind or overlapping the animal you picked.
Your maximum range is the farthest you have shot a three-shot group into a paper plate from the rest you are carrying.
Pass the shot you are talking yourself into.

Plan the carry: roughly 40– 120 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — two large coolers. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

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Mule Deer Success Rates

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 harvest estimates put deer success in unit 26 at 30% — 52 animals taken by 176 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)	75	76	99.0%	—
Controlled — 1st Drawing either sex (nonresident)	13	60	22.0%	—

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 Engine

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 first drawing for mule deer in unit 26, with residents and nonresidents kept apart because they draw from different tag pools:

Hunt 1017 — residents 76 applicants for 75 tags, 99% drawn; nonresidents 60 applicants for 13 tags, 22% 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.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 26

Unit 26 lies in Idaho and Valley counties. Named ground inside it runs from 3,666 to 9,431 feet. Idaho Fish and Game's harvest estimates put Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep success here as high as 53%. Federal land covers about 100% of it. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.

Where to Find Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in Unit 26

Idaho Fish and Game draws an exact line around unit 26 and says nothing about where the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep stand inside it. Every place named below sits inside the unit line. Which of them holds animals in your season is for you to find out. The unit lies in Idaho and Valley counties.

How Idaho Fish and Game sets up Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunting in unit 26

Idaho Fish and Game hunts Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep here only by controlled hunt, and describes its Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunt area 26 as all of Unit 26.

The lines of the unit: Big Creek, Middle Fork and Salmon River

Idaho Fish and Game describes unit 26 as those portions of Idaho and Valley counties within the drainage of Big Creek (tributary to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River). 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: Mount Eldridge, The Pinnacles and Cougar Peak

Named high points inside the unit include Mount Eldridge at 9,170 feet, The Pinnacles at 9,149 feet, Cougar Peak at 9,113 feet, Goat Mountain at 9,098 feet and Marble Mountain at 9,092 feet. Several carry a public-land flag in our data, which makes them the first places to try for a view. Sheep need rock to escape into and will not stand far from it.

Holding ground: Bismark Basin, Lower Ramey Meadows and West Fork Basin

Below them sit Bismark Basin at 6,816 feet, Lower Ramey Meadows at 6,753 feet, West Fork Basin at 6,678 feet, Crescent Meadow at 5,613 feet and Snowshoe Gulch at 5,254 feet. That is the low country of the unit — the ground animals drop into when they are pushed or when the weather turns. Reaching the edge of one before light beats reaching its middle at noon.

Water: Crystal Spring and Coyote Spring

Named sources include Crystal Spring and Coyote Spring. Nothing in the data says which of them run in autumn, so a scouting trip earns its fuel.

How high the named ground goes

Named ground inside unit 26 runs from 3,666 feet to 9,431 feet — more than 4,000 feet between the named features alone, so the season you draw decides which part of it you hunt.

Unit 26 terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Shellrock Peak (9,431 ft), Rainbow Peak (9,313 ft), Center Mountain (9,300 ft), Murphy Peak (9,231 ft)

Holding ground: Brush Creek Summit (8,918 ft), Elk Summit (8,673 ft), Pueblo Summit (8,271 ft), Crystal Spring, Coyote Spring

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 Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in Unit 26

Idaho Fish and Game's own harvest estimates put Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep success in unit 26 at 53% across all manners of take. A number like that comes from few tags and a short season, not from easy hunting. The plan: pick a glassing position across from the escape terrain and stay on it for hours, not minutes.

The 2025 and 2026 controlled hunts in unit 26

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 and 2026 rules list one controlled hunt for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep on unit 26 under its own number.

Hunt 5007 — 4 tags, Aug 30–Oct 13

Dates and tag numbers are IDFG's as printed for that season, and IDFG changes hunt areas between years, so check the current booklet before you apply.

Applying for a unit 26 tag

Idaho Fish and Game takes moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat applications together, and anyone who applies for one of the three may not apply for another big game controlled hunt in the same year's first drawing, apart from the unlimited, extra, black bear and depredation hunts IDFG names. A hunter drawn for either bighorn may not apply for a bighorn tag for two years, and IDFG allows one Rocky Mountain and one California bighorn per hunter in a lifetime. Two hunters may apply together on one application. Idaho's draw is random, with no preference or bonus points to build.

Glassing from Logan Mountain, Mosquito Ridge and Coin Mountain

Take a position on one of Logan Mountain (8,963 ft), Mosquito Ridge (8,956 ft), Coin Mountain (8,955 ft) and Moore Point (8,944 ft) and be on it before light. In the dark the air runs downhill. Pick an approach that doesn't send it into the country you want to see, and plan to move once the slope warms. Give a basin forty minutes before you decide it is empty. On the rut hunts, late hunts put rams with ewe groups on the same rock.

A first plan from the pins on this page

What a day here costs you

With 5,765 feet between the lowest and highest ground, the walk back up out of a kill site is the part to plan first. One good position held through the whole of first light beats three visited in a hurry.

Idaho rules that decide your day

Summarised from IDFG regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.

Motorized retrieval

Idaho has no general off-road retrieval allowance on federal ground; stay on designated routes.

Tagging

Validate the tag by cutting out the month and day, and attach it to the carcass before moving it.

Leaving meat

Wasting edible meat is illegal.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting from or across a public highway, and no shooting toward an occupied dwelling.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep: where to put the shot

Broadside or quartering away, on the back edge of the front leg about a third of the way up the body.

Shots to refuse

Nothing behind or overlapping the animal you picked.
Your maximum range is the farthest you have shot a three-shot group into a paper plate from the rest you are carrying.
Pass the shot you are talking yourself into.

Plan the carry: roughly 40– 120 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — two large coolers. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

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Unlock Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep tactics for Unit 26

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Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Success Rates

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 harvest estimates put Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep success in unit 26 at 53% — 61 animals taken by 116 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.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds

Draw odds data not available for this specific unit/species combination in our database.

Search Idaho Draw Odds

Idaho Fish and Game's 2026 first drawing for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in unit 26, with residents and nonresidents kept apart because they draw from different tag pools:

Hunt 5007 — residents 40 applicants for 3 tags, 8% drawn; nonresidents 41 applicants for 1 tag, 2% drawn
Hunt 5024 — residents 24 applicants for 3 tags, 12% drawn; nonresidents 16 applicants for 0 tags, 0% 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 2026. Checked against Idaho Fish and Game's hunt planner draw results on 2026-06-09.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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Water

2 named water sources inside the unit in our water layer, including Crystal Spring and Coyote Spring. Which of them run in autumn is something only a scouting trip will tell you.

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Terrain Difficulty

Named features inside the unit run from 3,666 to 9,431 ft. More than 4,000 feet between them alone, so plan the pack-out before the shot.

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Permit Notes

Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunts 1017 and 1160 (2026 rules). The first application period runs May 1 to June 5 and the second August 5 to 15. Idaho's draw is random, with no preference or bonus points.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Idaho unit 26?

Unit 26 lies in Idaho and Valley counties. Idaho Fish and Game describes unit 26 as those portions of Idaho and Valley counties within the drainage of Big Creek (tributary to the Middle Fork of the Salmon River).

What is the mule deer success rate in unit 26?

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 harvest estimates put deer success in unit 26 at 30% across all manners of take. Those are the agency's own figures for this unit, not a statewide average.

What is the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep success rate in unit 26?

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 harvest estimates put Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep success in unit 26 at 53% across all manners of take. Those are the agency's own figures for this unit, not a statewide average.

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Sources & 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 26 — 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 26 · 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
Moose, Bighorn Sheep & Mountain Goat 2025 & 2026 Seasons & Rules — Idaho Department of Fish and Game · supports: Controlled hunt application periods and eligibility rules · accessed 2026-10-24