Idaho Elk Pronghorn Mule Deer

Unit 49 (Pioneer Zone)

Idaho Hunting Guide — Elk, Pronghorn, Mule Deer

Unit 49 lies in Blaine County and covers about 793 square miles. Named ground inside it runs from 4,833 to 11,964 feet. Idaho Fish and Game's harvest estimates put elk success here as high as 41%. Federal land covers about 58% of it. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.

View Draw Odds Idaho Hunting Guide

🏔️

58%

Public Land

⛰️

4,803–10,281 ft

Sampled elevation

Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 49

Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready Idaho Unit 49 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.

Elk guide Pronghorn guide Mule Deer guide

Free accounts get one report a year with the top spot unlocked. ProHunt Pro includes unlimited reports, all three spots, the full camp plan, and GPX/KML downloads for onX and Google Earth. Prefer to see one first? Open the builder and pick any unit.

Elk Hunting in Unit 49

Where to Find Elk in Unit 49

Idaho Fish and Game draws an exact line around unit 49 and says nothing about where the elk 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 Blaine County. It runs to about 793 square miles.

How Idaho Fish and Game sets up elk hunting in unit 49

Idaho Fish and Game runs its general elk seasons by elk management zone rather than unit by unit, and puts unit 49 in the Pioneer Zone, so the zone's tag rules are the ones that apply here.

The lines of the unit: Copper Creek, Cottonwood Creek and Trail Creek

Idaho Fish and Game draws unit 49 in Blaine County on a line that runs along State Highway 75 and U.S. 20, and past Copper Creek, Cottonwood Creek and Trail Creek, written out corner by corner in its unit boundary descriptions. 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: Pioneer Mountains, Hyndman Peak and Duncan Ridge

Named high points inside the unit include Pioneer Mountains at 11,964 feet, Hyndman Peak at 11,915 feet, Duncan Ridge at 11,736 feet, Old Hyndman Peak at 11,683 feet and Cobb Peak at 11,593 feet. Several carry a public-land flag in our data, which makes them the first places to try for a view. Elk want timber to bed in and open ground to feed on, within a short walk of each other.

Holding ground: Deadend Canyon, Blind Canyon and Brocky Canyon

Below them sit Deadend Canyon at 7,433 feet, Blind Canyon at 7,431 feet, Brocky Canyon at 7,409 feet, Snowslide Gulch at 7,351 feet and Talus Gulch at 7,153 feet. Those are the basins, parks and bottoms this unit has, and they are what you glass into from above. Pick the one with the least road on its upwind side.

Water: Strode Spring, Chokecherry Spring and Mud Springs

The water inside the unit line comes to 43 mapped stream reaches, 3 lakes, 42 stock tanks and 13 springs. Named sources include Strode Spring, Chokecherry Spring, Mud Springs, Last Chance Springs, Sunset Spring and Red Rock 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 17%, BLM 15% 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 49 runs from 4,833 feet to 11,964 feet — more than 4,000 feet between the named features alone, so the season you draw decides which part of it you hunt.

Unit 49 terrain and land status

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

The lay of it

4,803–10,281 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 6,704 ft ; peaks can run higher. That spread means you can hunt two seasons in one day — plan clothing for both ends.
793.4 sq mi inside the boundary.

Who owns the ground

National Forest — 60%
BLM — 15%
State Trust — 8%
Private / Other — 17%

Roughly 83% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.

Water on the ground

42 tanks
13 springs
43 stream segments
3 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: Pioneer Mountains (11,964 ft), Handwerk Peak (10,799 ft), Grays Peak (10,525 ft), Scorpion Mountain (10,479 ft)

Holding ground: Johnstone Pass (9,971 ft), Big Basin (9,792 ft), Trail Creek Summit (7,909 ft), Strode Spring, Chokecherry 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 Elk in Unit 49

Idaho Fish and Game's own harvest estimates put elk success in unit 49 at 41% across all manners of take. That is an ordinary spread for this country, and it rewards whoever scouted. The plan: find the feed, find the timber it backs onto, then watch the seam between them at the edges of the day.

The 2026 controlled hunts in unit 49

Idaho Fish and Game's 2026 rules list 5 controlled hunts for elk on unit 49 under its own number.

Hunt 2028 — antlered elk, 20 tags, Oct 1–Oct 14
Hunt 2029 — antlered elk, 175 tags, Oct 15–Oct 31
Hunt 2138 — muzzleloader only elk, 75 tags, Nov 1–Nov 14. Either sex
Hunt 2159 — youth only, antlerless elk, 50 tags, Oct 10–Oct 31
Hunt 2196 — outfitter allocation elk, 9 tags, Oct 15–Oct 31. Antlered only

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 49 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 elk 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 Pioneer Mountain, Johnstone Peak and Muldoon Ridge

Take a position on one of Pioneer Mountain (10,234 ft), Johnstone Peak (9,885 ft), Muldoon Ridge (9,526 ft) and Garfield Mountain (8,594 ft) and be on it before light. Cold air slides downhill in the dark, so keep your scent out of the bowl you mean to watch; expect the thermals to turn uphill an hour after the sun reaches the slope. Glass the edges first, then the shaded timber, then the edges again as the light goes. On the rut hunts, September bugling works where you can get above a drainage and let the thermals carry sound downhill.

Water against feed

There are 43 mapped stream reaches and 42 tanks inside the unit, so water is rarely the limiting factor. Where water is everywhere, feed is what concentrates animals, so hunt the feed and treat water as a convenience. Sitting water works where you can see fresh tracks going in, and nowhere else.

Timing the season: Sep, Oct, Nov

Season normals here run Sep 75/41°F, Oct 60/31°F and Nov 44/21°F. Warm afternoons compress the hunting into the first and last hour, and make meat care the day's real problem rather than the shot. Precipitation runs about 0.8 in. in Sep, 1.5 in. in Oct and 1.4 in. in Nov, and the graded gravel in this unit turns greasy wet.

Getting past the roads: US 20 and ID 75

US 20, ID 75 and US 93 / US 20 / US 26 are the paved frame, which is also where everyone else starts. There is little true four-wheel-drive road here, so distance from the gravel is the only thing separating you from the next hunter.

Getting in and staying out: unit 49

Named routes and what they need

US 20 — 9.7 mi · Paved (all rigs)
ID 75 — 8.5 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Gannett Picabo Road — 7.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
US 93;US 20;US 26 — 7.3 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Elkhorn Road — 4.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
Baseline Road — 4.1 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)

Ratings come from road data, not from a drive this season. Check current conditions with the managing office before you commit a trailer.

Nearest services

Bellevue — 12 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging
Hailey — 13.9 mi · fuel
Carey — 16.1 mi · fuel, groceries
Ketchum — 19.3 mi · groceries, lodging, gear
Sun Valley — 19.4 mi · groceries, lodging, gear

Developed camps

Silver Creek Campground
Unnamed camp site
Unnamed camp site

Season weather and signal

Jan33° / 12° · 2" precip
Aug84° / 49° · 0.5" precip
Sep75° / 41° · 0.8" precip
Oct60° / 31° · 1.5" precip
Nov44° / 21° · 1.4" precip
Dec33° / 13° · 2.3" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 21% of the unit. Plan on being out of contact and tell someone your route.

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.

Elk: 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. That is lungs, and on a quartering-away angle it picks up the far shoulder.

Shots to refuse

No straight-on and no straight-away shots. An elk's chest is deep and the margin is small.
Nothing standing behind or overlapping the animal you picked. A pass-through kills the elk behind it too.
Your maximum range is the farthest you have put three shots in a paper plate off the sticks you are actually carrying. Not the farthest you have ever hit anything.
Scope on 3–4x. A herd fills a 12x field of view and you lose the animal you picked.

Identification:On an antlerless tag, legal means no antler of any kind through the skin. A spike looks exactly like a cow until it turns its head. If you can't see the head, don't shoot.

Plan the carry: roughly 150– 220 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — two to four large coolers, plus bagged ice from town. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

Pro Members Only

Unlock elk tactics for Unit 49

Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

Elk Success Rates

Rifle41%

Archery18%

Muzzleloader2%

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 harvest estimates put elk success in unit 49 at 41% — 72 animals taken by 174 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.

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.

Elk Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Controlled — 1st Drawing either sex (resident)	18	299	6.0%	—
Controlled — 1st Drawing either sex (nonresident)	2	82	2.0%	—
Controlled — 2nd Drawing either sex (resident)	7	336	2.0%	—
Controlled — 2nd Drawing either sex (nonresident)	1	59	2.0%	—

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 elk in unit 49, with residents and nonresidents kept apart because they draw from different tag pools:

Hunt 2029 — residents 854 applicants for 157 tags, 18% drawn; nonresidents 177 applicants for 18 tags, 10% drawn
Hunt 2028 — residents 299 applicants for 18 tags, 6% drawn; nonresidents 82 applicants for 2 tags, 2% drawn
Hunt 2159 — residents 60 applicants for 47 tags, 78% drawn; nonresidents 3 applicants for 3 tags, 100% drawn
Hunt 2138 — residents 17 applicants for 16 tags, 94% drawn; nonresidents 13 applicants for 7 tags, 54% 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.

Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 49

Unit 49 lies in Blaine County and covers about 793 square miles. Named ground inside it runs from 4,833 to 11,964 feet. Idaho Fish and Game's harvest estimates put pronghorn success here as high as 27%. Federal land covers about 58% of it. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.

Where to Find Pronghorn in Unit 49

Idaho Fish and Game's material on unit 49 stops at the boundary — there is no agency account of where its pronghorn live. 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 Blaine County. It runs to about 793 square miles.

How Idaho Fish and Game sets up pronghorn hunting in unit 49

Idaho Fish and Game hunts pronghorn here only by controlled hunt, and describes its pronghorn hunt area 49 as all of Unit 49.

The lines of the unit: Copper Creek, Cottonwood Creek and Trail Creek

Idaho Fish and Game draws unit 49 in Blaine County on a line that runs along State Highway 75 and U.S. 20, and past Copper Creek, Cottonwood Creek and Trail Creek, written out corner by corner in its unit boundary descriptions. It tells you the shape of the unit and nothing about its inhabitants. What it does give you is the way in: the rivers and highways you cross, and the divides that decide which drainage you end up in.

High ground inside the line: Handwerk Peak, Grays Peak and Scorpion Mountain

Named high points inside the unit include Handwerk Peak at 10,799 feet, Grays Peak at 10,525 feet, Scorpion Mountain at 10,479 feet, Pioneer Mountain at 10,234 feet and Johnstone Peak at 9,885 feet. Several carry a public-land flag in our data, which makes them the first places to try for a view. Pronghorn stay on the open rolling ground and leave the timber alone.

Holding ground: Box Canyon, Paymaster Gulch and Long Gulch

Below them sit Box Canyon at 7,143 feet, Paymaster Gulch at 7,078 feet, Long Gulch at 6,995 feet, Timber Draw at 6,992 feet and Frisco Gulch at 6,797 feet. Those are the basins, parks and bottoms this unit has, and they are what you glass into from above. Reaching the edge of one before light beats reaching its middle at noon.

Water: Watercress Spring, Shady Spring and Aspen Spring

The water inside the unit line comes to 43 mapped stream reaches, 3 lakes, 42 stock tanks and 13 springs. Named sources include Watercress Spring, Shady Spring, Aspen Spring, Italian Spring, Deer Mountain Spring and North Queens Crown Springs. Nothing in the data says which of them run in autumn, so a scouting trip earns its fuel.

Reading the land status

Unit 49 terrain and land status

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

The lay of it

4,803–10,281 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 6,704 ft ; peaks can run higher. That spread means you can hunt two seasons in one day — plan clothing for both ends.
793.4 sq mi inside the boundary.

Who owns the ground

National Forest — 60%
BLM — 15%
State Trust — 8%
Private / Other — 17%

Roughly 83% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.

Water on the ground

42 tanks
13 springs
43 stream segments
3 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: Pioneer Mountains (11,964 ft), Handwerk Peak (10,799 ft), Grays Peak (10,525 ft), Scorpion Mountain (10,479 ft)

Holding ground: Johnstone Pass (9,971 ft), Big Basin (9,792 ft), Trail Creek Summit (7,909 ft), Strode Spring, Chokecherry 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 Pronghorn in Unit 49

Idaho Fish and Game's own harvest estimates put pronghorn success in unit 49 at 27% across all manners of take. That is an ordinary spread for this country, and it rewards whoever scouted. The plan: spot from a vehicle or a rise at distance, then plan a stalk that uses the only cover there is — the curve of the ground.

The 2026 controlled hunts in unit 49

Idaho Fish and Game's 2026 rules list one controlled hunt for pronghorn on unit 49 under its own number.

Hunt 4013 — either sex pronghorn, 25 tags, Sep 25–Oct 24

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 49 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. Anyone drawn for a limited pronghorn hunt in the first period must sit out the next year's first period for limited pronghorn hunts. 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 Morgan Ridge, Swede Peak and Patterson Peak

Take a position on one of Morgan Ridge (8,567 ft), Swede Peak (8,459 ft), Patterson Peak (8,346 ft) and Bell Rock (8,339 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. 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, early-season bucks hold does and can be decoyed where the law allows it.

Water against feed

There are 43 mapped stream reaches and 42 tanks inside the unit, so water is rarely the limiting factor. Where water is everywhere, feed is what concentrates animals, so hunt the feed and treat water as a convenience. Check the ground around it before you commit an evening to it.

Timing the season: Sep, Oct, Nov

Getting past the roads: US 20 and ID 75

What we can't tell you

Some of the ground named above carries no land-status flag we trust, so check ownership on a current layer before you hunt it.

Getting in and staying out: unit 49

Named routes and what they need

US 20 — 9.7 mi · Paved (all rigs)
ID 75 — 8.5 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Gannett Picabo Road — 7.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
US 93;US 20;US 26 — 7.3 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Elkhorn Road — 4.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
Baseline Road — 4.1 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)

Ratings come from road data, not from a drive this season. Check current conditions with the managing office before you commit a trailer.

Nearest services

Bellevue — 12 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging
Hailey — 13.9 mi · fuel
Carey — 16.1 mi · fuel, groceries
Ketchum — 19.3 mi · groceries, lodging, gear
Sun Valley — 19.4 mi · groceries, lodging, gear

Developed camps

Silver Creek Campground
Unnamed camp site
Unnamed camp site

Season weather and signal

Jan33° / 12° · 2" precip
Aug84° / 49° · 0.5" precip
Sep75° / 41° · 0.8" precip
Oct60° / 31° · 1.5" precip
Nov44° / 21° · 1.4" precip
Dec33° / 13° · 2.3" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 21% of the unit. Plan on being out of contact and tell someone your route.

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.

Pronghorn: where to put the shot

Broadside, straight up the front leg, a third of the way into the body. Pronghorn are shallow-chested and the lungs sit forward.

Shots to refuse

Range it, then range it again. Open country makes 400 yards look like 250.
Wait for the buck to stop. Nobody kills a running pronghorn cleanly on purpose.
Mind the backdrop. A miss carries a long way across a flat.

Plan the carry: roughly 30– 45 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — one large cooler with ice already in it. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

Pro Members Only

Unlock pronghorn tactics for Unit 49

Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

Pronghorn Success Rates

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 harvest estimates put pronghorn success in unit 49 at 27% — 30 animals taken by 112 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.

Pronghorn Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Controlled — 1st Drawing either sex (resident)	23	394	6.0%	—
Controlled — 1st Drawing either sex (nonresident)	2	61	3.0%	—
Controlled — 2nd Drawing either sex (resident)	2	202	1.0%	—
Controlled — 2nd Drawing either sex (nonresident)	0	16	0.0%	—

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 first drawing for pronghorn in unit 49, with residents and nonresidents kept apart because they draw from different tag pools:

Hunt 4013 — residents 394 applicants for 23 tags, 6% drawn; nonresidents 61 applicants for 2 tags, 3% drawn

Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 49

Unit 49 lies in Blaine County and covers about 793 square miles. Named ground inside it runs from 4,833 to 11,964 feet. Idaho Fish and Game's harvest estimates put deer success here as high as 34%. Federal land covers about 58% of it. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.

Where to Find Mule Deer in Unit 49

What Idaho Fish and Game publishes for unit 49 is a boundary, not a mule deer map. 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 Blaine County. It runs to about 793 square miles.

How Idaho Fish and Game sets up mule deer hunting in unit 49

Idaho Fish and Game keeps a general deer season page for unit 49, and that page is where this year's dates and weapon rules live.

The lines of the unit: Copper Creek, Cottonwood Creek and Trail Creek

Idaho Fish and Game draws unit 49 in Blaine County on a line that runs along State Highway 75 and U.S. 20, and past Copper Creek, Cottonwood Creek and Trail Creek, written out corner by corner in its unit boundary descriptions. It tells you the shape of the unit and nothing about its inhabitants. Those features are what you will check against the map all week, and the divides among them are the ones that matter.

High ground inside the line: Muldoon Ridge, Garfield Mountain and Morgan Ridge

Named high points inside the unit include Muldoon Ridge at 9,526 feet, Garfield Mountain at 8,594 feet, Morgan Ridge at 8,567 feet, Swede Peak at 8,459 feet and Patterson Peak at 8,346 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: Federal Gulch, Blackspar Canyon and Sawmill Gulch

Below them sit Federal Gulch at 6,789 feet, Blackspar Canyon at 6,745 feet, Sawmill Gulch at 6,692 feet, Schuss Canyon at 6,682 feet and Cabin Gulch at 6,673 feet. These are the folds worth watching, and the ones other hunters walk past on the way to somewhere steeper. Two you can watch from a single knob is worth more than five you have to drive between.

Water: Timber Butte Spring, Mandolin Spring and Strode Spring

The water inside the unit line comes to 43 mapped stream reaches, 3 lakes, 42 stock tanks and 13 springs. Named sources include Timber Butte Spring, Mandolin Spring, Strode Spring, Chokecherry Spring, Mud Springs and Last Chance Springs. Nothing in the data says which of them run in autumn, so a scouting trip earns its fuel.

Reading the land status

Unit 49 terrain and land status

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

The lay of it

4,803–10,281 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 6,704 ft ; peaks can run higher. That spread means you can hunt two seasons in one day — plan clothing for both ends.
793.4 sq mi inside the boundary.

Who owns the ground

National Forest — 60%
BLM — 15%
State Trust — 8%
Private / Other — 17%

Roughly 83% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.

Water on the ground

42 tanks
13 springs
43 stream segments
3 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: Pioneer Mountains (11,964 ft), Handwerk Peak (10,799 ft), Grays Peak (10,525 ft), Scorpion Mountain (10,479 ft)

Holding ground: Johnstone Pass (9,971 ft), Big Basin (9,792 ft), Trail Creek Summit (7,909 ft), Strode Spring, Chokecherry 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 49

Idaho Fish and Game's own harvest estimates put deer success in unit 49 at 34% 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 49

Idaho Fish and Game's 2026 rules list one controlled hunt for mule deer on unit 49 under its own number.

Hunt 1039 — antlered deer, 10 tags, Nov 10–Nov 24

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 49 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 Elk Mountain, Bell Mountain and Proctor Mountain

Take a position on one of Elk Mountain (8,087 ft), Bell Mountain (7,985 ft), Proctor Mountain (7,793 ft) and Mormon Hill (7,639 ft) and be on it before light. Cold air slides downhill in the dark, so keep your scent out of the bowl you mean to watch; expect the thermals to turn uphill an hour after the sun reaches the slope. A tripod is worth more here than another hour of walking. On the rut hunts, late-season hunts put bucks with doe groups and moving in daylight.

Water against feed

There are 43 mapped stream reaches and 42 tanks inside the unit, so water is rarely the limiting factor. Where water is everywhere, feed is what concentrates animals, so hunt the feed and treat water as a convenience. A tank with no tracks is a tank with no reason to sit on it.

Timing the season: Sep, Oct, Nov

Getting past the roads: US 20 and ID 75

A first plan from the pins on this page

The map above marks Pioneer Mountains, Handwerk Peak, Grays Peak and Scorpion Mountain as places to see from, and Johnstone Pass, Big Basin, Trail Creek Summit and Strode Spring as ground to watch. Each pin is a named feature verified to fall inside the unit line, not a spot anyone has hunted. Take the pair you can reach on one road and treat the rest as a second trip.

Getting in and staying out: unit 49

Named routes and what they need

US 20 — 9.7 mi · Paved (all rigs)
ID 75 — 8.5 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Gannett Picabo Road — 7.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
US 93;US 20;US 26 — 7.3 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Elkhorn Road — 4.4 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
Baseline Road — 4.1 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)

Ratings come from road data, not from a drive this season. Check current conditions with the managing office before you commit a trailer.

Nearest services

Bellevue — 12 mi · fuel, groceries, lodging
Hailey — 13.9 mi · fuel
Carey — 16.1 mi · fuel, groceries
Ketchum — 19.3 mi · groceries, lodging, gear
Sun Valley — 19.4 mi · groceries, lodging, gear

Developed camps

Silver Creek Campground
Unnamed camp site
Unnamed camp site

Season weather and signal

Jan33° / 12° · 2" precip
Aug84° / 49° · 0.5" precip
Sep75° / 41° · 0.8" precip
Oct60° / 31° · 1.5" precip
Nov44° / 21° · 1.4" precip
Dec33° / 13° · 2.3" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 21% of the unit. Plan on being out of contact and tell someone your route.

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.

Pro Members Only

Unlock Unit 49 mule deer tactics

Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

Mule Deer Success Rates

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 harvest estimates put deer success in unit 49 at 34% — 700 animals taken by 2,083 hunters. That is a lot of hunters in one unit, and the percentage is what it looks like after all of them have been through it. The figure is IDFG's result for deer in the unit, not for mule deer alone.

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Controlled — 1st Drawing either sex (resident)	9	133	7.0%	—
Controlled — 1st Drawing either sex (nonresident)	1	21	5.0%	—
Controlled — 2nd Drawing either sex (resident)	1	84	1.0%	—
Controlled — 2nd Drawing either sex (nonresident)	0	13	0.0%	—

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 first drawing for mule deer in unit 49, with residents and nonresidents kept apart because they draw from different tag pools:

Hunt 1039 — residents 133 applicants for 9 tags, 7% drawn; nonresidents 21 applicants for 1 tag, 5% drawn

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

⛺

Camp Sites

3 developed campgrounds in or beside the unit, including Silver Creek Campground.

🛣️

Road Conditions

US 20, ID 75 and Gannett Picabo Road are the named routes in the unit. Roughly 42 mi paved, 39 mi gravel and 0 mi four-wheel-drive.

🥾

Terrain Difficulty

Named features from 4,833 to 11,964 ft. More than 4,000 feet between the named features alone, so plan the pack-out before the shot.

👥

Hunting Pressure

Our land-status read for this unit is approximate, so treat any pressure estimate from it with suspicion and check a current ownership layer.

🌦️

Weather

Season normals: Sep 75/41°F, 0.8 in.; Oct 60/31°F, 1.5 in.; Nov 44/21°F, 1.4 in..

📱

Cell Service

Verizon 21%, AT&T 14%, T-Mobile 7% of the unit area — modelled coverage, not measured. Assume no signal off the paved road.

🏘️

Nearest Town

Bellevue (12 mi), Hailey (14 mi), Carey (16 mi)

Pro Members Only

Unlock logistics for Unit 49

Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Idaho unit 49?

Unit 49 lies in Blaine County. Idaho Fish and Game draws unit 49 on a line that runs along State Highway 75 and U.S. 20, and past Copper Creek, Cottonwood Creek and Trail Creek, written out corner by corner in its unit boundary descriptions. It covers about 793 square miles.

What is the elk success rate in unit 49?

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 harvest estimates put elk success in unit 49 at 41% across all manners of take. Those are the agency's own figures for this unit, not a statewide average.

Where do you stay and resupply for a unit 49 hunt?

The nearest services our logistics pipeline finds for unit 49 are at Bellevue, about 12 miles from the unit's centre, with Hailey at about 14 miles. There are also 3 developed campgrounds in or beside the unit.

What is the pronghorn success rate in unit 49?

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 harvest estimates put pronghorn success in unit 49 at 27% across all manners of take. Those are the agency's own figures for this unit, not a statewide average.

What is the mule deer success rate in unit 49?

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 harvest estimates put deer success in unit 49 at 34% across all manners of take. Those are the agency's own figures for this unit, not a statewide average.

Free Hunt Planning Tools

🎰 Idaho Draw Odds Unit-level tag success rates 📅 Application Timeline Deadlines for all 9 states 🦌 Rut Forecast Peak rut timing by species 💰 Hunt Cost Calculator Budget your entire hunt

Plan Your Hunt with ProHunt Pro

Unlock advanced tactics, the Tag-to-Trail Planner, AI hunt strategy assistant, and personalized camp and trip execution plans.

Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

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 Pioneer Zone elk tag limits — 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 elk in unit 49 · 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
IDFG general deer season page for unit 49 — Idaho Department of Fish and Game · supports: Season structure for the unit · accessed 2026-10-24