Idaho Mountain Goat

Unit G36A-1 (Mountain Goat Hunt Area 36A-1)

Idaho Hunting Guide — Mountain Goat

Hunt Area 36A-1 is drawn from units 50, 36A and 48, in Blaine, Butte and Custer counties. Named ground inside it runs from 5,816 to 11,678 feet. Idaho Fish and Game publishes no per-unit mountain goat success figure we can verify for this hunt area. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.

View Draw Odds Idaho Hunting Guide

Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit G36A-1

Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready Idaho Unit G36A-1 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.

Mountain Goat 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.

Mountain Goat Hunting in Unit G36A-1

Where to Find Mountain Goat in Hunt Area 36A-1

Idaho Fish and Game draws an exact line around hunt area 36A-1 and says nothing about where the mountain goat stand inside it. The country below is verified; where to begin in it is our judgement, not the agency's.

What hunt area 36A-1 is

Idaho Fish and Game draws mountain goat hunt area 36A-1 in Blaine, Butte and Custer counties on a line that runs along U.S. 93 and State Highway 75, and past Trail Creek, Salmon River, Herd Creek and Big Wood River, written out corner by corner in its controlled hunt area descriptions. That makes it a piece of ground drawn for this hunt, not a unit, and the outline on this page is IDFG's own polygon for it rather than a unit outline. The units it is drawn from lie in Blaine, Butte and Custer counties. Idaho Fish and Game also uses the code 36A-1 for elk and pronghorn hunts, and in its own words "hunt areas are different for each species" — those are other pieces of ground, and this page is the mountain goat area.

High ground inside the line: Boulder Mountains, Ryan Peak and Kent Peak

Named high points inside the hunt area include Boulder Mountains at 11,678 feet, Ryan Peak at 11,678 feet, Kent Peak at 11,644 feet, Glassford Peak at 11,556 feet and Sheep Mountain at 10,869 feet. Several carry a public-land flag in our data, which makes them the first places to try for a view. Goats live above the trees on cliff and talus and come down only when weather makes them.

Holding ground: Cold Canyon, Squib Canyon and Lost Mine Canyon

Below them sit Cold Canyon at 7,704 feet, Squib Canyon at 7,605 feet, Lost Mine Canyon at 7,538 feet, Slide Canyon at 7,534 feet and Miller Canyon at 7,519 feet. That is the low country of the hunt area — 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: Spring Gulch Spring, Skull Spring and Howell Spring

Named sources include Spring Gulch Spring, Skull Spring and Howell 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 hunt area 36A-1 runs from 5,816 feet to 11,678 feet — more than 4,000 feet between the named features alone, so the season you draw decides which part of it you hunt.

Unit G36A-1 terrain and land status

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

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Boulder Mountains (11,678 ft), Glassford Peak (11,556 ft), Sheep Mountain (10,869 ft), Meridian Peak (10,260 ft)

Holding ground: Hunter Creek Summit (9,420 ft), Grave Canyon (8,213 ft), Lake Basin (8,165 ft), Spring Gulch Spring, Howell 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 Mountain Goat in Hunt Area 36A-1

Idaho Fish and Game's per-unit harvest statistics describe general seasons on game management units, so there is no mountain goat success figure we can tie to hunt area 36A-1 alone, and we won't borrow one from a unit. The plan: glass from across the basin, judge the climb honestly, and decide whether a hit animal could be recovered.

The 2025 and 2026 controlled hunts

Idaho Fish and Game's 2025 and 2026 rules list one controlled hunt for mountain goat in hunt area 36A-1.

Hunt 6009 — 1 tag, Aug 30–Nov 12

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 hunt area 36A-1

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. Anyone who has taken a mountain goat in Idaho since 1977 may not apply for a goat tag at all. Two hunters may apply together on one application. Idaho's draw is random, with no preference or bonus points to build.

Glassing from Herd Peak, Swensen Butte and Chilly Buttes

Take a position on one of Herd Peak (9,847 ft), Swensen Butte (7,166 ft), Chilly Buttes (6,852 ft) and Penny Mountain (6,112 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. Give a basin forty minutes before you decide it is empty. On the rut hunts, early hunts find goats higher and later hunts find them pushed down by snow.

The way in: U.S. 93 and Highway 75

We have no road inventory for this hunt area, so the only routes we can name are the ones Idaho Fish and Game draws the boundary with: U.S. 93 and Highway 75. Those are its edges, not its interior — useful because they are where you leave the pavement, and useless for telling you what the inside is like. Check each of them on a current motor-vehicle-use map before you count on it, because a line on a boundary description is not a promise of public access.

A first plan from the pins on this page

The map above marks Boulder Mountains, Glassford Peak, Sheep Mountain and Meridian Peak as places to see from, and Hunter Creek Summit, Grave Canyon, Lake Basin and Spring Gulch Spring as ground to watch. Each pin is a named feature verified to fall inside the hunt-area 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 5,862 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.

Mountain Goat: 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 tactics for Idaho 36A-1 goat

Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

Mountain Goat Success Rates

Idaho Fish and Game's per-unit harvest statistics describe general seasons on game management units, and hunt area 36A-1 is a controlled-hunt area, not a unit, so there is no figure here we can tie to it. A unit's general-season number would describe different hunters on different ground. Idaho Fish and Game's hunt planner reports controlled-hunt results hunt by hunt, which is the figure to check before you apply.

Mountain Goat Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Controlled — 1st Drawing either sex (resident)	1	16	6.0%	—
Controlled — 1st Drawing either sex (nonresident)	0	7	0.0%	—

Data from 2026 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 2026 first drawing for mountain goat in hunt area 36A-1, with residents and nonresidents kept apart because they draw from different tag pools:

Hunt 6009 — residents 16 applicants for 1 tag, 6% drawn; nonresidents 7 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

💧

Water

3 named water sources inside the hunt area in our water layer, including Spring Gulch Spring, Skull Spring and Howell Spring. Which of them run in autumn is something only a scouting trip will tell you.

🛣️

Road Conditions

Idaho Fish and Game's boundary for the hunt area follows U.S. 93 and State Highway 75. That is the edge, not a promise of access inside — check a current motor-vehicle-use map before you drive in.

🥾

Terrain Difficulty

Named features inside the hunt area run from 5,816 to 11,678 ft. More than 4,000 feet between them alone, so plan the pack-out before the shot.

📋

Permit Notes

Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt 6009 (2025 and 2026 rules). Moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat applications run April 1 to 30. Idaho's draw is random, with no preference or bonus points.

Pro Members Only

Unlock logistics for Idaho 36A-1 goat

Upgrade to Pro — $49/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Idaho hunt area 36A-1?

Hunt Area 36A-1 is drawn from units 50, 36A and 48, in Blaine, Butte and Custer counties. Idaho Fish and Game draws mountain goat hunt area 36A-1 on a line that runs along U.S. 93 and State Highway 75, and past Trail Creek, Salmon River, Herd Creek and Big Wood River, written out corner by corner in its controlled hunt area descriptions.

What is the mountain goat success rate in hunt area 36A-1?

Idaho Fish and Game's per-unit harvest statistics cover general seasons on game management units, and hunt area 36A-1 is a controlled-hunt area, so there is no figure we can tie to it. Idaho Fish and Game's hunt planner reports controlled-hunt results hunt by hunt, and that is the number to check before you apply.

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.

Moose, Bighorn Sheep & Mountain Goat 2025 & 2026 Seasons & Rules — Idaho Department of Fish and Game · supports: Controlled hunt area description for mountain goat hunt area 36A-1, The game management units the area is drawn from, Controlled hunt numbers, tags and season dates · accessed 2026-10-24
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