Idaho Hunting Unit 23

Elk and deer in Unit 23 (Idaho, Adams counties): hunter success by year, 2026 seasons and draw odds, public land and rules, from Idaho Fish and Game records.

Open Unit 23 on the mapFree · public land, Forest roads, offline maps

Elk success16%5-year general season

Deer success23%5-year, mostly whitetail (54%)

Public land76%of the unit

Hunter success by year

ElkDeer (all deer, as IDFG reports)

General season success as Idaho Fish and Game reports it. Year-by-year numbers are in the tables below.

Elk hunting in Unit 23

In the 2025 general season, 2,362 elk hunters took 419 elk: 18% success. Over the last five seasons, success averaged 16% (total harvest over total hunters, 2021–2025). Of the bulls taken, 35% had 6 or more points.

General season, Idaho Fish and Game harvest survey. 6+ pt: share of bulls with 6 or more points
Year	Hunters	Harvest	Success	6+ pt
2025	2,362	419	18%	35%
2024	2,627	437	17%	34%
2023	2,356	357	15%	35%
2022	1,982	316	16%	31%
2021	2,372	336	14%	26%
2020	2,422	418	17%	34%
2019	2,189	275	13%	34%
2018	2,224	291	13%	26%
2017	2,426	393	16%	31%
2016	2,377	415	17%	31%
2015	2,330	503	22%	28%

Controlled hunt results, 2025

Hunt	Weapon	Hunters	Harvest	Success
Hunt 2004	Any weapon	7	3	43%
Hunt 2063 area 23-1	Any weapon	49	21	43%
Hunt 2064 area 23-1	Any weapon	26	7	27%
Hunt 2065 area 23-2	Any weapon	55	5	9%
Hunt 2066 area 23-2	Any weapon	23	20	87%
Hunt 2067 area 23-3	Any weapon	37	6	16%
Hunt 2068 area 23-3	Any weapon	21	9	43%

Results are for the whole hunt area, which can reach beyond this unit.

Deer hunting in Unit 23

In the 2025 general season, 2,104 deer hunters took 356 deer: 17% success. Over the last five seasons, deer success averaged 23% (all deer, 2021–2025); whitetail were 54% of the harvest, so this is mostly a whitetail unit. Idaho Fish and Game counts all deer: 63% of the 2025 harvest was whitetail.

General season, Idaho Fish and Game harvest survey. Whitetail: share of the deer harvest
Year	Hunters	Harvest	Success	Whitetail
2025	2,104	356	17%	63%
2024	2,316	597	26%	53%
2023	2,433	518	21%	57%
2022	2,216	607	27%	60%
2021	2,318	564	24%	39%
2020	2,221	531	24%	48%
2019	2,114	461	22%	46%
2018	2,071	453	22%	39%
2017	2,426	576	24%	43%
2016	2,311	679	29%	35%
2015	2,627	700	27%	39%

Controlled hunt results, 2025

Hunt	Weapon	Hunters	Harvest	Success
Hunt 1015	Any weapon	23	4	17%

2026 elk and deer seasons in Unit 23

General seasons (over the counter)

Season	Dates	Sex	Tag
Elk, short-range (31% of unit)	Aug 15 – Sep 30	antlerless	Elk A Tag - McCall Zone
Elk, archery	Aug 30 – Sep 30	either sex	Elk A Tag - McCall Zone
Elk, any weapon	Oct 5 – Oct 14	spike	Elk A Tag - McCall Zone
Elk, any weapon	Oct 15 – Nov 3	antlered	Elk B Tag - McCall Zone
Elk, short-range	Nov 10 – Nov 30	antlerless	Elk A Tag - McCall Zone
Deer, archery	Aug 30 – Sep 30	either sex	Regular Deer Tag
Deer, archery	Aug 30 – Sep 30	either sex	White-tailed Deer Tag
Deer, any weapon	Oct 10 – Oct 31	antlerless	Regular Deer Tag
Deer, any weapon	Oct 10 – Oct 31	antlered	Regular Deer Tag
Deer, any weapon	Oct 10 – Nov 20	either sex	White-tailed Deer Tag

Controlled hunts

Hunt	Dates	Weapon	Sex	Tags	Drew
Elk 2004 area 23	Oct 1 – Oct 14	Any weapon	antlered	10	4% (10 tags, 248 1st choice, 2026)
Elk 2063 area 23-1	Oct 1 – Oct 14	Any weapon	antlerless	50	42% (50 tags, 120 1st choice, 2026)
Elk 2065 area 23-2	Oct 5 – Nov 5	Any weapon	antlerless	75	100% (42 tags, 18 1st choice, 2026)
Elk 2064 area 23-1	Oct 15 – Nov 8	Any weapon	antlerless	30	56% (30 tags, 54 1st choice, 2026)
Elk 2067 area 23-3	Oct 15 – Nov 8	Any weapon	antlerless	40	83% (40 tags, 48 1st choice, 2026)
Elk 2066 area 23-2	Dec 1 – Dec 31	Any weapon	antlerless	25	25% (25 tags, 100 1st choice, 2026)
Elk 2068 area 23-3	Dec 1 – Dec 31	Any weapon	antlerless	25	28% (25 tags, 89 1st choice, 2026)
Deer 1015 area 23	Oct 10 – Nov 24	Any weapon	antlered	25	11% (25 tags, 221 1st choice, 2026)

Drew: share of first-choice applicants who drew a tag in the latest draw (for youth-only hunts, youth applicants). Outfitter tags go to licensed outfitters and are not drawn. A controlled hunt area can reach beyond this unit.

From the Idaho Fish and Game Hunt Planner, checked Oct 16, 2026. Seasons and rules change: confirm in the current regulations before you hunt.

Land in Unit 23

76% public land. Ownership: USFS 66%, Private 24%, BLM 5.9%, State 3.4%.

Idaho Fish and Game Hunt Planner. The map shows public land boundaries and Forest roads you can drive.

Rules to know

Chronic wasting disease testing required. Mule deer and white-tailed deer taken in Units 14, 18, 23, 63A, 64, 69 or the zone portion of Unit 1 must be tested: get the head or lymph nodes to Idaho Fish and Game within 10 days of harvest. Testing is free. Testing elk and moose from these units is recommended, not required.

Next to Unit 23

Five-year general-season success in the units that border Unit 23.

Unit	Elk	Deer
Unit 23 (this unit)	16%	23%*
Unit 14	28%	31%*
Unit 18	–	35%*
Unit 19A	11%	16%
Unit 22	18%	20%
Unit 24	12%	11%
Unit 32A	18%	16%

Deer: mule deer success; * mostly whitetail, so all deer. – means no recent general season or too few seasons or hunters for a 5-year figure.

Sources

Harvest, hunters and success: Idaho Fish and Game harvest statistics (survey estimates, checked Oct 16, 2026).
Seasons and draw odds: Idaho Fish and Game Hunt Planner (checked Oct 16, 2026).
Land and unit details: Idaho Fish and Game page for Unit 23.

Five-year success is the total harvest divided by the total hunters over the last five seasons (at least 100 hunters); for deer, the whitetail share is taken out, except in mostly-whitetail units, where it is all deer. Everything else is shown as published. Data checked Oct 16, 2026.