Idaho › Hunting seasons › Units › Unit 33
Wolf zone Sawtooth · Southwest
Unit 33 hunting: seasons, hunts and harvest
Unit 33 sits in the IDFG Southwest Region and the Sawtooth wolf zone; its 5 controlled hunts carry 726 tags in 2026.
Photo: Brent (CC BY 2.0)
Counties inside Unit 33
Boise County carries 68% of the 428,810 acres in Unit 33, which IDFG assigns to its Southwest Region. Unit 33 is shared by Boise and Valley; the second column is the share of the unit, the third the share of each county.
| County | Of the unit | Of the county | Named by IDFG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boise County | 68% | 24% | Yes |
| Valley County | 32% | 6% | Yes |
Questions about access, closures or animal numbers in Unit 33 go to the Southwest Region South – Nampa Office in Nampa, (208) 465-8465.
Region, elk zone and boundary counties from the IDFG Hunt Planner unit page; acreage from the Hunt Planner hunt page; shares from the IDFG Game Units layer over Census county lines (GIS measures); office from the IDFG offices page; data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Unit 33 elk zone, wolf zone and CWD
- General elk tags are sold per zone, and Unit 33 belongs to the Sawtooth Zone with Units 34, 35 and 36.
- The Sawtooth wolf zone takes in Unit 33; IDFG uses those zones for analysis and writes the seasons unit by unit.
- CWD: Unit 33 is neither a management zone nor a mandatory testing unit in 2026.
Open the zone: Sawtooth Zone · Wolf zones · CWD Management Zone
Elk zone from the Hunt Planner unit page and elk zone list; wolf zone from the IDFG Wolf Zones layer; CWD: CWD rules, Big Game 2026 p. 9; 2026 CWD changes; checked November 12, 2026.
Controlled hunt numbers in Unit 33
5 controlled hunt numbers include Unit 33 for 2026 (3 elk and 2 deer), carrying 726 tags between them. 5 of the hunts spread beyond Unit 33, so a tag there is not tied to this unit alone.
Idaho controlled hunts are drawn at random: deer, elk, pronghorn and fall bear apply May 1 to June 5, moose, sheep and goat April 1 to 30.
White-tailed deer fawn in tall grass
Deer, muzzleloader (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1087 | 33-1 | Muzzleloader | Nov 10 to Nov 30, 2026 | Antlered | 150 | 33, 34, 35 | p. 25 | Antlered only |
Deer, outfitter allocated (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1164 | 33 | Muzzleloader | Nov 10 to Nov 30, 2026 | Antlered | 1 | 33, 34, 35 | p. 30 | Muzzleloader only |
Elk, antlerless (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2082 | 39-2 | Any Weapon | Oct 5 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlerless | 500 | 33, 39 | p. 53 | — |
Elk, muzzleloader (2)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2131 | 33-1 | Muzzleloader | Nov 10 to Nov 30, 2026 | Antlerless | 25 | 33, 34, 35, 36 | p. 55 | Antlerless only |
| 2132 | 33-2 | Muzzleloader | Nov 10 to Nov 30, 2026 | Antlered | 50 | 33, 34, 35 | p. 55 | Antlered only |
Hunt numbers, dates, bags and 2026 tags from the Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules and the Moose, Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat 2025 and 2026 brochure (page links per row); units and notes from each Hunt Planner hunt page; draw periods from the brochure draw rules; checked November 12, 2026.
Unit 33 hunts without a draw
General tags open 18 dated lines in Unit 33, grouped below by species and by tag or season type. Rifle deer hunters on a general tag start October 10, 2026 in Unit 33.
Deer (4)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlerless | This unit | — | |
| Regular tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlered | This unit | — | |
| White-tailed tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — | |
| White-tailed tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 8, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — |
Elk (2)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | 33, 34, 35, 36 | Sawtooth Zone Tags sell out extremely fast! Resident Sawtooth Zone A and B tags will be sold separately from other resident tag sales, two days after other resident tags. On 7/10/2026 half of the tags will be sold at license vendors only starting at 10 a.m. mt. The remaining half of the resident tags will be sold online only starting at 1 p.m. mt. | |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Oct 15 to Nov 8, 2026 | Antlered | 33, 34, 35, 36 | Sawtooth Zone Tags sell out extremely fast! Resident Sawtooth Zone A and B tags will be sold separately from other resident tag sales, two days after other resident tags. On 7/10/2026 half of the tags will be sold at license vendors only starting at 10 a.m. mt. The remaining half of the resident tags will be sold online only starting at 1 p.m. mt. |
Black bear (2)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Any weapon | Aug 30 to Oct 31, 2026 | One black bear per tag; females with young protected | This unit | Dogs prohibited: Oct 5 – Oct 31 | |
| Spring 2027 | Any weapon | Apr 15 to Jun 30, 2027 | One black bear per tag; females with young protected | This unit | Dogs prohibited: Oct 5 – Oct 31 |
Mountain lion (1)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lion tag | Any weapon | Jul 1, 2026 to Jun 30, 2027 | One mountain lion per tag; females with spotted kittens protected | 33, 34, 35, 36 | Dogs prohibited: Apr 1 – June 30; July 1 – Aug 29; Oct 5 – Nov 8; Apr 1 – June 30 |
Gray wolf (6)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunting, private land | Hunting | Jul 1, 2026 to Jun 30, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | Statewide | — | |
| Hunting, public land | Hunting | Apr 1 to Nov 14, 2026 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 39 units | — | |
| Hunting, public land | Hunting | Nov 15, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 39 units | — | |
| Trapping, private land | Trapping | Nov 15, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 21 units | — | |
| Trapping, public land | Trapping | Sep 10 to Nov 14, 2026 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 32 units | — | |
| Trapping, public land | Trapping | Nov 15, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 32 units | — |
Wild turkey (3)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | — | Aug 30 to Oct 9, 2026 | Either sex | 22, 31, 32, 32A, 33, 39 | — | |
| Spring | — | Apr 15 to May 25, 2027 | Male or bearded turkey | 45 units | — | |
| Spring youth | — | Apr 8 to Apr 14, 2027 | Male or bearded turkey | 45 units | Unit 2 except Farragut State Park and WMA; Unit 32 except the Payette County portion. 2026 & 2027 brochure: same dates in 2027. |
Unit 33 gets 1 A tag elk line and 1 B tag line from the Sawtooth Zone tags.
Sawtooth Zone tag rows (2)
| Tag | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Zone tags | In Unit 33 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | 1,000 | Yes |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Oct 15 to Nov 8, 2026 | Antlered | 1,800 | Yes |
Season rows from the Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules (deer, elk, black bear, mountain lion, wolf) and the Upland Game, Turkey and Furbearer 2026 and 2027 brochure (turkey), with unit lists from the Hunt Planner; over-the-counter sales from the brochure; checked November 12, 2026.
Unit 33 results by year
21% of the 1,388 general deer hunters in Unit 33 filled a tag in 2025 (296 deer).
894 general elk hunters brought home 184 elk here last season.
Bear, lion, wolf and turkey rows for 2025 show 103 black bear, 6 mountain lion, 2 gray wolf and 58 spring turkey.
General rows count general tag holders only; drawn hunts sit in their own table.
Weapon split, 2025
| Kind and method | Taken | Hunters | Success | Days | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer, Any Weapon | 284 | 1,244 | 23% | 6,505 | 266 | 18 |
| Deer, Archery | 12 | 140 | 9% | 793 | — | 12 |
| Deer, Muzzleloader | 0 | 5 | 0% | 9 | — | — |
| Deer, All Weapons Combined | 296 | 1,388 | 21% | 7,307 | 266 | 30 |
| Elk, Any Weapon | 136 | 590 | 23% | 3,844 | 134 | 2 |
| Elk, Archery | 48 | 302 | 16% | 2,663 | 43 | 5 |
| Elk, Muzzleloader | 0 | 1 | 0% | 5 | — | — |
| Elk, All Weapons Combined | 184 | 894 | 21% | 6,513 | 177 | 7 |
2021-2025 results
| Year | Deer (all weapons) | Elk (all weapons) | Black bear | Mountain lion | Gray wolf | Spring turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 344 | 190 | 99 | 3 | 10 | 97 |
| 2022 | 226 | 184 | 126 | 7 | 13 | 149 |
| 2023 | 222 | 195 | 87 | 8 | 8 | 98 |
| 2024 | 282 | 230 | 95 | 6 | 3 | 59 |
| 2025 | 296 | 184 | 103 | 6 | 2 | 58 |
Hunt numbers, 2021-2025 (5)
| Hunt | Species | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Hunters 2025 | Success 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1087 | Deer | 4 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 60 | 141 | 43% |
| 1164 | Deer | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 2082 | Elk | 14 | 28 | 17 | 30 | 98 | 429 | 23% |
| 2131 | Elk | 9 | 14 | 9 | 16 | 6 | 25 | 24% |
| 2132 | Elk | 4 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 41 | 27% |
White-tailed buck emerging from the tree line at the edge of a field
IDFG Hunt Planner harvest statistics 2021-2025 (2025 pages linked): general deer, general elk, black bear, mountain lion, gray wolf, turkey, controlled deer, controlled elk; data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Unit 33 WMAs, forests and walk-in land
Our land data places 7 records in Unit 33; 7 have a page of their own and 0 are sections on county pages or the public land hub.
3 closed places sit in the counties of Unit 33, among them Lake Cascade State Park, Lucky Peak State Park and Ponderosa State Park.
Land records and their units from IDFG, USFS, BLM, USFWS and IDL sources (see each land page); closed places from the Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules and 18 U.S.C. 1165 for tribal land; checked November 12, 2026.
Near Unit 33
Start from Lowman for Unit 33, or from Cascade and Horseshoe Bend just outside the boundary.
- LowmanIn unit · Boise County
- CascadeWithin 10 mi · Valley County
- Horseshoe BendWithin 10 mi · Boise County
Wooden storefronts with flags on the main street of Idaho City
Units that overlap the same counties as Unit 33, sorted by distance:
| Unit | Shared counties | Elk zone | Deer 2025 | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 35 | Boise | Sawtooth | 76 | 5 |
| Unit 39 | Boise | Boise River | 2,145 | 14 |
| Unit 24 | Valley | McCall | 324 | 3 |
| Unit 32 | Boise, Valley | Weiser River | 886 | 4 |
| Unit 34 | Boise, Valley | Sawtooth | 60 | 4 |
| Unit 25 | Valley | McCall | 249 | 1 |
| Unit 32A | Boise, Valley | Weiser River | 430 | 12 |
| Unit 27 | Valley | Middle Fork | 307 | 12 |
Towns and their units from places.json (Census places joined to the IDFG Game Units layer); 2025 deer from the Hunt Planner; checked November 12, 2026.
Legal hours around Unit 33
The dates in this Unit 33 table come from the season lines that reach its own units, plus the shortest day of the year.
| When | Event | First sun | Last sun | Legal light |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2026 | General elk opener | 6:29 a.m. MT | 9:09 p.m. MT | 5:59 a.m. MT to 9:39 p.m. MT |
| Aug 30, 2026 | Archery deer opener | 7:02 a.m. MT | 8:25 p.m. MT | 6:32 a.m. MT to 8:55 p.m. MT |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Chukar opener | 7:20 a.m. MT | 7:56 p.m. MT | 6:50 a.m. MT to 8:26 p.m. MT |
| Oct 10, 2026 | General deer opener | 7:49 a.m. MT | 7:09 p.m. MT | 7:19 a.m. MT to 7:39 p.m. MT |
| Oct 19, 2026 | Duck opener | 8:01 a.m. MT | 6:54 p.m. MT | 7:31 a.m. MT to 7:24 p.m. MT |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 8:14 a.m. MT | 5:06 p.m. MT | 7:44 a.m. MT to 5:36 p.m. MT |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 7:01 a.m. MT | 8:25 p.m. MT | 6:31 a.m. MT to 8:55 p.m. MT |
Hours rule from the Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules (wolf and upland game animals: same rule, wolf, upland); time zone from 49 CFR 71.9; sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Mountain Time); migratory bird hours: IDFG migratory bird table; checked November 12, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Unit 33 answered
In which part of the state does Unit 33 sit?
Southwest country: the IDFG Southwest Region, across Boise County and Valley County.
Who manages wildlife in Unit 33?
IDFG Southwest Region staff based in Nampa.
How does the draw work for Unit 33?
Idaho draws controlled tags at random; apply in the period for the species, then buy the tag if drawn.
What elk zone is Unit 33 in?
The Sawtooth Zone, shared with Units 34, 35 and 36.
What was elk success in Unit 33 in 2025?
21% (184 elk).
Can I hunt deer in Unit 33 without a draw?
Yes, on the regular tag and white-tailed tag.
How many wolves were taken in Unit 33 in 2025?
2.
Does fall bear open early in Unit 33?
The fall line opens August 30, 2026.
Is there Access Yes! land in Unit 33?
No Access Yes! property lists it.
Does the CWD Management Zone cover Unit 33?
No; the zone is Units 14, 18 and part of Unit 1.
Which towns sit within the boundary of Unit 33?
Lowman.
Answers drawn from the IDFG sources cited on this page; checked November 12, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); Jitze Couperus (CC BY 2.0).