Idaho › Hunting seasons › Units › Unit 71
Southeast Region · 5 controlled hunts
Unit 71 hunting: seasons, hunts and harvest
Unit 71 sits in the IDFG Southeast Region and the Southern Idaho wolf zone; its 5 controlled hunts carry 506 tags in 2026.
Photo: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0)
Where Unit 71 lies
Bannock County carries 62% of the 338,653 acres in Unit 71, which IDFG assigns to its Southeast Region. Pieces of Bannock County, Caribou County and Bingham County make up Unit 71; seen from the county side, the unit covers 30% of Bannock.
| County | Of the unit | Of the county | Named by IDFG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bannock County | 62% | 30% | Yes |
| Caribou County | 35% | 10% | Yes |
| Bingham County | 3% | 0.8% | Yes |
Questions about access, closures or animal numbers in Unit 71 go to the Southeast Region Office in Pocatello, (208) 232-4703.
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 71 unit-level rules
- General elk tags are sold per zone, and Unit 71 belongs to the Bannock Zone with Units 70, 72, 73, 73A and 74.
- The Southern Idaho wolf zone takes in Unit 71; IDFG uses those zones for analysis and writes the seasons unit by unit.
- CWD: Unit 71 is neither a management zone nor a mandatory testing unit in 2026.
Open the zone: Bannock 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 71
5 controlled hunt numbers include Unit 71 for 2026 (3 elk, 1 deer and 1 moose), carrying 506 tags between them. 4 of the hunts spread beyond Unit 71, 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. Hunt Planner pages still show 2025 dates for the moose, sheep and goat hunts; the brochure month and day are used here.
White-tailed buck emerging from the tree line at the edge of a field
Deer, extra antlerless (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1146 | 66A-1X | Any Weapon | Oct 1 to Nov 30, 2026 | Antlerless | 100 | 12 units | p. 29 | White-tailed deer only, Very limited access, Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Units 66A, 73, 75, 76, 77, and 78, See idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/access/motorized-vehicles |
Elk, antlered (2)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2043 | 70-1 | Any Weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 14, 2026 | Antlered | 25 | 6 units | p. 52 | Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Unit 73, See Pages 104 – 106 |
| 2044 | 70-1 | Any Weapon | Oct 15 to Oct 24, 2026 | Antlered | 250 | 6 units | p. 52 | Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Unit 73, See Pages 104 – 106 |
Elk, muzzleloader (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2145 | 70-1 | Muzzleloader | Nov 16 to Nov 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | 125 | 6 units | p. 56 | Either sex |
Moose, antlered (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3081 | 71 | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Nov 23, 2026 | Antlered | 6 | Only here | p. 11 | — |
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 71 general seasons
General tags open 15 dated lines in Unit 71, grouped below by species and by tag or season type. Rifle deer hunters on a general tag start October 10, 2026 in Unit 71.
Deer (2)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlered | This unit | — | |
| Regular tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Oct 24, 2026 | Antlered | This unit | — |
Elk (3)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | 70, 71, 72, 73, 73A, 74 | Motorized Hunting Rule applies in Units 70, 72 and 73. | |
| A tag | Any Weapon | Oct 25 to Nov 15, 2026 | Antlerless | 70, 71, 72, 73, 73A, 74 | Motorized Hunting Rule applies in Units 70, 72 and 73. | |
| A tag | Muzzleloader | Dec 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless | 70, 71, 72, 73, 73A, 74 | — |
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 | 11 units | Dogs prohibited: Aug 30 – Oct 31; Apr 15 – June 30 | |
| Spring 2027 | Any weapon | Apr 15 to Jun 30, 2027 | One black bear per tag; females with young protected | 11 units | Dogs prohibited: Aug 30 – Oct 31; Apr 15 – June 30 |
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 | 17 units | Dogs prohibited: July 1 – Aug 29; Oct 1 – Nov 30; Apr 1 – June 30 |
Gray wolf (4)
| 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 | Jul 1, 2026 to Jun 30, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 38 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 Dec 31, 2026 | Either sex | 25 units | Unit 28 only downstream from the Hat Creek drainage. | |
| 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 71 gets 3 A tag elk lines and 0 B tag lines from the Bannock Zone tags.
Bannock Zone tag rows (3)
| Tag | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Zone tags | In Unit 71 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | — | Yes |
| A tag | Any Weapon | Oct 25 to Nov 15, 2026 | Antlerless | — | Yes |
| A tag | Muzzleloader | Dec 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless | — | 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 71 results by year
20% of the 1,088 general deer hunters in Unit 71 filled a tag in 2025 (222 deer).
485 general elk hunters brought home 50 elk here last season.
Bear, lion, wolf and turkey rows for 2025 show 1 black bear, 3 mountain lion and 128 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 | 218 | 999 | 22% | 4,196 | 218 | — |
| Deer, Archery | 5 | 90 | 6% | 496 | 5 | — |
| Deer, All Weapons Combined | 222 | 1,088 | 20% | 4,692 | 222 | 0 |
| Elk, Any Weapon | 18 | 299 | 6% | 1,308 | — | 18 |
| Elk, Archery | 33 | 156 | 21% | 1,120 | 33 | — |
| Elk, Muzzleloader | 0 | 31 | 0% | 124 | — | — |
| Elk, All Weapons Combined | 50 | 485 | 10% | 2,551 | 33 | 18 |
2021-2025 results
| Year | Deer (all weapons) | Elk (all weapons) | Black bear | Mountain lion | Gray wolf | Spring turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 341 | 27 | — | 4 | — | 117 |
| 2022 | 241 | 44 | 2 | 10 | — | 96 |
| 2023 | 157 | 9 | — | 9 | — | 59 |
| 2024 | 162 | 22 | 4 | 3 | — | 152 |
| 2025 | 222 | 50 | 1 | 3 | — | 128 |
Hunt numbers, 2021-2025 (5)
| Hunt | Species | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Hunters 2025 | Success 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1146 | Deer | 1 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 53 | 26% |
| 2043 | Elk | 106 | 117 | 100 | 93 | 17 | 24 | 71% |
| 2044 | Elk | 12 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 98 | 243 | 40% |
| 2145 | Elk | 7 | 5 | 19 | 11 | 17 | 111 | 15% |
| 3081 | Moose | 5 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 67% |
White-tailed doe standing in light snow
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, controlled moose; data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Public land across Unit 71
Our land data places 11 records in Unit 71; 11 have a page of their own and 0 are sections on county pages or the public land hub.
2 closed places sit in the counties of Unit 71, among them Fort Hall Reservation and Fort Hall Off-Reservation Trust Land.
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 71
Look just outside Unit 71 for supplies: Pocatello and McCammon.
A cow moose feeding among flowering marsh plants at Blackfoot Reservoir
Units that overlap the same counties as Unit 71, sorted by distance:
| Unit | Shared counties | Elk zone | Deer 2025 | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 74 | Bannock, Caribou | Bannock | 366 | 8 |
| Unit 72 | Bingham, Caribou | Bannock | 202 | 6 |
| Unit 70 | Bannock | Bannock | 21 | 9 |
| Unit 76 | Caribou | Diamond Creek | 716 | 15 |
| Unit 68A | Bannock, Bingham | Big Desert | 0 | 4 |
| Unit 73 | Bannock | Bannock | 70 | 9 |
| Unit 75 | Caribou | Bear River | 139 | 3 |
| Unit 66A | Caribou | Diamond Creek | 58 | 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.
Sun and shooting hours for Unit 71
The dates in this Unit 71 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 30, 2026 | Archery deer opener | 6:50 a.m. MT | 8:08 p.m. MT | 6:20 a.m. MT to 8:38 p.m. MT |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Chukar opener | 7:06 a.m. MT | 7:40 p.m. MT | 6:36 a.m. MT to 8:10 p.m. MT |
| Oct 10, 2026 | General deer opener | 7:34 a.m. MT | 6:56 p.m. MT | 7:04 a.m. MT to 7:26 p.m. MT |
| Oct 19, 2026 | Duck opener | 7:44 a.m. MT | 6:41 p.m. MT | 7:14 a.m. MT to 7:11 p.m. MT |
| Oct 25, 2026 | General elk opener | 7:52 a.m. MT | 6:32 p.m. MT | 7:22 a.m. MT to 7:02 p.m. MT |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:55 a.m. MT | 4:57 p.m. MT | 7:25 a.m. MT to 5:27 p.m. MT |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:48 a.m. MT | 8:08 p.m. MT | 6:18 a.m. MT to 8:38 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 71 answered
Does IDFG publish harvest for Unit 71?
Yes, by unit and by hunt on the Hunt Planner, 2021 to 2025 here.
Can I hunt deer in Unit 71 without a draw?
Yes, on the regular tag.
How many wolves were taken in Unit 71 in 2025?
No 2025 row.
Does fall bear open early in Unit 71?
The fall line opens August 30, 2026.
Is there Access Yes! land in Unit 71?
Yes, 4 properties.
Does the CWD Management Zone cover Unit 71?
No; the zone is Units 14, 18 and part of Unit 1.
Which region handles Unit 71?
IDFG Southeast Region.
Where are rooms and meals closest to Unit 71?
Pocatello and McCammon.
What elk zone is Unit 71 in?
The Bannock Zone, shared with Units 70, 72, 73, 73A and 74.
In which part of the state does Unit 71 sit?
Southeast country: the IDFG Southeast Region, across Bannock County, Caribou County and Bingham County.
How many 2026 tags do hunts in Unit 71 carry?
506 across 5 hunts, some shared with other units.
Answers drawn from the IDFG sources cited on this page; checked November 12, 2026.
Other photos on this page: USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); Bureau of Land Management Idaho (CC BY 2.0).