Idaho › Hunting seasons › Units › Unit 12
Clearwater Region · 5 controlled hunts
Idaho Unit 12: controlled hunts and general seasons
Unit 12 takes in 760,646 acres by the Hunt Planner, parts of Idaho County and Clearwater County, with 5 controlled hunt numbers and 18 general season rows for 2026-27.
Photo: Zachary Collier (CC BY 2.0)
Where Unit 12 lies
The Hunt Planner measures Unit 12 at 760,646 acres, and 96% of it lies in Idaho County by the IDFG Game Units layer. Pieces of Idaho County and Clearwater County make up Unit 12; seen from the county side, the unit covers 14% of Idaho.
| County | Part of unit | Part of county | Text names it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho County | 96% | 14% | Yes |
| Clearwater County | 4% | 2% | Yes |
Regional staff in Lewiston look after Unit 12, along with 15 other units in the Clearwater Region.
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 12 unit-level rules
- For elk, IDFG groups Unit 12 into the Lolo Zone (2 units in all).
- Wolf zone: Lolo. Wolf hunting and trapping lines here split by public and private land.
- CWD rules in 2026 cover Units 14, 18 and part of 1, with testing also in 23, 63A, 64 and 69, not Unit 12.
More on the zone: Lolo 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.
Unit 12 drawn tags by species
Unit 12 sits inside 5 controlled hunt areas, 5 moose. 5 hunts are limited to Unit 12 alone.
Controlled tags must be bought by August 1, and leftover tags go on sale August 25 at ten in the morning, Mountain Time. Moose, sheep and goat rows use the two-year 2025 & 2026 brochure with the 2026 year applied.
Two greater sage-grouse flying low over golden sagebrush
Moose, antlered (5)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3043 | 12-1 | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Nov 23, 2026 | Antlered | 1 | Only here | p. 9 | — |
| 3044 | 12-2 | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Nov 23, 2026 | Antlered | 4 | Only here | p. 9 | — |
| 3045 | 12-3 | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Nov 23, 2026 | Antlered | 2 | Only here | p. 9 | — |
| 3046 | 12-4 | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Nov 23, 2026 | Antlered | 2 | Only here | p. 9 | — |
| 3047 | 12-5 | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Nov 23, 2026 | Antlered | 2 | Only here | p. 9 | — |
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 12 general seasons
The 18 general rows for Unit 12 below are the hunts you can buy into without applying. Mark October 10, 2026 for the general any-weapon deer opener in Unit 12.
Deer (3)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | Second deer tags may not be used. | |
| Regular tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 3, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | Second deer tag may not be used. | |
| White-tailed tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 20, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | Second white-tailed deer tag may not be used. |
Elk (2)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlered | 10, 12 | — | |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 3, 2026 | Antlered | 10, 12 | — |
Black bear (2)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Any weapon | Aug 30 to Nov 30, 2026 | One black bear per tag; females with young protected | 10, 12 | Dogs prohibited: Oct 10 – Oct 31 | |
| Spring 2027 | Any weapon | Apr 1 to Jun 30, 2027 | One black bear per tag; females with young protected | 10, 12 | Dogs prohibited: Oct 10 – 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 | 7, 9, 10, 12 | Dogs prohibited: July 1 – Aug 29; Oct 10 – Oct 31 |
Gray wolf (7)
| 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 | Jul 1 to Nov 30, 2026 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 38 units | — | |
| Trapping, private land | Trapping | Dec 1, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 38 units | — | |
| Trapping, public land | Trapping | Jul 1 to Nov 30, 2026 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 38 units | — | |
| Trapping, public land | Trapping | Dec 1, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 38 units | — |
Wild turkey (3)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | — | Aug 30 to Oct 9, 2026 | Either sex | 10, 12, 16A, 17, 19, 20 | — | |
| 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. |
Lolo zone tags split into 1 A and 1 B lines for Unit 12. The data dates 2 wolf trapping lines March to June 2026; they are not in the table.
Lolo Zone general elk (2)
| Tag | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Zone tags | In Unit 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlered | 404 | Yes |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 3, 2026 | Antlered | 1,088 | 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 12 success rates and harvest
General deer, all weapons combined, 2025: 57 taken by 226 hunters in Unit 12, a 25% success rate.
General elk hunters numbered 393 and took 56 elk (14%).
Hunt Planner 2025, other species: 126 black bear, 7 mountain lion, 4 gray wolf and 70 spring turkey.
Controlled hunt rows are matched to this unit through the 2026 hunt number.
General season 2025, by weapon
| Kind and method | Taken | Hunters | Success | Days | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer, Any Weapon | 57 | 213 | 27% | 928 | 39 | 18 |
| Deer, Archery | 0 | 14 | 0% | 100 | — | — |
| Deer, All Weapons Combined | 57 | 226 | 25% | 1,028 | 39 | 18 |
| Elk, Any Weapon | 20 | 242 | 8% | 1,418 | 20 | — |
| Elk, Archery | 35 | 150 | 23% | 1,232 | 35 | — |
| Elk, All Weapons Combined | 56 | 393 | 14% | 2,649 | 56 | 0 |
Results by season
| Year | Deer (all weapons) | Elk (all weapons) | Black bear | Mountain lion | Gray wolf | Spring turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 75 | 25 | 188 | 5 | 8 | 45 |
| 2022 | 72 | 34 | 183 | 12 | 16 | 37 |
| 2023 | 85 | 40 | 148 | 4 | 8 | 54 |
| 2024 | 52 | 41 | 130 | 16 | 4 | 23 |
| 2025 | 57 | 56 | 126 | 7 | 4 | 70 |
Controlled hunts in this unit (5)
| Hunt | Species | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Hunters 2025 | Success 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3043 | Moose | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| 3044 | Moose | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 100% |
| 3045 | Moose | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — | 2 | 0% |
| 3046 | Moose | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0% |
| 3047 | Moose | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 100% |
White-tailed deer buck in the trees
IDFG Hunt Planner harvest statistics 2021-2025 (2025 pages linked): general deer, general elk, black bear, mountain lion, gray wolf, turkey, controlled moose; data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Public land across Unit 12
These 4 land records share ground with Unit 12; open each for access dates, vehicle rules and parking.
Closed ground in the counties Unit 12 reaches (not necessarily inside the unit): Nez Perce National Historical Park, Dworshak State Park, Glade Creek State Park and Nez Perce Reservation.
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.
Around Unit 12
For Unit 12, use the Idaho County page to find the closest town.
Sunrise light on a forested slope above a gravel bar on the Selway River
County neighbours of Unit 12, ranked by how close their centres sit:
| Unit | Shared counties | Elk zone | Deer 2025 | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 13 | Idaho | Hells Canyon | 208 | 6 |
| Unit 16A | Idaho | Selway | 29 | 1 |
| Unit 17 | Idaho | Selway | 155 | 2 |
| Unit 19 | Idaho | Selway | 103 | 1 |
| Unit 20 | Idaho | Selway | 102 | 2 |
| Unit 15 | Idaho | Elk City | 973 | 1 |
| Unit 20A | Idaho | Middle Fork | 35 | 5 |
| Unit 16 | Idaho | Elk City | 397 | 3 |
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.
When light starts in Unit 12
Unit 12 reaches ground on both sides of the Pacific and Mountain time line, so each legal window below is given on both clocks, worked out with the NOAA solar formula at the middle of the unit.
| Date | Marker | Pacific (open, close) | Mountain (open, close) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2026 | General elk opener | 4:54 a.m. PT 8:43 p.m. PT | 5:54 a.m. MT 9:43 p.m. MT |
| Aug 30, 2026 | Archery deer opener | 5:29 a.m. PT 7:57 p.m. PT | 6:29 a.m. MT 8:57 p.m. MT |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Chukar opener and general deer opener | 5:49 a.m. PT 7:26 p.m. PT | 6:49 a.m. MT 8:26 p.m. MT |
| Oct 19, 2026 | Duck opener | 6:32 a.m. PT 6:21 p.m. PT | 7:32 a.m. MT 7:21 p.m. MT |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 6:50 a.m. PT 4:29 p.m. PT | 7:50 a.m. MT 5:29 p.m. MT |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 5:28 a.m. PT 7:57 p.m. PT | 6:28 a.m. MT 8:57 p.m. MT |
Hours rule from the Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules; time zones from 49 CFR 71.9; sunrise and sunset worked out with the NOAA solar formula; migratory bird hours: IDFG table; checked November 12, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Unit 12 FAQ
How many bears were taken in Unit 12 in 2025?
126.
Which wolf zone is Unit 12 in?
Lolo, one of 13 IDFG wolf zones.
Which CWD rule touches Unit 12 in 2026?
None written for this unit.
How many land records touch Unit 12?
4.
What town works as a base camp for Unit 12?
Our list has none close; the Idaho County page shows the nearest.
Which region handles Unit 12?
IDFG Clearwater Region.
How much of Unit 12 is Idaho ground?
96% of the unit, which works out to 14% of that county.
How many general elk lines reach Unit 12?
2, all on Lolo Zone tags.
How many 2026 tags do hunts in Unit 12 carry?
11 across 5 hunts, some shared with other units.
Does a white-tailed deer tag work in Unit 12?
Yes.
Does IDFG publish harvest for Unit 12?
Yes, by unit and by hunt on the Hunt Planner, 2021 to 2025 here.
Answers drawn from the IDFG sources cited on this page; checked November 12, 2026.
Other photos on this page: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mountain-Prairie Region (CC BY 2.0); USFWS/Southeast (CC BY 2.0); Aaron (CC BY 2.0).