Idaho › Hunting seasons › Units › Unit 13
Idaho County · Hells Canyon Zone
Unit 13 hunt planner notes, 2026-27
Elk here go on the Hells Canyon Zone A or B tag; 6 drawn hunts and 13 general lines reach Unit 13 in Idaho.
Photo: Aaron (posted by Idaho Fish and Game) (CC BY 2.0)
Unit 13 by county
At 220,527 acres on the Hunt Planner, Unit 13 is filed with the IDFG Clearwater Region; Idaho County holds the biggest share, 100%. Unit 13 stays inside Idaho County, which gives one county page for its towns, services and land.
| Where | Unit share | County share | Named |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho County | 100% | 4% | Yes |
For Unit 13 the IDFG contact is Lewiston: the Clearwater Region Office, 3316 16th St..
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 13 zones at a glance
- The A/B choice for Unit 13 is made at the Hells Canyon Zone level, shared with Units 11 and 18.
- Wolf: Unit 13 falls in the Palouse – Hells Canyon wolf zone, one of 13 IDFG data analysis units; wolf seasons themselves are set by unit and land type.
- Chronic wasting disease: Unit 13 is outside the management zone and the testing units.
Zone details: Hells Canyon 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 13 draw list
Drawn hunting in Unit 13: 6 hunt numbers and 771 tags for 2026, counting hunts that also reach other units. The largest quota touching the unit is 335 tags, on hunt 2110.
The controlled hunt draw is random; a successful applicant buys the tag before the August 1 deadline.
White-tailed doe standing in light snow
Deer, antlered (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1006 | 13 | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 3, 2026 | Antlered | 125 | Only here | p. 22 | Very limited access because of few roads and private property |
Deer, outfitter allocated (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1151 | 13 | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 3, 2026 | Antlered | 37 | Only here | p. 30 | — |
Elk, antlerless (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2054 | 13 | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 3, 2026 | Antlerless | 250 | Only here | p. 52 | Very limited access because of few roads and private property |
Elk, either sex (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2110 | 13 | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 3, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | 335 | Only here | p. 54 | Very limited access because of few roads and private property |
Elk, outfitter allocated (2)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2177 | 13 | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 3, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | 15 | Only here | p. 58 | Either sex |
| 2178 | 13 | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 3, 2026 | Antlerless | 9 | Only here | p. 58 | Antlerless 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.
General tags that work in Unit 13
Unit 13 carries 13 general season lines for deer, black bear, mountain lion, gray wolf and wild turkey; residents buy these tags over the counter. The white-tailed tag any-weapon line opens October 10, 2026 in this unit.
Deer (1)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 3, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | Very limited access because of few roads and private property. |
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: Apr 15 – Apr 30; Oct 10 – Oct 31; Apr 15 – Apr 30 | |
| Spring 2027 | Any weapon | Apr 15 to May 31, 2027 | One black bear per tag; females with young protected | This unit | Dogs prohibited: Apr 15 – Apr 30; Oct 10 – Oct 31; Apr 15 – Apr 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 | This unit | Dogs prohibited: July 1 – Aug 29; Oct 10 – Nov 3; 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 | Jul 1, 2026 to Jun 30, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 38 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 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 13 is in the Hells Canyon Zone, but no A or B tag line covers it. Wolf trapping lines that close June 30, 2026 (2) sit outside this season and are left out.
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.
Five seasons in Unit 13
The Hunt Planner credits Unit 13 with 208 general season deer in 2025 from 460 hunters.
Unit 13 has no general elk harvest figure for 2025.
Other 2025 unit figures: 48 black bear, 11 mountain lion, 3 gray wolf and 40 spring turkey.
A dash means the Hunt Planner prints no figure for that cell.
Take method, 2025
| Kind and method | Taken | Hunters | Success | Days | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer, Any Weapon | 208 | 454 | 46% | 2,459 | 128 | 80 |
| Deer, Archery | 0 | 3 | 0% | 11 | — | — |
| Deer, Muzzleloader | 0 | 3 | 0% | 6 | — | — |
| Deer, All Weapons Combined | 208 | 460 | 45% | 2,476 | 128 | 80 |
Five seasons, 2021 to 2025
| Year | Deer (all weapons) | Elk (all weapons) | Black bear | Mountain lion | Gray wolf | Spring turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 212 | — | 52 | 5 | 4 | 54 |
| 2022 | 161 | — | 48 | 10 | — | 82 |
| 2023 | 162 | — | 57 | 11 | — | 54 |
| 2024 | 211 | — | 63 | 5 | — | 96 |
| 2025 | 208 | — | 48 | 11 | 3 | 40 |
Drawn hunts, harvest by year (6)
| Hunt | Species | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Hunters 2025 | Success 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1006 | Deer | 49 | 52 | 55 | 55 | 62 | 109 | 57% |
| 1151 | Deer | 6 | 0 | — | 0 | 12 | 18 | 67% |
| 2054 | Elk | 47 | 42 | 50 | 66 | 74 | 215 | 34% |
| 2110 | Elk | 263 | 260 | 14 | 12 | 140 | 292 | 48% |
| 2177 | Elk | 21 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 100% |
| 2178 | Elk | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 86% |
White-tailed deer moving through autumn woods
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.
Land records in Unit 13
9 land records cross into Unit 13, 9 with a page of their own.
Within Idaho some places carry no state hunting: Nez Perce National Historical Park, Glade Creek State Park and Nez Perce Reservation; check whether they fall in Unit 13.
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 13
None of our towns lies inside Unit 13, but Grangeville, Cottonwood and White Bird are within 10 miles of it.
- GrangevilleWithin 10 mi · Idaho County
- CottonwoodWithin 10 mi · Idaho County
- White BirdWithin 10 mi · Idaho County
A clear forest river running between conifer slopes in Idaho County
Units in the counties Unit 13 reaches, with their elk zones and 2025 deer:
| Unit | Shared counties | Elk zone | Deer 2025 | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 12 | Idaho | Lolo | 57 | 5 |
| Unit 20A | Idaho | Middle Fork | 35 | 5 |
| Unit 19A | Idaho | McCall | 110 | 5 |
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.
Unit 13 hours on key dates
Clocks differ inside Unit 13: the line between Pacific and Mountain Time follows the Salmon River through Idaho County, so the table shows both, computed with the NOAA formula.
| 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.
Questions on Unit 13
May a whole deer carcass leave Unit 13?
The zone transport rule does not reach this unit.
Is wolf hunting open in Unit 13?
6 wolf lines reach it, split by public and private land.
Which towns sit within the boundary of Unit 13?
None; Grangeville and Cottonwood lie within 10 miles.
Is any national forest in Unit 13?
Yes, 4 Forest Service records.
Which IDFG region files Unit 13?
IDFG Clearwater Region; its staff work out of Lewiston.
Where is the nearest IDFG office to Unit 13?
Lewiston, 3316 16th St..
What can I draw for Unit 13?
4 elk and 2 deer hunts.
Which units share the Hells Canyon Zone with Unit 13?
Units 11 and 18.
How many deer came out of Unit 13 in 2025?
208 on general tags, all weapons combined.
Is there a general deer season in Unit 13?
Yes, 1 line on the white-tailed tag.
Is there spring bear hunting in Unit 13?
Yes, April 15, 2027 to May 31, 2027.
Answers drawn from the IDFG sources cited on this page; checked November 12, 2026.
Other photos on this page: YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); NPS Photo (Public domain); David Wilson (CC BY 2.0).