Idaho › Hunting seasons › Units › Unit 16
Elk City Zone · 1 county
Hunting Unit 16 in Idaho
Everything IDFG prints for Unit 16: 3 hunt numbers, 18 general rows and 2021 to 2025 results across Idaho.
Photo: Aaron (CC BY 2.0)
Mapping Unit 16
Read on the Hunt Planner, Unit 16 runs to 248,879 acres; the GIS overlay puts 100% of that ground in Idaho County. The whole unit falls inside Idaho County and covers 5% of that county.
| County piece | Unit % | County % | Boundary text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho County | 100% | 5% | Yes |
The IDFG Clearwater Region runs Unit 16; its nearest desk for the unit is the Clearwater Region Office in Lewiston.
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 16 tag zones and disease rules
- Buy the Elk City A or B tag for general elk in Unit 16; the zone also holds 2 other units.
- Unit 16 counts toward the Dworshak – Elk City wolf zone (4 units). Hunting and trapping dates differ for public and private land.
- No CWD zone or mandatory testing rule names Unit 16 for 2026.
See the zone: Elk City 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 16 drawn tags by species
IDFG's 2026 hunt areas put 3 drawn hunts inside Unit 16: 1 deer, 1 elk and 1 moose. Their tags add up to 191, some shared with other units. 3 of them stay inside this unit; the rest also cover neighbouring units.
Applications for deer, elk, pronghorn and fall bear run May 1 to June 5; a second period runs August 5 to 15, with results by August 25. The moose, sheep and goat lines are 2026 hunts from the 2025 & 2026 brochure.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1131 | 16-1X | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 20, 2026 | Antlerless | 150 | Only here | p. 28 | White-tailed deer only |
Elk, antlerless (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2055 | 16-1 | Any Weapon | Dec 10 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless | 40 | Only here | p. 52 | Very limited access, most elk are on private property |
Moose, antlered (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3049 | 16 | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Nov 23, 2026 | Antlered | 1 | Only here | p. 10 | — |
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 16 general hunt calendar
Over-the-counter big game in Unit 16 means deer, elk, black bear, mountain lion, gray wolf and wild turkey, 18 lines in all. General any-weapon deer opens October 10, 2026 and the last such line closes November 20, 2026.
Deer (3)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 3, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — | |
| White-tailed tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Nov 20, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — | |
| White-tailed tag | Muzzleloader | Nov 21 to Dec 9, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — |
Elk (2)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Muzzleloader | Nov 21 to Dec 5, 2026 | Antlerless | 14, 16 | Units 14 and 16 ONLY. Chronic Wasting Disease Transport Rules Apply in Unit 14. | |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Oct 24, 2026 | Antlered | 14, 15, 16 | Chronic Wasting Disease Transport Rules Apply in Unit 14. |
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 | 14, 16 | Dogs prohibited: Oct 10 – Oct 31; Apr 15 – Apr 30 | |
| Spring 2027 | Any weapon | Apr 15 to Jun 30, 2027 | One black bear per tag; females with young protected | 14, 16 | Dogs prohibited: 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 | 14, 15, 16 | Dogs prohibited: July 1 – Aug 29; Oct 10 – Nov 20; Apr 1 – June 30 |
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 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. |
On general elk tags, Unit 16 has 1 A and 1 B lines. Left out: 2 wolf trapping lines whose printed dates end June 30, 2026.
Elk City A/B lines (2)
| Tag | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Zone tags | In Unit 16 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Muzzleloader | Nov 21 to Dec 5, 2026 | Antlerless | 628 | Yes |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Oct 24, 2026 | Antlered | 1,432 | 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 16 success rates and harvest
Deer on general tags, 2025: 397 from Unit 16, against 425 the year before.
The 2025 general elk total for the unit is 50, with 321 hunters afield.
2025 also brought 39 black bear, 3 mountain lion, 2 gray wolf and 133 spring turkey from Unit 16.
IDFG reports this harvest by unit and by hunt, never by county.
General deer and elk, 2025
| Kind and method | Taken | Hunters | Success | Days | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer, Any Weapon | 369 | 807 | 46% | 4,484 | 294 | 76 |
| Deer, Archery | 6 | 12 | 50% | 49 | 3 | 3 |
| Deer, Muzzleloader | 22 | 83 | 27% | 295 | 17 | 6 |
| Deer, All Weapons Combined | 397 | 901 | 44% | 4,828 | 313 | 84 |
| Elk, Any Weapon | 28 | 178 | 16% | 1,246 | 28 | — |
| Elk, Archery | 11 | 82 | 13% | 530 | 11 | — |
| Elk, Muzzleloader | 11 | 61 | 18% | 246 | — | 11 |
| Elk, All Weapons Combined | 50 | 321 | 16% | 2,021 | 39 | 11 |
Year by year
| Year | Deer (all weapons) | Elk (all weapons) | Black bear | Mountain lion | Gray wolf | Spring turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 360 | 22 | 44 | 11 | 7 | 68 |
| 2022 | 391 | 38 | 45 | 11 | 5 | 170 |
| 2023 | 452 | 57 | 36 | 12 | 4 | 157 |
| 2024 | 425 | 85 | 48 | 12 | 1 | 133 |
| 2025 | 397 | 50 | 39 | 3 | 2 | 133 |
Results for the drawn hunts (3)
| Hunt | Species | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Hunters 2025 | Success 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1131 | Deer | 36 | 28 | 32 | 40 | 83 | 118 | 70% |
| 2055 | Elk | 24 | 23 | 54 | 43 | 14 | 34 | 41% |
| 3049 | Moose | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | 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 deer, controlled elk, controlled moose; data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Unit 16 public ground
Unit 16 overlaps 8 mapped land records, from WMAs (0) and Access Yes! ground (0) to national forest units (5) and BLM ground (3).
Leave Nez Perce National Historical Park, Glade Creek State Park and Nez Perce Reservation out of any plan: these closed places lie in the unit's counties.
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 16
Town pages for Unit 16: 1 inside the unit, 2 within 10 miles, beginning with Kooskia.
- KooskiaIn unit · Idaho County
- GrangevilleWithin 10 mi · Idaho County
- Elk CityWithin 10 mi · Idaho County
Clear green pool and rapids among boulders on the Selway River
Sharing a county with Unit 16, closest centres first:
| Unit | Shared counties | Elk zone | Deer 2025 | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 12 | Idaho | Lolo | 57 | 5 |
| Unit 14 | Idaho | Elk City | 263 | 9 |
| 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 |
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 in Unit 16, PT and MT
North of the Salmon River in Idaho County the clock is Pacific, south of it Mountain; the Unit 16 table carries both, worked out with the NOAA formula.
| Date | Marker | Pacific (open, close) | Mountain (open, close) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2026 | General elk opener | 4:54 a.m. PT 8:45 p.m. PT | 5:54 a.m. MT 9:45 p.m. MT |
| Aug 30, 2026 | Archery deer opener | 5:30 a.m. PT 7:58 p.m. PT | 6:30 a.m. MT 8:58 p.m. MT |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Chukar opener and general deer opener | 5:50 a.m. PT 7:27 p.m. PT | 6:50 a.m. MT 8:27 p.m. MT |
| Oct 19, 2026 | Duck opener | 6:34 a.m. PT 6:22 p.m. PT | 7:34 a.m. MT 7:22 p.m. MT |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 6:51 a.m. PT 4:30 p.m. PT | 7:51 a.m. MT 5:30 p.m. MT |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 5:28 a.m. PT 7:58 p.m. PT | 6:28 a.m. MT 8:58 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 16 in brief
Where do hunters in Unit 16 buy fuel and groceries?
Kooskia, Grangeville and Elk City.
Who do I call about access in Unit 16?
The Lewiston office at (208) 799-5010.
What counties fall inside Unit 16 on the IDFG map?
Idaho County; Idaho County holds 100% of the unit by the GIS overlay.
Is Unit 16 an A tag or a B tag unit?
Both tags exist for the Elk City Zone; 1 A and 1 B lines reach this unit.
How many controlled hunts include Unit 16?
3: 1 deer, 1 elk and 1 moose.
Which deer tags work in Unit 16?
Regular tag and white-tailed tag.
How did hunters do in Unit 16 last season?
44% deer success on general tags.
Where are bear rules for Unit 16?
In the general bear tables of Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules.
Are wolf seasons set by zone in Unit 16?
No. IDFG sets them by unit and land type; zones are for analysis.
Must deer shot in Unit 16 go in for a CWD sample?
No, the 2026 sampling list leaves it out.
How many land records touch Unit 16?
8.
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/Southeast (CC BY 2.0); Aaron (posted by Idaho Fish and Game) (CC BY 2.0).