Idaho › Hunting seasons › Units › Unit 17
Idaho County · Selway Zone
Idaho Unit 17: controlled hunts and general seasons
Unit 17 takes in 970,046 acres by the Hunt Planner, parts of Idaho County, with 2 controlled hunt numbers and 18 general season rows for 2026-27.
Photo: David Wilson (CC BY 2.0)
Unit 17 by county
The Hunt Planner measures Unit 17 at 970,046 acres, and 100% of it lies in Idaho County by the IDFG Game Units layer. One county only, Idaho, and Unit 17 fills 18% of it.
| County | Part of unit | Part of county | Text names it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho County | 100% | 18% | Yes |
Regional staff in Lewiston look after Unit 17, 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 17 zones at a glance
- For elk, IDFG groups Unit 17 into the Selway Zone (4 units in all).
- Wolf zone: Selway. 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 17.
More on the zone: Selway 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 17 controlled hunts
Unit 17 sits inside 2 controlled hunt areas, 2 bighorn sheep. 1 hunt is limited to Unit 17 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.
A bighorn sheep ram on a rocky slope with ewes behind
Bighorn sheep, ram (2)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5004 | 20 | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Oct 13, 2026 | Rams Only | 2 | 16A, 17, 20, 21 | p. 19 | — |
| 5021 | 17L | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Oct 31, 2026 | Rams Only | 1 | Only here | p. 19 | — |
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 17
The 18 general rows for Unit 17 below are the hunts you can buy into without applying. Mark September 15, 2026 for the general any-weapon deer opener in Unit 17.
Deer (2)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular tag | Any Weapon | Sep 15 to Nov 20, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | Second deer tag may not be used. | |
| White-tailed tag | Any Weapon | Sep 15 to Nov 20, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | Second white-tailed deer tag may not be used. |
Elk (3)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Any Weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlered | 16A, 17, 19, 20 | — | |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Sep 15 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlered | 16A, 17, 19, 20 | — | |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Nov 1 to Nov 11, 2026 | Antlered | 16A, 17, 19, 20 | — |
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 | 16A, 17, 19, 20 | Dogs prohibited: Apr 15 – Apr 30; Sep 15 – Oct 31 | |
| Spring 2027 | Any weapon | Apr 1 to Jun 30, 2027 | One black bear per tag; females with young protected | 16A, 17, 19, 20 | Dogs prohibited: Apr 15 – Apr 30; Sep 15 – 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 | 16A, 17, 19, 20 | Dogs prohibited: July 1 – Aug 29; Sep 15 – 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. |
Selway zone tags split into 1 A and 2 B lines for Unit 17. The data dates 2 wolf trapping lines March to June 2026; they are not in the table.
Selway Zone general elk (3)
| Tag | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Zone tags | In Unit 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Any Weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlered | 647 | Yes |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Sep 15 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlered | 1,067 | Yes |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Nov 1 to Nov 11, 2026 | Antlered | 1,067 | 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 17 harvest, 2021 to 2025
General deer, all weapons combined, 2025: 155 taken by 506 hunters in Unit 17, a 31% success rate.
General elk hunters numbered 518 and took 82 elk (16%).
Hunt Planner 2025, other species: 83 black bear, 3 mountain lion, 3 gray wolf and 20 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 | 154 | 504 | 31% | 3,046 | 135 | 19 |
| Deer, Archery | 1 | 3 | 33% | 11 | 1 | — |
| Deer, All Weapons Combined | 155 | 506 | 31% | 3,058 | 136 | 19 |
| Elk, Any Weapon | 82 | 509 | 16% | 3,369 | 82 | — |
| Elk, Archery | 0 | 9 | 0% | 59 | — | — |
| Elk, All Weapons Combined | 82 | 518 | 16% | 3,429 | 82 | 0 |
Results by season
| Year | Deer (all weapons) | Elk (all weapons) | Black bear | Mountain lion | Gray wolf | Spring turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 183 | 65 | 143 | 6 | 19 | — |
| 2022 | 127 | 82 | 127 | 5 | 18 | — |
| 2023 | 197 | 64 | 80 | 9 | 14 | 2 |
| 2024 | 140 | 78 | 69 | 3 | 8 | — |
| 2025 | 155 | 82 | 83 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
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; data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Land records in Unit 17
These 6 land records share ground with Unit 17; open each for access dates, vehicle rules and parking.
Closed ground in the counties Unit 17 reaches (not necessarily inside the unit): Nez Perce National Historical 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 17
For Unit 17, use the Idaho County page to find the closest town.
A red footbridge across the Lochsa River below forested hills
County neighbours of Unit 17, 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 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.
When light starts in Unit 17
Unit 17 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 17 FAQ
How much of Unit 17 is Idaho ground?
100% of the unit, which works out to 18% of that county.
How many general elk lines reach Unit 17?
3, all on Selway Zone tags.
What can I draw for Unit 17?
2 bighorn sheep hunts.
Does a white-tailed deer tag work in Unit 17?
Yes.
How many deer came out of Unit 17 in 2025?
155 on general tags, all weapons combined.
How many bears were taken in Unit 17 in 2025?
83.
Which wolf zone is Unit 17 in?
Selway, one of 13 IDFG wolf zones.
Which CWD rule touches Unit 17 in 2026?
None written for this unit.
Are there WMAs in Unit 17?
None in our records.
Which towns sit within the boundary of Unit 17?
None on our list.
Where is the nearest IDFG office to Unit 17?
Lewiston, 3316 16th St..
Answers drawn from the IDFG sources cited on this page; checked November 12, 2026.
Other photos on this page: daveynin (CC BY 2.0); YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); Mobilus In Mobili (CC BY-SA 2.0).