Idaho › Hunting seasons › Units › Unit 20A
Idaho County · Middle Fork Zone
Unit 20A tags, seasons and 2025 harvest
Idaho and Valley: 5 drawn hunts, 5 species on general tags and 5 land records touching Unit 20A.
Photo: Aaron (posted by Idaho Fish and Game) (CC BY 2.0)
Unit 20A by county
Unit 20A spans 483,040 acres of the IDFG Southwest Region, with Idaho County holding 88% of the unit on the county overlay. The boundary text names Idaho and Valley, and the GIS overlay below sizes each piece both ways.
| In county | % of unit | % of county | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho County | 88% | 8% | Yes |
| Valley County | 12% | 2% | Yes |
Call the Southwest Region North – McCall Office ((208) 634-8137) for road, fire or access news in Unit 20A.
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 20A tag zones and disease rules
- Middle Fork Zone tags cover Unit 20A and 2 neighbouring units; the A tag and the B tag carry different weapons and dates.
- For wolf data IDFG files Unit 20A under Middle Fork; the season table below lists each land type separately.
- The 2026 CWD lists leave out Unit 20A.
Zone page: Middle Fork 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 20A
Apply for any of these 5 hunts to carry a controlled tag in Unit 20A; tag counts total 18, though multi-unit hunts spread them wider. Hunt 1155 carries the most tags here, 9.
Moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat applications close April 30, spring bear runs January 15 to February 15. Moose, sheep and goat: 2026 hunts, 2025 & 2026 brochure dates.
A bighorn sheep ram on a rocky slope with ewes behind
Deer, antlered (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1012 | 20A | Any Weapon | Nov 1 to Nov 18, 2026 | Antlered | — | Only here | p. 22 | Nonresident tag limit is 13 tags, See Page 109 |
Deer, outfitter allocated (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1155 | 20A | Any Weapon | Nov 1 to Nov 18, 2026 | Antlered | 9 | Only here | p. 30 | — |
Bighorn sheep, ram (3)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5003 | 19A | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Oct 13, 2026 | Rams Only | 3 | 19A, 20A | p. 19 | — |
| 5005 | 20A | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Oct 13, 2026 | Rams Only | 4 | Only here | p. 19 | This wilderness hunt area encompasses extreme terrain with limited access. The hunt provides good opportunity, but lower harvest success rates are expected. |
| 5022 | 20AL | Any Weapon | Oct 14 to Oct 31, 2026 | Rams Only | 2 | Only here | p. 19 | This wilderness hunt area encompasses extreme terrain with limited access. The hunt provides good opportunity, but lower harvest success rates are expected. |
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 20A
Besides drawn tags, Unit 20A has 19 general lines covering deer, elk, black bear, mountain lion and gray wolf. Any-weapon deer in Unit 20A: 2 lines, the earliest opening September 15, 2026.
Deer (2)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular tag | Any Weapon | Sep 15 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlered | This unit | — | |
| White-tailed tag | Any Weapon | Sep 15 to Nov 18, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — |
Elk (3)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Any Weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlered | 20A, 26 | Units 20A & 26 only | |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Sep 15 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlered | 20A, 26 | Units 20A & 26 only | |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Nov 1 to Nov 18, 2026 | Antlered | 20A, 26 | Units 20A & 26 only |
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 | This unit | Dogs prohibited: Sep 15 – Oct 31 | |
| Spring 2027 | Any weapon | Apr 1 to Jun 30, 2027 | One black bear per tag; females with young protected | This unit | Dogs prohibited: 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 | 20A, 26 | Dogs prohibited: July 1 – Aug 29; Sep 15 – Oct 31; May 1 – June 30 |
Gray wolf (11)
| 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) | 10 units | — | |
| Trapping, private land | Trapping | Nov 15, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 10 units | — | |
| Trapping, private land | Trapping | Dec 1, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 10 units | — | |
| Trapping, public land | Trapping | Jul 1 to Nov 30, 2026 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 15 units | — | |
| Trapping, public land | Trapping | Sep 10 to Nov 14, 2026 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 15 units | — | |
| Trapping, public land | Trapping | Nov 15, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 15 units | — | |
| Trapping, public land | Trapping | Dec 1, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 15 units | — | |
| Trapping, public land | Trapping | Dec 1, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 15 units | — |
A tag lines here: 1. B tag lines: 2. 2 wolf trapping lines ending before July 2026 are not shown.
All Middle Fork Zone lines (6)
| Tag | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Zone tags | In Unit 20A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Any Weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlered | 1,551 | Yes |
| A tag | Any Weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 31, 2026 | Brow-tined | 1,551 | No |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Sep 15 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlered | 1,636 | Yes |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Sep 15 to Sep 30, 2026 | Brow-tined | 1,636 | No |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Nov 1 to Nov 18, 2026 | Antlered | 1,636 | Yes |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Nov 1 to Nov 18, 2026 | Brow-tined | 1,636 | No |
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 20A results by year
In 2025, 160 general season deer hunters took 35 deer in Unit 20A, all weapons combined (22% success).
Elk success ran 24% in 2025 (73 of 301 hunters).
For the predators and turkey, 2025 reads 41 black bear, 1 mountain lion and 5 gray wolf.
Figures are IDFG Hunt Planner statistics, copied as printed.
2025 general deer and elk by take method
| Kind and method | Taken | Hunters | Success | Days | Antlered | Antlerless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deer, Any Weapon | 34 | 158 | 22% | 879 | 34 | — |
| Deer, Archery | 1 | 1 | 100% | 12 | 1 | — |
| Deer, All Weapons Combined | 35 | 160 | 22% | 891 | 35 | 0 |
| Elk, Any Weapon | 73 | 296 | 25% | 1,650 | 73 | — |
| Elk, Archery | 0 | 1 | 0% | 3 | — | — |
| Elk, Muzzleloader | 0 | 4 | 0% | 4 | — | — |
| Elk, All Weapons Combined | 73 | 301 | 24% | 1,657 | 73 | 0 |
Five-year record
| Year | Deer (all weapons) | Elk (all weapons) | Black bear | Mountain lion | Gray wolf | Spring turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56 | 54 | 39 | 2 | 5 | — |
| 2022 | 17 | 60 | 51 | — | 3 | — |
| 2023 | 47 | 40 | 39 | — | 11 | — |
| 2024 | 56 | 62 | 33 | — | 2 | — |
| 2025 | 35 | 73 | 41 | 1 | 5 | — |
Controlled harvest by hunt (2)
| Hunt | Species | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Hunters 2025 | Success 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1012 | Deer | 4 | 4 | 29 | 47 | 47 | 85 | 55% |
| 1155 | Deer | 4 | 2 | 39 | 49 | 4 | 9 | 44% |
White-tailed buck emerging from the tree line at the edge of a field
IDFG Hunt Planner harvest statistics 2021-2025 (2025 pages linked): general deer, general elk, black bear, mountain lion, gray wolf, turkey, controlled deer; data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Land records in Unit 20A
Public and walk-in ground in Unit 20A: 5 records, the ones that sit only in this unit listed first.
County-level closures near Unit 20A: Nez Perce National Historical Park, Glade Creek State Park, Lake Cascade State Park, Ponderosa 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.
Near Unit 20A
None of the 94 towns on this site sits in or near Unit 20A.
A sandy beach on the Lower Salmon River below dry canyon slopes at Skookumchuck
These units take in part of the same county ground as Unit 20A:
| Unit | Shared counties | Elk zone | Deer 2025 | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 19A | Idaho, Valley | McCall | 110 | 5 |
| Unit 15 | Idaho | Elk City | 973 | 1 |
| 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 12 | Idaho | Lolo | 57 | 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 20A sunrise windows by time zone
Two clocks apply around Unit 20A, so each date shows the half-hour window in Pacific and in Mountain Time from 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 4:30 p.m. PT | 7:50 a.m. MT 5:30 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 20A questions
Do I need a different wolf tag for Unit 20A?
Wolf lines here use the gray wolf tag; trapping also needs the trapping license.
Does fall bear open early in Unit 20A?
The fall line opens August 30, 2026.
Is there Access Yes! land in Unit 20A?
No Access Yes! property lists it.
What is the chronic wasting disease status of Unit 20A?
Outside both the 2026 zone and the testing list.
Who do I call about access in Unit 20A?
The McCall office at (208) 634-8137.
Where do hunters in Unit 20A buy fuel and groceries?
In the larger towns of Idaho County.
Does the Middle Fork elk tag cover Unit 20A?
Yes. Unit 20A is one of 3 units in that zone.
How many acres does the Hunt Planner give Unit 20A?
483,040 acres, most of them in Idaho County.
How many general deer lines does Unit 20A have?
2.
How many controlled hunts include Unit 20A?
5: 3 bighorn sheep and 2 deer.
How many deer came out of Unit 20A in 2025?
35 on general tags, all weapons combined.
Answers drawn from the IDFG sources cited on this page; checked November 12, 2026.
Other photos on this page: daveynin (CC BY 2.0); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); Bureau of Land Management Idaho (CC BY 2.0).