Idaho › Hunting seasons › Units › Unit 21A
2026-27 · Salmon Region
Unit 21A hunt planner notes, 2026-27
Elk here go on the Salmon Zone A or B tag; 10 drawn hunts and 21 general lines reach Unit 21A in Lemhi.
Photo: Matt Lavin (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Unit 21A size, region and office
At 159,053 acres on the Hunt Planner, Unit 21A is filed with the IDFG Salmon Region; Lemhi County holds the biggest share, 100%. Unit 21A stays inside Lemhi County, which gives one county page for its towns, services and land.
| Where | Unit share | County share | Named |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lemhi County | 100% | 6% | Yes |
For Unit 21A the IDFG contact is Salmon: the Salmon Region Office, 99 Hwy. 93 N..
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 21A unit-level rules
- The A/B choice for Unit 21A is made at the Salmon Zone level, shared with Units 21, 28 and 36B.
- Wolf: Unit 21A falls in the Salmon wolf zone, one of 13 IDFG data analysis units; wolf seasons themselves are set by unit and land type.
- Chronic wasting disease: Unit 21A is outside the management zone and the testing units.
Zone details: Salmon 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 21A draw list
Drawn hunting in Unit 21A: 10 hunt numbers and 597 tags for 2026, counting hunts that also reach other units. The largest quota touching the unit is 200 tags, on hunt 1135.
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, archery (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1070 | 21-1 | Archery | Aug 1 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlered | 10 | 11 units | p. 24 | Antlered only, Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Units 29 and 37A, See idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/access/motorized-vehicles |
Deer, extra antlerless (2)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1134 | 21-1X | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlerless | 200 | 6 units | p. 28 | White-tailed deer only, Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Unit 29, See idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/access/motorized-vehicles |
| 1135 | 21-1X | Any Weapon | Nov 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless | 200 | 6 units | p. 28 | White-tailed deer only, Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Unit 29, See idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/access/motorized-vehicles |
Deer, muzzleloader (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1083 | 21A | Muzzleloader | Nov 1 to Nov 30, 2026 | Antlered | 5 | Only here | p. 25 | Antlered only |
Deer, outfitter allocated (2)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1157 | 21-1 | Archery | Aug 1 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlered | 1 | 11 units | p. 30 | Archery only, Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Units 29 and 37A, See idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/access/motorized-vehicles |
| 1158 | 21A | Muzzleloader | Nov 1 to Nov 30, 2026 | Antlered | 1 | Only here | p. 30 | Muzzleloader only |
Deer, youth only – extra antlerless (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1111 | 21-1X | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless | 75 | 6 units | p. 26 | White-tailed deer only, Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Unit 29, See idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/access/motorized-vehicles |
Elk, antlerless (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2059 | 21A | Any Weapon | Nov 15 to Dec 15, 2026 | Antlerless | 75 | Only here | p. 52 | — |
Pronghorn, archery (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4028 | 30A-1 | Archery | Aug 15 to Sep 15, 2026 | Bucks Only | Unlimited | 21A, 29, 30, 30A | p. 66 | Buck only, Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Unit 29, See Pages 104 – 106 |
Pronghorn, either sex (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4002 | 30-1 | Any Weapon | Sep 25 to Oct 24, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | 30 | 21A, 30 | p. 64 | — |
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.
Over-the-counter seasons in Unit 21A
Unit 21A carries 21 general season lines for deer, elk, black bear, mountain lion, gray wolf and wild turkey; residents buy these tags over the counter. The regular tag any-weapon line opens October 10, 2026 in this unit.
Deer (8)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — | |
| Regular tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Oct 24, 2026 | Antlered | This unit | — | |
| Regular tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlerless | This unit | Youth hunt ONLY on Private Land ONLY | |
| White-tailed tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — | |
| White-tailed tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlered | This unit | Very limited access. | |
| White-tailed tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlerless | This unit | Youth Hunt ONLY. Very limited access. | |
| White-tailed tag | Short-Range Weapons | Nov 1 to Dec 9, 2026 | Antlered | This unit | Very limited access. | |
| White-tailed tag | Short-Range Weapons | Nov 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless | This unit | Very limited access. |
Elk (2)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Any Weapon | Aug 1 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlerless | Part of unit | Unit 21A ONLY | |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Oct 15 to Nov 8, 2026 | Antlered | 21, 21A, 28, 36B | — |
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 | 21A, 36B | Dogs prohibited: Oct 10 – Nov 8 | |
| Spring 2027 | Any weapon | Apr 1 to Jun 30, 2027 | One black bear per tag; females with young protected | 21A, 36B | Dogs prohibited: Oct 10 – Nov 8 |
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 | 21A, 36B | Dogs prohibited: July 1 – Aug 29; Oct 10 – Nov 8; 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 (2)
| 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 youth | — | Apr 8 to May 25, 2027 | Male or bearded turkey | 9 units | — |
Pick the Salmon A or B tag by weapon and dates: 1 and 1 lines reach Unit 21A. Wolf trapping lines that close June 30, 2026 (2) sit outside this season and are left out.
Salmon Zone A and B tag lines (3)
| Tag | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Zone tags | In Unit 21A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Any Weapon | Aug 1 to Oct 31, 2026 | Antlerless | — | Yes |
| A tag | Archery | Dec 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | — | No |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Oct 15 to Nov 8, 2026 | Antlered | 2,507 | 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.
Five seasons in Unit 21A
The Hunt Planner credits Unit 21A with 202 general season deer in 2025 from 576 hunters.
For elk the 2025 line reads 182 taken by 584 general hunters.
Other 2025 unit figures: 14 black bear, 3 gray wolf and 13 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 | 198 | 539 | 37% | 2,592 | 192 | 6 |
| Deer, Archery | 0 | 24 | 0% | 213 | — | — |
| Deer, Muzzleloader | 4 | 13 | 31% | 73 | 1 | 3 |
| Deer, All Weapons Combined | 202 | 576 | 35% | 2,877 | 193 | 8 |
| Elk, Any Weapon | 162 | 482 | 34% | 3,102 | 145 | 17 |
| Elk, Archery | 21 | 102 | 21% | 899 | 18 | 2 |
| Elk, All Weapons Combined | 182 | 584 | 31% | 4,002 | 163 | 19 |
Five seasons, 2021 to 2025
| Year | Deer (all weapons) | Elk (all weapons) | Black bear | Mountain lion | Gray wolf | Spring turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 249 | 238 | 13 | 4 | 1 | — |
| 2022 | 216 | 206 | 26 | 3 | 4 | — |
| 2023 | 142 | 114 | 23 | 1 | 3 | — |
| 2024 | 230 | 224 | 32 | 8 | 4 | 11 |
| 2025 | 202 | 182 | 14 | — | 3 | 13 |
Drawn hunts, harvest by year (10)
| Hunt | Species | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Hunters 2025 | Success 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1070 | Deer | 16 | 14 | 22 | — | 6 | 10 | 60% |
| 1134 | Deer | 21 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 77 | 155 | 50% |
| 1135 | Deer | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 64 | 135 | 47% |
| 1083 | Deer | 58 | 56 | 82 | 53 | 2 | 5 | 40% |
| 1157 | Deer | 34 | 46 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0% |
| 1158 | Deer | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| 1111 | Deer | 149 | 106 | 68 | 107 | 27 | 46 | 59% |
| 2059 | Elk | 32 | 15 | 36 | 68 | 43 | 69 | 62% |
| 4028 | Pronghorn | 62 | 33 | 5 | — | 23 | 146 | 16% |
| 4002 | Pronghorn | 18 | 19 | 22 | 21 | 11 | 27 | 41% |
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, controlled elk, controlled pronghorn; data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Mapped ground inside Unit 21A
7 land records cross into Unit 21A, 7 with a page of their own.
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 21A
None of our towns lies inside Unit 21A, but Salmon is within 10 miles of it.
- SalmonWithin 10 mi · Lemhi County
Tower Rock, a tall cliff above the Salmon River valley
Units in the counties Unit 21A reaches, with their elk zones and 2025 deer:
| Unit | Shared counties | Elk zone | Deer 2025 | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 21 | Lemhi | Salmon | 405 | 10 |
| Unit 30 | Lemhi | Beaverhead | 288 | 13 |
| Unit 30A | Lemhi | Beaverhead | 30 | 13 |
| Unit 28 | Lemhi | Salmon | 568 | 16 |
| Unit 29 | Lemhi | Lemhi | 253 | 16 |
| Unit 37A | Lemhi | Lemhi | 58 | 16 |
| Unit 27 | Lemhi | Middle Fork | 307 | 12 |
| Unit 37 | Lemhi | Lemhi | 196 | 21 |
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 21A shooting light by date
Clocks fall back on November 1, 2026 and spring forward on March 14, 2027, so the Unit 21A times jump an hour across those dates.
| Day | Why it matters | Sun up | Sun down | Shooting hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2026 | General elk opener | 6:20 a.m. MT | 9:04 p.m. MT | 5:50 a.m. MT to 9:34 p.m. MT |
| Aug 30, 2026 | Archery deer opener | 6:54 a.m. MT | 8:19 p.m. MT | 6:24 a.m. MT to 8:49 p.m. MT |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Chukar opener and general deer opener | 7:13 a.m. MT | 7:49 p.m. MT | 6:43 a.m. MT to 8:19 p.m. MT |
| Oct 19, 2026 | Duck opener | 7:55 a.m. MT | 6:46 p.m. MT | 7:25 a.m. MT to 7:16 p.m. MT |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 8:10 a.m. MT | 4:57 p.m. MT | 7:40 a.m. MT to 5:27 p.m. MT |
Hours rule from the Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules (wolf and upland game animals: same rule, wolf, upland); time zone from 49 CFR 71.9; sunrise and sunset worked out for this location with the NOAA solar formula (Mountain Time); migratory bird hours: IDFG migratory bird table; checked November 12, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Questions on Unit 21A
Is any national forest in Unit 21A?
Yes, 2 Forest Service records.
May a whole deer carcass leave Unit 21A?
The zone transport rule does not reach this unit.
Where is the nearest IDFG office to Unit 21A?
Salmon, 99 Hwy. 93 N..
What is the nearest town on this site to Unit 21A?
Salmon.
Which units share the Salmon Zone with Unit 21A?
Units 21, 28 and 36B.
Which IDFG region files Unit 21A?
IDFG Salmon Region; its staff work out of Salmon.
Is there a general deer season in Unit 21A?
Yes, 8 lines on the regular tag and white-tailed tag.
How many 2026 tags do hunts in Unit 21A carry?
597 across 10 hunts, some shared with other units.
Is there spring bear hunting in Unit 21A?
Yes, April 1, 2027 to June 30, 2027.
Is Unit 21A a good unit?
Judge by the numbers: 202 general deer in 2025 and 182 elk.
Is wolf hunting open in Unit 21A?
6 wolf lines reach it, split by public and private land.
Answers drawn from the IDFG sources cited on this page; checked November 12, 2026.
Other photos on this page: YellowstoneNPS (Public domain); USFWS Mountain Prairie (Public domain); Bureau of Land Management Idaho (CC BY 2.0).