Idaho › Hunting seasons › Units › Unit 68A
Wolf zone Southern Idaho · Southeast
Idaho Unit 68A: controlled hunts and general seasons
Unit 68A takes in parts of Bingham County, Bannock County, Power County and Bonneville County, with 4 controlled hunt numbers and 16 general season rows for 2026-27.
Photo: Matt Lavin (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Counties inside Unit 68A
Unit 68A belongs to the IDFG Southeast Region. The largest piece, 67%, sits in Bingham County. Unit 68A is shared by Bingham, Bannock, Power and Bonneville; the second column is the share of the unit, the third the share of each county.
| County | Part of unit | Part of county | Text names it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bingham County | 67% | 11% | Yes |
| Bannock County | 16% | 5% | Yes |
| Power County | 15% | 4% | Yes |
| Bonneville County | 2% | 0.4% | Yes |
Regional staff in Pocatello look after Unit 68A, along with 11 other units in the Southeast Region.
Region, elk zone and boundary counties from the IDFG Hunt Planner unit 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.
What sets Unit 68A apart
- For elk, IDFG groups Unit 68A into the Big Desert Zone (4 units in all).
- Wolf zone: Southern Idaho. 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 68A.
More on the zone: Big Desert 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 68A drawn tags by species
Unit 68A sits inside 4 controlled hunt areas, 2 deer and 2 moose. 4 hunts are limited to Unit 68A 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.
White-tailed doe standing in light snow
Deer, archery (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1081 | 68A | Archery | Aug 30 to Dec 19, 2026 | Antlered | Unlimited | Only here | p. 25 | Antlered only |
Deer, extra antlerless (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1147 | 68AX | Archery | Aug 30 to Dec 19, 2026 | Antlerless | 50 | Only here | p. 29 | Archery only, White-tailed deer only, Very limited access |
Moose, antlered (2)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3092 | 68A-1 | Archery | Aug 30 to Nov 23, 2026 | Antlered | 4 | Only here | p. 11 | Archery Only |
| 3093 | 68A-2 | Archery | Aug 30 to Nov 23, 2026 | Antlered | 1 | Only here | p. 11 | Archery 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.
Unit 68A hunts without a draw
The 16 general rows for Unit 68A below are the hunts you can buy into without applying. Unit 68A has no general deer row in 2026.
Elk (1)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Archery | Aug 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | Unit 68A ONLY |
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 | 11 units | Dogs prohibited: Aug 30 – Oct 31; Apr 15 – June 30 | |
| Spring 2027 | Any weapon | Apr 15 to Jun 30, 2027 | One black bear per tag; females with young protected | 11 units | Dogs prohibited: Aug 30 – Oct 31; Apr 15 – June 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 | 17 units | Dogs prohibited: July 1 – Aug 29; Oct 1 – Nov 30; Apr 1 – June 30 |
Gray wolf (9)
| 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) | 52A, 63, 66A, 68, 68A | — | |
| Trapping, private land | Trapping | Dec 1, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 52A, 63, 66A, 68, 68A | — | |
| 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 | — |
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. |
Big Desert zone tags split into 1 A and 0 B lines for Unit 68A. The data dates 2 wolf trapping lines March to June 2026; they are not in the table.
Big Desert Zone general elk (5)
| Tag | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Zone tags | In Unit 68A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Archery | Aug 1 to Aug 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | — | No |
| A tag | Archery | Aug 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | — | Yes |
| A tag | Short-Range Weapons | Aug 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | — | No |
| A tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | — | No |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Nov 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless | 350 | 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 68A success rates and harvest
General deer, all weapons combined, 2025: 0 taken by 30 hunters in Unit 68A, a 0% success rate.
General elk hunters numbered 91 and took 24 elk (26%).
Hunt Planner 2025, other species: 51 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 | 0 | 20 | 0% | 52 | — | — |
| Deer, Archery | 0 | 5 | 0% | 14 | — | — |
| Deer, Muzzleloader | 0 | 5 | 0% | 5 | — | — |
| Deer, All Weapons Combined | 0 | 30 | 0% | 70 | 0 | 0 |
| Elk, Any Weapon | 3 | 19 | 16% | 106 | — | 3 |
| Elk, Archery | 21 | 72 | 29% | 625 | 11 | 10 |
| Elk, All Weapons Combined | 24 | 91 | 26% | 731 | 11 | 13 |
Results by season
| Year | Deer (all weapons) | Elk (all weapons) | Black bear | Mountain lion | Gray wolf | Spring turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 0 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — |
| 2022 | 0 | 4 | — | — | — | 35 |
| 2023 | 10 | 10 | — | — | — | 29 |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 |
| 2025 | 0 | 24 | — | — | — | 51 |
Controlled hunts in this unit (4)
| Hunt | Species | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Hunters 2025 | Success 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1081 | Deer | 68 | 113 | 87 | 101 | 54 | 221 | 24% |
| 1147 | Deer | 11 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 43 | 28% |
| 3092 | Moose | — | — | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 50% |
| 3093 | Moose | — | — | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | 100% |
White-tailed deer fawn in tall grass
IDFG Hunt Planner harvest statistics 2021-2025 (2025 pages linked): general deer, general elk, black bear, mountain lion, gray wolf, turkey, controlled deer, controlled moose; data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Unit 68A WMAs, forests and walk-in land
These 6 land records share ground with Unit 68A; open each for access dates, vehicle rules and parking.
Closed ground in the counties Unit 68A reaches (not necessarily inside the unit): Massacre Rocks State Park, Fort Hall Reservation and Fort Hall Off-Reservation Trust Land.
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 68A
Base camp choices start with Blackfoot, Aberdeen and Idaho Falls, each linked to its own town page.
- BlackfootIn unit · Bingham County
- AberdeenIn unit · Bingham County
- Idaho FallsWithin 10 mi · Bonneville County
- PocatelloWithin 10 mi · Bannock County
- American FallsWithin 10 mi · Power County
- IonaWithin 10 mi · Bonneville County
Golden and orange aspens on rolling hills along Mink Creek Road
County neighbours of Unit 68A, ranked by how close their centres sit:
| Unit | Shared counties | Elk zone | Deer 2025 | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 70 | Bannock, Power | Bannock | 21 | 9 |
| Unit 68 | Bingham, Power | Big Desert | 148 | 7 |
| Unit 73A | Power | Bannock | 34 | 6 |
| Unit 71 | Bannock, Bingham | Bannock | 222 | 5 |
| Unit 69 | Bingham, Bonneville | Tex Creek | 427 | 12 |
| Unit 74 | Bannock | Bannock | 366 | 8 |
| Unit 63 | Bingham, Bonneville | Snake River | 53 | 13 |
| Unit 66A | Bonneville | Diamond Creek | 58 | 12 |
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.
Sun and shooting hours for Unit 68A
Migratory bird hours follow a separate IDFG table in the migratory brochure, so ducks, geese and doves are not timed in this Unit 68A table.
| Date | Marker | Sunrise | Sunset | Legal window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 2026 | Archery deer opener | 6:51 a.m. MT | 8:11 p.m. MT | 6:21 a.m. MT to 8:41 p.m. MT |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Chukar opener | 7:08 a.m. MT | 7:43 p.m. MT | 6:38 a.m. MT to 8:13 p.m. MT |
| Oct 3, 2026 | Duck opener | 7:28 a.m. MT | 7:10 p.m. MT | 6:58 a.m. MT to 7:40 p.m. MT |
| Oct 10, 2026 | General deer opener | 7:36 a.m. MT | 6:58 p.m. MT | 7:06 a.m. MT to 7:28 p.m. MT |
| Oct 15, 2026 | General elk opener | 7:42 a.m. MT | 6:49 p.m. MT | 7:12 a.m. MT to 7:19 p.m. MT |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:58 a.m. MT | 4:58 p.m. MT | 7:28 a.m. MT to 5:28 p.m. MT |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:50 a.m. MT | 8:11 p.m. MT | 6:20 a.m. MT to 8:41 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.
Unit 68A FAQ
How much of Unit 68A is Bingham ground?
67% of the unit, which works out to 11% of that county.
How many general elk lines reach Unit 68A?
1, all on Big Desert Zone tags.
Which drawn hunts are valid in Unit 68A?
4 hunt numbers (2 deer and 2 moose); the tables list each one.
Does a white-tailed deer tag work in Unit 68A?
No white-tailed tag line names it.
What was elk success in Unit 68A in 2025?
26% (24 elk).
Where are bear rules for Unit 68A?
In the general bear tables of Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules.
Which wolf zone is Unit 68A in?
Southern Idaho, one of 13 IDFG wolf zones.
Which CWD rule touches Unit 68A in 2026?
None written for this unit.
How many land records touch Unit 68A?
6.
What town works as a base camp for Unit 68A?
Blackfoot, Aberdeen, Idaho Falls and Pocatello.
Which region handles Unit 68A?
IDFG Southeast Region.
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); Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0).