Idaho › Hunting seasons › Units › Unit 72
Caribou County · Bannock Zone
Hunting Unit 72 in Idaho
Everything IDFG prints for Unit 72: 6 hunt numbers, 15 general rows and 2021 to 2025 results across Caribou and Bingham.
Photo: Bureau of Land Management Idaho (CC BY 2.0)
Unit 72 by county
Read on the Hunt Planner, Unit 72 runs to 268,676 acres; the GIS overlay puts 97% of that ground in Caribou County. The boundary text names Bingham and Caribou, and the GIS overlay below sizes each piece both ways.
| County piece | Unit % | County % | Boundary text |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caribou County | 97% | 22% | Yes |
| Bingham County | 3% | 0.5% | Yes |
The IDFG Southeast Region runs Unit 72; its nearest desk for the unit is the Southeast Region Office in Pocatello.
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 72 zones at a glance
- Buy the Bannock A or B tag for general elk in Unit 72; the zone also holds 5 other units.
- Unit 72 counts toward the Southern Idaho wolf zone (31 units). Hunting and trapping dates differ for public and private land.
- No CWD zone or mandatory testing rule names Unit 72 for 2026.
- The 2026 brochure lists Unit 72 among the units removed from the Motorized Hunting Rule.
See the zone: Bannock 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; Motorized Hunting Rule; checked November 12, 2026.
Unit 72 drawn tags by species
IDFG's 2026 hunt areas put 6 drawn hunts inside Unit 72: 3 elk, 2 deer and 1 moose. Their tags add up to 505, some shared with other units. One of them stays inside this unit; the other 5 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, archery (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1082 | 72-1 | Archery | Nov 16 to Dec 5, 2026 | Antlered | Unlimited | 72, 76 | p. 25 | Antlered only |
Deer, extra antlerless (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1146 | 66A-1X | Any Weapon | Oct 1 to Nov 30, 2026 | Antlerless | 100 | 12 units | p. 29 | White-tailed deer only, Very limited access, Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Units 66A, 73, 75, 76, 77, and 78, See idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/access/motorized-vehicles |
Elk, antlered (2)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2043 | 70-1 | Any Weapon | Oct 1 to Oct 14, 2026 | Antlered | 25 | 6 units | p. 52 | Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Unit 73, See Pages 104 – 106 |
| 2044 | 70-1 | Any Weapon | Oct 15 to Oct 24, 2026 | Antlered | 250 | 6 units | p. 52 | Motorized Hunting Rule Applies in Unit 73, See Pages 104 – 106 |
Elk, muzzleloader (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2145 | 70-1 | Muzzleloader | Nov 16 to Nov 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | 125 | 6 units | p. 56 | Either sex |
Moose, antlered (1)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3082 | 72 | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Nov 23, 2026 | Antlered | 5 | Only here | p. 11 | — |
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 72
Over-the-counter big game in Unit 72 means deer, elk, black bear, mountain lion, gray wolf and wild turkey, 15 lines in all. General any-weapon deer opens October 10, 2026 and the last such line closes October 24, 2026.
Deer (2)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlered | This unit | — | |
| Regular tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Oct 24, 2026 | Antlered | This unit | — |
Elk (3)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | 70, 71, 72, 73, 73A, 74 | Motorized Hunting Rule applies in Units 70, 72 and 73. | |
| A tag | Any Weapon | Oct 25 to Nov 15, 2026 | Antlerless | 70, 71, 72, 73, 73A, 74 | Motorized Hunting Rule applies in Units 70, 72 and 73. | |
| A tag | Muzzleloader | Dec 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless | 70, 71, 72, 73, 73A, 74 | — |
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 | 47, 49, 70, 72 | Dogs prohibited: July 1 – Aug 29; Oct 1 – Nov 30; Apr 1 – June 30 |
Gray wolf (4)
| 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, public land | Trapping | Sep 10 to Nov 14, 2026 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 32 units | — | |
| Trapping, public land | Trapping | Nov 15, 2026 to Mar 31, 2027 | Per wolf tag (see brochure for tag limits) | 32 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 72 has 3 A and 0 B lines.
Bannock A/B lines (3)
| Tag | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Zone tags | In Unit 72 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | — | Yes |
| A tag | Any Weapon | Oct 25 to Nov 15, 2026 | Antlerless | — | Yes |
| A tag | Muzzleloader | Dec 1 to Dec 31, 2026 | Antlerless | — | 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 72 success rates and harvest
Deer on general tags, 2025: 202 from Unit 72, against 146 the year before.
The 2025 general elk total for the unit is 71, with 605 hunters afield.
2025 also brought 1 black bear and 5 mountain lion from Unit 72.
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 | 201 | 666 | 30% | 2,662 | 198 | 3 |
| Deer, Archery | 1 | 83 | 1% | 506 | 1 | — |
| Deer, All Weapons Combined | 202 | 749 | 27% | 3,168 | 199 | 3 |
| Elk, Any Weapon | 41 | 365 | 11% | 1,783 | — | 41 |
| Elk, Archery | 29 | 190 | 15% | 1,918 | 28 | 1 |
| Elk, Muzzleloader | 1 | 51 | 2% | 199 | — | 1 |
| Elk, All Weapons Combined | 71 | 605 | 12% | 3,900 | 28 | 43 |
Year by year
| Year | Deer (all weapons) | Elk (all weapons) | Black bear | Mountain lion | Gray wolf | Spring turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 201 | 93 | — | 5 | — | — |
| 2022 | 165 | 138 | 1 | 3 | — | — |
| 2023 | 78 | 90 | — | 6 | — | — |
| 2024 | 146 | 86 | 1 | 2 | — | — |
| 2025 | 202 | 71 | 1 | 5 | — | — |
Results for the drawn hunts (6)
| Hunt | Species | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Hunters 2025 | Success 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1082 | Deer | 58 | 94 | 45 | 64 | 33 | 204 | 16% |
| 1146 | Deer | 1 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 53 | 26% |
| 2043 | Elk | 106 | 117 | 100 | 93 | 17 | 24 | 71% |
| 2044 | Elk | 12 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 98 | 243 | 40% |
| 2145 | Elk | 7 | 5 | 19 | 11 | 17 | 111 | 15% |
| 3082 | Moose | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 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.
Land records in Unit 72
Unit 72 overlaps 8 mapped land records, from WMAs (0) and Access Yes! ground (3) to national forest units (0) and BLM ground (3).
Leave Fort Hall Reservation and Fort Hall Off-Reservation Trust Land 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 72
The unit itself has no listed town, so hunters stay in Soda Springs or farther out.
- Soda SpringsWithin 10 mi · Caribou County
Mineral terraces of the Soda Springs geyser with the town and hills behind
Sharing a county with Unit 72, closest centres first:
| Unit | Shared counties | Elk zone | Deer 2025 | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 76 | Caribou | Diamond Creek | 716 | 15 |
| Unit 71 | Bingham, Caribou | Bannock | 222 | 5 |
| Unit 74 | Caribou | Bannock | 366 | 8 |
| Unit 75 | Caribou | Bear River | 139 | 3 |
| Unit 66A | Caribou | Diamond Creek | 58 | 12 |
| Unit 69 | Bingham, Caribou | Tex Creek | 427 | 12 |
| Unit 68A | Bingham | Big Desert | 0 | 4 |
| Unit 63 | Bingham | Snake River | 53 | 13 |
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 72 shooting light by date
IDFG allows big game, wolf and upland game animals from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset; for Unit 72 that window is worked out below with the NOAA solar formula on Mountain Time.
| Date | Season point | Sunrise | Sunset | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 2026 | Archery deer opener | 6:48 a.m. MT | 8:07 p.m. MT | 6:18 a.m. MT to 8:37 p.m. MT |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Chukar opener | 7:05 a.m. MT | 7:39 p.m. MT | 6:35 a.m. MT to 8:09 p.m. MT |
| Oct 1, 2026 | General elk opener | 7:22 a.m. MT | 7:10 p.m. MT | 6:52 a.m. MT to 7:40 p.m. MT |
| Oct 3, 2026 | Duck opener | 7:24 a.m. MT | 7:06 p.m. MT | 6:54 a.m. MT to 7:36 p.m. MT |
| Oct 10, 2026 | General deer opener | 7:32 a.m. MT | 6:54 p.m. MT | 7:02 a.m. MT to 7:24 p.m. MT |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:53 a.m. MT | 4:55 p.m. MT | 7:23 a.m. MT to 5:25 p.m. MT |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:46 a.m. MT | 8:07 p.m. MT | 6:16 a.m. MT to 8:37 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 72 in brief
How many deer came out of Unit 72 in 2025?
202 on general tags, all weapons combined.
Where are bear rules for Unit 72?
In the general bear tables of Big Game 2026 Seasons and Rules.
Are wolf seasons set by zone in Unit 72?
No. IDFG sets them by unit and land type; zones are for analysis.
Must deer shot in Unit 72 go in for a CWD sample?
No, the 2026 sampling list leaves it out.
How many land records touch Unit 72?
8.
Which towns sit within the boundary of Unit 72?
None; Soda Springs lie within 10 miles.
Where is the nearest IDFG office to Unit 72?
Pocatello, 1345 Barton Road.
What counties fall inside Unit 72 on the IDFG map?
Caribou County and Bingham County; Caribou County holds 97% of the unit by the GIS overlay.
Is Unit 72 an A tag or a B tag unit?
Both tags exist for the Bannock Zone; 3 A and 0 B lines reach this unit.
What can I draw for Unit 72?
3 elk, 2 deer and 1 moose hunts.
Which deer tags work in Unit 72?
Regular tag.
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); Ken Lund (CC BY-SA 2.0).