Idaho › Hunting seasons › Units › Unit 8A
Palouse Zone · 4 counties
Idaho Unit 8A: controlled hunts and general seasons
Unit 8A takes in 468,020 acres by the Hunt Planner, parts of Latah County, Clearwater County, Benewah County and Nez Perce County, with 4 controlled hunt numbers and 23 general season rows for 2026-27.
Photo: Robert Ashworth (CC BY 2.0)
Mapping Unit 8A
The Hunt Planner measures Unit 8A at 468,020 acres, and 67% of it lies in Latah County by the IDFG Game Units layer. A hunter in Unit 8A can be standing in any of 4 counties, with Latah the largest piece at 67%.
| County | Part of unit | Part of county | Text names it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latah County | 67% | 44% | Yes |
| Clearwater County | 28% | 8% | Yes |
| Benewah County | 3% | 3% | Yes |
| Nez Perce County | 2% | 2% | Yes |
Regional staff in Lewiston look after Unit 8A, 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.
What sets Unit 8A apart
- For elk, IDFG groups Unit 8A into the Palouse Zone (3 units in all).
- Wolf zone: Palouse – Hells Canyon. 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 8A.
More on the zone: Palouse 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 8A controlled hunts
Unit 8A sits inside 4 controlled hunt areas, 2 elk and 2 moose. 1 hunt is limited to Unit 8A 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 ruffed grouse walking on a gravel road
Elk, antlerless (2)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2050 | 8-1 | Any Weapon | Oct 20 to Dec 1, 2026 | Antlerless | 25 | 8, 8A | p. 52 | — |
| 2051 | 8-2 | Any Weapon | Oct 20 to Dec 1, 2026 | Antlerless | 100 | 8, 8A | p. 52 | — |
Moose, antlered (2)
| Hunt | Area | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Tags 2026 | Units | Brochure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3029 | 8A | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Nov 23, 2026 | Antlered | 8 | Only here | p. 9 | — |
| 3042 | 10A-5 | Any Weapon | Aug 30 to Nov 23, 2026 | Antlered | 4 | 8A, 10A | p. 9 | — |
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 8A general hunt calendar
The 23 general rows for Unit 8A below are the hunts you can buy into without applying. Mark October 10, 2026 for the general any-weapon deer opener in Unit 8A.
Deer (6)
| 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 Nov 3, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — | |
| White-tailed tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — | |
| White-tailed tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — | |
| White-tailed tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Dec 1, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — | |
| White-tailed tag | Muzzleloader | Dec 2 to Dec 14, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | This unit | — |
Elk (5)
| Tag or type | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Area | Notes | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Any Weapon | Aug 1 to Sep 15, 2026 | Antlerless | 8, 8A, 11A | On or within 1 mile of private agricultural lands | |
| A tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | 8, 8A, 11A | Any weapon hunts will be open during the archery or muzzleloader season. | |
| A tag | Muzzleloader | Dec 2 to Dec 5, 2026 | Antlerless or Spike | This unit | — | |
| A tag | Muzzleloader | Dec 6 to Dec 14, 2026 | Spike | This unit | — | |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Oct 24, 2026 | Antlered | 8, 8A, 11A | — |
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 | 8A, 10A | Dogs prohibited: Aug 30 – Sep 14; Oct 10 – Oct 31; Apr 15 – Apr 30 | |
| Spring 2027 | Any weapon | Apr 15 to May 31, 2027 | One black bear per tag; females with young protected | 8A, 10A | Dogs prohibited: Aug 30 – Sep 14; Oct 10 – Oct 31; Apr 15 – Apr 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 | This unit | Dogs prohibited: July 1 – Sep 14; Oct 10 – Dec 1; 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 (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. |
Palouse zone tags split into 4 A and 1 B lines for Unit 8A. The data dates 2 wolf trapping lines March to June 2026; they are not in the table.
Palouse Zone general elk (6)
| Tag | Weapon | Dates | Bag | Zone tags | In Unit 8A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A tag | Any Weapon | Aug 1 to Sep 15, 2026 | Antlerless | — | Yes |
| A tag | Archery | Aug 30 to Sep 30, 2026 | Antlerless or Antlered | — | Yes |
| A tag | Muzzleloader | Dec 2 to Dec 5, 2026 | Antlerless or Spike | — | Yes |
| A tag | Muzzleloader | Dec 2 to Dec 14, 2026 | Antlerless | — | No |
| A tag | Muzzleloader | Dec 6 to Dec 14, 2026 | Spike | — | Yes |
| B tag | Any Weapon | Oct 10 to Oct 24, 2026 | Antlered | — | 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 8A harvest, 2021 to 2025
General deer, all weapons combined, 2025: 1,548 taken by 4,436 hunters in Unit 8A, a 35% success rate.
General elk hunters numbered 2,899 and took 580 elk (20%).
Hunt Planner 2025, other species: 68 black bear, 20 mountain lion, 1 gray wolf and 600 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 | 1,482 | 3,972 | 37% | 26,873 | 1,025 | 457 |
| Deer, Archery | 25 | 245 | 10% | 2,283 | 17 | 9 |
| Deer, Muzzleloader | 40 | 218 | 18% | 718 | 11 | 29 |
| Deer, All Weapons Combined | 1,548 | 4,436 | 35% | 29,874 | 1,053 | 495 |
| Elk, Any Weapon | 421 | 1,931 | 22% | 11,721 | 333 | 88 |
| Elk, Archery | 110 | 635 | 17% | 6,456 | 87 | 22 |
| Elk, Muzzleloader | 50 | 333 | 15% | 1,093 | 26 | 24 |
| Elk, All Weapons Combined | 580 | 2,899 | 20% | 19,270 | 447 | 134 |
Results by season
| Year | Deer (all weapons) | Elk (all weapons) | Black bear | Mountain lion | Gray wolf | Spring turkey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1,743 | 400 | 86 | 11 | — | 480 |
| 2022 | 1,518 | 376 | 68 | 17 | — | 545 |
| 2023 | 1,744 | 429 | 47 | 17 | 2 | 549 |
| 2024 | 1,980 | 541 | 64 | 22 | 7 | 576 |
| 2025 | 1,548 | 580 | 68 | 20 | 1 | 600 |
Controlled hunts in this unit (4)
| Hunt | Species | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Hunters 2025 | Success 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2050 | Elk | 70 | 73 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 25 | 40% |
| 2051 | Elk | 16 | 17 | 31 | 35 | 35 | 92 | 38% |
| 3029 | Moose | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 100% |
| 3042 | Moose | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 75% |
A young mule deer buck stepping out of green brush
IDFG Hunt Planner harvest statistics 2021-2025 (2025 pages linked): general deer, general elk, black bear, mountain lion, gray wolf, turkey, controlled elk, controlled moose; data read November 11, 2026, checked November 12, 2026.
Unit 8A public ground
These 7 land records share ground with Unit 8A; open each for access dates, vehicle rules and parking.
Closed ground in the counties Unit 8A reaches (not necessarily inside the unit): Nez Perce National Historical Park, Dworshak State Park, Hells Gate State Park, Heyburn State Park, Mary Minerva McCroskey State Park and Coeur d'Alene 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 8A
Base camp choices start with Potlatch and Orofino, each linked to its own town page.
The Clearwater River at Harpers Bend with fall color on the hills
County neighbours of Unit 8A, ranked by how close their centres sit:
| Unit | Shared counties | Elk zone | Deer 2025 | Hunts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 8 | Clearwater, Latah, Nez Perce | Palouse | 545 | 3 |
| Unit 5 | Benewah | Panhandle | 1,055 | 9 |
| Unit 6 | Benewah, Clearwater, Latah | Panhandle | 1,559 | 7 |
| Unit 10A | Clearwater | Dworshak | 2,844 | 9 |
| Unit 11 | Nez Perce | Hells Canyon | 604 | 7 |
| Unit 10 | Clearwater | Lolo | 84 | 7 |
| Unit 11A | Clearwater, Nez Perce | Palouse | 285 | 6 |
| Unit 4 | Benewah | Panhandle | 743 | 7 |
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 8A
Migratory bird hours follow a separate IDFG table in the migratory brochure, so ducks, geese and doves are not timed in this Unit 8A table.
| Date | Marker | Sunrise | Sunset | Legal window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2026 | General elk opener | 5:25 a.m. PT | 8:21 p.m. PT | 4:55 a.m. PT to 8:51 p.m. PT |
| Aug 30, 2026 | Archery deer opener | 6:02 a.m. PT | 7:33 p.m. PT | 5:32 a.m. PT to 8:03 p.m. PT |
| Sep 15, 2026 | Chukar opener | 6:23 a.m. PT | 7:01 p.m. PT | 5:53 a.m. PT to 7:31 p.m. PT |
| Oct 10, 2026 | General deer opener | 6:56 a.m. PT | 6:11 p.m. PT | 6:26 a.m. PT to 6:41 p.m. PT |
| Oct 19, 2026 | Duck opener | 7:08 a.m. PT | 5:54 p.m. PT | 6:38 a.m. PT to 6:24 p.m. PT |
| Dec 21, 2026 | Shortest day | 7:29 a.m. PT | 4:00 p.m. PT | 6:59 a.m. PT to 4:30 p.m. PT |
| Apr 15, 2027 | Spring turkey | 6:01 a.m. PT | 7:33 p.m. PT | 5:31 a.m. PT to 8:03 p.m. PT |
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 (Pacific Time); migratory bird hours: IDFG migratory bird table; checked November 12, 2026. Legal hours for every county.
Unit 8A FAQ
Which region handles Unit 8A?
IDFG Clearwater Region.
How much of Unit 8A is Latah ground?
67% of the unit, which works out to 44% of that county.
How many general elk lines reach Unit 8A?
5, all on Palouse Zone tags.
Which drawn hunts are valid in Unit 8A?
4 hunt numbers (2 elk and 2 moose); the tables list each one.
Does a white-tailed deer tag work in Unit 8A?
Yes.
How did hunters do in Unit 8A last season?
35% deer success on general tags.
Can I use a general bear tag in Unit 8A?
Yes, in the dates in the table.
Which wolf zone is Unit 8A in?
Palouse – Hells Canyon, one of 13 IDFG wolf zones.
Which CWD rule touches Unit 8A in 2026?
None written for this unit.
Are there WMAs in Unit 8A?
None in our records.
What town works as a base camp for Unit 8A?
Potlatch and Orofino.
Answers drawn from the IDFG sources cited on this page; checked November 12, 2026.
Other photos on this page: Sue Tinkle (posted by Seney Natural History Association) (CC BY-SA 2.0); Tony Hisgett (CC BY 2.0); Bureau of Land Management Idaho (CC BY 2.0).