Unit 51, Idaho
Unit info
- Game species
- Elk, Mule Deer, White-tailed Deer, Pronghorn, Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Moose, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat, Gray Wolf
- Group
- Lemhi Elk Zone
- Area
- 945 mi²
- Public land
- 89%
Elk — season & harvest18% draw59% success
- Tag type
- General OTC (A tag archery/antlerless Aug; Lemhi Zone); Controlled draw required for antlered November hunt (hunt 2031, 125 tags) and antlerless December hunt (hunt 2091, 75 tags)
- Tag quota
- 130
- Resident applicants
- 620
- Non-res applicants
- 197
- Reported harvest
- 87
- Archery season
- Aug 30 – Sep 30 (OTC, any elk, archery only, Lemhi Zone); special antlerless OTC Aug 1–29 on/within 1 mile of private ag land outside NFS boundary
- General season
- Antlered controlled hunt: Nov 1–30 (hunt 2031, draw only, 125 tags, ~3% resident draw odds, 59% hunter success); Antlerless controlled hunt: Dec 10–31 (hunt 2091, 75 tags, ~45% draw odds, ~65% success)
- Muzzleloader season
- Muzzleloader is a legal method during all controlled hunt seasons (antlered Nov, antlerless Dec); muzzleloader-only antlerless window Nov 25–Dec 9 (Lemhi Zone — verify in current regulations)
Elk use forested drainages in Lost River and Lemhi Ranges during early archery season; the OTC antlerless Aug 1–29 season targets elk on or near private hay fields before general pressures build. The draw-only November rifle hunt (hunt 2031) has ~59% success and produces predominantly 6-point bulls — draw odds are very stiff at ~3% resident first-choice. Antlerless December hunt (2091) offers ~45% draw odds with ~65% success.
Moose — season & harvest11% draw
- Tag type
- Controlled draw only (Shiras moose); once-in-a-lifetime quality draw with very limited tags
- Tag quota
- 21
- Resident applicants
- 183
- Non-res applicants
- 0
- General season
- Aug 30 – Oct 13 (general moose controlled hunt window; verify moose-specific dates in current moose-sheep-goat brochure)
Moose are available through the IDFG moose-sheep-goat controlled draw with extremely limited tags. Applications open April 1–30.
Gray Wolf — season & harvest
- Tag type
- OTC wolf tag (unlimited); hunting and trapping seasons available
- Archery season
- Aug 30 – Apr 30 (any legal method including archery)
- General season
- Aug 30 – Apr 30 (general OTC season)
Draw odds for Gray Wolfaren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Mule Deer — season & harvest14% draw28% success
- Tag type
- OTC general deer tag (unlimited resident; nonresident subject to statewide 15,500-tag quota)
- Tag quota
- 50
- Resident applicants
- 311
- Non-res applicants
- 44
- Reported harvest
- 177
- Archery season
- Aug 30 – Sep 30 (OTC archery)
- General season
- Oct 10 – Oct 24 (any legal weapon, OTC; antlered only — minimum 3-inch antler per unit rules)
- Muzzleloader season
- Nov 10 – Nov 14 (statewide muzzleloader framework; verify specific dates in current regulations)
Mule deer are distributed from valley sagebrush up into conifer drainages. The concentrated private hay fields and willows along the Little Lost River corridor hold good numbers of bucks in early season. Archery hunters can access high-elevation velvet bucks before the general opener. General season coincides with pre-rut; deer begin shifting to lower elevations.
Pronghorn — season & harvest6% draw
- Tag type
- Controlled draw (all Idaho pronghorn hunts are draw); Unit 51-2 is a buck-only archery hunt area (changed from either-sex for 2025-26)
- Tag quota
- 19
- Resident applicants
- 303
- Non-res applicants
- 4
- Archery season
- Aug 15 – Sep 15 (archery controlled hunt, Unit 51-2, buck-only as of 2025-26)
- General season
- Sep 25 – Oct 24 (general any-weapon controlled hunt; doe/fawn hunt Oct 25 – Nov 30)
- Muzzleloader season
- Aug 15 – Oct 24 (muzzleloader controlled hunt)
Pronghorn inhabit open sagebrush flats in the valley floor and lower foothills. Hunting opportunity is described as excellent. All tags are controlled draw; hunters should apply through IDFG each spring.
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Tag type
- OTC general tag (spring and fall seasons)
- Archery season
- Aug 30 – Nov 30 (fall season, any weapon including archery)
- General season
- Spring: Apr 1 – Jul 31; Fall: Aug 30 – Nov 30
Black bear range through forested canyon drainages on both mountain ranges. Spring and early fall are primary opportunity windows.
Draw odds for Black Beararen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Bighorn Sheep — season & harvest1% draw
- Tag type
- Controlled draw only; Lost River Range and Lemhi Range populations; random draw with no preference point system
- Tag quota
- 26
- Resident applicants
- 3,123
- Non-res applicants
- 367
- General season
- Aug 30 – Oct 13 (early controlled hunt window); late hunts also available — verify in current moose-sheep-goat brochure
Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep inhabit the high rocky terrain of the Lost River and Lemhi Ranges. Draw odds are extremely competitive; tags are once-in-a-lifetime quality opportunities.
Mountain Goat — season & harvest3% draw
- Tag type
- Controlled draw only; very limited statewide tags
- Tag quota
- 20
- Resident applicants
- 614
- Non-res applicants
- 12
- General season
- Aug 30 – Nov 12 (mountain goat controlled hunt general window; verify unit-specific dates in current moose-sheep-goat brochure)
Mountain goats occupy the steepest cliff and alpine ridge terrain in the unit. Tags are rare and the draw is a random lottery.
Mountain Lion — season & harvest
- Tag type
- OTC lion tag; statewide year-round season (expanded to year-round per 2025-26 rule changes)
- General season
- Year-round (statewide mountain lion season expanded to year-round per 2025-26 IDFG rule changes)
Draw odds for Mountain Lionaren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
White-tailed Deer — season & harvest
- Tag type
- Same OTC general deer tag as mule deer
- Reported harvest
- 22
- Archery season
- Aug 30 – Sep 30
- General season
- Oct 10 – Oct 24
- Muzzleloader season
- Nov 10 – Nov 14 (statewide muzzleloader framework)
Whitetails represent roughly 8–11% of the total deer harvest in Unit 51, concentrated in riparian cottonwood and willow corridors along the Little Lost River and its tributaries.
Draw odds for White-tailed Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
About this unit
AI-compiled · sourcedIdaho Game Management Unit 51 encompasses the Little Lost River drainage in central Idaho's Butte County (river corridor), with the broader GMU spanning portions of Butte, Custer, and Lemhi Counties, part of IDFG Region 6 (Upper Snake Region) in the Lemhi Elk Zone. The unit straddles the Little Lost River Valley north of the community of Howe, flanked by the Lost River Range to the west and the Lemhi Range to the east, with Mackay and Arco as the closest service towns and the Salmon-Challis National Forest (Lost River Ranger District) as the dominant public-land manager.
The unit spans a wide elevation range from approximately 4,806 feet where the Little Lost River disappears into the Snake River Plain near Howe to over 12,202 feet at Diamond Peak — the highest point in the Lemhi Range and Idaho's third-highest summit. The valley floor is relatively flat, rising through rolling sagebrush foothills that give way to steep, rugged mountain terrain on both flanks. Notable peaks include Trail Peak (10,533 ft), Sheep Mountain (10,865 ft), Bear Mountain (10,744 ft), and Iron Creek Point (10,736 ft). Timberline occurs between 9,000 and 9,500 feet. Total unit area is 604,464 acres.
The primary access corridor is the Little Lost River Highway (county road), which heads north from Howe on State Highway 33 and runs roughly 31 miles up the valley. From this main road, numerous canyon roads (many Forest Service numbered routes) branch into the Salmon-Challis National Forest — Lost River Ranger District (office in Mackay at 716 W Custer St, 208-588-3400). Key Forest Service roads include Road 137 (Antelope Canyon), Road 122 (Pass Creek), Road 101 (Sawmill Canyon), and Road 208 (Trail Creek Road). ATVs are restricted to roads legally open to full-sized vehicles; four-wheel drive is recommended on Forest Service canyon roads. BLM Challis Field Office administers substantial BLM acreage. There are no federally designated Wilderness areas within Unit 51. No Access Yes! properties are currently available. The motorized hunting rule restricts all big game hunters to established roads from August 30 through December 31. Seasonal road closures may apply on Forest Service routes; hunters should verify current status with the Lost River Ranger District before the season.
Lower valley floors and foothills support bunchgrass, sagebrush-steppe, and rabbitbrush, with willows, cottonwoods, alders, and birches lining creek bottoms — these riparian corridors concentrate mule deer and elk during summer and transitional periods. Mid-elevation slopes carry mountain mahogany and Utah juniper, transitioning to ponderosa pine at warmer exposures. Upper drainages are dominated by Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, and subalpine fir. Irrigated hay fields and grain crops on private agricultural land in the valley floor (roughly 8% of unit area) provide important winter and transitional forage for elk and deer. BLM rangeland makes up approximately 45% of the unit's land cover; USFS forest approximately 45%.
Mule deer are the primary big game quarry and are distributed throughout the unit from valley floors to alpine slopes, moving to lower elevations and private hay fields as autumn progresses. A small proportion of white-tailed deer (roughly 8–11% of deer harvest) are present, primarily in riparian bottoms. Rocky Mountain elk use the forested mountain drainages on both the Lost River and Lemhi Range flanks, with cows and calves using private agricultural lands heavily in late summer and early fall — a special OTC antlerless season covers this overlap zone (within one mile of private ag lands outside NFS boundary). Elk migrate downslope to lower-elevation wintering areas as snow accumulates. Pronghorn antelope inhabit the open sagebrush-steppe terrain of the valley floor and lower foothills and represent excellent hunting opportunity. Shiras moose are present in the unit and subject to controlled-hunt-only draw tags. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and mountain goat occur in the high terrain of the Lost River and Lemhi Ranges and are available only through highly competitive controlled draws. Black bear and mountain lion range throughout the forested portions of the unit. Gray wolf packs are present and huntable with an OTC wolf tag under statewide seasons.
- Idaho Hunt Planner – Unit 51 Overview
- Idaho Hunt Planner – Unit 51 Area (Hunt Area 235)
- Idaho Hunt Planner – Unit 51 Elk Controlled Hunt 2031 (antlered Nov)
- Idaho Hunt Planner – Unit 51 Elk Controlled Hunt 2091 (antlerless Dec)
- Idaho Hunt Planner – Unit 51 Elk Controlled Hunt 2034 (antlered Oct, historical)
- Idaho Hunt Planner – Portion of Unit 51 Elk A Tag (antlerless Aug 1-29)
- Idaho Hunt Planner – Lemhi Zone A Tag Archery (Units 29, 37, 37A, 51)
- Idaho Hunt Planner – Unit 51 Regular Deer Tag
- 2025-26 Idaho Big Game Season and Rules Available Online – IDFG
- Little Lost River – Wikipedia
- Diamond Peak (Idaho) – Wikipedia
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Boundaries: IDFG official Game Management Units. Community info last updated 36d ago.