Unit 52, Idaho

The unit covers approximately 525,276 acres (about 821 square miles) of low-relief desert terrain, characterized by low volcanic hills, lava rock outcrops, desert flats, and sweeping plains. Elevations range from roughly 3,600 to 6,000 feet. The terrain is predominantly gentle—approximately 80% of the public land area has minimal slope. The Big Wood River and Little Wood River traverse portions of the unit, and Magic Reservoir (located about 28 miles north of Shoshone on Idaho Highway 75) provides a water feature. Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, formed by lava flows and cinder cones along the Great Rift volcanic rift zone, occupies a significant portion of or is adjacent to the unit; the NPS-managed expansion area (~410,512 acres) is largely closed to hunting while BLM-managed portions remain open.

The unit is administered primarily by the BLM Shoshone Field Office (Shoshone, ID), which manages approximately 1.7 million acres across south-central Idaho, including Magic Reservoir and Black Magic Canyon. Public land is 65.1% BLM, 3.3% State of Idaho, and roughly 31.7% private; there is no National Forest land within the unit itself. Key access highways are US 20 (along the northern boundary through Arco/Carey), US 93 (connecting Shoshone and Carey), US 26 (along the southern boundary through Gooding and Shoshone), and Idaho State Highway 46 (western boundary from Gooding north to US 20). The BLM maintains a network of roads open to full-sized vehicles, though four-wheel drive is recommended in wet conditions; ATVs are restricted to full-size vehicle roads. Wilderness Study Areas within the unit prohibit all motorized vehicle travel. The NPS-managed expansion of Craters of the Moon National Monument (~410,512 acres) is closed to hunting; BLM-managed portions of the monument remain open. The BLM manages nine recreation sites in the area including Magic Reservoir (9 semi-developed campsites), Croy Creek, Fish Creek Reservoir, Silver Creek, and Thorn Creek Reservoir. Motorized hunting rule applies: all big game hunters are restricted to established roadways legally open to full-sized automobiles from August 30 through December 31.

The unit is overwhelmingly treeless and dominated by sagebrush-steppe. Approximately 78.5% of the unit is classified as rangeland. Cover types are primarily sagebrush (big sagebrush, low sagebrush) mixed with native grasses; scattered mahogany and juniper stands appear on higher rocky foothills. Cottonwood and willow lines follow the Big Wood and Little Wood rivers and their tributaries. Irrigated agricultural areas—pivot and gravity-flow—make up roughly 18% of the unit near towns and drainages. There is no national forest or substantial conifer timber in this unit. The volcanic lava fields of Craters of the Moon support only thin, sparse vegetation (sagebrush, mock orange, wildflowers) on the black basalt.

Mule deer are the primary big game species; the unit has a reputation for producing large-bodied bucks. Elk are present but sparse and largely nomadic in this desert shrubland unit—resident populations are low. Pronghorn antelope occupy the sagebrush-steppe habitats and are the most consistently huntable species with established controlled hunt quotas. White-tailed deer have been documented in the unit but are far less common than mule deer in this semi-arid environment. Black bear, mountain lion, gray wolf, and moose are also listed as huntable species by IDFG. Pronghorn generally congregate in open sagebrush flats and move between summer and winter ranges with seasonal vegetation changes. Mule deer use the foothills, lava rim country, and drainages; rut activity can extend from late October through late December. Elk rut typically begins in early September. Gray wolf populations have increased across the region since reintroduction and are huntable under state management.