Unit 63A, Idaho

The unit is predominantly flat to gently rolling terrain at elevations ranging from roughly 4,500 to 5,619 feet (the high point being North Menan Butte). The landscape divides into two distinct areas: flat, heavily wooded river bottoms and sloughs along the Snake River, South Fork, and Henrys Fork, and a sagebrush-covered high-desert plateau with exposed lava rock in the northwestern corner. No wilderness areas or National Forests are within the unit boundaries.

Public land comprises approximately 17.83% of the unit. Access routes include U.S. Highway 26, U.S. Highway 20, State Highway 33, State Highway 48, and Interstate 15. Most interior roads are paved county roads; primitive BLM two-tracks in the northwest corner and along river corridors require an ATV or four-wheel-drive vehicle. There are no National Forest lands within the unit. Public land is managed by: BLM (approximately 14.37%), State of Idaho (approximately 2.96%), Bureau of Reclamation (approximately 0.47%), Corps of Engineers (approximately 0.03%), and other federal (approximately 1.5%). The three public Wildlife Management Areas — Deer Parks WMA (three parcels: Menan, Beaver Dick, and Deer Parks, along the South Fork, Henrys Fork, and mainstem Snake Rivers in Jefferson and Madison Counties), Cartier Slough, and Market Lake — total approximately 3,101 acres for Deer Parks alone and are accessed via State Highway 33 and paved county roads with designated parking lots and boat ramps at Menan and Beaver Dick. Interior travel within WMAs is non-motorized. No Access Yes! properties are currently available in this unit. A BLM strip runs along the Snake River from the Ririe area to Roberts. Private land constitutes approximately 80.67% of the unit, making landowner permission critical for the vast majority of the huntable area.

Dominant cover types include riparian corridors of tall cottonwood trees, thick willows, and cattail/bulrush marshes bordering agricultural land. Irrigated agriculture (alfalfa, corn, grain) comprises approximately 68% of land use (67.79% irrigated gravity-flow plus 7.18% sprinkler irrigation). Rangeland (sagebrush-steppe) makes up about 14% of the unit, primarily in the northwest corner. Riparian areas account for approximately 8% of cover. Wetland marshes — including Deer Parks, Cartier Slough, and Market Lake Wildlife Management Areas — provide critical waterfowl and big-game habitat.

White-tailed deer are the primary big game species, with most whitetails taken on private agricultural and riparian lands. Mule deer are also present, particularly in the sagebrush-steppe northwest corner and along the BLM river-strip corridor. Elk occur in low densities; the unit is part of the Snake River Elk Zone (general antlerless A-tag area) and is one of the open units (along with 53 and 68A) for general season elk hunting. Moose are present along riparian corridors (Snake, South Fork, Henrys Fork) and are subject to controlled-hunt-only management; Deer Parks WMA holds moose. Black bear and mountain lion are listed as huntable on the IDFG Hunt Planner. Wolf is listed as a huntable species in the unit. The unit's marshes and sloughs support upland birds including pheasant, turkey, sage-grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, and chukar, as well as waterfowl including geese, ducks, sandhill crane, and notable wintering trumpeter swans (Deer Parks WMA hosts approximately 10% of the entire Rocky Mountain trumpeter swan population). As of the 2025 season, mandatory CWD sampling applies to all harvested mule deer and white-tailed deer; eight collection stations are located at Deer Parks WMA (Ringel Lane), Mike Walker, Menan, Lorenzo, Twin Bridges, Heise Bridge, Byington boat ramps, and the Idaho Falls Regional Fish and Game Office. Heads or lymph nodes must be submitted within 10 days of harvest.