Unit 68A, Idaho

Unit 68A covers approximately 286,642 acres (about 448 square miles) at elevations ranging from roughly 1,965 to 4,600 feet above sea level. The landscape is flat to gently rolling Snake River Plain — the classic high-desert agricultural basin of southeastern Idaho. The American Falls Reservoir dominates the western portion; the Snake River and its terraces thread through the unit to the northeast. There are no significant mountain ranges within the unit boundary, which is framed by State Highway 39, U.S. 26, Interstates 15 and 86, and U.S. 91.

Access is highly constrained. Surface management per IDFG Hunt Planner: private agricultural land 50.3% (144,063 acres); Fort Hall Indian Reservation/BIA 39.8% (114,064 acres) — hunting there requires separate Shoshone-Bannock Tribal authorization and is generally closed to non-tribal members; Bureau of Reclamation 3.9% (11,287 acres); Other 3.2% (9,030 acres); BLM 2.1% (6,123 acres); State of Idaho 0.7% (2,075 acres). Combined public land open to hunting is approximately 10–11% of the unit. No Access Yes! properties are currently active in this unit. No National Forest, no designated wilderness areas. Primary public hunting areas: (1) Sterling Wildlife Management Area (4,106 acres, IDFG-managed, Bingham County, off State Highway 39 between Aberdeen and American Falls, established 1968; 15 designated parking areas, ADA-accessible wildlife blind at Johnson Pond, vehicles must remain on established roads; archery deer and pheasant hunting permitted; no permanent restrooms); (2) BLM river parcels and islands along the Snake River, reachable primarily by floating; (3) Bureau of Reclamation lands around American Falls Reservoir margins. Major access highways: U.S. 26, State Highway 39, I-15, I-86, and U.S. 91. Camping available at Massacre Rock State Park near American Falls.

Irrigated cropland and sprinkler-pivot agriculture account for roughly 65% of total cover (IDFG Hunt Planner land-use data: 65.42% combined irrigated agriculture), making this one of the most agriculturally dominated units in Idaho. Water features — primarily American Falls Reservoir and the Snake River — comprise approximately 17.7% of unit area. Riparian zones along the reservoir margins and river terraces feature dense stands of cattails, bulrushes, willows, Russian olive, and phragmites. Sterling WMA contains wet meadows, open water, and managed pheasant habitat. Upland areas carry sagebrush-bunchgrass rangeland (approximately 4.2% of the unit). There is no significant conifer or high-elevation timber cover within the unit.

White-tailed deer are the most commonly harvested deer species in the unit (82% of deer harvest in 2024, 56% in 2025 per IDFG Hunt 1083 data), using the riparian corridors, willows, wetlands, and agricultural edges along the Snake River and Sterling WMA. Mule deer also occupy the unit, utilizing rangeland and agricultural fringe areas. Elk are present and huntable under a general archery A tag (OTC, either sex, archery-only); 2025 data: 72 hunters, 21 harvested, 29% success rate. Success has historically ranged from 0% to 88%. Black bear general hunts were added to Unit 68A for 2025-26 per IDFG season announcement (specific dates not confirmed in Hunt Planner for 2025/2026 query). Mountain lion: a General Mountain Lion Tag season (7/1/25–6/30/26) is confirmed in the Hunt Planner for this unit. Moose are present with very limited controlled archery draw hunts (5 total tags: Hunt 3092 = 4 tags, Hunt 3093 = 1 tag, season 8/30–11/23). The American Falls Reservoir and Snake River corridor support substantial waterfowl, shorebird, sandhill crane, and pheasant populations; Sterling WMA is managed in part for waterfowl and upland birds. Sage-grouse, chukar, sharp-tailed grouse, gray partridge, quail, and turkey are also listed as present for Unit 68A.

1. Black bear: IDFG 2025-26 season announcement confirmed general bear hunts added to Unit 68A, but the Hunt Planner returned no bear hunts for 2025 or 2026 queries — bear data omitted from species_data pending confirmation of specific hunt structure. 2. Wolf: not confirmed in Unit 68A Hunt Planner; removed from species list. Gray wolf hunting may be legal statewide but no specific 68A hunt was found. 3. Deer hunt structure changed for 2026: Hunt 1081 (antlered, 99,999 tags) replaces the former limited controlled hunts 1083/1087; Hunt 1147 adds 50-tag antlerless white-tailed limited access hunt. 4. Elk general A tag (Hunt 80696) season end date extended to Dec 31 in 2026 vs. the Sep 30 template seen in older hunt records. 5. Fort Hall Indian Reservation (39.8% of unit) closed to public hunting. 6. Season dates are from 2025-2026 Hunt Planner records; verify exact dates in official IDFG Big Game Seasons and Rules brochure at idfg.idaho.gov/rules/big-game.