Unit 7, Idaho
Unit info
- Game species
- Elk, White-tailed Deer, Mule Deer, Moose, Mountain Goat, Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Gray Wolf
- Group
- Panhandle Elk Zone
- Area
- 563 mi²
- Public land
- 88%
Elk — season & harvest13% success
- Tag type
- OTC general tag (A or B Tag, Panhandle Zone); Idaho two-tag system — residents purchase general zone tags OTC; nonresidents subject to zone-wide nonresident quota limits. No controlled hunt required for general season.
- Reported harvest
- 73
- Archery season
- Aug 30 – Sep 30 (A Tag, archery only, antlered); Sep 6 – Sep 12 (B Tag, archery only, antlered); Dec 10 – Dec 16 (B Tag, archery only, antlered)
- General season
- Oct 10 – Oct 24 (B Tag, any weapon, antlered); Oct 25 – Oct 29 (B Tag, any weapon, antlered — extended)
- Muzzleloader season
- Nov 15 – Dec 1 (B Tag, muzzleloader only, antlered; Units 4, 7, and 9 only)
Bull elk retreat into steep, roadless timber during the rut and general season. Archery hunters willing to hike canyon bottoms away from roads encounter bulls during the rut; rifle hunters focus the Oct 10–24 B Tag window on ridge systems and logged openings. Muzzleloader opportunity is limited — Unit 7 historically shows very low muzzleloader success (2% in 2025). Road access via St. Joe River Road provides a staging corridor. All-weapons combined harvest in 2025: 78 elk from 600 hunters (13% success).
Draw odds for Elkaren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Moose — season & harvest8% draw80% success
- Tag type
- Controlled hunt draw (Moose Controlled Hunt Area 7, CH# 3027); antlered bulls only; any legal weapon.
- Tag quota
- 20
- Resident applicants
- 240
- Non-res applicants
- 0
- Reported harvest
- 4
- Archery season
- Oct 1 – Oct 14 (controlled hunt, any legal weapon including archery)
- General season
- Oct 1 – Oct 14 (controlled hunt, any weapon)
- Muzzleloader season
- Oct 1 – Oct 14 (controlled hunt, any weapon including muzzleloader)
Draw-only hunt with 5 tags and roughly 14% first-choice draw odds (36 first-choice applicants for 5 permits per 2025–26 IDFG data). 2025 success was 80% (4 of 5 hunters; average antler spread 37.62 inches). Moose concentrate in riparian willow and alder corridors along St. Joe River tributaries. Note: IDFG has considered reducing or eliminating this hunt due to declining trend; verify current status at idfg.idaho.gov before applying.
Gray Wolf — season & harvest
- Tag type
- OTC wolf tag; documented in Panhandle including Unit 7.
Wolves are present and huntable. Nonresident unfilled deer or elk tags may be used to harvest a wolf if the wolf season is concurrently open. Verify current season dates in the IDFG Big Game rules booklet.
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 & harvest
- Tag type
- OTC Regular Deer Tag (same tag valid for mule deer or white-tailed deer); archery and muzzleloader permits required for respective seasons.
- Reported harvest
- 22
- Archery season
- Aug 30 – Sep 30 (archery only; Regular Deer Tag valid for mule deer)
- General season
- Oct 10 – Nov 9 (any weapon; Regular Deer Tag; antlered; Units 4, 7, and 9)
- Muzzleloader season
- Nov 10 – Nov 14 (muzzleloader only, antlered; Units 4, 7, and 9)
Mule deer are secondary to whitetail in Unit 7; encountered primarily on upper south-facing ridges and burn edges. Numbers are low compared to the unit's elk and whitetail populations. Harvest data is not broken out separately from whitetail in available IDFG statistics for Unit 7.
Draw odds for Mule Deeraren't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Black Bear — season & harvest
- Tag type
- OTC general bear tag; bear identification course required for 2025–26 season.
Black bears are common throughout Unit 7 in the dense timber. Nonresident unfilled deer or elk tags may also be used to take a black bear if bear season is open concurrently. Verify current season dates in the IDFG Big Game rules booklet.
Draw odds for Black Beararen't on file for this unit yet. Check your state wildlife agency website for current draw statistics.
Mountain Goat — season & harvest3% draw100% success
- Tag type
- Controlled hunt draw (Mountain Goat Controlled Hunt 6001, covers Units 7 and 9 combined); either sex; any legal weapon.
- Tag quota
- 20
- Resident applicants
- 639
- Non-res applicants
- 11
- Reported harvest
- 1
- Archery season
- Aug 30 – Nov 12 (controlled hunt, any weapon including archery)
- General season
- Aug 30 – Nov 12 (controlled hunt, any weapon)
- Muzzleloader season
- Aug 30 – Nov 12 (controlled hunt, any weapon including muzzleloader)
Extremely limited — one tag for Units 7 and 9 combined, with approximately 2% first-choice draw odds (50 resident applicants for 1 permit per 2026 IDFG draw data). 2025 season: 100% success (1 of 1 hunter). Goats occupy high rocky cliffs and talus near the Montana divide.
Mountain Lion — season & harvest
- Tag type
- OTC tag; hound hunting may require a separate permit in some zones.
Mountain lions are present but rarely targeted; opportunity exists incidentally during deer and elk seasons. Verify current season dates in the IDFG Big Game rules booklet.
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 & harvest17% success
- Tag type
- OTC Regular Deer Tag (valid for whitetail or mule deer) or dedicated White-tailed Deer Tag; both available OTC for residents; nonresidents subject to statewide quota. Archery permit required for archery-only seasons; muzzleloader permit required for muzzleloader-only seasons.
- Reported harvest
- 8
- Archery season
- Aug 30 – Sep 30 (archery only, antlered and antlerless); Dec 10 – Dec 24 (archery only, antlered)
- General season
- Oct 10 – Nov 9 (any weapon, antlered and antlerless; Units 4, 7, and 9; White-tailed Deer Tag valid Oct 10 – Nov 9)
- Muzzleloader season
- Nov 10 – Dec 1 (muzzleloader only, antlered and antlerless; Units 4, 7, and 9)
Whitetail are the dominant deer and most consistently hunted species in Unit 7. River-bottom timber, logged patches, and forest edge near roads hold the most deer. Archery season in late August–September coincides with pre-rut and low hunting pressure. General any-weapon rut hunting peaks late October into early November. All-weapons combined harvest in 2025: 56 deer from 337 hunters (17% success).
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 7 lies in Shoshone County in the northern Panhandle (Region 1), bordered by Montana along the Bitterroot divide and bisected northwest to southeast by the St. Joe Wild and Scenic River. Avery is the nearest community and serves as the primary gateway; the unit is managed almost entirely within the St. Joe National Forest, one of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests.
Terrain is predominantly steep and heavily timbered, especially along the St. Joe River canyon and the Montana divide. Elevation ranges from roughly 2,487 feet at Avery (where the St. Joe River exits the unit) to over 7,300 feet along the peaks of the Montana border ridge. Roadless canyons, precipitous sidehills, and dense old-growth timber cover most of the drainage interiors. The unit spans approximately 562 square miles (360,134 acres).
Primary access runs along the St. Joe River Road (Forest Road 50) from Avery east into the unit. Idaho Highway 3 connects Avery to the broader Panhandle highway network. The unit lies almost entirely within the St. Joe National Forest (St. Joe Ranger District, Avery Office, 34 Hoyt Drive, Avery ID 83802; 208-245-2531). South and west of the river includes a checkerboard mix of National Forest and private timber land (12.02% private per IDFG). Full-size vehicles can navigate the main forest roads; many secondary roads are restricted to ATVs or closed to all motor vehicles. Motor vehicle use maps are available at the Avery Ranger District office. No federally designated wilderness areas fall within Unit 7 boundaries. No Access Yes! properties are currently available inside the unit.
Coniferous forest dominates at 93% of land cover (IDFG Hunt Planner: 93.23% forest): western red cedar, western hemlock, Engelmann spruce, grand fir, subalpine fir, lodgepole pine, and western white pine. Ponderosa pine appears on lower south-facing slopes. Burned areas with regenerating brush, grassy river-bottom meadows, logged patches with grass and browse, and rocky high-elevation terrain provide breaks in the canopy. The St. Joe River corridor supports riparian vegetation and is noted habitat for Westslope cutthroat trout.
Elk are present year-round; bulls retreat into roadless canyon timber during the rut and general season. Rocky Mountain elk use upper ridge systems in summer and migrate to lower river drainages and private timber in late fall and winter. White-tailed deer are the dominant deer species, common throughout the unit in mixed timber and river-bottom habitat; mule deer are present but far less numerous. Moose inhabit riparian willow and alder areas along the St. Joe River and its tributaries. Mountain goats occur on high rocky terrain near the Montana border. Black bears are common throughout the unit in dense timber. Mountain lions are present year-round following deer and elk herds. Gray wolves are documented in the Panhandle and present in Unit 7. Grizzly bears have been infrequently documented but are not a targeted game species. Westslope cutthroat trout occupy the St. Joe River (Wild and Scenic designation). Upland forest grouse (blue and ruffed) are also present.
- Unit 7 Hunt Planner – Idaho Fish and Game
- Idaho Big Game 2025 Seasons & Rules (PDF)
- 2025 Elk General Hunt Harvest Statistics – Idaho Fish and Game
- 2025 Deer General Hunt Harvest Statistics – Idaho Fish and Game
- Hunt Area 7 Moose Controlled Hunt 3027 – Idaho Hunt Planner
- Hunt Area 7+9 Mountain Goat Controlled Hunt 6001 – Idaho Hunt Planner
- Hunt Area Panhandle B Tag Elk – Idaho Hunt Planner
- St. Joe Ranger District Avery Office – US Forest Service
Questions, tips & discussion
Ask anything about Unit 7— or drop a tip or trick: access points, where game holds, glassing spots, conditions, crowding, gear that worked. This is where the unit's species-specific intel gets built, hunter by hunter.
Nothing posted yet about Unit 7.
Be the first — ask a question (“Best public access on the north end?”) or share a tip (“Glass the burn scars off the main ridge at first light”).
Boundaries: IDFG official Game Management Units. Community info last updated 36d ago.