Idaho · Elk · Hunt 2026
Idaho elk controlled hunt 2026
How many hunters put this controlled hunt first and how many of them drew it — season by season, for both of Idaho's application periods and both residency pools. Every figure comes from an Idaho Fish and Game response linked at the foot of this page.
What the 2026 drawing did
Idaho offered 20 permits on hunt 2026 in 2026 and issued 20 — the hunt filled. In the first application period, 263 hunters put it first and 20 drew, 7.60%.
Idaho grants no preference for having applied before. The department is direct about it — "IDFG does not use any point system in our draw process" — and its own published data has never carried a point, preference or bonus field in the twenty-nine seasons it covers. Applying for eleven years earns exactly what applying for the first time earns. There is no points-to-draw figure on this page because there is none to publish, and any site showing you one for Idaho has invented it.
Application period
Residency
First-choice draw rate, by season
| Season | Period | Area | Permits available | Put it first | Drew on first choice | First-choice draw rate | Put it second | Drew on second choice | Permits issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | First | 48 | 20 | 263 | 20 | 7.60% | 156 | 0 | 20 |
| 2025 | First | 48 | 20 | 301 | 20 | 6.64% | 137 | 0 | 20 |
| 2024 | Second | 48 | 7 | 324 | 7 | 2.16% | 137 | 0 | 7 |
| 2024 | First | 48 | 150 | 758 | 150 | 19.79% | 408 | 0 | 150 |
| 2023 | First | 48 | 150 | 748 | 150 | 20.05% | 405 | 0 | 150 |
| 2022 | First | 46-2 | 40 | 284 | 40 | 14.08% | 182 | 0 | 40 |
| 2021 | Second | 46-2 | 1 | 156 | 1 | 0.64% | 62 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | First | 46-2 | 40 | 442 | 40 | 9.05% | 222 | 0 | 40 |
| 2020 | First | 48 | 20 | 280 | 20 | 7.14% | 125 | 0 | 20 |
| 2019 | First | 48 | 20 | 163 | 20 | 12.27% | 144 | 0 | 20 |
| 2018 | Second | 46-2 | 1 | 206 | 1 | 0.49% | 68 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | First | 46-2 | 25 | 492 | 25 | 5.08% | 288 | 0 | 25 |
| 2017 | First | 46-2 | 25 | 228 | 25 | 10.96% | 268 | 0 | 25 |
| 2016 | First | 48 | 10 | 151 | 10 | 6.62% | 64 | 0 | 10 |
| 2015 | First | 48 | 10 | 147 | 10 | 6.80% | 87 | 0 | 10 |
| 2014 | First | 49 | 10 | 236 | 10 | 4.24% | 199 | 0 | 10 |
| 2013 | First | 49 | 10 | 226 | 10 | 4.42% | 164 | 0 | 10 |
| 2012 | First | 49 | 10 | 179 | 10 | 5.59% | 114 | 0 | 10 |
| 2011 | First | 49 | 10 | 196 | 10 | 5.10% | 136 | 0 | 10 |
| 2010 | Second | 49 | 3 | 196 | 3 | 1.53% | 96 | 0 | 3 |
| 2010 | First | 49 | 150 | 866 | 150 | 17.32% | 526 | 0 | 150 |
| 2009 | Second | 50-1 | 7 | 289 | 7 | 2.42% | 72 | 0 | 7 |
| 2009 | First | 50-1 | 75 | 616 | 75 | 12.18% | 249 | 0 | 75 |
| 2008 | Second | 50-1 | 2 | 103 | 2 | 1.94% | 43 | 0 | 2 |
| 2007 | Second | 50-1 | 9 | 386 | 9 | 2.33% | 93 | 0 | 9 |
| 2007 | First | 50-1 | 175 | 1,115 | 175 | 15.70% | 377 | 0 | 175 |
| 2006 | Second | 50-1 | 9 | 357 | 9 | 2.52% | 102 | 0 | 9 |
| 2006 | First | 50-1 | 175 | 1,196 | 175 | 14.63% | 387 | 0 | 175 |
| 2005 | First | 49 | 20 | 424 | 20 | 4.72% | 189 | 0 | 20 |
| 2004 | First | 49 | 20 | 409 | 20 | 4.89% | 212 | 0 | 20 |
| 2003 | First | 49 | 20 | 326 | 20 | 6.13% | 244 | 0 | 20 |
| 2002 | First | 49 | 20 | 375 | 20 | 5.33% | 230 | 0 | 20 |
| 2001 | First | 49 | 20 | 403 | 20 | 4.96% | 238 | 0 | 20 |
| 2000 | First | 49 | 20 | 398 | 20 | 5.03% | 250 | 0 | 20 |
| 1999 | First | 49-2 | 247 | 1,223 | 247 | 20.20% | 578 | 0 | 247 |
| 1998 | First | 49-1 | 20 | 372 | 20 | 5.38% | 223 | 0 | 20 |
Idaho draws each hunt twice. The first application period is where almost everybody applies; the second is a real second drawing for what is left. They are different competitions and nothing here averages them.
The area label changes across seasons for this hunt number — Idaho printed 48, 46-2, 49, 50-1, 49-2, 49-1. A controlled hunt number is reissued, and the department publishes nothing that settles whether the same number covers the same ground from one season to the next: across all its hunts, 874 of 974 numbers see its own internal area key change and 888 see the printed label change, independently of each other. So each row shows the label Idaho printed for that season and this page asserts nothing about the place.
By residency
| Season | Period | Residency | Put it first | Permits | Draw rate | What the permit count covers | IDFG's own figure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | First | Resident | 212 | 18 | 8.49% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 8% |
| 2026 | First | Nonresident | 51 | 2 | 3.92% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 4% |
| 2025 | First | Resident | 227 | 18 | 7.93% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 8% |
| 2025 | First | Nonresident | 74 | 2 | 2.70% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 3% |
| 2024 | Second | Resident | 266 | 7 | 2.63% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 3% |
| 2024 | Second | Nonresident | 58 | 0 | 0.00% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 0% |
| 2024 | First | Resident | 618 | 135 | 21.84% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 22% |
| 2024 | First | Nonresident | 140 | 15 | 10.71% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 11% |
| 2023 | First | Resident | 631 | 135 | 21.39% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 21% |
| 2023 | First | Nonresident | 117 | 15 | 12.82% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 13% |
| 2022 | First | Resident | 217 | 36 | 16.59% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 17% |
| 2022 | First | Nonresident | 67 | 4 | 5.97% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 6% |
| 2021 | Second | Resident | 119 | 1 | 0.84% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 1% |
| 2021 | Second | Nonresident | 37 | 0 | 0.00% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 0% |
| 2021 | First | Resident | 292 | 36 | 12.33% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 12% |
| 2021 | First | Nonresident | 150 | 4 | 2.67% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 3% |
| 2020 | First | Resident | 217 | 18 | 8.29% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 8% |
| 2020 | First | Nonresident | 63 | 2 | 3.17% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 3% |
| 2019 | First | Resident | 135 | 18 | 13.33% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 13% |
| 2019 | First | Nonresident | 28 | 2 | 7.14% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 7% |
| 2018 | Second | Resident | 165 | 1 | 0.61% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 1% |
| 2018 | Second | Nonresident | 41 | 0 | 0.00% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 0% |
| 2018 | First | Resident | 398 | 24 | 6.03% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 6% |
| 2018 | First | Nonresident | 94 | 1 | 1.06% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 1% |
| 2017 | First | Resident | 193 | 24 | 12.44% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 12% |
| 2017 | First | Nonresident | 35 | 1 | 2.86% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 3% |
| 2016 | First | Resident | 138 | 9 | 6.52% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 7% |
| 2016 | First | Nonresident | 13 | 1 | 7.69% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 8% |
| 2015 | First | Resident | 138 | 10 | 7.25% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 7% |
| 2015 | First | Nonresident | 9 | 0 | 0.00% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 0% |
| 2014 | First | Resident | 221 | 9 | 4.07% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 4% |
| 2014 | First | Nonresident | 15 | 1 | 6.67% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 7% |
| 2013 | First | Resident | 212 | 10 | 4.72% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 2013 | First | Nonresident | 14 | 0 | 0.00% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 0% |
| 2012 | First | Resident | 160 | 9 | 5.63% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 6% |
| 2012 | First | Nonresident | 19 | 1 | 5.26% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 2011 | First | Resident | 173 | 10 | 5.78% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 6% |
| 2011 | First | Nonresident | 23 | 0 | 0.00% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 0% |
| 2010 | Second | Resident | 171 | 3 | 1.75% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 2% |
| 2010 | Second | Nonresident | 25 | 0 | 0.00% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 0% |
| 2010 | First | Resident | 791 | 140 | 17.70% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 18% |
| 2010 | First | Nonresident | 75 | 10 | 13.33% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 13% |
| 2009 | Second | Resident | 271 | 7 | 2.58% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 3% |
| 2009 | Second | Nonresident | 18 | 0 | 0.00% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 0% |
| 2009 | First | Resident | 552 | 68 | 12.32% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 12% |
| 2009 | First | Nonresident | 64 | 7 | 10.94% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 11% |
| 2008 | Second | Resident | 91 | 2 | 2.20% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 2% |
| 2008 | Second | Nonresident | 12 | 0 | 0.00% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 0% |
| 2007 | Second | Resident | 349 | 7 | 2.01% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 2% |
| 2007 | Second | Nonresident | 37 | 2 | 5.41% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 2007 | First | Resident | 959 | 158 | 16.48% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 16% |
| 2007 | First | Nonresident | 156 | 17 | 10.90% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 11% |
| 2006 | Second | Resident | 317 | 7 | 2.21% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 2% |
| 2006 | Second | Nonresident | 40 | 2 | 5.00% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 2006 | First | Resident | 1,041 | 158 | 15.18% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 15% |
| 2006 | First | Nonresident | 155 | 17 | 10.97% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 11% |
| 2005 | First | Resident | 380 | 18 | 4.74% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 2005 | First | Nonresident | 44 | 2 | 4.55% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 2004 | First | Resident | 370 | 20 | 5.41% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 2004 | First | Nonresident | 39 | 0 | 0.00% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 0% |
| 2003 | First | Resident | 292 | 18 | 6.16% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 6% |
| 2003 | First | Nonresident | 34 | 2 | 5.88% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 2002 | First | Resident | 334 | 18 | 5.39% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 2002 | First | Nonresident | 41 | 2 | 4.88% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 4% |
| 2001 | First | Resident | 375 | 19 | 5.07% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 2001 | First | Nonresident | 28 | 1 | 3.57% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 3% |
| 2000 | First | Resident | 363 | 18 | 4.96% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 2000 | First | Nonresident | 35 | 2 | 5.71% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 1999 | First | Resident | 1,082 | 225 | 20.79% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 20% |
| 1999 | First | Nonresident | 141 | 22 | 15.60% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 15% |
| 1998 | First | Resident | 345 | 19 | 5.51% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 5% |
| 1998 | First | Nonresident | 27 | 1 | 3.70% | no permits went to second choice, so the two readings agree | 3% |
Why some residency rates are blank. Idaho changed what its residency permit columns count around the 2019 season without renaming them. Before, they cover both application choices; from 2019, first choice only. The applicant columns are first-choice-only throughout. So on an older row where permits went to second-choice hunters, dividing one by the other counts winners the denominator never counted — on one 1998 deer hunt that arithmetic gives 250%. Rather than publish that, or pick an era and apply it to every row, this site reads which meaning each row's own totals support and leaves the rate empty where the two do not match.
IDFG's own figure is the percentage the department publishes alongside its counts. It is a rounded summary and it disagrees with its own rows: on the 1998 hunt above it reads 100. It is shown because the department publishes it and a reader will meet it elsewhere, not because it answers the question this page is about.
Where Idaho's own figures disagree with each other
- IDFG printed 6 different area labels for elk hunt 2026 across the seasons it published (46-2, 48, 49, 49-1, 49-2, 50-1). Neither its label nor its internal area key is an identity, so this site shows what the department printed for each season and asserts nothing about whether the ground is the same.
Sources for this hunt
- elk/2026-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2026 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2025-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2025 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2024-draw2.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2024 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2024-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2024 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2023-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2023 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2022-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2022 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2021-draw2.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2021 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2021-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2021 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2020-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2020 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2019-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2019 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2018-draw2.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2018 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2018-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2018 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2017-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2017 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2016-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2016 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2015-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2015 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2014-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2014 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2013-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2013 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2012-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2012 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2011-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2011 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2010-draw2.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2010 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2010-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2010 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2009-draw2.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2009 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2009-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2009 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2008-draw2.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2008 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2007-draw2.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2007 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2007-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2007 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2006-draw2.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2006 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2006-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2006 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2005-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2005 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2004-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2004 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2003-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2003 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2002-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2002 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2001-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2001 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/2000-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 2000 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/1999-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 1999 season, fetched 2026-09-03
- elk/1998-draw1.json — Idaho Fish and Game controlled hunt drawing odds, 1998 season, fetched 2026-09-03