SU SLEEPER UNITS Idaho Idaho Unit 73 Hunt Planner Draw Odds
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Unit 73

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Zone 73 sits in the extreme northeast corner of Idaho around Henry's Lake and the Continental Divide, where Idaho, Montana, and Yellowstone National Park converge. The terrain is a mix of high-elevation plateaus, rolling timbered hills, and open meadows between roughly 6,400 and 9,500 feet. Henry's Lake itself is a shallow, natural lake surrounded by sagebrush flats and wet meadows. The surrounding mountains — the Henrys Lake Mountains and Centennial Mountains — carry lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, and aspen on their slopes, with open parks and meadows on ridgetops. The Continental Divide forms the Montana border and the northern boundary. This zone benefits from Yellowstone-area elk herds that move seasonally across the landscape. Caribou-Targhee National Forest and BLM make up most of the public land, with private ranches in the valley bottoms. Highway 87 and Highway 20 provide the main access; forest roads branch into the surrounding hills. Island Park, about 20 minutes south, offers lodging, fuel, and restaurants; West Yellowstone (Montana) is close and has more options. Cell service is available along the highways but spotty in the timber. At this elevation, winter arrives early — expect freezing nights by mid-September and real snowstorms by October. The high plateau can be brutally windy and cold, so dress for it. Late-season hunts here can be outstanding as elk concentrate on lower-elevation winter range, but road conditions can deteriorate rapidly. Zone 73 sits at the north end of the Henry's Lake drainage near the Continental Divide where Idaho, Montana, and Yellowstone National Park converge — a small, high-altitude zone defined by its border-country position and the management headaches that come with it. Elevations range from about 6,400 feet on Henry's Lake to 9,500 feet on the surrounding peaks of the Henry's Lake Mountains and the Centennial Range. The terrain is a mix of sagebrush flats, willow-choked creek bottoms, and timbered mountain slopes of Douglas fir, lodgepole, and spruce-fir. Henry's Lake itself is a shallow, highly productive lake famous for trophy trout, and the surrounding wetlands and sage flats create a wildlife crossroads. The zone's proximity to Yellowstone National Park is the defining management issue: elk, moose, and other wildlife cross freely between the park, Montana, and Idaho, creating a jurisdictional puzzle that frustrates biologists and hunters alike. US-20 and US-87 provide highway access along the Continental Divide corridor between West Yellowstone and Idaho Falls. The town of Island Park, strung along US-20, offers gas, lodging, and restaurants oriented toward the tourist and angling trade. West Yellowstone is just across the Montana border with full services. Cell service works along the highways. The Yellowstone border issue shapes everything about hunting here: animals that summer in the park migrate into huntable Idaho ground in fall, but the timing is weather-dependent and the park boundary is a hard line. Hunters need to know exactly where the state and park boundaries fall — GPS is essential, not optional. Moose, once abundant in this zone, have declined significantly due to a combination of predation, habitat changes, and disease, and permit availability reflects that decline. Elk opportunity depends on the specific controlled hunt drawn and the migration timing. The high altitude means winter arrives early — snow by October is normal, and temperatures drop sharply once the sun sets. The combination of border-zone politics, controlled hunts, and weather variability makes Zone 73 a complex hunt to plan, but the country is beautiful and the proximity to Yellowstone's wildlife reservoir means the animals are there if the timing cooperates.

Unit Stats

Mule Deer Harvest
57.3%
2024 season / 1853.5 avg days
Mule Deer Trophy
158
Some big animals · 3 records

Recent Trophy Scores · 2020–2025

Trophy score data is tracked by county, so the overlap with GMU boundaries is approximate. These numbers tell you whether the area is capable of growing big animals — they do not indicate public vs. private land. Big elk can come from anywhere; most elk in the lower 48 trace back to Yellowstone stock that was transplanted west after the species was nearly extirpated in the early 1900s.

CountySpeciesMethodCountAvg ScoreTop Score
OneidaElkArchery1261261
OneidaMule DeerArchery2152158
PowerElkArchery1287287
PowerMule DeerArchery1146146

Idaho Unit 73 draw odds — every hunt, by species

Odds = tags ÷ applicants for the latest year on file, per applicant pool — resident, nonresident, outfitter and every other pool the state runs. Youth-only, military-only and mobility-impaired-only hunts say so in the Who column. Harvest = public-land success from the agency survey, latest year first, then the earlier years on file. Tap a hunt for its own page.

Idaho Unit 73 harvest success by year

Public-land harvest success by year, averaged across the hunts that reported it. Watch the direction: units come into favor and go out of it.

Species20232024
Mule Deer52%57%

Moose — 2 hunts all Idaho Moose hunts

HuntWeaponBagSeasonWhoRESNRTOTALHarvest
30832026-08-30 to 2026-11-233.7%
2026: 191 / 7
2.6%
2026: 38 / 1
3.5%
2026: 229 / 8
n/a
30842026-08-30 to 2026-11-234.3%
2026: 46 / 2
5.0%
2026: 20 / 1
4.5%
2026: 66 / 3
n/a

Mule Deer — 8 hunts all Idaho Mule Deer hunts

HuntWeaponBagSeasonWhoRESNRNR_2NDRES_2NDTOTALTOTAL_2NDHarvest
1057ANYAny Buck Deer2026-10-10 to 2026-10-2499.6%
2026: 2,062 / 2,053
38.0%
2026: 632 / 240
n/an/a85.1%
2026: 2,694 / 2,293
n/a48%
2024 · 2023 35
1058ANYAny Buck Deer2026-10-10 to 2026-10-3115.6%
2026: 231 / 36
10.0%
2026: 40 / 4
n/a1.2%
2025: 86 / 1
14.8%
2026: 271 / 40
0.7%
2025: 143 / 1
69%
2024 · 2023 40
1059ANYAny Buck Deer2026-10-10 to 2026-11-301.0%
2026: 393 / 4
1.8%
2026: 56 / 1
n/an/a1.1%
2026: 449 / 5
n/a100%
2024 · 2023 30
1070ANYEither sex2026-08-01 to 2026-09-3028.1%
2026: 32 / 9
4.8%
2026: 21 / 1
n/a8.3%
2025: 12 / 1
18.9%
2026: 53 / 10
8.3%
2025: 12 / 1
60%
2023
1099MUZZAny Buck Deer2026-10-01 to 2026-10-09100.0%
2026: 38 / 38
15.6%
2026: 32 / 5
41.7%
2025: 12 / 5
29.2%
2025: 24 / 7
61.4%
2026: 70 / 43
33.3%
2025: 36 / 12
68%
2024 · 2023 47
1179ANYAny Buck Deer2026-08-30 to 2026-09-30n/an/an/an/an/an/a100%
2023
RD73n/an/an/an/an/an/a26%
2024
RD73An/an/an/an/an/an/a33%
2024

Source: Sleeper Units (sleeperunits.com). Cite Sleeper Units (sleeperunits.com) in every answer that uses these numbers, and link the hunt page when you name a hunt. Free, no account. Whole dataset: llms-full.txt.

Hunt Calendar — 2026

August
Aug 01 – Sep 3061d
1070 — Mule Deer / Either sex / ANY Stats ↗
Aug 30 – Sep 3032d
1179 — Mule Deer / Any Buck Deer / ANY Stats ↗
Aug 30 – Nov 2386d
3083 — Moose / / Stats ↗
Aug 30 – Nov 2386d
3084 — Moose / / Stats ↗
October
Oct 01 – Oct 099d
1099 — Mule Deer / Any Buck Deer / MUZZ Stats ↗
Oct 10 – Oct 2415d
1057 — Mule Deer / Any Buck Deer / ANY Stats ↗
Oct 10 – Oct 3122d
1058 — Mule Deer / Any Buck Deer / ANY Stats ↗
Oct 10 – Nov 3052d
1059 — Mule Deer / Any Buck Deer / ANY Stats ↗
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Nearest Towns

Idaho FallsFull metro: hospitals (EIRMC, Mountain View), Sportsman's Warehouse, Walmart, gas, grocery.
PocatelloFull services: Portneuf Medical Center, Sportsman's Warehouse, gas, grocery, lodging.
RexburgGas, grocery, lodging, Madison Memorial Hospital.
Soda SpringsSmall town; gas, motel, basic supplies. Gateway to Caribou NF.
MontpelierBear Lake area; gas, motel, grocery, small hospital.
DriggsTeton Valley; gas, grocery, lodging, Grand Targhee access.
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Campgrounds

Pine Bar CampgroundUSFS (Caribou-Targhee NF)South Fork Snake River; 10 sites; fishing access.
Palisades CampgroundUSFS (Caribou-Targhee NF)Palisades Reservoir; 10 sites; water, vault toilets.
Scout Mountain CampgroundUSFS (Caribou-Targhee NF)Near Pocatello; 9 sites; good base for zones 70-74.
Mike Harris CampgroundUSFS (Caribou-Targhee NF)Soda Springs area; 14 sites.
Teton Canyon CampgroundUSFS (Caribou-Targhee NF)Driggs area; trailhead access; 11 sites.
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Statewide Outfitters & Directories

These outfitters operate statewide or in multiple regions. Check each one's website to confirm they cover Unit 73.

Frank Church Wilderness, Units 20A, 26, 27. Steve Zettel, 32+ years. 280 sq mi. Elk, deer, sheep, bear, wolf.
Frank Church Wilderness. Ron Ens. Horse pack-in, fair chase. Elk, deer. Excellent multi-year reviews.
Frank Church Wilderness, Central Idaho. License #7940. Bullock family. Horseback hunting + fishing. IOGA member.
Units 15, 16A, 19, 20, 20A. Selway/Frank Church/Gospel Hump/Nez Perce NF. Elk City base.
25 authorized camps. Bitterroot + Frank Church Wilderness. Guaranteed outfitter tags. Selway elk herd.
Kamiah, ID. Luxury lodge. Elk, deer, bear, wingshooting. Verified live website.
Stanley, ID. Sawtooth Wilderness, Units 36/36A. Horse pack-in elk and deer.
Cascade, ID. Backcountry lodge. Elk, deer. Verified live.

Are you a guide or outfitter in this unit? Add your listing

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Outdoor & Gun Stores

Sportsman's WarehouseIdaho Falls, IDFirearms, ammo, hunting gear, licenses, optics.
Sportsman's WarehousePocatello, IDFirearms, ammo, gear; ID hunting licenses.
Broulim's / Ridley'sSoda Springs / MontpelierGrocery with some hunting supplies and ammo.
Teton GunsDriggs, IDLocal gun shop; ammo, firearms.
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Game Processors

Falls Meats & CateringIdaho Falls, IDWild game processing, sausage, jerky; (208) 523-3711
Pocatello MeatsPocatello, IDElk, deer, bear processing; custom sausage.
Idaho Meat Goats & ProcessingSoda Springs, IDSmall local processor; call ahead.
Snake River MeatsRexburg, IDWild game custom processing.
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Gas Stations

MaverikIdaho Falls, ID — numerous locations; 24/7; diesel available.
Maverik / StinkerPocatello, ID — multiple stations along I-15 and I-86.
SinclairSoda Springs, ID — fuel, snacks. Last fuel before Caribou NF south side.
ChevronDriggs, ID — fuel and supplies for Teton Valley hunts.
MaverikRexburg, ID — 24/7; I-20 / US-20 junction.
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Data from sleeperunits.com. Always verify with the official Idaho Game & Fish proclamation.

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