Unit 45

Elk

Resident licenses

Smoky-Bennett Zone Elk Tag

Availability: General Season

Includes bull elk

A Tag: Archery only — any elk, Units 43 and 48 only: Aug 30-Sep 30.

B Tag: Any weapon — antlerless only, Units 44, 45, and 52 only.

Source: IDFG regulations (2026)

Nonresident licenses

Nonresident Elk Zone Tag

Availability: Draw — see notes

Includes bull elk

Smoky-Bennett Zone general elk tag (units 43, 44, 45, 48, 52).

Nonresident general-season elk tags are not sold over the counter: beginning with the 2026 season IDFG issues them by random draw — first application period Dec 5-15, 2025, second application period Feb 5-15, 2026 — against a statewide nonresident general-season quota of 12,815 elk tags.

Smoky-Bennett Zone nonresident limits — A Tag: 180 nonresident tags (uncapped zone; 26 additional tags allocated to outfitters), archery-only season.

B Tag: 5 nonresident tags (capped zone — 600 total capped tags, of which 593 are resident tags and 2 are allocated to outfitters).

Price: $651.75 nonresident elk tag plus $185.00 nonresident hunting license (Idaho Big Game 2026 Seasons & Rules, Nonresident License, Tag and Permit Fees, prices as of December 1, 2024).

Source: 2026 Nonresident General Tags and Tags Allocated to Outfitters, "Nonresident Elk Tags by Zone" and "Elk Tag Limits for Nonresidents and Outfitters by Zone".

Source: IDFG regulations (2026)

6+ point bulls: 0 of 1 total bulls harvested (2025)

Success rate history

YearHuntersAllSpikeBull6+ pt
HarvestRateHarvestRateHarvestRateHarvestRate
20253263410.4%00%10.3%00%
202442112730.2%10.2%00%00%
20234334510.4%
202243914633.3%
2021455459.9%
2020162566440.9%00%50.3%00%
2019164628017%
201862914.5%
2017911617.6%
20161023029.4%
20151252016%
20141365238.2%
20131634829.4%
20121374734.3%
20111184437.3%
20101274535.4%
20091132421.2%
2008882831.8%
20073034414.5%4013.2%10.3%00%

IDFG doesn't publish harvest by residency.

Source: IDFG harvest statistics, 2025.

Deer

Resident licenses

Regular Deer Tag

Availability: Controlled Hunt

⚠️ No general season data for this species in this unit — see the regulation notes below for details.

Not listed in the 2026 Regular Deer Tag general-season table — controlled-hunt-only for deer in this unit.

Source: IDFG regulations (2026)

Nonresident licenses

Nonresident Regular Deer Tag

Availability: Draw — see notes

⚠️ No general season data for this species in this unit — see the regulation notes below for details.

No nonresident general-season Regular Deer tag is listed for this unit in the 2026 nonresident tag tables — controlled-hunt-only for nonresidents here, and nonresidents drawn for a controlled hunt are not counted against the nonresident quota.

IDFG does not publish a per-unit nonresident cap for this unit.

Source: IDFG regulations (2026)

Idaho's Regular Deer Tag harvest and success-rate figures below combine the mule and white-tailed deer populations into one number — IDFG doesn't publish a single-species breakdown at the unit level.

4+ point deer (all deer): 5 of 5 antlered deer harvested (2025)

Success rate history

YearHuntersAll deerAntlered4+ pt
HarvestRateHarvestRateHarvestRate
202531929%516.1%516.1%
20243139.7%39.7%00%
20234037.5%37.5%00%
2022641421.9%57.8%00%
202180911.3%56.3%56.3%
20201553220.6%3019.4%74.5%
20191264031.7%3628.6%2015.9%
20181243629%118.9%00%
2017901718.9%1112.2%00%
20161767140.3%3821.6%1910.8%
20151322821.2%96.8%00%
20142695319.7%238.6%155.6%
20132845118%3311.6%124.2%
201229211338.7%5418.5%134.5%
20111614729.2%2414.9%138.1%
2010Not published00
20090000
200800
2007Not published

IDFG doesn't publish harvest by residency.

Source: IDFG harvest statistics, 2025.