Unit 52

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)

Success rate history

YearHuntersAllSpikeBull6+ pt
HarvestRateHarvestRateHarvestRateHarvestRate
202511643.4%
2024137118%
2023154106.5%
20221403222.9%
20211682313.7%
202057320135.1%
20196679013.5%
20182528%
201711218.2%
2016361130.6%
20154012.5%
201439923.1%
2013391128.2%
2012521630.8%
201128932.1%
201028932.1%
200920735%
200814642.9%
20076357.9%57.9%00%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): 0 of 5 antlered deer harvested (2025)

Success rate history

YearHuntersAll deerAntlered4+ pt
HarvestRateHarvestRateHarvestRate
20258156.2%56.2%00%
2024781620.5%1620.5%00%
202368811.8%811.8%00%
20227556.7%56.7%00%
2021941111.7%1111.7%77.4%
20201181512.7%54.2%43.4%
20191111412.6%98.1%00%
20189177.7%33.3%00%
20171472013.6%2013.6%53.4%
20161242116.9%1411.3%118.9%
20151321914.4%1914.4%00%
2014247228.9%72.8%00%
2013194168.2%147.2%84.1%
2012Not published
2011210188.6%83.8%62.9%
2010Not published00
20090000
200800
200717423.5%317.6%15.9%

IDFG doesn't publish harvest by residency.

Source: IDFG harvest statistics, 2025.