Idaho Unit 66A Moose Hunting Guide

Idaho Unit 66A offers one of the more tightly controlled moose hunting opportunities in the state, with every hunt in the unit issued through limited-quota draw. There is no general season here — hunters pursuing Shiras moose in this unit must draw an antlered/either-sex tag before ever stepping into the field. For hunters who do draw, Unit 66A has historically delivered one of the most reliable harvest records in Idaho's moose program, making it a unit worth understanding in detail before an application goes in.

Covering 171,506 acres with elevations ranging from 5,608 to 9,790 feet, Unit 66A offers a mix of terrain that spans valley floor to high alpine basin. With 71% of the unit in public ownership and no designated wilderness acreage, hunters have solid access options without the logistical complications that wilderness regulations can add in other states. This is a unit where a well-prepared hunter can realistically plan a DIY hunt on public ground, provided they draw the tag.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 66A Worth Applying For?

For hunters focused on moose, Unit 66A deserves serious consideration — with the caveat that, like nearly all Idaho moose hunts, it is an extremely difficult draw that typically requires years of accumulated preference before a tag becomes realistic. The data backing this recommendation is the harvest record: in 2025, 2024, and 2023, all seven hunters who drew tags in Unit 66A harvested a moose, a 100% success rate across three consecutive years. Even in the softer years of 2022 (86% success, 6 of 7 hunters), 2021 (71%, 5 of 7), and 2020 (71%, 5 of 7), success rates never dropped below the 70% mark. That is a remarkably consistent track record for a species that is notoriously difficult to hunt in heavy cover.

What this tells hunters is that once a tag is drawn, the odds of filling it are very good. Idaho's moose tags are allocated so sparingly — this unit issues only a handful of tags per year — that the state can afford to let hunters take their time; most who draw are seasoned big game hunters who have waited years for the opportunity and come prepared to put in the scouting and effort required.

Trophy potential is another strong point in this unit's favor. The counties overlapping Unit 66A carry a strong history of producing trophy-class animals in the record books, suggesting this area has consistently supported bulls with above-average antler development over multiple years. That history, combined with the area's accessible public land base, makes Unit 66A a legitimate target for hunters chasing a genuine trophy Shiras bull rather than simply filling a tag.

The combination of consistently high harvest success and documented trophy history is rare. Many limited-quota units post lower success rates despite tough draws; the fact that 66A pairs both attributes makes it one of the more attractive moose units in the state for hunters who have the patience to build toward it.

Harvest Success Rates

Unit 66A's moose harvest data over the past six years reflects a small but highly successful hunter pool:

• 2025: 7 hunters, 7 harvested — 100% success
• 2024: 7 hunters, 7 harvested — 100% success
• 2023: 7 hunters, 7 harvested — 100% success
• 2022: 7 hunters, 6 harvested — 86% success
• 2021: 7 hunters, 5 harvested — 71% success
• 2020: 7 hunters, 5 harvested — 71% success

The consistency of a seven-hunter quota year over year tells hunters that the state manages this unit conservatively, keeping pressure light and the moose population stable enough to support repeat tag issuance at the same level. The upward trend in success rate from 71% in 2020–2021 to a full 100% over the last three seasons is a positive signal — whether driven by herd health, hunter preparation, or both, recent hunters in 66A have had little trouble closing the deal once they get boots on the ground. Hunters should still treat any individual season's outcome with the understanding that these are small sample sizes; a single missed opportunity in a seven-tag unit swings the percentage considerably. The multi-year trend, rather than any single year, is the more reliable signal, and that trend points toward a unit where hunters who draw are very likely to come home with an animal.

Trophy Quality

Idaho Unit 66A benefits from a strong trophy history in the counties that overlap the unit. This qualitative designation means the broader geographic area has a track record of producing above-average bulls across recent decades, rather than being a one-off or declining trend. Hunters should understand that record-book entries are logged by county rather than by exact hunt unit, so this trophy pedigree is shared with neighboring units that overlap the same counties — the specific bulls behind that record could have come from anywhere within that broader area.

That caveat aside, a strong trophy history is a meaningful indicator for hunters evaluating where to invest years of points. It suggests the habitat, forage, and herd management in this part of Idaho have historically supported bulls that grow to notable antler size, and that a patient, well-scouted hunter in Unit 66A has a real chance at connecting with a trophy-class animal rather than merely a representative bull.

Access & Terrain

Unit 66A spans a wide elevation gradient, from 5,608 feet at its lowest to 9,790 feet at its highest points. That nearly 4,200-foot spread means hunters can expect everything from lower-elevation riparian and valley habitat — prime moose feeding and bedding cover — up into high alpine basins and timbered slopes near treeline. Moose in this kind of terrain tend to concentrate around willow bottoms, wet meadows, and drainages at the lower-to-mid elevations, particularly where dense brush offers both forage and security cover, while summer range can push animals higher into the basins as temperatures rise.

With 71% of the unit's 171,506 acres in public ownership, the majority of Unit 66A is open to public access, giving DIY hunters a solid base of huntable ground without needing to negotiate private land access or lease arrangements. There is no designated wilderness acreage in this unit, meaning hunters are not subject to additional wilderness travel restrictions and can generally use normal means of access — including motorized travel where roads and trails allow — to reach hunting areas. That accessibility is a meaningful advantage for moose hunters, who often need to pack out a substantial amount of meat and antler, a task considerably eased by proximity to road access compared to deep wilderness units in other parts of the state.

Hunters should still expect rugged country in the high-elevation portions of the unit. Moose hunting of this type frequently rewards hunters who are willing to still-hunt slowly through heavy cover, work drainages methodically, and glass open meadows and burns at dawn and dusk rather than cover large amounts of ground quickly. Scouting ahead of the season — ideally boots-on-the-ground in the weeks prior — is standard practice for moose hunters in this type of terrain, and HuntPilot's mapping tools can help hunters identify public land boundaries, elevation bands, and water sources within the unit to prioritize scouting time before the season opens.

How to Apply

Idaho Unit 66A moose tags are issued exclusively through Idaho Fish and Game's limited-quota draw system — there is no general season option for moose in this unit, and no over-the-counter alternative. Every hunter pursuing moose here, resident or nonresident, must apply through the draw and be selected before hunting.

Idaho's draw system differs from many western states in an important way: Idaho has no preference points and no bonus points of any kind. Every application, whether it's a hunter's first year applying or their twentieth, carries identical odds in that year's draw. There is nothing to accumulate, bank, or spend — the draw functions as a pure, independent lottery each year, with tags issued against the pool of applicants for that specific hunt. This means a first-time applicant has exactly the same statistical chance of drawing a Unit 66A moose tag as someone who has applied unsuccessfully for a decade.

Given this structure, the only meaningful strategy for hunters is choosing which hunts to apply for and applying every single year, since prior unsuccessful applications confer no advantage whatsoever. Moose tags across Idaho, and particularly in units with strong harvest and trophy histories like 66A, are extremely limited in number and heavily contested, so hunters should expect this to be a long-term, low-probability pursuit that may take many years of applications before a tag is drawn — purely by chance, not by points earned.

Both residents and nonresidents are eligible to apply for Idaho moose tags, though nonresident hunters should budget for Idaho's nonresident licensing and tag costs, which are substantially higher than resident fees. Application structures, deadlines, and current fees change from year to year, so hunters should consult HuntPilot's Idaho state page at /states/id for the most current application windows and requirements, or go directly to Idaho Fish and Game for official draw information.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Idaho Unit 66A? Unit 66A spans a significant elevation range, from 5,608 feet to 9,790 feet, encompassing lower valley and riparian habitat up through high alpine basins and timbered slopes. Moose typically concentrate in willow-choked drainages and wet meadows at the lower-to-mid elevations, with animals pushing higher into alpine terrain during summer months. With 71% public land and no wilderness designation, hunters have good access to a mix of terrain types without the travel restrictions that come with wilderness areas.

What is harvest success like in Unit 66A? Harvest success in Unit 66A has been strong and improving in recent years. The 2023, 2024, and 2025 seasons each saw 100% success among the unit's seven hunters. Prior years still posted solid numbers, with 86% success in 2022 and 71% success in both 2021 and 2020. This is a small-quota unit, so these percentages reflect a limited number of hunters each year, but the trend shows hunters who draw tags here have a very good chance of filling them.

How big are the moose in Unit 66A? The counties overlapping Unit 66A carry a strong trophy history, indicating this broader area has consistently produced above-average bulls over multiple years. Because record-book entries are attributed to counties rather than specific hunt units, this trophy pedigree is shared with neighboring units in the same county footprint. Still, it's a strong qualitative signal that a patient, well-scouted hunter in this unit has a real opportunity at a trophy-class bull.

Is Unit 66A worth applying for? Based on the available data, yes. The combination of consistently high harvest success — 100% in each of the last three years — strong public land access at 71%, and a documented trophy history in the surrounding counties makes this one of the more attractive moose units in Idaho. The tradeoff is that Idaho's draw has no points system, meaning the tag remains a long-term lottery regardless of how many years a hunter applies. Hunters should view an application here as a long-term commitment rather than a near-term opportunity.

Is Unit 66A a good option for a DIY nonresident hunter? With 71% public land and no wilderness restrictions, Unit 66A is structurally well-suited to a DIY approach — access is not the limiting factor it can be in other units. The real constraint is drawing the tag itself, since Idaho's moose draw is a pure lottery with no points to build. Nonresident hunters who do draw should plan on pre-season scouting, given the technical nature of hunting moose in mixed-elevation, heavily vegetated terrain, and should use available mapping tools to identify public access points and water sources before the season begins.