Overview

Recall back in late August, we put out the annual deer and elk hunting outlook. While the conditions for this year’s deer and late-elk seasons have not changed since its release, this guide is meant to be more of a quick-hitting summary for what to expect this October and November. 

Hunters can expect deer and elk hunting to be similar to last year, but hunters in eastern Idaho will likely see firsthand the effects of a brutal winter that hit mule deer hard. Elk herds remain stable to increasing in most of the state; white-tailed deer in the Clearwater area could see a modest bump as herds start to recover from the deadly 2021 outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease; and as most are aware by now, last year’s winter wreaked havoc on eastern Idaho’s mule deer population, particularly fawns.

From a statewide perspective, Idaho’s deer and elk herds remain healthy and resilient despite those setbacks, and statewide populations remain within traditional fluctuations.

Elk hunting is probably the best news with herds and harvests remaining steady over the last decade. Hunters have harvested above 20,000 animals for nine years in a row, and in 2022, hunters took home 20,952 elk, roughly a 3% increase from 2021.

Statewide whitetail harvest, most of which comes from the Panhandle and Clearwater regions, have seen a substantial drop since the all-time record in 2015, and last year’s harvest was about 21% below the 10-year average. Recent history has shown a fairly quick recovery after EHD outbreaks, and it remains to be seen whether that will be reflected in the 2023 whitetail harvest, but there are positive signs.

It's hard to call Idaho’s mule deer situation a half-empty or half-full scenario, but what can be said is it could have been worse. One of the most severe winters on record hit the east side of the state roughly along the Wyoming and Utah borders, and no sugar-coating this one: Deer hunting there is going to be challenging. 

But outside of there, it was a fairly average winter in the remainder of Idaho’s mule deer country, and hunting should be similar to last year.

Last Year’s Harvest

In 2022, hunters harvested 20,952 elk, 23,588 mule deer and 19,182 white-tailed deer. Elk harvest was up 3% over 2021, while combined deer harvest saw about a 10% drop. Hunter success rates in 2022 were 23% for elk, 29% for muleys and 38% for whitetails. 

For the full 2022 deer and elk harvest stats, check out this earlier story.