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Strategic hunting guide for Game Management Unit 20. Real-time fire updates, public land boundaries, and confirmed season dates.

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Unlock Field MapsIdaho Game Management Unit 20 (GMU 20) is a premier hunting destination located in the Selway Elk Zone. Home to Black Bear, Deer, Elk, Gray Wolf, Mountain Lion, White-tailed Deer, this unit features high-elevation rugged terrain, requiring physical preparation and optics for cross-canyon spotting. Public-land breakdown for Unit 20 is not yet integrated into our database — verify acreage with Idaho Fish and Game's Hunt Planner before scouting.
Official Regulation Feed
There are 12 confirmed seasons in Unit 20.
View Full ScheduleSuccess in Unit 20 requires understanding the rugged mountains terrain and public land boundaries. Roam Idaho Members get access to offline maps, allowing you to navigate confidently without cell service.
That portion of IDAHO COUNTY within the following boundary: beginning at the mouth of the South Fork of the Salmon River, then north along Mackay Bar-Red River Ranger Station Road (Forest Service Road 222) to the Montana Road, then east along Montana Road to Green Mountain-Elk Mountain Road (Forest Service 285), then northeast along Green Mountain-Elk Mountain Road to the watershed divide between the Selway and Salmon Rivers around the head of Bargamin Creek, then southeast along the divide over Three Prong Mountain, Burnt Knob, Salmon Mountain and Waugh Mountain, then south down Waugh Ridge to the Salmon River, then downstream to the point of beginning.
The Selway is wilderness elk hunting in the strictest sense — limited motorized access, dense old-growth timber, and miles between bulls. Tags are hard to draw and harvest rates are modest, but the experience is the closest thing in the Lower 48 to backcountry elk hunting at scale.
Pack-in camps, stock support, or floatplane access are the realistic options. Plan minimum 7-day trips. Permits required for wilderness use.
See all units in the Selway ZoneAlways verify regulations with official government entities before heading into the backcountry.
Season dates and tag rules sourced from Idaho Fish and Game proclamations. Original IDFG entry for Unit 20: view source.