Skip to content
Open web map Get the App
Open web mapYour waypoints on a big screen Features Pricing
Guides
Hunting maps by state Rut dates by state Switch from onX WikiHunt vs onX
Help
Support
Idaho hunting unit

Unit 53: public land and hunting map

Unit 53 is one of Idaho Fish and Game’s 99 Game Management Units in Idaho. It covers about 1,803 square miles (1,153,758 acres), and roughly 32% of it is public land: BLM 28%, state land 3.1%, Bureau of Reclamation under 1%.

Measured Oct 12, 2026 from agency boundaries and USGS PAD-US 4.1 · sources and method

Who manages the land

  • Bureau of Land Management28%
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serviceunder 1%
  • Bureau of Reclamationunder 1%
  • State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies)3.1%

Share of the unit’s area. Federal agencies plus state wildlife, trust and natural-resource land, as the WikiHunt map classifies it. The rest is private, tribal, local or other land.

Outline of Unit 53 and the units around itUnit 45 · 64% publicUnit 46 · 81% publicUnit 52 · 68% publicUnit 52A · 91% publicUnit 54 · 59% publicUnit 55 · 52% publicUnit 68 · 64% public
Unit 53 in orange; neighbours shaded by public land share (darker = more public). Tap a neighbour to open it.

Units next to Unit 53

Idaho season dates, 2026

Statewide general seasons. Many units have their own dates, quotas or draw-only hunts, so check the unit in the regulations before you go.

SpeciesSeason2026 dates
Deer Archery Deer Aug 30 – Sep 28
Deer General Rifle Deer Oct 10 – Nov 8
Elk Archery Elk Aug 30 – Sep 28
Elk General Rifle Elk Oct 10 – Nov 8
Moose Moose Oct 10 – Nov 15
Black bear Fall Bear Aug 30 – Nov 30
Turkey Fall Turkey Sep 15 – Nov 20

Full notes on the Idaho page · Idaho regulations.

Questions

How much of Unit 53 is public land?

About 32% of Unit 53 (372,664 of 1,153,758 acres) is federal or state public land in USGS PAD-US 4.1, mostly Bureau of Land Management, State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies) and Bureau of Reclamation. Public land is not always open land: check access and closures before you go.

Who manages the land in Unit 53?

Bureau of Land Management: 28%; State land (wildlife, trust and natural-resource agencies): 3.1%; Bureau of Reclamation: under 1%; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: under 1%. The rest is private, tribal, local government or other land.

Which units border Unit 53?

Unit 45, Unit 46, Unit 52, Unit 52A, Unit 54, Unit 55 and Unit 68.

Where are the season dates and rules for Unit 53?

Idaho Fish and Game sets them. Start at the Idaho hunting regulations. WikiHunt shows the statewide general seasons on the Idaho page and in the app.

Sources and method

  • Boundary: Idaho Fish and Game, the same layer the WikiHunt map draws.
  • Public land: USGS Protected Areas Database (PAD-US) 4.1, Fee Managers layer (public domain).
  • Method: the unit and PAD-US polygons are simplified to about 100 m and measured on a grid of about 250 cells across the unit, so overlapping records are counted once. Expect about ±1 percentage point.
  • Season dates: WikiHunt’s season table, updated Sep 2, 2026, checked against each state’s published regulations. Dates change; the regulations win.
  • Last updated: Oct 12, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.