Hunter harvest stats show slight increase in elk in 2022, drop in mule deer and white-tailed deer

For the ninth consecutive year, Idaho elk harvests came in at over 20,000.

While it was another good year for elk hunter harvest, both mule deer and white-tailed deer saw drops in overall harvest and remained below the 10-year average.

Overall, big game harvests tend to fluctuate slightly from year to year due to numerous factors, including weather the prior winter and during hunting season, number of hunters, number of tags available (particularly antlerless tags), season changes and other things. 

2022 was the second year that nonresident tags were limited in all elk zones and deer units. Prior to 2021, certain elk zones were capped to nonresidents, while some remained open, and nonresident deer hunters could hunt statewide.

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