Unit 68A 68A (Snake River)
A small Snake River corridor unit — cottonwood-and-willow bottoms that grow big Shiras moose.
Eastern Idaho — Snake River bottoms near Blackfoot & Fort Hall, Bingham County · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
450
sq mi
Public land
15%
approx.
Elevation
4,400–5,000
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Unit 68A is a compact unit hugging the Snake River corridor in Bingham County around Blackfoot, wedged between the Big Desert to the west and the Fort Hall Indian Reservation to the south. It is river-bottom and agricultural country rather than mountain hunting — the draw here is the ribbon of cottonwood, willow and riparian cover along the Snake, which supports a very productive controlled Shiras moose hunt. Mule deer and a limited elk opportunity round out the tags, but public ground is scarce and tribal and private boundaries dominate, so access planning is everything.
Terrain
Low, flat Snake River floodplain — braided river channels, oxbows and islands lined with dense riparian timber, surrounded by irrigated farmland and sage-steppe benches on the Snake River Plain.
Cover: Cottonwood galleries, dense willow, russian-olive and riparian brush along the river; irrigated crop and pasture ground on the bottoms, transitioning to sagebrush and grass on the drier benches.
Landmarks: Snake River · Blackfoot River confluence area · Fort Hall bottoms (reservation, to the south) · American Falls Reservoir country (downstream) · Snake River Plain benches
Access
This is a mostly private, small unit — the productive river bottoms are largely privately owned, and the Fort Hall Indian Reservation immediately south is closed to non-tribal hunters. Public opportunity comes from scattered BLM and state parcels, IDFG river access sites and permission on private ground. Securing access well ahead of the season is essential.
Managers: Private (farm/ranch & river bottoms), Shoshone-Bannock Tribes / Fort Hall Reservation (adjacent, closed to non-tribal hunting), BLM, Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) endowment, IDFG access areas / WMA river access
Access points: Blackfoot (US-91 / I-15 hub) · Snake River access sites near Blackfoot · Firth / Shelley (north end) · IDFG boat and bank access points · County roads through the river bottoms
Species notes
Moose
common trophyThe standout of Unit 68A — Shiras moose thrive in the willow and cottonwood bottoms of the Snake, and the controlled tag posts very high success, making this a coveted once-in-a-lifetime trophy hunt.
- →If you draw, scout willow thickets, oxbows and cottonwood islands early
- →Glass the river bottoms and sloughs at first and last light
- →Hunt slow and quiet — bulls bed tight in dense riparian brush
- →Line up private-land permission or river access before the season
Mule Deer
common opportunityMule deer (with a scattering of whitetails in the bottoms) use the river cover and adjacent farmland edges; an opportunity-level hunt where access, not deer numbers, is the limiting factor.
- →Hunt the cover-and-crop edges along the river bottoms at dawn and dusk
- →Focus on riparian brush where deer bed near farmland feed
- →Secure private permission or work the public river access parcels
- →Glass benches above the bottoms for muleys moving to feed
Rocky Mountain Elk
limited opportunityElk are limited in this small river unit, using the bottoms and adjacent ag ground seasonally; a modest controlled opportunity where finding huntable public or permitted access is the main challenge.
- →Locate elk using the river cover and crop fields at first light
- →Check where the bottoms meet agriculture and benchland
- →Focus scouting on the few accessible public and permitted parcels
- →Be mobile and hunt the edges elk use between feed and cover
Pro tips
- →This is an access unit, not a terrain unit — line up private permission or river access long before you hunt
- →The Shiras moose tag is the prize; if you draw, scout the willow bottoms and oxbows hard
- →Know exactly where the Fort Hall Reservation boundary is — it is closed to non-tribal hunting
- →Use IDFG river access sites and a canoe or boat to reach otherwise hard-to-access bottoms
- →Respect the heavy private and agricultural ownership — verify every boundary on a land-ownership map
Watch out for
- !Fort Hall Indian Reservation borders the unit to the south — closed to non-tribal hunters; know the line
- !Very limited public land — most productive bottoms are private; trespass risk is high
- !River-bottom hunting involves water hazards, thick brush and changing channels
- !Irrigation ditches, farm equipment and posted ag ground throughout the bottoms
- !Small unit near towns — mind safe zones and landowner relations
Logistics
Blackfoot on I-15/US-91 is the hub, with full services, fuel and processing; Idaho Falls to the north and Pocatello to the south are larger supply towns. Access to the river bottoms is via county roads, IDFG river access sites and private permission — the unit is small and roaded, so the challenge is legal entry rather than travel distance.
Nearest towns: Blackfoot, Firth, Shelley, Idaho Falls, Pocatello
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Idaho sources:
Research sources: IDFG Hunt Planner — Game Management Units · BLM Idaho Falls District — Snake River corridor · USGS The National Map — topography (Snake River near Blackfoot)
FAQ
- How big is Unit 68A in Idaho?
- Unit 68A (68A (Snake River)) covers about 450 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,400 to 5,000 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 68A?
- Approximately 15% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: Private (farm/ranch & river bottoms), Shoshone-Bannock Tribes / Fort Hall Reservation (adjacent, closed to non-tribal hunting), BLM, Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) endowment, IDFG access areas / WMA river access. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 68A?
- Moose, Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Idaho agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 68A on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.