Unit 73A 73A (Bannock)
Farm-country mule deer and general Bannock-zone elk around the Bannock and Deep Creek ranges
Southeast Idaho — Bannock Range / Arbon Valley, Bannock-Oneida-Power County · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
566
sq mi
Public land
24%
approx.
Elevation
4,500–9,000
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Unit 73A wraps the Arbon Valley and Bannock Creek country southwest of Pocatello, taking in portions of Bannock, Oneida, and Power counties inside a boundary running from Holbrook up Highway 37 to I-86 and back down the Bannock Creek-Arbon Valley Highway. It is a low, agricultural unit — nearly half dryland grain fields — rimmed by the timbered Bannock Range and Deep Creek Mountains. Deer are the bread-and-butter here, with a modest but real general-season elk opportunity as part of the Bannock Elk Zone. The catch is ownership: the northern edge runs into the Fort Hall Indian Reservation and roughly half the unit is private, so scouting access is the whole game.
Terrain
Broad dryland-farmed valleys and rolling foothills climbing into the timbered spine of the Bannock Range and Deep Creek Mountains. About 46% dryland agriculture, 26% forest, and 20% rangeland — a mosaic of grain benches, sage flats, and mountain timber.
Cover: Wheat and dryland-grain benches and sagebrush-grass rangeland in the valleys, giving way to juniper, mountain mahogany, aspen pockets, and Douglas-fir/conifer on the higher north slopes and canyon heads.
Landmarks: Bannock Range · Deep Creek Mountains · Arbon Valley · Bannock Creek · Pleasantview Hills · Holbrook / Highway 37 corridor
Access
Roughly 49% private and about 23% Fort Hall Indian Reservation (tribal land, closed to non-tribal hunters). Accessible public ground is mostly scattered BLM (about 20%) with a bit of state endowment land and only a sliver of Caribou-Targhee National Forest. The best hunting is on the mountain public parcels and along BLM access to the range fronts — the valley floor is almost entirely private farms.
Managers: BLM, IDL (State of Idaho), Caribou-Targhee NF (USFS)
Access points: Highway 37 from Holbrook · Bannock Creek-Arbon Valley Highway · I-86 corridor on the north edge · BLM range-front roads into the Deep Creek Mountains and Bannock Range
Species notes
Mule Deer
common opportunityThe primary draw — mule deer use the grain-and-sage foothills hard, with a general-season deer harvest around 240 bucks. Success near 24% is typical for a general southeast-Idaho unit; find access and the deer are here.
- →Glass the sage-and-mahogany foothills and grain-field edges at first and last light
- →Work the timber-to-farm transition where bucks feed at the ag interface then bed upslope
- →Late-season cold and grain harvest concentrate deer along the mountain fronts
- →Secure private-land or reservation-boundary access before the season — much of the low country is posted
Rocky Mountain Elk
common opportunityPart of the Bannock Elk Zone general-tag framework. Elk numbers are modest (harvest around 28, success near 12%), riding the timbered Bannock Range and Deep Creek high country, but a general A-tag makes this an accessible over-the-counter-style opportunity.
- →Hunt the timbered heads of drainages and north-slope conifer in the Bannock Range and Deep Creek Mountains
- →Elk shift onto public timber pockets under valley pressure
- →Glass high open parks at daylight before elk bed in shade
- →Bannock-zone tags are capped and sell out — buy early and plan around the general season
Moose
limited trophyA tiny, tightly controlled moose herd works the riparian willow bottoms and aspen draws. Controlled-hunt tags are rare and coveted, but success for drawn hunters is essentially 100% — a true once-in-a-lifetime tag.
- →Glass willow creek bottoms, beaver-pond complexes, and aspen edges morning and evening
- →Moose hold in the wettest brushy draws off Bannock Creek and range-front springs
- →If drawn, scout access early — much of the moose habitat threads private and reservation ground
Pro tips
- →Access is the whole hunt here — line up private-farm permission or focus on the public BLM and Forest parcels along the range fronts
- →Know exactly where the Fort Hall Indian Reservation boundary runs on the north side; it is closed to non-tribal hunters
- →Glass the ag-to-timber edge at dawn and dusk — bucks feed the grain and bed in the mahogany
- →Buy the capped Bannock-zone elk tag early; general tags sell out
- →Carry an OnX-style ownership layer — private, state, BLM, and reservation ground interlock tightly
Watch out for
- !About 49% private land and 23% Fort Hall Indian Reservation — trespass and tribal-boundary risk is high
- !Reservation land is closed to non-tribal hunters; boundaries are not always fenced or marked
- !Clay farm and range roads become impassable when wet
- !Very little contiguous public land — plan a specific access strategy, not a drive-and-hunt
- !Respect standing crops and working farmland when seeking permission
Logistics
Pocatello to the northeast is the full-service base (fuel, lodging, gear); Malad City and American Falls are closer small-town stops. Arbon and Holbrook offer little beyond a gas stop, so provision in a bigger town. Expect gravel farm and range roads that turn to greasy clay when wet.
Nearest towns: Pocatello, Arbon, Holbrook, Malad City, American Falls
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Idaho sources:
Research sources: IDFG Hunt Planner — Unit 73A · IDFG Hunt Planner — Bannock Elk Zone · Caribou-Targhee National Forest (USFS)
FAQ
- How big is Unit 73A in Idaho?
- Unit 73A (73A (Bannock)) covers about 566 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,500 to 9,000 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 73A?
- Approximately 24% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: BLM, IDL (State of Idaho), Caribou-Targhee NF (USFS). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 73A?
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Moose. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Idaho agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 73A on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.