Quick Tips
- Be prepared for arduous hiking at high altitudes
- Steelhead fishing in the Salmon River
- Hunters can drive ATVs only on roads built for full-size vehicles
| species | general Size | trophy potential |
|---|---|---|
| Mule Deer | 140"-160" | 160"+ |
| Whitetail Deer | 120"-130" | 140"+ |
| Elk | 280"-310" | 310"+ |
| Antelope | 65"-75" | 75"+ |
On The Ground
Mule deer, whitetail deer, pronghorn antelope and elk provide good hunting opportunities in this unit. This unit is composed of the Pahsimeroi Mountains and parts of the valleys to the east and west.
Rifle elk hunters must draw tags to hunt in this unit but do well on six-point or bigger bulls. Archery elk hunters can buy tags over-the-counter.
Terrain
Most of the Pahsimeroi Mountains east of Challis and west of the Pahsimeroi Valley are in this unit as well as part of the Lost River Mountains. The mountains above 8,000 feet in elevation are mostly steep and are rugged in places. The valleys and wide, flattened foothills range from less than 4,900 above sea level to more than 7,000 feet. The high point is Idaho’s highest peak, 12,662-foot Borah Peak. The foothills around the mountains are not wide, so terrain changes quickly from flat valleys to steep mountains.
Roughly 703 square miles
90.3% public land
Elevations from 4,900-12,000 feet
Vegetation
The northern fourth of the unit is mostly made up of hills covered with sagebrush and wild grasses. Some slopes of 8,464-foot Grouse Mountain and other hills have timber patches and woodlands full of pines, firs and mahoganies. Below the foothills are valley floors with brush and cottonwoods along creek bottoms and alfalfa and dry farm fields on flat to slightly inclined land. The rest of the unit features mostly barren alpine peaks and ridges above timberline surrounded by a ring of forests, which change from firs, spruce and some lodgepole pines up high to Engelmann spruce, ponderosa pines, junipers and mahoganies down low with aspens in some places. Below the forests are foothills that are mostly covered with sagebrush and wild grasses with some scattered junipers and pines.
Access
Land is largely public with good road access to trailheads in the high country, which is mostly roadless. Most roads are open to all motor vehicles. ATVs are allowed on those roads but are not allowed off road or on any trail that is not designed for and used by full-size vehicles.
ATVs are handy on primitive roads
Four-wheel-drive is recommended
Camping and Lodging
Some hunters camp along dirt roads. Some hunters stay in campgrounds nearby, including private campgrounds in and near Challis and Forest Service campgrounds in bordering Unit 37A, where campgrounds are along Big and Morse creeks. Lodging is available in Challis. Some places to stay include Pioneer Motel and RV Park (phone: 208-879-6791), Watermark Inn (phone: 208-879-5084) and Northgate Inn Motel (phone: (208-879-2490).
Historical Temperatures
High
Low
Moon Phases
April 2025
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
1
2
3