Bordering Dworshak Reservoir and running northwest about 40 miles, this unit supports whitetail deer, mule deer and elk on a blend of private, state and national forest land.

Hunters invest a lot of time hunting elk in this unit but kill few bulls. Whitetails are common and some of them get big. Mule deer are scarce and only comprise about 2.5% of the total deer harvest since mule deer are outnumbered about 20 to 1 by whitetails.

Bordering Dworshak Reservoir and running about 40 miles to the northwest, this land is mostly private but contains large acreages of the St. Joe and Nez Perce/Clearwater national forests, many square miles of state land and part of the Nez Perce Indian Reservation. Chief drainages are the north fork of the Clearwater River and the Potlatch and Palouse rivers and their tributaries. Most land is between 2,700 and 3,700 feet above sea level. Some terrain is steep, such as parts of the Potlatch River canyon and around Mica Hill, but most of it is flat to moderately inclined.

Most of the land is a patchwork of old logging areas in various stages of regrowth, but there are areas that are heavily forested with pines, firs and cedars. Elk and deer find feed in meadows and clearcuts, finding brush, saplings and forbs. Big game prefer edges, of which there are thousands in this unit where logging allotments with various size trees border one another.

Hunters have lots of federal and state land to pursue deer and elk. Unlike many other parts of the state, where state land is mostly scattered small parcels surrounded by private property, this unit has large pieces of state land bordering federal land, easily reachable on public roads and trails. The Nez Perce Indian Reservation also has land here. Non-tribal members may not hunt on tribal property but can hunt on private inholdings with landowners’ permission, even if the landowner is a tribal member. Many roads in the St. Joe National Forest provide access to many hunting areas. Hunters can reach interior roads by taking major forest routes off State Routes 6 and 8/3. All of it is open to hunting except for designated recreational areas.

A network of federal, state and county roads provide access

ATVs can come in handy on dirt roads

Four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended

Camping is allowed on state and federal land. Some hunters camp along improved roads. Dam View and Canyon Creek campgrounds near Dworshak Reservoir are often open until December and sometimes as late as December 15. Giant White Pine Campground offers 14 developed sites northeast of Harvard. Laird Park Campground in Potlatch has 31 developed campsites and a group site.