Quick Tips
- Grizzlies live in this unit; keep food and game meat out of reach
- Buy a wolf tag
- Pack a rod for trout fishing in some small lakes
On The Ground
Terrain
Vegetation
Access
Camping and Lodging
Historical Temperatures
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A few moose live in this unit located on the Montana line south of the Lochsa River and north of the Selway River. The terrain is mostly roadless and has large areas burned by forest fires.
Hunting is difficult in this unit because of mature forests with little moose feed in the west, large burns in the east and constant pressure by predators.
The eastern half of the area is made up of land burned by forest fires. High points include Jeanette Mountain, Blodgett Mountain and Shattuck Mountain on the southern boundary, Grave Peak on the western boundary and Sky Pilot peak on the eastern boundary featuring a razor ridge with steep sides. The interior features are Tamarack Mountain and Hidden Ridge. Mountains and ridges are steep and rocky. Very little of the forest land in this unit has been logged, the exception being the northwest corner near U.S. Highway 12.
Dense conifer forests cover the Tamarack Mountain and the moderate slopes below the ridges and peaks on the western and southern boundaries. Much of the land in the eastern half of the unit has been cleared by forest fire. The burns are slowly becoming good habitat for big game, including moose, as brush and saplings take hold. Scattered pines, spruces and cedars grow sparsely on many of the high, rocky slopes above. A few thousand acres of timber land have been logged in the northwest corner and now support small trees, saplings, brush, grass and forbs. The high country has many high, rocky basins, long, barren ridges and steep, rocky slopes and peaks. Forbs, low shrubs, wildflowers and grass grow in the high basins, many of which hold small lakes that have bordering meadows.
Much of the unit is roadless, especially the eastern half, which is in the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness. A few forest roads provide access in the western half on Tamarack Mountain. The main road is Elk Summit Road (Forest Road 360) which enters the northwestern corner near U.S. Highway. Forest Road 211 gives access to Savage Ridge.
Roughly 185 square miles
98.2% public land
Elevations from 4,200-8,100 feet
No vehicles are allowed in the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness
ATVs are handy on interior forest roads
Four-wheel-drive is recommended
Hunters can camp along roads at primitive campgrounds near Hoodoo Lake. Most campgrounds are along U.S. Highway 12 just north of the unit. Lodging is available in Kooskia with a couple of bed and breakfasts, Western Motor Inn and River Junction RV Park. River Dance Lodge is east of Kooskia on Highway 12 and has rooms as well as cabins and luxury tents. Hunters must pack their camps to hunt inside the wilderness.