Moose are scattered throughout this unit, summering on forested mesas and buttes near Yellowstone National Park and wintering on steep edges and ridges, creek bottoms and river bottoms northeast of Ashton in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

There aren’t as many moose here as there used to be, but hunters still have the opportunity to take mature bulls.

Most of the area has good habitat for moose and is made up of canyons, buttes and timbered mesas with steep edges. In the southwestern corner, there is a lot of private farmland under Snake River Butte and almost all of the land is managed by the Caribou-Targhee National Forest.

Moose have a mix of brush and saplings to eat and a lot of heavily timbered forest for them to bed in. Logging areas usually grow in with dense brush and saplings. Willows, alders, birch brush and other shrubs grow near the streams, beaver ponds and marshy areas on the plateaus and in the canyons and draws that make up the national forest. The forests here are mainly timbered by firs, spruces and pines. Crop fields and agricultural land in the Federal Conservation Reserve Program are in the southwestern corner. Moose can typically be seen close to fields in river or creek bottoms, or on nearby ridges and draws.

The western half has more timber where trees have been removed. Brush and saplings have been growing in the old logging sites and making food for moose. Roads that have been left behind help moose hunters to use four-wheel-drive trucks or ATVS from opening to opening, checking for bulls. The eastern half doesn’t have a lot of roads because most of it is still virgin roadless country. Terrain between the road and the western boundary of Yellowstone National Park is roadless, as well as the area between the road and the Warm River. Carry a map and GPS to make sure to stay out of the park when hunting. The Caribou-Targhee National Forest has posted an Ashton-Island Park area vehicle use map on its website.

Most hunters camp on National Forest land along dirt roads. At least four public campgrounds are in the unit, including Warm River and Riverside by the Henry’s Fork. Both campgrounds are open after September with limited services. Hunters can stay in motels here. Squirrel Creek Guest Ranch, Rankin Motel, The Log Cabin Motel, Eagle Peak Lodge and Anglers Motel. Two RV parks can also be found in Aspen Acres and Fenton.