Quick Tips
- Keep food and game carcasses out of the reach of bears
- Buy a wolf tag (nonresident fee: $31.75)
- Trout fishing in creeks
On The Ground
This area holds mule deer, whitetail deer, elk and moose which can be difficult to find in heavy cover in the St. Joe National Forest in the drainages of the North Fork of the Clearwater River.
This is a good place to find a mature bull, but hunting is difficult due to heavy timber and lack of glassing sites. Most mature bulls have antler widths of 38-42”.
Terrain
This mountainous unit stretches from Goat Mountain to Papoose Mountain and Badger Mountain. The southern edge of the unit has ridges, points and peaks between 6,666 and 6,870 feet above sea level, including Larkins Peak, Crag Peak, Heart Peak and Mallard Peak. Some of the terrain is extremely steep and rugged with a lot of exposed rock and some huge rock slides. North of this crest are dozens of mountains and ridges, most of them no higher than 6,000 feet.
Roughly 202 square miles
87.9% public land
Elevations from 2,100-6,800 feet
Vegetation
A lot of the land is covered by forests. The northern half is composed of old logging areas in various stages of regrowth, while the southern half has large woodlands of pines, firs and cedars. Big game prefers one of the thousands of edges in this area where logging allotments and private tree farms have trees of various sizes bordering one another.
Access
A network of roads and old logging trails provide access to many hunting areas. A lot of land on both sides of the river has been logged and has many logging roads and skid trails which can handle full-size vehicles. Some roads are closed to motor vehicles, but others are open to motorcycles or ATVs. Hunters can drive full-size vehicles on good roads. Some primitive roads will be restricted to ATVs or motorcycles. There are a good number of roadless canyons below high peaks.
ATVs are handy on some roads
Some trails are restricted to motorcycles
Four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended
Backpack or ride horses to get to secluded hunting sites
Camping and Lodging
Some hunters camp along dirt roads. Mammoth Springs Campground has eight campsites and is free. Campers can get potable water there in October. No nearby towns provide lodging.
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