Quick Tips
- Buy a wolf tag ($31.75 for a nonresident)
- Beware of grizzlies
- Consider buying a deer tag
- Carry a GPS unit with land ownership data
On The Ground
Terrain
Vegetation
Access
Camping and Lodging
Historical Temperatures
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This unit is between the Kootenai River and Montana. Shiras moose here have been declining in number, according to the Idaho Fish and Game Department and success can be tough but is doable. Average age classes tend to be smaller but due to the thick and steep nature of the unit bulls can grow to big sizes.
This unit is hard to hunt because moose numbers are low, and most of the land is steep and forested. However, hunters take many mature bulls. Bulls average around 35” in outside antler spread.
This is the smallest of the three moose units that border Canada, consisting of private and public property north and east of the Kootenai River. Land along the river tends to be flat and private farm land, while terrain along the Montana and British Columbia borders is typically steep and heavily forested. Most of the unit is between 3,000 and 5,000 feet above sea level. The most prominent peaks are 6,220-foot Copper Ridge, 6,256-foot Ruby Mountain and 6,112-foot Queen Mountain. Many farms and pastures lie along the Kootenai River. Many clearcuts are in various stages of regrowth and make ideal habitat for moose with timber edges for cover and saplings and brush for browse. Most mountainous terrain is in the Kaniksu National Forest.
Much of this land has been logged and is a patchwork of forests and tracts that are in various stages of regrowth. Old growth forests are mostly composed of spruces, firs, cedars and pines. Clearcuts and old burns are covered with brush, grass, forbs, wildflowers, saplings and bigger trees. Streams cut through many fields and are lined with brush. Chokecherries, aspens, junipers, ash trees, birches, serviceberries and hemlock are common plants. Low lands are mostly agricultural fields and pastures.
Roughly 366 square miles
54.1% public land
Elevations from 3,000-6,200 feet
The main roads in the area are mostly bordered by private land, including U.S. 95, which runs north along the Purcell Trench and the Kootenai River before cutting northeast across Round Prairie. Highway 1 from the international border at Porthill connects with U.S. 95 and cut across private property. Several roads give access to the Kaniksu National Forest, such as Smith Lake Road, which leaves U.S. 95 about two miles north of Boundary County Airport. Farther north, travelers from U.S. 95 can access the forest on Brush Lake Road. Routes 72 and 80 east of the Moyie River connect with several other roads, eventually leading to Deer Creek Road and Forest Road 627, which crosses into Montana.
Some trails are open to ATVs no wider than 50”
Some trails are restricted to motorcycles
Four-wheel drive is recommended on secondary and primitive roads
Kaniksu travel maps are available online
Camping is permitted along forest roads in the Kaniksu National Forest. Most campgrounds close in September. The Forest Service has new rules that require food and game carcasses to be kept from grizzlies and black bears.
Motels and RV parks are in Bonners Ferry, such as:
Northside Inn Bed & Breakfast