- Hauser Lake has tiger muskies to 46”
- Lake Pend Oreille has Kamloops trout from 5-30 pounds
- Use a GPS unit with private landowner data
- Buy a whitetail deer tag
Moose do well in this unit, which is mostly private land sitting between the Pend Oreille and Spokane rivers on the Washington border.
Hunters need landowner permission to hunt most areas in this unit, which is mainly flat land and low hills south of Priest River, southwest of Sandpoint, north of Post Falls and northwest of Coeur d’Alene.
Composed mainly of flat land, and low hills between the Washington line and Lake Pend Oreille, this unit is between 2,200-3,000 feet above sea level. It stretches south to Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene and north to the Pend Oreille River and to Sandpoint on Lake Pend Oreille. Some mountains vary from 4,000-5,000 feet above sea level. Moose can be found throughout the unit, but usually stay close to trees and water.
Most land in this unit has been divided into pastures, hay farms and forests. Some hills and mountains are heavily forested, mainly with conifers. Western white pine, ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and western red cedar are common here. Poplars and other trees that lose their leaves every year grow along creeks and on much of the lower elevations.
Roughly 695 square miles
19% public land
Elevations from 2,431-5,800 feet
Camping is permitted along forest roads in the Kaniksu National Forest, which maintains campgrounds near Sandpoint. Most campgrounds close in September. The Forest Service has new rules that require food and game carcasses in camps to be kept away from grizzlies and black bears. For lodging, Sandpoint has options in the north, and Coeur d’Alene is the largest town in the south with multiple places to stay.
Coeur d’Alene lodging options:
Sandpoint lodging options:
Guesthouse Lodge Sandpoint
Best Western Edgewater Resort
A hunter in this unit does not have a lot of public land to hunt, and some of it is closed to hunting or hard to access. Farragut State Park and Farragut State Wildlife Management Area are closed to moose hunting. Some state and federal parcels are scattered and surrounded by private property. The largest piece of federal land is a two mile wide strip of the Coeur d’Alene National Forest bordering Washington. Hunters can also reach 4,000-5,000 public acres near Long and Huckleberry mountains, which are southwest of Cocolalla Lake. County roads access many small public parcels, but to hunt most land in this unit hunters need permission from private landowners.
Most forest roads are open to all vehicles
Very few trails are restricted to ATVs or motorcycles
Four-wheel-drive trucks recommended