Quick Tips
- Clean campsites are a must when camping in bear country
- GPS, Maps, or a compass are highly recommended
- Off trail/road travel can be difficult due to vegetation and terrain steepness
On The Ground
This hunting district is found in west central Montana along the Idaho and Montana border. The unit encompasses a large area and is comprised of mostly public land, giving ample amounts of opportunity to any hunter. Hunters will find very little in the way of natural openings, avalanche slides, or meadows and will instead be spending the bulk of their time hunting the bears in the area’s many logging clear cuts. While most bear hunting will be conducted from closed logging roads, the terrain can be ruthless when traveling cross country. Steep, deep draws and dense vegetation can be very mentally taxing.
This hunting district generally flies under the radar, but there is a good population of bears with great opportunities at above average animals.
Terrain
With the majority of bear hunting being centered around most of the logging clear cuts, hunters will find mostly easy access into areas. The area in general is fairly low in elevation, but the ridges rise and fall sharply from drainage to drainage; simply covering an air mile can take several hours at times. Off trail travel will result in steep climbs and a never ending battle with this vegetation.
Roughly 374 square miles
81% public land
Elevations range from 2,200-6,000 feet
Vegetation
This area is home to an extremely large array of vegetation which provides excellent feed opportunities for bears, though it can cause glassing difficulties later in the spring. In the creek bottoms you can expect to find a typical arrangement of leafy plants and grasses along with cedar, yew, and various pines. In spots, the creeks bottoms with huge patches of alder and willow can also become impassable. As the elevation climbs, the ground cover will remain largely the same, but hunters can expect to encounter more fir and lodgepole. The only real glassing opportunities will be found in old logging clear cuts. In a handful of higher elevation locations, hunters will find some alpine like country complete with grass and subalpine fir though these will rarely exceed a few acres in size.
Access
Due to the heavy vegetation and extreme lack of glassing opportunities, hunters will find very little trouble when accessing bear country. Generally speaking, 98% of the hunting will be conducted on closed logging roads which can be found in abundance throughout the district. Some private land will be found in the lower elevations, however, these are primarily comprised of agricultural lands.
Main roads for access include Highway 200 and Thompson Pass
Cross country travel can be difficult and a GPS is highly recommended
“Bushwhacking” can be very difficult and challenging but may be necessary to reach the high country
Camping and Lodging
Modern lodging options can be found in Thompson Falls and Trout Creek, as well as primitive camping opportunities scattered throughout the district. Grocery needs can also be met in these towns as well as Noxon. Sporting goods needs will need to be met prior to leaving for the hunt.
Modern lodging options can be found in Thompson Falls and Trout Creek
Bear tags are not valid until 24 hour after the time of purchase, this can be important to remember for traveling hunters
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