Unit 230 encompasses a large area just West of Missoula, MT to the Idaho border. This area is heavily timbered, but very scenic with a dispersed moose population. There are many other hunting opportunities for deer, elk, and black bears, all with general licenses. If the hunting is slow, this unit provides some very good fishing opportunities as well.

This unit is very large with lots of public access. The moose population is very dispersed. With only 4 licenses available, other moose hunters should not be an issue. A realistic expectation would be a bull near 40” wide, with some bulls exceeding this. During elk and deer season, there will be high hunting pressure in this unit which can cause frustration. Hunting this unit can be very time consuming due to how dispersed the population is. Allow plenty of time for hunting as it can take many days to find a mature bull.

Terrain will vary from high subalpine fir meadows to lower alder brush fields and thick forests. There are numerous forest service trails and gated logging roads, which will provide good access to the unit. Harvested timber units, and older burn scars will provide some larger openings for hunting. Most mountains are heavily timbered, with very steep slope percentage.

In the higher elevations there will be some subalpine meadows. In mid-elevations to the valleys, there is dense forest cover from both trees and brush. Many streams exist and generally, there will be a denser forest cover along these streams. Some of the tree species that exist throughout the unit include: douglas fir, engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, grand fir, western larch, lodgepole pine, aspen, cottonwood, ponderosa pine, cedar and many different species of brush.

There are many well maintained, gravel logging roads throughout the unit. There are some Forest Service trails, but many gated logging roads provide access to some of the more remote areas. Later in the season snow can limit travel, just depending on the year. In the valleys and some of the major creek and river bottoms, there will be private land which may cause frustration if moose are using these areas.

Lolo, a suburb of Missoula which provides lodging, grocery stores, fuel and restaurants, would provide the best accommodations for this unit. If there are any resupply needs, Missoula is just a short drive from Lolo, which provides several large sporting goods stores. Camping is allowed on public lands and there are many established campgrounds, as well as a number of dispersed campsites located throughout the unit.