Quick Tips
- It appears moose numbers are improving and there is a reasonable chance to harvest a mature bull
- Bring good optics even though much of the unit is forested, as well as some maps showing land ownership if you will be hunting down low
- You are in grizzly bear habitat, so hunt with a buddy and pack bear spray, be bear aware
On The Ground
This unit is located in south central Montana and directly to the south of Big Timber. This unit is basically made up of three main drainages, Deer Creek, Main Boulder and the West Boulder. Most of the moose are located in the Main Boulder. There are a few moose scattered in the other drainages along the foothills and in the riparian areas.
Moose numbers are lower than historic levels but currently stable and may be slightly increasing. After the wolf introduction moose numbers declined and tag numbers were reduced. With two bull tags now the harvest has been 50% for the last three years and an average of 22 days per harvest. There is a chance to kill a mature bull in the 40 inch category.
Terrain
The unit is highly varied from the riparian areas along the rivers to peaks of 11,000 feet in the Absoroka–Beartooth Wilderness. The riparian areas are gentle terrain and even the Boulder River for 35 miles is gentle terrain along the river valley but rises extremely steep after leaving the valley floor. The Main Boulder is the majority of the moose habitat in this unit. The West Boulder is backpacking or riding horseback into the wilderness but does have some habitat worth checking out. The Deer Creeks portion of this unit is also very rugged and most of it has burned about eight years ago. Most mountain slopes in the wilderness are extremely steep and rocky.
Roughly 523 square miles
61.2% public land
Elevations from 4,300-11,000 feet
Vegetation
The riparian area along the Main Boulder has spruce, cottonwoods, willow, red-osier dogwood and other shrubs. The drainages have some open meadows of grass, forbs and shrubs with some wet boggy areas. There are some agricultural fields adjacent to the riparian areas in some of the lower elevations. The upper basins have some lush meadows with dwarf willow and other shrubs that are good browse. The majority of mountains are forested with fir, pine, spruce and some quaking aspen.
Access
The three main drainages in this unit all have good road access into them. The Main Boulder has a road for over 35 miles up the river valley. The lower portion is all private and much of it is closed to hunting. The river extends for miles up into the national forest and is bordered by the wilderness. The West Boulder has a trailhead that accesses the public land and the Deer Creeks have a lot of roads and trails but is poor moose habitat at best.
ATVs would be useful in the Deer Creeks and for driving the Boulder Road as it is very rough
Most of this unit can be hunted from vehicle or foot but there is some habitat in both of the Boulder drainages in the wilderness
Interstate 90 will get you access to Highway 298 (Boulder Road) and the Deer Creeks
Camping and Lodging
There are numerous places to camp throughout the unit on the national forest and in the wilderness. There are Forest Service campgrounds in the Main Boulder and in the West Boulder. Most trailheads have camping allowed at them. Big Timber has numerous motels, gas and restaurants.
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