Quick Tips
- Scout early and locate goats in preseason
- Get physically fit for hunting mountainous terrain
- Bear country both black and grizzly, use caution
On The Ground
This hunt district is located in northwest Montana in the Cabinet Mountains. It provides some very remote rugged terrain with good goat populations.
This is a large area and there are many portions of the unit that have small isolated pockets of mountain goats. This hunt district will physically challenge a hunter, as it is steep and remote. Late in the season there are some areas to hunt if a hunter wishes to look for goats with better hair. A mature billy typically has horns 8-9” long
Terrain
The Cabinet Mountain Wilderness has many remote mountain lakes, high rocky basins and lots of Forest Service accessible trails for hiking or horseback use. Goats early in the season and throughout the summer can be found in the high mountain basins, but then move to more accessible areas later in the season. Some of the higher peaks will be over 8,500 feet, with very vertical cliff and shale slopes.
Roughly 690 square miles
87.2% public land
Elevations from 1,900-8,750 feet
Vegetation
The highest elevations will have limited vegetation, mostly rock and shale slopes with some pockets of grass. As you move down in elevation the vegetation increases with pockets of subalpine fir, Douglas fir, grand fir, lodgepole pine and some very thick pockets of alders. The creek bottoms and lower elevations will have cedar, larch and a mixed variety of understory brush.
Access
Public access is very good, with the majority of the district being on National Forest land. Late in the season snow can limit access to some parts of the district. Trail systems will get you into main drainages, but often getting off of the trails to access goat country is necessary. One of the main access road is Highway 56, which is on the west side of the district. The access road on the east side would be Highway 2 and both have side roads off of it.
Camping and Lodging
Most hunters will spike out while hunting, due to the remoteness of the area. The nearest town is Libby, and it provides accommodations for lodging, grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants. Troy is much smaller but also has some accommodations for hunters and is located near the intersection of Highway 56 and Highway 2.
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