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 and provides hunters with opportunities at a very physically demanding, remote backcountry hunt in the beautiful Cabinet Mountains. This area will definitely challenge any hunter.
Due to the remoteness of the hunt district and limited amount of tag holders, this is a good opportunity to hunt Billies in the 9” range. There are many portions of the unit that have small isolated pockets of mountain goats, but overall large densities are hard to find. A mature billy typical has horns 8-9” long
Terrain
The Cabinet Mountains have many remote areas, 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 move to more accessible areas later in the season. Some of the higher peaks will be near 7,000 feet, with very vertical cliff and shale slopes.
Roughly 307 square miles
81.2% public land
Elevations from 1,900–6,900 feet
Vegetation
The highest elevations will have less timbered vegetation, mostly rock and shale slopes with some pockets of subalpine fir and grass benches. As you move down in elevation the vegetation becomes denser 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 the areas where goats are found. Trail systems will get you into main drainages, but often getting off of the trails to access goat country is necessary.
Camping and Lodging
Most hunters that hunt this unit will spike out while hunting, due to the remoteness of the area. The nearest town, Libby, 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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