The Columbia River area offers some world class fishing for Rainbow Trout, Kokanee, Walleye and Smallmouth Bass, and many of the creeks, small rivers, and lakes in the area offer fantastic trout fishing
General bear and cougar licenses are available with season dates that overlap the moose hunt
On The Ground
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This unit’s northeast corner touches the Douglas and 49 Degrees North units and is a great moose hunting region. This unit that has very little public land, but between a few different pieces of state land that are as big as 10,000 acres and walk-in access to thousands of acres of timber company property, this unit is considered a top-shelf destination for Shiras moose in Washington. In the past, spending time in the northern half of the unit has proven to be very worthwhile.
Expect a large number of deer hunters during certain periods of your hunt, especially if you have the early hunt. Planning around these hunts will help keep you away from the larger crowds that hunt this unit each year.
The Huckleberry Mountain Range is the most dominant terrain feature in this unit; its highest summit, Monumental Mountain, can be seen from almost anywhere in the northern region of the unit. Running north and south, this mountain rises above the Colville Valley on the eastern side of the unit following Hwy 395 south, and the Columbia River on the western side of the unit as it makes its way to the corner of both the Spokane and Colville Reservations. Elevations begin to rise as soon as you come off of the valley floor or the river on either side of the unit, and other than the final ascent to the mountain’s ridgeback, the terrain is quite mild. Expect to find marshy and pond areas scattered throughout the timber, clear cuts, and old clear cuts with medium sized growth. Glassing the north and east facing slopes is quite productive, as there tends to be very little ground cover. Although there is timber on every ridge, these areas tend to be less dense and hold game.
The vegetation here is primarily different species of pine, ranging from ponderosa pine and douglas fir on drier sites to western red cedar, western hemlock, and western white pine. The forest also has a large amount of lodgepole pine and the incredible western larch. There are many areas with little to no ground cover, and what is there is often very low profile, making for some fantastic opportunity to locate game on both north and east facing slopes. Creek beds, river bottoms, and marshy areas are scattered across the unit, lined with willows and a variety of grass.
Traveling south on Hwy 395 out of Colville will lead you to the small town of Addy. Just outside of Addy, you will be able to take either the Marble Valley Basin Road or the Cedonia Addy Road which will take you east and just north and south of the largest portion of state land in the unit, a continuous piece of just over 10,000 acres. There are few roads into this area, but it is the largest section of public land in the unit. Further north, just outside of Colville, you can head east on Oakshott Road where it will meet up with Gold Creek Loop. Gold Creek Loop will make its way through a few miles of private property, and eventually, you will be able to head east again on Monumental Road which will take you into the second largest portion of state land in the unit. A land use GPS is a must in this unit due to the large amount of private property. Making contact with the timber companies in the area is also highly encouraged as many of them will allow walk in access and open up thousands of acres for you to hunt.
Colville is the largest town in the area with a population of approximately 5,000 people. Considering it is the main hub for the surrounding area, it serves closer to 30,000 people and has all the amenities you would expect of a town serving a populous this large. There are multiple hotels available year round as well as a Walmart and a sporting goods store if you need any last minute gear or supplies. Camping in this unit is very limited since a majority of the unit is either state or private land. If camping is necessary, there are established camping locations at the top of the unit near Kettle Falls.