Unit 11, Idaho

Unit 11 covers dramatic elevation relief ranging from roughly 840 feet at the Snake and Clearwater river confluences near Lewiston to about 5,395 feet on Craig Mountain. The Snake River canyon from the Salmon River to just south of Lewiston is extremely steep and rugged, as is the Salmon River Canyon along the southern boundary. The central portion of the unit transitions to more moderate forested terrain. The eastern two-thirds of the unit flattens onto rolling dryland agricultural benchlands (Camas Prairie margin), which account for approximately 54% of the unit's land cover per IDFG land-use data.

Primary highway access: US-95 bisects the unit north-south from Lewiston to Cottonwood. US-12 follows the Clearwater River along the northern boundary. State Highway 13 connects Grangeville to Cottonwood along the eastern edge. Craig Mountain WMA (124,224 acres, Nez Perce and Lewis counties, managed by Idaho Department of Fish and Game since 1971) occupies the southwestern quarter of the unit and is the dominant block of public land. The WMA is intermingled with state, BLM, tribal (Nez Perce), and private parcels managed cooperatively. The entire WMA is open to non-motorized travel year-round; motorized vehicles are restricted to designated open roads with seasonal closures. Land ownership in Unit 11 per IDFG Hunt Planner: private 62%, State of Idaho 19%, Indian Reservation/BIA 11%, BLM 6.5%, USFS 0.5%, other 0.2%. No federally designated Wilderness areas exist within Unit 11 boundaries. Nez Perce tribal land within the Craig Mountain WMA is open to public hunting; hunters must possess an Idaho hunting license and tag and should verify current tribal access agreements before entry. Road restrictions and seasonal closures are strictly enforced on the WMA; check current IDFG press releases for annual road-opening dates.

Vegetation is diverse across the elevation gradient. The canyon breaks feature bunchgrass-shrub communities dominated by Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, and cheatgrass on open south-facing slopes, with snowberry, wild rose, and bitterbrush providing shrub cover. Conifer forest — primarily ponderosa pine and grand fir — cloaks the middle and upper elevations of Craig Mountain and the forested ridges of the central unit. Riparian corridors along the Snake, Clearwater, and Salmon rivers support dense deciduous vegetation. The upper Craig Mountain plateau grades into mixed grassland and meadow with scattered timber. Agricultural dryland wheat and lentil fields on the unit's northeastern portion are important winter forage areas for deer. Per IDFG land-use data: dryland agriculture 54%, forest 24%, rangeland 20%.

Mule deer inhabit the steep Snake and Salmon river canyon breaks and Craig Mountain, with mule deer harvest along the Snake and Salmon restricted to controlled hunts to support long-term population viability. White-tailed deer are present primarily on the agricultural benchlands and forest edges in the northern and central portions of the unit. EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease) was confirmed in Unit 11 southeast of Lewiston; white-tailed deer populations are noted as recovering from a 2021 EHD outbreak per IDFG 2025 outlook. Elk use Craig Mountain and adjacent forested ridges, with the unit falling within the Hells Canyon Elk Zone (Units 11, 13, 18); elk numbers and hunter success in this zone are relatively modest. California bighorn sheep occupy the deep Snake River canyon below the mouth of the Salmon River (hunt area ~79,105 acres); a pneumonia die-off event beginning December 2023 reportedly reduced the local herd from approximately 230 to 150 animals, though the 2-tag annual quota and 100% hunter success in 2025 indicate the population remains huntable. Black bears and mountain lions are present throughout the forested and canyon terrain. Gray wolves are also present. Upland birds including chukar, gray partridge, forest grouse, wild turkey, and pheasant are found across the unit.