Unit 11A, Idaho

Unit 11A is overwhelmingly dryland agricultural plateau (approximately 98.7% of the land cover per IDFG Hunt Planner), characterized by rolling to gently dissected Palouse Hills. Elevations range from approximately 1,000 feet along the Clearwater River corridor near Spalding and Lewiston to roughly 4,000 feet on the highest upland benches. River breaks along the Clearwater and its South Fork provide the steepest terrain within the unit, with canyon walls dropping several hundred feet to the river. The overall character is open, exposed rolling cropland with scattered draws and timbered breaks rather than the forested mountain terrain typical of adjacent units to the east.

Unit 11A is predominantly private land (83.95%), with an additional 15.28% held as Indian Reservation or Bureau of Indian Affairs land (Nez Perce Tribe). USFS land is approximately 0.01% of the unit, BLM is approximately 0.32%, and State lands are approximately 0.29%. Effective open-public hunting land (BLM + State + USFS combined) is well under 1% of the unit; the 16% figure often cited includes BIA/Indian Reservation land, which is generally NOT open to public hunting without tribal permission. The unit's road framework consists of U.S. Highway 95 (the western boundary, connecting Lewiston and Grangeville), State Highway 13 (the southern boundary, connecting Grangeville to Kooskia), and the paved corridor along the South Fork of the Clearwater. County and farm roads cross the plateau but traverse private property. Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area (approximately 124,224 acres in Nez Perce and Lewis Counties) lies on or adjacent to the unit's fringe along the Snake River breaks and offers one of the few meaningful blocks of managed public access; it is open to non-motorized travel year-round, with motorized use restricted to designated roads subject to seasonal closures. No Access Yes! (IDFG public access program) properties were listed as available within the unit at time of research. Hunters should expect extremely limited public land access and must not cross private agricultural lands without landowner permission.

The dominant cover is dryland grain farming — winter wheat, barley, and peas blanket most of the upland plateau (approximately 98.7% agricultural). Riparian corridors along the Clearwater River and South Fork of the Clearwater support cottonwood, willow, and shrubby draws. The limited forest cover (approximately 1.3% of the unit) consists of scattered ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir on north-facing slopes and steeper canyon walls. Shrubby draws and grass-forb habitats fill the transitions between cropland and canyon breaks. Craig Mountain Wildlife Management Area (124,224 acres, Nez Perce and Lewis Counties) lies adjacent to or on the fringe of the unit along the Snake River breaks and offers grassland, meadow, shrubland, riparian, and conifer forest habitats. There are no federally designated wilderness areas within Unit 11A.

White-tailed deer are the primary big game species, with populations recovering from a significant 2021 EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease) outbreak estimated to have killed 6,000–10,000 deer in the Clearwater Region. The 2025 season showed strong upswings in hunter success and harvest across Units 8, 8A, and 11A, confirming robust herd recovery. Elk are also present, primarily concentrated on or adjacent to private agricultural lands; the Palouse Zone elk herd has shown modest growth with a slight uptick in harvest and success rates. Mule deer occur in smaller numbers, typically restricted to the canyon breaks; opportunity is almost entirely through controlled hunt draw. Black bears and mountain lions are present in limited numbers given the predominantly agricultural character. Gray wolves are present year-round with a continuous open season. Wild turkey, forest grouse, pheasant, quail, and chukar are upland bird species present. Elk in Unit 11A tend to concentrate on or near private agricultural lands, with the A Tag elk season (antlerless, Aug 1–Sep 15, on/within 1 mile of private ag lands) and the controlled antlerless elk hunt (hunt 2059, 150 tags, Oct 20–Dec 31) specifically structured to manage elk-agriculture conflicts.