Unit 13, Idaho

Elevations range from approximately 1,100 feet along the Snake and Salmon River bottoms to about 6,200 feet on the interior ridges. The western edge is dominated by Hells Canyon — the deepest river gorge in North America — characterized by rough, steep, and rugged canyon walls. The interior features steep ridges transitioning to somewhat flatter ground at higher elevations. Terrain throughout is dissected by deep drainages and limited by few roads, particularly in the canyon country.

The unit is accessed primarily off U.S. Highway 95. Deer Creek Road (Forest Road 493), intersecting Highway 95 near White Bird, winds approximately 20 miles to Pittsburg Landing on the Snake River — a single-lane gravel road with steep grades and tight switchbacks, not suitable for RVs or trailers. Pittsburg Landing provides the primary boat-launch access to BLM Snake River lands in the canyon. Dry Creek Road and Wolf Creek Road offer limited interior access. The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest (Nez Perce Ranger District) manages a small fraction of the unit. BLM Cottonwood Field Office administers lands along the Snake River corridor. No federally designated wilderness areas lie within the unit boundaries. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game Access Yes! program currently lists no properties in Unit 13. The majority of huntable terrain is on private land, and access to public ground is very limited.

Below approximately 3,500 feet on south- and west-facing slopes, open grasslands and shrub communities predominate, including Idaho fescue, bluebunch wheatgrass, cheatgrass, snowberry, and bitterbrush. Forested areas above that elevation support ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, western larch, Engelmann spruce, and subalpine fir. Riparian corridors along the Snake and Salmon rivers contain willows, birches, hackberry, and alders. Overall land cover is roughly 53 percent forest and 46 percent rangeland.

Rocky Mountain elk occupy the forested ridges and breaks; elk numbers and harvest remain relatively low in the Hells Canyon area, with most bulls residing on private land. Mule deer use the canyon grasslands and rocky breaks, and the Snake and Salmon River breaks hold some of the stronger mule deer populations in the Clearwater Region — accessible mule deer hunting is restricted to controlled draws. White-tailed deer are also present, particularly in riparian and transitional zones, and are available on a general tag. Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep inhabit the Snake River canyon walls; a pneumonia (Movi) outbreak beginning in approximately late 2023 affected the Hells Canyon bighorn population across Units 11, 13, and 18 — as of late 2024 most surviving animals appeared to have recovered from active infection but the population remains diminished and tag availability should be verified with IDFG. Black bears and mountain lions range throughout the timbered portions. Gray wolves are present and open to hunting under a year-round license. Wild turkey, chukar, and grouse are also present. The Snake River supports sturgeon, steelhead, Chinook salmon, and trout.