Unit 22, Idaho

Extremely diverse terrain from roughly 1,700 feet at the Snake River canyon floor to over 9,000 feet in the Seven Devils Mountains (He Devil reaches 9,393 ft). The western edge is defined by one of the deepest river gorges in North America — Hells Canyon — while the interior features high ridges, interspersed forest and grass slopes, and steep timbered canyons of the Weiser River drainage. Southern and lower-elevation portions include open rolling foothills transitioning to rangeland. Four-wheel drive is recommended on most forest roads; large tracts of the high country are roadless or wilderness.

Primary highway access is via U.S. Highway 95 (runs north-south through Cambridge and Council) and State Highway 71 (Cambridge northwest to Brownlee Dam on the Snake River). Within the Payette National Forest (Council Ranger District), key routes include the Council-Cuprum Road (FSR #002), which heads northwest from Council toward Cuprum and Bear; FSR #105 branches off FSR #002 toward the Bear area; and the Kleinschmidt Grade (FSR #050) which climbs from Hells Canyon into the Seven Devils high country. Forest Road #454 runs north of Oxbow Dam along the Snake River providing canyon-bottom access. The Seven Devils high country is accessed via a gravel road off US-95 near Council (approximately 17 miles to the main trailhead, gaining over 5,400 vertical feet). Eagle Bar Trailhead provides access to Deep Creek Trail #219 and a boat launch on the Snake. The Hells Canyon Wilderness (18,175 acres within the unit) prohibits all motorized vehicles. The Payette National Forest Supervisor's Office is located in McCall (208-634-0700); the Council Ranger District office provides local access information.

Mid and upper elevations support ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, western larch, and Engelmann spruce. Mountains above roughly 8,000 feet transition to open rocky terrain with scattered conifers and shrubs. South- and west-facing slopes at lower elevations carry grassland and low sagebrush-steppe shrub communities. Riparian corridors along the Weiser River, Snake River, and their tributaries provide dense willow and alder. Fire history (Lava, Paddock, and Limepoint fires) has created a mosaic of burned and regenerating forest across portions of the unit, affecting both summer and winter range for deer and elk.

Elk are well above management objectives in the Weiser River Zone as of recent surveys, with the population distributed across timbered slopes and canyon drainages; elk frequently move between public forest land and adjacent private agricultural ground, particularly as hunting pressure increases. Mule deer are the primary deer species (99% of deer harvest), with populations impacted by the Lava, Paddock, and Limepoint fires which reduced both summer and winter range quality; higher-than-average fawn mortality occurred in the 2024-25 winter, resulting in fewer yearling bucks expected in 2025. White-tailed deer are present but at lower densities than northern Idaho units, concentrated in riparian corridors. Mountain goats inhabit the rocky peaks and cliffs of the Seven Devils range. Rocky Mountain black bears and mountain lions occupy the timbered slopes throughout the unit. Gray wolves are present and huntable. Wild turkey, forest grouse, chukar, and quail are also present. Bighorn sheep use the Hells Canyon corridor.