Unit 61, Idaho

Unit 61 ranges from approximately 5,850 to 10,420 feet in elevation. The landscape transitions from high plateaus in the Island Park Caldera area to rugged mountain terrain along the Continental Divide and the Centennial Mountain Range on the Montana border. Sheer rock cliffs and timbered ridges define the northern and eastern edges where the Divide meets Yellowstone. The western fringe features high desert flatlands and rolling foothills, while the southern margin includes wetlands and mountains north of Island Park Reservoir. Drainages of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest dissect the unit interior, creating isolated canyons that hold elk and deer.

The unit is accessed primarily via Interstate 15 on the western boundary — exits near Spencer (Exit 184) provide the main entry point from the west, leading to roads including the Spencer-Kilgore Road east to Idman. U.S. Highway 20 forms part of the southern boundary and provides access from Island Park. The old (south) Shotgun Valley Road connects eastward from Idman and is referenced in the unit's legal boundary description. Internal access includes Baker Draw-Black Mountain Springs Road and Fish Creek Road leading toward the Yellowstone Park boundary. The Nez Perce National Historic Trail corridor runs through the unit and connects to improved and unimproved Caribou-Targhee National Forest roads (Ashton-Island Park Ranger District). Four-wheel-drive vehicles are recommended for rougher forest roads. Bear spray is strongly advised — grizzly bears are confirmed present throughout the unit. Private land (about 17.4%) is concentrated along the southern boundary and can limit movement between public tracts in that area. The unit contains no federally designated wilderness areas.

Forested land covers roughly 76% of the unit (confirmed: 76.11% per IDFG land-cover data), dominated by lodgepole pine — large swaths of which have been affected by bark beetle infestations, creating areas of standing snags, blow-down, and regenerating brush that provide dense cover and forage. Rangeland accounts for approximately 13% of the unit (confirmed: 12.95%), including sagebrush-steppe and grassland flats particularly near Henry's Lake and along the western boundary. Riparian corridors (about 2%) line creek drainages. Aspen pockets appear in mid-elevation benches and provide important fall forage. Agricultural irrigated land (about 7.6% combined gravity-flow and sprinkler) occupies parts of the southern boundary. Alpine and subalpine zones exist along the Centennial Mountain ridgeline.

Elk are the primary big game species; the Island Park herd is managed as part of the Island Park Elk Zone and numbers have been at or above management objectives in recent years, supported partly by migration of bulls out of Yellowstone National Park in late fall. Mule deer are present throughout, occupying sagebrush flats, canyon rims, and forest edges. Small numbers of pronghorn occur in the lowlands, primarily near Henry's Lake. Shiras moose inhabit willow-lined drainages and riparian areas. Mountain goat are present in the Centennial Mountain high country. Black bear range widely across forested portions. Mountain lion are present but secretive. Gray wolves are established in the unit and have documented effects on elk distribution and behavior. Grizzly bears are confirmed present; hunters are required to be prepared for encounters. Upland birds including ruffed grouse, blue grouse, and turkey also inhabit the unit.