Unit 11A 11A (Palouse)
Rolling Palouse wheat hills and timbered draws that grow heavy-bodied whitetails.
North-central Idaho — Palouse farm country (Latah/Nez Perce County) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
826
sq mi
Public land
15%
approx.
Elevation
800–4,900
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Unit 11A is the heart of the Idaho Palouse — a sea of rolling dryland-wheat hills stitched with brushy draws, creek bottoms and pine-fir timber pockets north and east toward Moscow Mountain and Potlatch. It is dominated by private farm and timber ground, which makes access the central challenge but also produces well-fed, mature whitetail deer. Deer are the marquee opportunity here; elk are a growing but general-season sideline and black bears use the timbered north end.
Terrain
Rolling loess hills of the Palouse (~800–2,800 ft) rising to forested highlands around Moscow Mountain and the Potlatch/Palouse River timber near 4,900 ft.
Cover: Dryland wheat, canola and pea/lentil fields on open hills; hawthorn, snowberry and rose draws; and stands of ponderosa pine, grand fir and cedar in the higher north and east country.
Landmarks: Moscow Mountain · Palouse River · Potlatch River drainage · Paradise Ridge · Little Bear Creek
Access
Overwhelmingly private agricultural and industrial-timber ground. Public opportunity is concentrated in scattered Idaho Department of Lands endowment timber parcels (notably around Moscow Mountain) and any Access Yes! walk-in enrollments — landowner permission is the key to most of the unit.
Managers: IDL endowment (timber), private farm/timber, some BLM & UI experimental forest edges
Access points: Moscow Mountain IDL roads · Potlatch/Palouse River corridor · Access Yes! walk-in tracts (verify enrollment yearly) · county roads off US-95 / SH-8
Species notes
Whitetail Deer
abundant qualityThe Palouse is prime whitetail country — rich farm forage and secure draw cover grow mature bucks, and the unit turns out ~620 deer at a solid ~43% success rate.
- →Hunt the transition where wheat/CRP meets brushy draws at dawn and dusk
- →Rattle and use scent during the early-November rut
- →Push and post small timber pockets and creek bottoms with a partner
Mule Deer
limited opportunityA scattering of mule deer occupies the more open breaks and higher ground, though whitetail vastly outnumber them across the farmland.
- →Glass open hillsides and steeper breaks separate from whitetail cover
- →Focus higher and drier ground than you'd hunt for whitetail
- →Check for muleys on south slopes during late season
Rocky Mountain Elk
common opportunityPalouse elk have expanded into the farm-timber mosaic and offer a general-season opportunity; success is modest (~22%) as herds are patchy and heavily tied to private ground.
- →Locate herds using timbered draws between fields at first light
- →Secure permission on farms where elk feed on winter wheat
- →Still-hunt the Potlatch River timber for elk in cover
Black Bear
common opportunityBlack bears work the timbered north and east end around Moscow Mountain and the Potlatch drainage — a general-season spot-and-stalk opportunity in the forested pockets.
- →Glass green draws and clearcut edges in spring
- →Focus on the Moscow Mountain / Potlatch timber, not the open farmland
- →Check berry patches and creek bottoms in early fall
Pro tips
- →Line up landowner permission before the season — access, not deer numbers, is the bottleneck
- →Check Access Yes! walk-in enrollments each year; parcels change
- →Hunt the November rut for the best crack at a mature Palouse whitetail buck
- →Avoid clay/loess roads when wet — Palouse gumbo will strand a truck
- →IDL timber around Moscow Mountain is the most reliable public foothold
Watch out for
- !Very high proportion of private farm and industrial-timber land — trespass risk is real
- !Loess soils become impassable gumbo when wet
- !Public parcels are small and scattered; know exact boundaries
- !Proximity to towns and homes means heightened road/safety-zone awareness
Logistics
Moscow is a full-service college town with lodging, fuel and gear; smaller towns like Troy, Genesee and Potlatch offer basics. Roads are good gravel and paved farm routes, but wet loess soils turn to gumbo — many field and IDL roads become impassable after rain or a thaw.
Nearest towns: Moscow, Genesee, Troy, Potlatch, Kendrick
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Idaho sources:
Research sources: IDFG Hunt Planner Map Center · IDFG Clearwater Region overview
FAQ
- How big is Unit 11A in Idaho?
- Unit 11A (11A (Palouse)) covers about 826 square miles, ranging from roughly 800 to 4,900 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 11A?
- Approximately 15% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: IDL endowment (timber), private farm/timber, some BLM & UI experimental forest edges. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 11A?
- Whitetail Deer, Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Black Bear. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Idaho agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 11A on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.