Unit 20A 20A (Middle Fork)
Nearly all River of No Return wilderness — the deepest earn-it mule deer, elk, bear and canyon-bighorn country
Central Idaho — Idaho/Valley County, Middle Fork & South Fork Salmon, Frank Church Wilderness · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
752
sq mi
Public land
99%
approx.
Elevation
2,200–9,200
feet
Motorized
wilderness
access
Overview
Unit 20A is a huge, almost entirely wilderness block on the south side of the Salmon River between the mouths of the South Fork and the Middle Fork of the Salmon. At roughly 99% national forest and nearly 90% inside the Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness, it is among Idaho's most remote hunting units — trail, stock, jet boat and backcountry aircraft only. Game densities are low and success is hard-won, but pressure is minimal: mule deer and elk are true backcountry hunts, black bears are abundant in the burns, and the Salmon/Middle Fork canyons hold a very limited bighorn sheep tag.
Terrain
Massive canyon-and-mountain relief from the Salmon and Middle Fork river bottoms near 2,200 ft to timbered and subalpine peaks over 9,000 ft, cut by the South Fork Salmon, Middle Fork Salmon and countless tributary creeks.
Cover: Hot, dry bunchgrass and bitterbrush breaks low in the canyons; ponderosa and Douglas-fir mid-slope; lodgepole, spruce-fir, high parks and extensive burn mosaics up high that drive forage and game distribution.
Landmarks: Middle Fork of the Salmon River · South Fork of the Salmon River · main Salmon River · Big Creek divide (excluded) · Hall Creek drainage
Access
About 99% national forest with ~90% designated Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness — no motorized or mechanized travel. Reached only by long trails and pack strings, jet boat on the main Salmon, float/aircraft access to the Middle Fork corridor, or historic backcountry airstrips and guest ranches. Every hunt here is an expedition.
Managers: USFS Payette NF, USFS Salmon-Challis NF, USFS Nez Perce-Clearwater NF
Access points: Salmon River jet-boat access (Vinegar Creek/Riggins) · Middle Fork Salmon float/airstrip access · South Fork Salmon trailheads from the McCall/Warm Lake side · Backcountry airstrips and wilderness pack trails
Species notes
Mule Deer
common qualityLow-density but low-pressure backcountry mule deer across the high basins, burns and canyon breaks. Mature bucks survive here because so few hunters reach them; whitetail also occur in the lower river bottoms.
- →Glass big country from high vantages at first light — burns, parks and ridge saddles
- →Hunt the edges of old fire scars where regrowth concentrates browse
- →Commit to a deep pack camp; the deer are far from any trailhead
- →Late-season snow shifts bucks toward the warmer canyon breaks
Rocky Mountain Elk
common opportunityWilderness elk at low-to-moderate density with correspondingly low harvest, but genuine bulls hold in the roughest burn pockets. General wilderness elk hunting — solitude and opportunity, not numbers.
- →Find elk in and around regrown burns with feed and water
- →September archery calling in shaded timber before any pressure builds
- →Cover ground and glass; the best pockets are the least accessible
- →Set a self-contained pack camp near forage rather than hunting off the river
Black Bear
abundant qualityBlack bears thrive in this rich wilderness — abundant berries and burn forage produce a strong spring and fall hunt, frequently with brown, cinnamon and blond color phases.
- →Spring: glass green-up on south-facing canyon and burn slopes
- →Fall: key on huckleberry, serviceberry and mountain-ash benches
- →Use long-range optics to cover the breaks and burns efficiently
- →Combine with a deer/elk pack trip to make the remote access pay
Bighorn Sheep
limited trophyThe Salmon and Middle Fork canyons hold Rocky Mountain bighorns and a very limited, hard-to-draw tag — a once-in-a-lifetime trophy hunt in spectacular, punishing terrain.
- →Focus on the steep bunchgrass and rock breaks above the river canyons
- →Scout by jet boat or float trip with high-power optics before the hunt
- →Hunt the rugged rims and rock outcrops rams use for escape terrain
- →Prepare physically and logistically for extreme, remote canyon country
Pro tips
- →This is one of Idaho's most remote units — treat it as a multi-day expedition, not a road hunt.
- →Burns are the engine of the food chain here; scout recent fire mosaics to find game.
- →Access is the whole game: line up jet-boat, float, airstrip or stock support well ahead.
- →~90% wilderness means no motors or bikes — solve meat-packing before you pull the trigger.
- →Low elk/deer success is expected; you're buying solitude, quality animals and a true wilderness hunt.
Watch out for
- !Nearly all Frank Church Wilderness — no motorized/mechanized travel; verify boundaries and the excluded Big Creek drainage
- !Extreme canyon terrain and very long pack-outs from the divide to any access point
- !River-flow-dependent access; airstrips and trails can be weathered-in for days
- !No cell service — a satellite communicator is mandatory
- !Long emergency response times; hunt well within your fitness and self-rescue capacity
Logistics
Expedition-only logistics with no services inside the unit. Stage from McCall/Warm Lake for the South Fork side, Riggins for main-Salmon jet-boat access, or use Middle Fork float/airstrip logistics from the Stanley/Salmon side. Plan chartered flights, outfitter boat drops or multi-day pack strings and be fully self-sufficient with satellite communication.
Nearest towns: McCall, Riggins, Yellow Pine, Cascade, Salmon, Grangeville
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Idaho sources:
Research sources: IDFG Hunt Planner — Unit 20A (ownership, boundary, wilderness, species) · IDFG — 2025 Deer/Elk Hunting Outlook · USFS Salmon-Challis / Frank Church Wilderness
FAQ
- How big is Unit 20A in Idaho?
- Unit 20A (20A (Middle Fork)) covers about 752 square miles, ranging from roughly 2,200 to 9,200 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 20A?
- Approximately 99% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Payette NF, USFS Salmon-Challis NF, USFS Nez Perce-Clearwater NF. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 20A?
- Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Black Bear, Bighorn Sheep. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Idaho agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 20A on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.