Unit 24 24 (McCall)
McCall's home unit — West Mountain timber and Cascade Reservoir farmland with a whitetail-and-muley deer mix
West-Central Idaho — Long Valley / North Fork Payette River (Valley County) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
877
sq mi
Public land
57%
approx.
Elevation
4,700–8,300
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Unit 24 covers the North Fork of the Payette River drainage in Valley County, the Long Valley basin running from McCall south past Donnelly and Cascade along the reservoir. It splits between the forested West Mountains and Payette/Boise National Forest ground on the flanks and a broad, heavily settled valley floor of private ranch and irrigated farmland. Elk, mule deer, and whitetail all live here, with black bear in the surrounding timber, but the high share of private land in the valley shapes how — and where — you hunt.
Terrain
A wide valley floor around 4,700–5,000 ft framed by the West Mountains to the west and forested ridges to the east; timbered slopes and benches climb to peaks above 8,000 ft.
Cover: About 75% forest — mixed conifer with meadow and riparian pockets — plus roughly 16% irrigated agriculture on the valley floor and water (Payette Lake, Cascade Reservoir) making up a few percent.
Landmarks: North Fork Payette River · Payette Lake (McCall) · Cascade Reservoir · West Mountain range · Snowbank Mountain · Long Valley
Access
Roughly 43% Forest Service (Payette and Boise NFs on the mountain flanks) and ~11% state, but about 43% is private — concentrated in the Long Valley floor around McCall, Donnelly, and Cascade. No wilderness. Public hunting is largely on the timbered slopes; the valley bottom is heavily deeded ranch and farm ground requiring permission.
Managers: USFS Payette NF, USFS Boise NF, IDL, BLM
Access points: State Highway 55 corridor (McCall–Cascade) · West Mountain Road · Forest roads into the West Mountains and eastern Payette NF benches · IDL endowment parcels (verify boundaries)
Species notes
Rocky Mountain Elk
common opportunityA capped McCall Elk Zone unit with general A/B-tag opportunity. Success is modest — low teens, normal for a general zone — and elk shift between valley-edge private and the public timber, so access management matters as much as the hunting.
- →Hunt the timbered West Mountain benches and eastern forest slopes away from the private valley floor
- →Set up on travel corridors between agricultural feed on private ground and public bedding timber
- →Get high early in the season before storms push elk down toward deeded land
- →Pressure builds near McCall — hike beyond the first ridge for undisturbed animals
Mule Deer
common opportunityMule deer use the West Mountain high country and forested ridges; general-season deer hunting makes this an accessible opportunity unit around a busy resort valley.
- →Glass open West Mountain slopes and burn edges at first light
- →Hunt the conifer-to-meadow transitions
- →Work higher benches early, then follow deer down as fall weather arrives
Whitetail Deer
common opportunityWhitetail occupy the North Fork Payette bottoms, riparian corridors, and valley-edge cover — but much of that habitat is private, so access is the limiting factor.
- →Focus riparian brush and field-edge cover along the North Fork Payette
- →Secure permission on valley-floor private ground or hunt public timber margins that border ag
- →Hunt the rut when bucks move between cover and feed
Black Bear
common qualitySolid black bear numbers in the surrounding West Mountain and Payette NF timber, with strong harvest for the zone.
- →Glass green-up slopes and old logging cuts in spring
- →Hunt huckleberry and serviceberry patches in late summer and fall
- →Work creek-bottom brush at dawn and dusk
Pro tips
- →Treat this as an access-management unit — the public timber holds animals, but the valley floor is largely private
- →Knock on doors early for whitetail permission on North Fork Payette ag ground, or hunt public timber that borders it
- →Get above and behind the first ridge to escape the heavy near-town road pressure
- →Time the first fall storm — snow in the West Mountains concentrates elk and deer on the lower public benches
- →Spring and fall bear hunting in the West Mountain timber is a reliable secondary opportunity
Watch out for
- !Nearly half the unit is private, tightly packed in the Long Valley floor — verify boundaries and get permission
- !Heavy recreation and hunting pressure near McCall, Donnelly, and Cascade
- !West Mountain forest roads can close quickly with early snow
- !Cascade Reservoir and Payette Lake shoreline areas include developed and private land
Logistics
McCall is a full-service resort town (fuel, lodging, groceries, outfitters); Donnelly and Cascade add services along Highway 55. Paved highway access is easy, but the good hunting is up forest roads into the West Mountains and eastern benches — expect popular, sometimes crowded, road systems near town.
Nearest towns: McCall, Donnelly, Cascade, Lake Fork
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Idaho sources:
Research sources: IDFG Hunt Planner — Unit 24 (boundaries, ownership, habitat, species) · IDFG McCall Elk Zone · USFS Payette National Forest
FAQ
- How big is Unit 24 in Idaho?
- Unit 24 (24 (McCall)) covers about 877 square miles, ranging from roughly 4,700 to 8,300 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 24?
- Approximately 57% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Payette NF, USFS Boise NF, IDL, BLM. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 24?
- Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, 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 24 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.