Unit 34 34 (Sawtooth)
Remote, roadless high timber on the doorstep of the Frank Church wilderness — low harvest, real backcountry
Central Idaho — Bear Valley / Deadwood high country, Boise National Forest (Boise/Valley Counties) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
447
sq mi
Public land
97%
approx.
Elevation
5,000–9,500
feet
Motorized
limited
access
Overview
Unit 34 reaches into the high, remote heart of the Sawtooth Elk Zone: the upper Deadwood River, Bear Valley Creek, and the west-side headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Salmon. This is cold, high-elevation lodgepole and meadow country on the edge of the Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness. Harvest numbers are modest — a reflection of thin roads, big country, and light pressure rather than empty ground. It's a backcountry mule deer, elk, and bear unit for hunters willing to go deep.
Terrain
High rolling timber and glacial meadows around Bear Valley and the Deadwood drainage rise to rugged granitic peaks toward the Middle Fork Salmon headwaters; long, cold, snow-prone high country.
Cover: Extensive lodgepole pine with spruce-fir and subalpine parkland up high; broad wet meadows and willow bottoms along Bear Valley Creek and the Deadwood River; burn mosaics and brushfields that feed elk and bear.
Landmarks: Bear Valley Creek · Deadwood River / Deadwood Reservoir · Middle Fork Salmon River headwaters · Sulphur Creek · Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness boundary
Access
Almost entirely public national forest, but access is the defining challenge — a sparse forest-road network (Deadwood, Bear Valley, Landmark corridors) that is high, rough, and among the last to melt out and the first to snow shut. Much of the eastern unit is roadless country pressing against the Frank Church Wilderness, so trail travel and backcountry camps are the norm.
Managers: USFS Boise National Forest, USFS Salmon-Challis National Forest
Access points: Bear Valley Road / Landmark area · Deadwood Reservoir forest roads · Sulphur Creek corridor · Boundary Creek / Middle Fork approaches · high-country trailheads on the wilderness edge
Species notes
Rocky Mountain Elk
common opportunityHigh-country elk in the roadless timber and meadow basins of the Sawtooth Elk Zone; low harvest reflects limited access and pressure, and rewards hunters who pack in.
- →Pack into roadless basins and meadow complexes away from the few roads
- →Hunt willow-bottom and wet-meadow edges at first and last light
- →Glass burns and high parks; be ready to move camp with the elk and the weather
Mule Deer
common opportunityGeneral deer opportunity in the high timber and meadow country; deer summer high and migrate out early once snow arrives.
- →Glass high meadow edges and open basins before deer bed in timber
- →Hunt the timber-park transitions along the drainages
- →Go early — high-country deer leave fast with the first heavy snows
Black Bear
common opportunityBlack bears work the burns, berry slopes, and meadow edges of this remote high country; a lighter harvest than the lower Payette units but genuine backcountry bear ground.
- →Glass green meadow edges and avalanche brush in spring, berry fields in fall
- →Hunt burn regrowth and creek-head brushfields
- →Cover country from vantage points to locate feeding bears
Pro tips
- →This is a backcountry unit — plan to pack in, camp deep, and hunt away from the thin road system where the animals and the light pressure are
- →Go early: high elevation means early snow and a fast exodus of deer and elk to lower winter range
- →Come completely self-sufficient — no towns, no cell service, rough roads, and long recovery distances
- →Buy Sawtooth Zone elk tags early before the zone cap fills
- →Watch the forecast hard; a single storm can shut roads and end access overnight
Watch out for
- !High, snow-prone country — early storms can close roads and strand vehicles
- !Very limited road access with long distances to help; wilderness-edge terrain demands backcountry skills
- !No services or reliable communications inside the unit
- !Sawtooth Zone elk tags are capped and can sell out
Logistics
There is no town inside the unit — stage out of Lowman, Cascade, or Stanley for fuel and supplies, then commit to long high-clearance drives on the Deadwood, Bear Valley, and Landmark forest roads. Cell service is effectively nonexistent; come fully self-sufficient with recovery gear, extra fuel, and cold-weather kit.
Nearest towns: Lowman, Stanley, Cascade, Garden Valley, Crouch
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Idaho sources:
Research sources: IDFG Hunt Planner — Unit 34 · IDFG Hunt Planner — Sawtooth Elk Zone (Units 33-36) · USFS Boise National Forest
FAQ
- How big is Unit 34 in Idaho?
- Unit 34 (34 (Sawtooth)) covers about 447 square miles, ranging from roughly 5,000 to 9,500 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 34?
- Approximately 97% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Boise National Forest, USFS Salmon-Challis National Forest. Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 34?
- Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule 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 34 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.