Unit 35 35 (Sawtooth)
Steep, timbered Sawtooth-front country in the South Fork Payette drainage — a mule deer and zone-tag elk hunt at the edge of wilderness.
Central Idaho — South Fork Payette headwaters, Boise County · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
374
sq mi
Public land
98%
approx.
Elevation
3,300–10,300
feet
Motorized
moderate
access
Overview
Unit 35 covers the upper South Fork Payette River drainage in eastern Boise County, running up against the western Sawtooth Range. It is almost entirely national-forest timber, with roughly a quarter of the unit locked inside the Sawtooth Wilderness. This is a mule deer unit first, with elk hunted on the quota-limited Sawtooth Zone tag and a strong black bear population working the berry slopes and green-up. Success rates read modest because the country is thick, steep and shared with wilderness — the animals are here, but you earn them.
Terrain
A deep, forested river drainage climbing east from the South Fork Payette bottoms into the granite peaks and cirque basins of the western Sawtooth Range. Terrain is steep and broken, with the highest ground inside the Sawtooth Wilderness.
Cover: Dense ponderosa and mixed conifer on the lower slopes and river benches, grading up through Douglas-fir and lodgepole into subalpine fir, whitebark pine and open granite basins with huckleberry and beargrass near the crest. Old burns and logging cuts create productive brushy edges.
Landmarks: South Fork Payette River · Sawtooth Wilderness (western boundary) · Deadwood River country (to the west) · Grandjean area · Warm Springs / hot spring drainages
Access
Almost entirely public national forest. The Grandjean/South Fork Payette corridor (off Idaho 21) is the main vehicle access, with forest roads branching up the tributaries. The eastern quarter is Sawtooth Wilderness — foot and horse only, no motorized or mechanized travel. Expect gated roads and seasonal closures at elevation.
Managers: USFS Boise NF, USFS Sawtooth NF, Sawtooth Wilderness, Private (small river-bottom inholdings)
Access points: Idaho 21 (Banks–Lowman–Stanley highway) · Grandjean / South Fork Payette trailheads · Deadwood Reservoir road system (west edge) · Warm Springs Creek drainages
Species notes
Mule Deer
common opportunityThe unit's signature deer. Mule deer hold the timbered slopes, old burns and high basins; bucks scatter into steep wilderness cover, so glassing open subalpine edges pays off.
- →Glass burns, logging cuts and avalanche chutes at first and last light
- →Climb toward the wilderness basins for older, less-pressured bucks
- →Still-hunt timbered north slopes on quiet, wet days
- →Watch high country for a snow push that moves deer down the drainage
Rocky Mountain Elk
common opportunityElk are hunted on the Sawtooth Zone tag, a quota-limited A/B-tag zone rather than pure over-the-counter. Numbers are solid but the timber is thick and success is typical of steep central-Idaho forest units.
- →Bugle and cow-call the September ridges and dark timber
- →Cut fresh sign on logging roads then push into the north-slope cover
- →Hunt the wilderness-edge pockets away from road hunters
- →Work benches and wallows near the South Fork tributaries
Black Bear
common opportunityA healthy black bear population with both spring and fall opportunity. Bears concentrate on green-up in spring and on huckleberry and mountain-ash slopes in fall.
- →Spring: glass south-facing green-up and open logging roads
- →Fall: hunt huckleberry brush fields and old burns
- →Watch for color-phase (cinnamon/blonde) bears common in central Idaho
- →Glass avalanche chutes at dawn and dusk
Pro tips
- →Treat this as a mule deer unit first and an elk unit second — plan around the deer
- →Elk here run on the capped Sawtooth Zone tag, so check quota status before you count on a tag
- →Get off Idaho 21 and away from the road corridor — the wilderness edge holds the least-pressured animals
- →Spring and fall bear hunting is a genuine bonus opportunity in this berry-rich country
- →Be ready to pack out on foot or horseback from the Sawtooth Wilderness
Watch out for
- !The eastern quarter is Sawtooth Wilderness — no motorized or mechanized (bike/cart) travel
- !Steep, timbered terrain and early snow make access and pack-out serious work
- !Upper forest roads gate seasonally and gain snow early
- !Small private inholdings dot the river bottoms — respect posted ground
- !Central-Idaho color-phase black bears require careful target ID
Logistics
Idaho 21 is the artery, connecting Boise and Lowman to Stanley along the South Fork Payette. Lowman and Garden Valley offer basic fuel and supplies; Stanley to the northeast and Boise to the southwest are the real supply hubs. Forest roads off Idaho 21 open the lower drainages, but the high country and all wilderness ground require foot or horse travel.
Nearest towns: Lowman, Stanley, Garden Valley, Idaho City, Boise
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Idaho sources:
Research sources: IDFG Hunt Planner — Unit 35 · IDFG Hunt Planner — Sawtooth Zone · USFS Sawtooth National Forest — Hunting
FAQ
- How big is Unit 35 in Idaho?
- Unit 35 (35 (Sawtooth)) covers about 374 square miles, ranging from roughly 3,300 to 10,300 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 35?
- Approximately 98% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Boise NF, USFS Sawtooth NF, Sawtooth Wilderness, Private (small river-bottom inholdings). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 35?
- 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 35 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.