Unit 6 6 (Panhandle)
Timbered St. Joe breaks and clearcut mosaics — a productive over-the-counter whitetail unit with a coveted moose draw.
Idaho Panhandle — St. Joe River country; Benewah, Shoshone, Kootenai, Latah & Clearwater Counties (Panhandle Zone) · Last reviewed 2026-07-12
Area
1,058
sq mi
Public land
70%
approx.
Elevation
2,100–6,200
feet
Motorized
extensive
access
Overview
Unit 6 climbs from the St. Maries and St. Joe River corridors into the heavily timbered ridges of the St. Joe country in Idaho's Panhandle, spanning parts of five counties. It is a whitetail-first unit — general deer harvest is high on productive numbers — layered over a general Panhandle-Zone elk opportunity, abundant black bears, and a once-in-a-lifetime Shiras moose tag that produces very high success. A dense logging-road grid across Forest, state and private timberland makes most of the unit drive-to, so the reward goes to hunters who work the steep breaks and rut-timed edges away from the trucks.
Terrain
Steep, dissected timber country rising from the St. Joe and St. Maries river bottoms near 2,100 ft to forested ridgelines and buttes above 6,000 ft (Stony Butte, Bald Mountain, Hemlock Butte).
Cover: Moist grand fir, western red cedar, Douglas-fir and western larch on the slopes with abundant clearcuts, plantations and brushy logging edges; riparian brush and hardwoods along the river bottoms and creek draws that whitetails favor.
Landmarks: St. Joe River · St. Maries River · Bald Mountain · Stony Butte · Marble Creek · Moon Pass Road
Access
A patchwork of National Forest, state endowment timber and private industrial timberland threaded by one of the densest logging-road networks in the Panhandle. Much of the unit is drive-to, which is both the appeal and the pressure problem; many roads are gated seasonally or by timber companies. River corridors along the St. Joe and St. Maries provide the main travel spines.
Managers: USFS Idaho Panhandle NF (St. Joe Ranger District), Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) endowment, Private industrial timber (e.g. PotlatchDeltic)
Access points: St. Maries (SH-3 / SH-6) · St. Joe River Road (from Avery) · Marble Creek drainage · Fernwood / Clarkia (SH-3) · USFS and IDL logging-road grids
Species notes
Whitetail Deer
abundant qualityThe strength of Unit 6 — a productive whitetail herd with high general over-the-counter harvest and solid success. The timber-and-clearcut mosaic and river bottoms grow deer well.
- →Hunt clearcut and plantation edges at dawn and dusk
- →Rattle and grunt through the November rut for mature bucks
- →Use tracking snow to still-hunt cedar and fir draws
- →Work the St. Joe and St. Maries river bottoms where whitetails concentrate
Rocky Mountain Elk
common opportunityA general Panhandle-Zone elk opportunity with modest success typical of northern Idaho's roaded timber; high road density makes bulls vulnerable, so mature animals hold in the roadless pockets and steep breaks.
- →Get off the road grid into the steep, timbered breaks
- →Bugle and cow-call the September ridges away from traffic
- →Cut fresh sign early and hunt where the ATVs don't go
- →Glass old burns and clearcut regrowth at first and last light
Black Bear
abundant qualityStrong black bear numbers with spring and fall opportunity; green logging roads, clearcuts and berry fields concentrate bears, and color-phase animals turn up.
- →Spring: glass green-up on south slopes and logging-road cuts
- →Fall: hunt huckleberry and mountain-ash brush fields
- →Cover ground by truck between glassing points on the road grid
- →Watch for color-phase bears
Moose
common trophyShiras moose are a standout controlled draw here — a once-in-a-lifetime tag with very high success. Willow creek bottoms and riparian wetlands hold good bulls.
- →If drawn, scout creek willows and river-bottom wetlands early
- →Glass riparian edges at dawn and dusk
- →Hunt slow through brushy bottoms where bulls hold
- →Expect a long point wait to draw the tag
Pro tips
- →This is a whitetail-first unit — build the trip around the November rut and edge habitat for best odds
- →Beat the crowds by leaving the dense road grid; road-close elk are heavily hunted and vulnerable
- →Fresh tracking snow is your single best tool for both deer and elk here
- →Scout the St. Joe and St. Maries river bottoms and creek willows if you draw the moose tag
- →Verify ownership before driving in — Forest, IDL and private timber interlock across the whole unit
Watch out for
- !Mixed ownership — verify boundaries between USFS, IDL and private industrial timber before hunting or driving in
- !Very high road and ATV density means crowding and quick access for other hunters
- !Seasonal and timber-company road gates can cut off access without notice
- !Steep river breaks make pack-outs from the canyon bottoms strenuous
- !Wet weather turns unimproved logging roads to slick clay — carry recovery gear
Logistics
St. Maries on SH-3 is the main hub with fuel, groceries, lodging and processing; Avery up the St. Joe offers dispersed camping and river access. A dense grid of Forest, IDL and private timber roads reaches most of the unit — expect seasonal and timber-company gates. Dispersed camping is common along the St. Joe River Road corridor.
Nearest towns: St. Maries, Avery, Clarkia, Fernwood, Calder
Seasons & regulations
This page carries no season dates or regulations. Get current rules from the official Idaho sources:
Research sources: IDFG Hunt Planner — Unit 6 · IDFG Panhandle Elk Zone · USFS Idaho Panhandle National Forests — St. Joe Ranger District
FAQ
- How big is Unit 6 in Idaho?
- Unit 6 (6 (Panhandle)) covers about 1,058 square miles, ranging from roughly 2,100 to 6,200 feet in elevation. Area is computed from the unit boundary polygon.
- How much public land is in Unit 6?
- Approximately 70% of the unit is public land. Primary managers: USFS Idaho Panhandle NF (St. Joe Ranger District), Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) endowment, Private industrial timber (e.g. PotlatchDeltic). Always verify ownership boundaries on the ground.
- What species does the catalog list for Unit 6?
- Whitetail Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Black Bear, Moose. For seasons, tags, and regulations, use the official Idaho agency resources linked on this page — this page carries no regulatory information.
Put Unit 6 on your map.
Boundary lines, public/private ownership, topo, and offline maps for this unit — in Baseline Maps, free for 14 days.