Unit 70-1

Key navigation points include the Bannock Range crest running northeast-southwest, with identifiable summits like Deep Creek Peak and Moonshine Peak serving as glassing vantage points. The Portneuf Range to the south and Fish Creek Range to the north bracket the central drainages. Garden Creek Gap, Swaps Pass, and Red Rock Pass provide saddle navigation landmarks.

Major reservoirs including Weston Creek, Wiregrass, and Devil Creek offer water reference points and potential camping areas. Rock Creek and West Fork Bannock Creek drain major sections and serve as travel corridors. Standing Rock and Eagletail Rock are distinctive pillar features useful for orientation.

The Blackfoot Lava Field to the southwest provides a unique southern reference.

Terrain spans from low sagebrush-dominated valleys around 4,300 feet to forested ridges exceeding 9,200 feet, with most country clustering in the mid-elevation band. Sparse forest distribution means sagebrush and grassland dominate lower basins and rolling benches, while scattered ponderosa and Douglas-fir dot ridgelines and northfacing slopes. Fish Creek, Buckskin, Clifton, and Colson basins provide open, low-elevation glassing country, while summits like Paps Mountain and Mount Elkhorn rise as timbered anchors.

The vegetation transition occurs gradually across the rolling terrain rather than in sharp bands, creating a mosaic of open and forested pockets. This mix supports both elk summer range and wintering areas depending on snow conditions.

Extensive road network—over 6,100 miles total—provides connected access despite sparse forest designation. Multiple FSRs including Moody Swamp Road (FSR 226), Hawley Gulch Road, and Rattlesnake Creek roads allow vehicle approach to mid-elevation country. County roads link Pauline, Arbon, and surrounding areas to main units.

Highway 31 and Interstate 86 facilitate entry from the Pocatello corridor. Road density means most accessible terrain receives hunting pressure during rifle seasons. However, the unit's size and rolling character create pockets away from main drainages where pressure thins.

Early season and shoulder weekdays offer better solitude potential than peak weekends.

This vast unit encompasses the country between Interstate 15 and the Bannock Range, bounded by Pine Creek Pass to the northeast and extending south toward Arimo and the South Fork Snake River. Major reference points include the Pocatello area to the west, with the unit incorporating multiple sub-ranges: the Bannock, Chesterfield, Fish Creek, and Portneuf ranges. Adjacent to the unit are the Snake River bottoms to the south and the high Bannock crest to the north.

Towns like Holbrook, Pauline, and Arbon sit on or near the unit boundaries, providing supply access. The unit's considerable size and rolling topography create diverse hunting opportunity across multiple drainage systems.

Limited water availability is a strategic consideration despite several named drainages. Weston Creek, Devil Creek, and Wiregrass reservoirs provide reliable but scattered water sources. Rock Creek and Bannock Creek drainages are the primary year-round systems, though seasonal flows vary.

Springs including Garden Spring, Indian Springs, and Pevo Spring dot the unit, but hunters should verify seasonal reliability. The South Fork Snake River borders the southern unit boundary but is outside most hunting terrain. Smaller creeks like Crystal, Michaud, and Hill Creek flow intermittently; early-season or high-water periods offer better surface water.

Late-season hunting requires knowledge of spring locations and reservoir access—water scarcity can concentrate elk movements.

Elk are the primary quarry, utilizing basin country in spring and fall migrations between low-elevation winter range and higher summer terrain. Early season finds animals in scattered timber bordering sagebrush flats around basins like Clifton and Buckskin. Rut activity concentrates in mid-elevation drainages with accessible timber.

Late season pushes elk downslope toward lower benches and valley floors as snow accumulates. Glassing open benches and basin edges during morning and evening offers best early-season opportunity. Ridge systems like Sawmill and Windy Ridge provide vantage points for scanning multiple drainages.

Water scarcity becomes critical by late season—plan hunting near known springs and reservoirs. The sparse forest means less cover for stalking but better visibility for spotting. Terrain complexity suggests breaking the unit into specific drainage systems rather than hunting broadly.