Unit 70

Scout Mountain and Red Hill provide elevated vantage points for glassing across the rolling terrain and into adjacent valleys. The South Fork Snake River forms the southern boundary and serves as a major navigation reference and moose habitat corridor. Arbon Valley and Marsh Valley are significant geographic features running through the unit's lower country, offering orientation points for hunters.

Multiple named creeks including Midnight Creek, Michaud Creek, and Indian Creek provide drainage systems to navigate through the rolling foothills. These waterways also mark likely moose movement corridors during seasonal transitions.

The unit ranges from lower elevation valleys around 4,400 feet up to approximately 8,700 feet on higher ridges, creating distinct habitat zones. Lower elevations feature sagebrush-dominated flats and grasslands with scattered juniper and pine, while upper slopes transition into more consistent forest cover with douglas fir and mixed conifers. The median elevation around 5,400 feet suggests most country sits in the transition zone between open sagebrush and timbered slopes, offering moose habitat in riparian corridors and scattered willow draws throughout the rolling terrain.

Forest coverage remains sparse across much of the unit, leaving significant open country for glassing.

The unit maintains good road connectivity with over 1,000 miles of roads providing access throughout the rolling terrain. Interstate 15 and Highway 31 form major boundaries with multiple access points, while Forest Service roads including the Bannock Creek-Arbon Valley Highway and Moody Swamp Road (Forest Road 226) penetrate deeper country. Proximity to Pocatello and Highway 86 makes the unit relatively accessible, which likely concentrates pressure in lower elevations and near main travel corridors.

Hunters willing to explore secondary drainages and higher valley country will find quieter terrain away from main access points, though the moderate complexity suggests the entire unit remains huntable.

Unit 70 occupies the foothills and valleys east of Pocatello, bounded by Interstate 15 and Highway 31 on the west, the Bannock-Power County line on the north, and the South Fork Snake River on the south. The unit encompasses rolling country between Arbon Valley and the Snake River drainage, with notable reference points including Red Mountain, Garns Mountain, and the communities of Inkom, Blackrock, and Pocatello marking the western edge. The terrain sits at the transition zone between the Snake River Plain and the higher ranges to the east, creating a diverse landscape of valleys, ridges, and scattered draws.

Water sources are limited but strategically distributed across the unit. The South Fork Snake River anchors the southern boundary and represents the most reliable water feature, with adjacent riparian habitat supporting moose populations. Multiple springs scattered throughout—including Rock Springs, Blind Spring, Wildcat Spring, and others—provide seasonal water in the upland country.

Named creeks like Midnight Creek, Michaud Creek, and Marsh Creek offer additional water sources, though seasonal flow varies. Hunters should identify reliable springs during scouting, as water scarcity in the sagebrush valleys makes drainages critical for moose habitat and movement patterns.

Unit 70 offers moose hunting in the riparian and draw country where willows and scattered timber provide browse and cover. Focus on the South Fork Snake River drainage and major creeks like Midnight Creek and Michaud Creek where moose concentrate in willows and cottonwood stands. Early season hunting emphasizes higher elevation draws and springs where moose move in response to weather; late season pushes hunters toward river bottoms and major drainages as temperatures drop.

The rolling sagebrush terrain allows effective glassing from ridges overlooking valleys where moose feed in open country adjacent to willow draws. Scout for fresh sign along creek drainages and near reliable springs, as water scarcity concentrates moose movement in predictable patterns throughout the unit.