Unit 72

The Blackfoot Lava Field is the dominant terrain feature—a massive dark formation that serves as both navigation landmark and terrain barrier. Chesterfield Reservoir, Blackfoot Reservoir, and Twentyfour Mile Reservoir anchor the water-rich portions of the unit. The Soda Springs Hills and Chesterfield Range provide higher vantage points for glassing, while named gaps like Swaps Pass and Devils Gate mark drainage saddles and travel corridors.

Spring Creek and Indian Creek offer reliable water corridors through the sagebrush, with numerous named springs including Cold Spring, Warm Spring, and Indian Spring providing scattered water sources.

The unit ranges from about 5,300 feet in the western valleys to roughly 7,300 feet on the higher ridges—a modest vertical spread that keeps terrain manageable. Sagebrush dominates the open country, with juniper and limber pine scattered across the uplands and concentrated in drainages. The Blackfoot Lava Field and associated lava breaks create distinct pockets of rougher terrain amid otherwise rolling benchland.

Vegetation is sparse enough to allow long-range glassing, yet broken enough to provide cover and travel corridors for moose moving between water sources.

The unit benefits from fair access with 458 miles of roads creating a reasonable network across the benchlands. Most areas are within reach of a vehicle or short walk from a trailhead, which works both for access and against solitude in popular seasons. The straightforward, rolling terrain means most hunters can navigate without difficulty, so popular water features and reservoir areas can draw pressure.

However, the unit's size and scattered nature mean strategic placement away from obvious access points remains viable.

Unit 72 encompasses high-desert plateaus in southeastern Idaho, spanning portions of Bingham and Caribou counties. The unit sits in the transition zone between the Snake River Plain and the higher mountain country to the east and south, anchoring near the small communities of Chesterfield, Henry, and Alexander. The landscape is moderate in size but feels expansive due to open sagebrush valleys and gentle topography.

This is working rangeland and public-access country with a scattering of private parcels interspersed throughout the benchlands.

Water is the unit's defining advantage—reservoirs, springs, and creeks are abundant and well-distributed across the benchlands. The Blackfoot Reservoir system, Chesterfield Reservoir, and Twentyfour Mile Reservoir provide major water features, while numerous springs named throughout the unit (Ninety Percent, Millward, Hibner, Corduroy, Indian, Mammoth) ensure reliable hydration in remote areas. Spring Creek, Indian Creek, and the Soda Canal deliver consistent flow through otherwise arid sagebrush country.

This reliable water network dictates moose movement and makes water-based glassing strategies effective.

Unit 72 is moose country, with the high-desert reservoirs and creek systems providing the water and riparian habitat moose require. Early season offers opportunity to find bulls in upland sagebrush and timber transitions as they move between summer and rut grounds. The reliable water sources—particularly the reservoirs and named springs—concentrate moose movement, making these areas productive for glassing and stalking.

Late season focuses on drainage bottoms and creek corridors where moose seek shelter and winter range. The sparse forest and open sagebrush mean binoculars are essential; the moderate terrain complexity allows hunters to cover country efficiently and respond to sightings.