Unit 73

Key landmarks for orientation include the Malad Range running north-south through the unit and the Bannock Range to the south; both provide ridgeline routes and glassing points. Swan Lake and Samaria Lake anchor the higher country, while Saint Johns Reservoir and Hawkins Reservoir sit in the mid-elevation basins. Rock Creek, Hill Creek, and Elkhorn Creek are major drainages offering navigation corridors and riparian zones.

The Samaria Mountains and North Hansel Mountains provide secondary ridges breaking up the basin floors. These features help divide the unit into logical hunting areas—ridge systems for glassing, creek drainages for water and access, and basin landmarks for reference.

The unit spans from lower desert basins near 4,300 feet to ridgeline country approaching 9,300 feet, with most terrain in the 5,000 to 7,000-foot band. This is primarily sagebrush and grassland country with scattered juniper and mountain mahogany on the ridges; higher elevations show patchy conifer cover but remain open and sparse overall. The basins—Pocatello Valley, Clifton Basin, Davis Basin, Oxford Basin—are predominantly sagebrush flats with scattered juniper.

The Malad Range and Bannock Range provide more timbered slopes, though timber density remains moderate. The terrain is rolling rather than steep, creating a mix of open glassing country and draw-bottoms with drainage-side vegetation.

Over 2,200 miles of roads crisscross the unit, providing fair connectivity throughout the basins and lower ridges. Major routes include U.S. 89-91 on the western boundary and State Highway 34 running through the heart of the unit, plus numerous forest service and county roads branching into the backcountry. This road density suggests moderate hunting pressure is distributed across the valleys rather than concentrated in narrow corridors.

Small towns (Malad City, Soda Springs, Montpelier, Arimo) provide staging points on the periphery. The rolling terrain and multiple drainage access points mean hunters can spread out; pressure is manageable but the unit isn't remote.

Unit 73 spans portions of Bannock, Franklin, Power, and Oneida Counties along the Idaho-Utah border, roughly bounded by U.S. 89-91 on the west, the Idaho-Wyoming line on the east, and State Highway 34 running northeast through the middle. The unit encompasses the Pocatello Valley floor and extends into the Malad Range and Bannock Range foothills. It's substantial ground—rolling country that transitions from low desert valleys to moderate-elevation ridges.

The landscape sits between established travel corridors, making it accessible but not heavily concentrated with infrastructure.

Water is the limiting factor here. Reliable sources include Rock Creek, Hill Creek, Devil Creek, and Elkhorn Creek as main drainages, with numerous smaller creeks (Dairy Creek, Deadwood Creek, Davis Creek) flowing through side canyons. Springs are scattered throughout—Co-op Spring, Pettit Spring, Mud Spring, Wood Canyon Spring, Pleasantview Warm Springs, and Hawkins Spring are marked on maps but aren't abundant.

The few reservoirs (Saint Johns, Hawkins, Devil Creek, and others) provide some predictable water but are localized. For moose hunting, these creek drainages and spring-fed areas are critical concentration points; the open basins between them can be dry, making riparian zones and canyon bottoms prime habitat.

Unit 73 offers moose hunting across rolling sagebrush basins with scattered riparian corridors. Moose here are tied closely to water and vegetation—creek drainages like Rock Creek and Hill Creek, canyon bottoms with willow and aspen, and spring-fed meadow areas are priority zones. The sparse forest and open basins allow for glassing likely areas from ridgelines before dropping into drainages to hunt closer.

Spring and fall migrations move bulls between higher ridges and lower riparian habitat; early season hunting focuses on high-elevation draws and spring seeps, while rut activity concentrates along the main creek corridors where cows gather. The limited overall water availability means moose populations cluster around reliable sources—thorough creek reconnaissance and spring location are keys to finding bulls in this landscape.