Unit 77

Several features anchor navigation and glassing opportunities. Mink Creek and its spring sources run east-west and serve as a prime travel corridor through the heart of the unit. Morgan Ridge offers vantage points for scanning the surrounding country.

The Oneida Narrows Reservoir and surrounding valley system in the south mark the transition into more open country and draw water-dependent animals. Danish Pass provides elevation and a natural funnel for movement. Numerous springs—Pine, Mink Creek, Maple Grove—cluster throughout the ridges and drainages, critical for locating moose during dry seasons.

The unit works through distinct elevation bands. Lower elevations near Preston and the valley floors (4,500 feet) feature sagebrush, agricultural openings, and riparian corridors along creeks. Middle elevations (6,000-7,500 feet) transition into ponderosa and Douglas fir with mixed aspen, creating the classic transition zone where moose often move seasonally.

Upper benches (8,000+ feet) turn more heavily timbered and support spruce-fir habitat typical of high-country drainages. The median elevation sits around 5,750 feet, placing most of the unit in the productive middle zone where water, timber, and browse converge.

Over 550 miles of roads lace the unit, creating well-connected access despite moderate terrain complexity. Most roads are secondary and tertiary, meaning vehicles can reach staging areas but deep backcountry requires foot traffic. Highway 34 and local roads radiating from Preston handle most hunter movement.

Pressure concentrates near road corridors and lower-elevation creek bottoms where access is easiest. The rolling terrain breaks up sightlines, and scattered timber creates pockets where pressure thins. Higher drainages and canyon heads see less traffic, rewarding hunters willing to hike away from road ends.

Unit 77 occupies the heart of Franklin County between the towns of Preston and the Utah state line to the south, with Highway 34 forming the eastern boundary near Cleveland. The unit spans roughly 40 miles north-south and is bookended by the community of Preston to the north and the border country around Oneida Narrows to the south. This is transition country—high enough to see seasonal movement patterns but low enough that roads penetrate consistently.

The landscape shifts from settled agricultural valleys around Preston northward into rolling sagebrush terrain, canyons, and forested ridges.

Water defines moose habitat here. Mink Creek is the major drainage, reliable year-round and flanked by willows and cottonwoods in lower sections. Dry Creek and Foster Creek run off the northern and central ridges, with Hodge Nibley and Strawberry creeks feeding the system from higher elevations.

Multiple reservoirs (Oneida Narrows, Glendale, Johnson, Foster, Lamont) provide stock water and stable hunting zones in the lower country. Springs scattered across the ridges (Mink Creek, Litz, Log, Chatterton, Slate Rock) sustain game through dry periods. Limited natural lakes, but consistent creek flow and irrigation infrastructure mean water pressure remains manageable.

Unit 77 is moose country—this species defines the hunt. Moose gravitate toward the creek bottoms and willowy drainages (Mink Creek especially) at all elevations, making water corridors the primary search zones. Early season finds animals using high benches and timber; as temperatures drop, they shift to lower drainages and reservoirs.

Mid-elevation aspen and mixed conifer provides transition habitat worth thorough glassing from ridges like Morgan Ridge. Key approach: start at creek access points, work drainages during quiet hours, and glass from elevation gains. Springs scattered across ridges offer alternative hunting if main creeks draw crowds.

The 550-mile road network means most hunters hit obvious access points—success favors those who plan longer canyon-bottom walks away from parking areas.