Unit 78

Paris Peak and Midnight Mountain serve as reliable visual references on the eastern ridges. Multiple named basins—Mahogany, Horseshoe, Gibson, Green—provide drainage names for navigation and area identification. Hidden Lake, Limekiln Lake, and Midnight Lake offer fixed water reference points.

The drainage system is well-defined: Mill Creek, Liberty Creek, and the Bloomington/Saint Charles creek forks form the primary water corridors. Hogsback Ridge and Danish Pass mark significant topographic features for orientation. These landmarks help structure a large unit into huntable sections.

Terrain spans from roughly 5,900 feet in lower basins to above 9,500 feet on ridgetop areas, with median elevation around 7,480 feet. Dense forest covers the unit, creating the timbered character typical of northern Utah-Idaho border country. Lower elevations transition through ponderosa and aspen groves into spruce-fir forest at higher elevations.

Open basins and flats—Danish Flat, Paris Flat, Telegraph Flat—break the timber, providing meadow habitat. This is classic moose habitat: dense conifer cover interspersed with willow-lined creeks and pocket meadows where vegetation diversity supports browse.

The 572 miles of forest roads create a connected access network without heavy highway infrastructure. Forest Service roads (including FSR 415 and old U.S. 30N/Highline Trail) penetrate the unit from multiple directions, making it accessible from Preston, Paris, and Fish Haven. This road density supports fair hunter distribution across the unit.

However, the rolling, timbered terrain itself provides natural pressure escape—dense forest limits visibility and spreads hunters thin. Expect moderate early-season pressure near main roads; less-traveled drainages and higher basins see lighter use.

Unit 78 occupies portions of Bear Lake and Franklin counties, bounded by U.S. 89 and U.S. 91 on the west, Interstate 15 and the Idaho-Utah state line on the east, and U.S. 30N on the north. The unit encompasses rolling forested terrain typical of the Bear Lake plateau region, nestled between populated areas like Preston, Ovid, and Paris. State Highway 34 and Forest Service roads provide the primary internal access framework.

The unit sits in transition country where Wasatch-range terrain meets the Bear Lake basin ecosystem.

Water sources are limited but functional for moose hunting. Perennial creeks include Mill Creek, Liberty Creek, Middle Fork Bloomington Creek, and North Fork Saint Charles Creek—all reliable drainage corridors that concentrate moose activity. Named springs scattered throughout (Paris Spring, Mahogany Basin Spring, Huckleberry Spring, Jarvis Spring) provide supplemental water, though don't rely solely on these for a water plan.

Little Valley Reservoir adds reliability in its vicinity. The network of streams and creeks makes water location manageable with route planning; moose will pattern near these reliable sources.

Unit 78 is dedicated moose country. The dense forest, abundant water, and elevation bands create textbook moose habitat from September through November. Early season strategy focuses on water sources—creeks and springs where bulls drink during warm days.

Mid-fall, focus shifts toward rutting activity in open basins and flat country where calling can be effective. The scattered meadows and flats (Danish, Paris, Telegraph, Horse) serve as glassing points to spot bulls working toward and away from cover. Late season pushes moose from higher elevations into lower basins.

Success depends on understanding the creek-to-meadow movement pattern and patience working dense timber methodically rather than covering ground quickly.