Unit 73A

The Deep Creek Mountains provide the most recognizable landscape feature, with Buck Peak, Bannock Peak, and Deep Creek Peak serving as dominant glassing references and navigation anchors. Paps Mountain and Moonshine Peak offer additional vantage points for evaluating terrain. Flat Ridge runs east-west and provides a navigation marker.

Major drainages like Bannock Creek, West Fork Sunbeam Creek, and Keogh Creek offer travel corridors and drainage systems to work. Jim Brown Pass and Danish Pass provide natural saddles for crossing terrain. Wheatgrass Bench and Howard Flat are recognizable bench terrain worth hunting.

Key springs including Waylett Spring, Buck Spring, and Sagehen Springs should be noted as water sources for both planning and deer concentration areas.

The unit spans low-elevation sagebrush country near the Idaho-Utah border rising into moderate-elevation ponderosa and juniper woodlands. Lower basins and benches sit in the 4,300- to 5,500-foot zone, dominated by sagebrush, bitterbrush, and scattered juniper. Mid-elevation slopes between 5,500 and 7,000 feet transition into ponderosa pine mixed with Douglas-fir and scattered mountain mahogany.

The Deep Creek Mountains push higher, with more consistent forest cover and tighter timber as elevation approaches 8,700 feet. This elevation spread creates distinct habitat zones that deer use seasonally, with lower country offering early-season access and higher ridges providing cooler summer and rut-season terrain.

Approximately 794 miles of road thread through the unit, providing solid access to most hunting areas. State Highway 37 crosses west to east, with Interstate 86 forming the northern boundary and providing alternative access. Forest Service roads branch extensively into mid and higher elevation country, particularly up major drainages.

The connected road system means access is fair to good, though specific gates and private land boundaries require verification. This accessibility suggests moderate hunting pressure, particularly near highways and established camping areas around towns like Arbon and Pauline. More solitude lies deeper into drainages and the higher Deep Creek Mountains, where roads thin out and topography becomes more challenging.

Unit 73A straddles the Idaho-Utah state line across three counties, anchored by Bannock County to the north and extending south through Oneida and Power counties. The unit stretches roughly from State Highway 37 on the west to the Idaho-Utah border on the south and east, with I-86 forming the northern boundary near Holbrook. Major reference points include Bannock Creek and Arbon Valley drainages running through the unit, with Interstate 86 and State Highway 37 providing primary travel corridors.

The Deep Creek Mountains dominate the southern and eastern portions, while the western side transitions into more open, lower-elevation country. The unit encompasses mixed public and private land with Forest Service roads threading throughout.

Water availability is limited and seasonal, requiring careful planning. Bannock Creek and its West Fork drainage are the most reliable water sources, flowing through the northern and western portions. West Fork Sunbeam Creek and East Fork Sunbeam Creek drain the central unit.

Numerous smaller streams including Rattlesnake Creek, Moonshine Creek, and Porcupine Creek may flow seasonally. Springs are scattered throughout—Waylett Spring, Buck Spring, Garden Spring, and Sagehen Springs are the most significant. Early season offers better water availability; late season requires focusing hunting near remaining springs and creek systems.

Upper Stump Canyon Reservoir provides water if accessible, though location relative to prime deer country should be verified.

Unit 73A is mule deer country across all elevations. Early season emphasizes lower sagebrush benches and foothills where deer concentrate before heat drives them higher. Work Wheatgrass Bench, Howard Flat, and the open sage-juniper transition zones glassing for bucks moving during cool morning and evening periods.

Mid-season targets rut activity in foothill and mid-elevation drainages—focus on trails between bedding and feeding areas. High-elevation ponderosa and fir forests hold deer in summer but cool rapidly in fall. Late season requires hunting near reliable water sources; Bannock Creek, Waylett Spring, and Buck Spring areas concentrate remaining deer.

Rolling terrain and scattered timber allow spot-and-stalk hunting. Use ridge systems and saddles like Jim Brown Pass and Danish Pass to intercept migrating deer. Road access allows efficient hunting, but expect moderate pressure near established access points.