Unit 73

The Bannock Range and Malad Range form the eastern spine, with peaks like Old Baldy, Elkhorn Peak, and Kents Peak providing navigation references and elevated glassing vantage points. Swan Lake and Samaria Lake anchor water-focused territory in the higher country, while the interconnected reservoir system—including Twin Lakes, Oxford, Devil Creek, and Curlew Valley reservoirs—marks lower-elevation water sources. Major passes like Malad Pass and Eagle Pass serve as natural migration corridors and topographic guides.

Stark Canyon, Wood Canyon, and the various forks of larger drainages funnel game movement through predictable corridors.

Terrain rises from desert floor basins around 4,300 feet through rolling sagebrush benchlands to higher ridges and mountain peaks exceeding 9,200 feet. Most of the unit sits in the lower-to-mid elevation bands, with open sagebrush plains dominating the western sections and scattered juniper and ponderosa appearing on higher slopes and ridges. Sparse tree cover characterizes much of the country, creating open glassing opportunities in lower elevations while pockets of timber offer cover on steeper terrain.

The landscape feels more arid Great Basin than forested mountain, with wide views and defined drainages cutting through the sagebrush.

Nearly 2,300 miles of roads dissect the unit, creating well-distributed access from multiple directions. The Arimo-Garden Gap-Rattlesnake Road, State Highway 34, and various county roads provide entry points throughout. This connected road network supports fair accessibility for most hunters but also distributes pressure predictably—roads lead to obvious hunting zones.

Valley floors and reservoir areas receive concentrated hunting effort. Higher peaks and drainages in the Bannock and Malad ranges see lighter foot traffic due to steeper terrain and distance from road ends. Hunting success often hinges on moving away from roads into the rolling country between major drainages.

Unit 73 encompasses portions of Bannock, Franklin, Power, and Oneida Counties in southeastern Idaho, bounded by U.S. 89 and 91 on the west and south, the Idaho-Wyoming border to the east, and extending northward through Soda Springs and Arimo. The unit sprawls across roughly 2,300 miles of road network, capturing a diverse sweep of territory that includes major basins like Oxford, Pocatello Valley, and Clifton, plus the higher Bannock and Samaria mountain ranges on the eastern perimeter. Small communities including Soda Springs, Montpelier, and Weston provide logical staging points for hunters accessing different unit sections.

Water distribution is moderate but scattered. The reservoir chain provides reliable surface water at lower elevations, particularly Twin Lakes, Oxford, and Devil Creek reservoirs. Higher country springs including Pleasantview Warm Springs, Big Malad Spring, and Little Malad Spring serve as seasonal water sources in spring and early summer.

Major creeks like Rock Creek, Sheep Creek, and Devil Creek run in defined drainages but may be intermittent in lower sections. Late summer and fall hunting pressure concentrates around these known water sources, making off-peak water locations valuable for finding less-pressured animals.

Unit 73 historically supports mule deer, pronghorn, and elk across its varied terrain, though specific seasons and species availability should be verified with current regulations. Pronghorn utilize the open sagebrush basins extensively—early season hunts focus on glassing from ridges overlooking Pocatello Valley and Clifton Basin. Mule deer inhabit the sagebrush foothills and juniper-scattered ridges, migrating between lower-elevation winter range and higher summer ground as seasons progress.

Elk use the Bannock and Malad ranges, particularly in timbered drainages with water access. Early season hunting favors high-elevation timber and spring areas; fall rut hunting targets drainage corridors and park transitions. The key to success involves reading the terrain between roads and recognizing how water and elevation drive animal movement patterns.