Unit 213

The Flint Creek Range dominates the northern skyline and forms the primary watershed divide. Key navigational features include Racetrack Pass, Game Pass, and Fred Burr Pass breaking the ridge systems, while Eureka Ridge and Thornton Ridge provide travel corridors and glassing opportunities. Several basins—Dempsey, Finley, Johnson, and Horseshoe—are significant terrain features that concentrate wildlife.

Fred Burr Lake, Thompson Lake, and Mud Lake provide reference points in the high country. Rock Creek Falls marks a notable drainage feature along the southern portion of the unit.

The unit spans dramatic elevation change from roughly 4,000 feet in the lower valleys to above 10,000 feet in the high basins and ridgelines. Lower elevations feature open parks—Long Park, Willow Creek Park, Big Park—mixed with ponderosa and Douglas-fir forest on the surrounding ridges. Mid-elevation slopes are moderately timbered with transition zones toward the high country.

Upper elevations transition to subalpine meadows and sparse timber, including areas like Dempsey Basin and Finley Basin where moose are typically found. The elevation change creates distinct hunting zones across a moderate-sized unit.

The unit benefits from well-maintained Forest Service road access via FS Road 1500 (Eureka Ridge Road), FS 636 (Gold Creek Lakes Road), and several connector roads totaling over 1,200 miles of road infrastructure across the broader region. State Route 1 and Interstate 90 provide highway access along unit boundaries. The road network is connected but can be challenging in winter or wet conditions.

Main hunting pressure concentrates along accessible valleys and lower ridges; upper basin and high country areas receive less pressure due to distance from trailheads and road access points.

Unit 213 encompasses portions of Granite, Powell, and Deer Lodge Counties in southwestern Montana, anchored by Georgetown Lake on the western boundary. The unit stretches roughly northeast from the lake, bounded by State Route 1 to the south and west, Interstate 90 to the east, and the Flint Creek Mountain watershed divide to the north. The terrain encompasses both the populated Warm Springs area and the more remote high country of the Flint Creek Range.

Local towns include Georgetown, Granite, Drummond, and Princeton, providing staging points for access.

Water availability is limited and seasonal in much of the unit. Georgetown Lake and several reservoirs—Powell Reservoirs, Martin Lake, Goldberg Reservoir—support lower elevation valleys, but these are outside primary moose habitat. Rock Creek and Warm Springs Creek drainages provide reliable water in their upper reaches where they drain basin areas.

Numerous named springs including Fessler Spring and Nine Trough Spring dot the high country, though their reliability varies seasonally. Willow creeks and Swamp Gulch Creek provide intermittent water in mid-elevation areas. High basin meadows often retain moisture longer into fall.

Unit 213 is moose country, with the high basins and willow-lined meadows of Dempsey, Finley, and Johnson Basins representing core habitat. Early season hunting focuses on high meadows where moose migrate to summer range; by September rut, bulls move into willow drainages and basin bottoms. Mid-elevation transition zones with willow and aspen are productive during the rut.

Late season pushes animals down toward lower valleys and creek bottoms. The rolling terrain offers decent glassing from ridge vantage points but requires patience and careful approach in willow patches. Water becomes a limiting factor by mid-fall in some basins; identifying reliable springs is essential.