Unit 350

Homestake Creek, Moose Creek, and North Fork Little Boulder River form the primary drainage corridors and travel routes through the unit. Homestake Pass and Elk Park Pass offer key navigation points and potential glassing locations. Summit features like Ratio Mountain, Mount Pisgah, and Bull Mountain serve as ridge reference points for orientation on the rolling terrain.

Whitetail Reservoir and Homestake Lake provide fixed water landmarks and potential water sources, while the numerous parks—Ridge Park, Bakers Meadows, Upper Whitetail Park—break up the forest and create recognizable terrain features for planning approach routes.

The unit spans from lower foothill elevations around 4,300 feet in accessible valleys to over 8,700 feet on the highest ridges, with the median sitting around 6,200 feet. Dense forest dominates the landscape—ponderosa and Douglas fir on lower slopes giving way to lodgepole and spruce-fir at elevation. This continuous timber is punctuated by natural parks and meadows: Hidden Meadows, Tims Meadow, Upper Whitetail Park, and Lost Park provide breaks where moose congregate and hunters can glass effectively.

The rolling topography creates a mix of steep drainages and gentler park areas, building habitat diversity that supports moose across elevation bands.

Nearly 780 miles of roads crisscross the unit, creating good baseline access from Butte and neighboring towns. The Boulder-Whitetail Road and Route 69 provide main arteries; secondary roads branch into major drainages. This road density translates to moderate to high pressure on main corridors and creek bottoms during opening weeks.

However, the rolling terrain and dense forest mean that hunters pushing into side drainages away from primary roads find significantly less company. The unit's moderate complexity score reflects this balance—good access prevents true solitude but also allows hunters to slip off-trail into areas where pressure thins quickly.

Unit 350 occupies the mountainous terrain of Silver Bow and Jefferson Counties between Interstate 15 near Butte and the Boulder-Whitetail Divide to the south. The unit's western boundary follows I-15 from Butte to Boulder, then traces Route 69 south before following the Boulder-Whitetail Road to the divide itself. The eastern edge runs along the divide back toward the interstate.

This positioning places the unit immediately south and east of Butte, making it accessible from one of southwest Montana's largest population centers while still maintaining genuine backcountry character in its interior valleys.

Water is the unit's scarcest resource and therefore the critical hunting focus. Homestake Creek, Moose Creek, and the North Fork Little Boulder River provide perennial flow, but they concentrate game movement and hunter activity. Secondary creeks like International Creek, Jerry Smith Creek, and Rocky Canyon Creek offer reliable but smaller water sources.

Springs scattered throughout—Quaintance Spring, Coyote Flat Spring, Trail Spring, and others—exist but require scouting to confirm seasonal reliability. The meadows and parks often hold water in spring and early season but dry by late summer, forcing moose to migrate toward the reliable creek drainages as the season progresses.

Unit 350 is moose country, and the hunting strategy revolves entirely around finding and glassing the right water features. Early season, moose use the higher parks and meadows like Upper Whitetail Park and Hidden Meadows; target these areas with long-range optics from ridge vantage points. As season progresses and water recedes, moose concentrate along Homestake Creek, Moose Creek, and the North Fork Little Boulder River—these drainages become thermal corridors where bulls move between bedding and water.

Scout springs beforehand; a reliable spring in side drainage away from main roads may hold undisturbed animals. The dense timber requires patience and glassing discipline rather than aggressive hiking. Plan water sources carefully—areas far from main roads with confirmed seeps or small creeks offer the highest probability of unpressured moose.