Unit 24

The Teton Range forms the dominant northern landmark, with individual peaks like Rendezvous Mountain and Mount Jedediah Smith providing unmistakable reference points. Lower summits including Baldy Knoll, Treasure Mountain, and Fossil Mountain offer glassing opportunities from ridgelines. Phillips Ridge and Hurricane Pass serve as useful terrain markers for navigation across mid-elevation country.

Taylor Basin and Alaska Basin on the northwestern slopes provide geographic anchors. Memorable drainages include the Gros Ventre River system, Roaring Creek, and the North Fork drainages—these function as both water sources and logical travel corridors through otherwise brushy terrain.

Terrain spans from mid-elevation sagebrush meadows and aspen-dominated draws up through moderate-to-dense conifer zones, with the highest ridges approaching subalpine character. The rolling topography creates natural benches and ridgelines where ponderosa and lodgepole pine dominate, interspersed with aspen groves in draws and north-facing slopes. Lower elevations around Jackson and the Gros Ventre drainage remain relatively open, supporting sage and grassland with scattered conifers.

This variety produces distinct habitat zones: open valleys where bears move through seasonally, transitional forest edges offering good feeding habitat, and higher ridges serving as travel corridors.

Well over 370 miles of roads penetrate the unit via Highway 22, Highway 189, and the Moose Wilson Road—indicating strong connectivity and predictable hunter distribution around Jackson and major trailheads. The town of Jackson itself is a major pressure point; expect significant use around Moose, Wilson, and Teton Village staging areas, particularly on weekends. Mid-elevation ridges and south-facing slopes see consistent early-season pressure.

Quieter hunting typically occurs deeper in canyons and on less obvious ridgelines away from main drainages. The rolling terrain and moderate forest provide reasonable complexity for hunters willing to work away from primary access points.

Unit 24 is framed by Jackson to the south, the Wyoming-Idaho border to the west, and the Grand Teton National Park boundary to the north and east. The Snake River forms part of the eastern boundary, while Highway 22 and Highway 189 define major access routes on the south and east sides. The unit straddles the transition zone between Jackson Hole's relatively open valleys and the heavily forested slopes leading toward the Tetons.

This positioning makes it a gateway unit with distinctive access patterns—highly navigable southern sections and progressively more rugged terrain northward.

The Gros Ventre River runs through the eastern portion with reliable flow, while the Snake River defines the park boundary. Multiple permanent streams cross the unit including Roaring Creek, Hungry Creek, Lake Creek, and Terrace Creek, creating a network of reliable water sources despite the 'limited' overall designation. Coal Creek Meadows and Moose Meadows mark areas of concentrated water availability.

Springs including Nelson Spring and Abercrombie Warm Springs provide additional water access, particularly valuable in higher basins. The drainage system is well-defined enough that water rarely becomes a critical limiting factor, especially during spring and fall hunting seasons.

Black bear hunting in Unit 24 focuses on spring and fall movement patterns tied to elevation and food availability. Spring bears emerge from dens at lower elevations before migrating upslope as green-up progresses; focus early season efforts on aspen draws, sagebrush edges, and south-facing slopes where bears feed on emerging vegetation. The transition zones between sage meadows and conifer forest are particularly productive.

Later in spring, bears move toward higher basins including Taylor and Alaska basins as alpine herbs become available. Fall hunting capitalizes on downslope movement; glassing ridgelines during early morning hours can reveal bears using high passes like Phillips Pass and Hurricane Pass. Stream corridors including Roaring Creek and North Fork drainages funnel bears during spring and fall transitions.