Unit 78

Rendezvous Peak and Rendezvous Mountain anchor the southern portion and offer glassing vantage points for the surrounding drainages. The Gros Ventre Buttes (East and West) frame the eastern flank and provide navigation reference. Phillips Ridge runs north-south through the heart of the unit, serving as a natural travel corridor and observation line.

Cache Creek and Granite Creek drainages cut important terrain that funnel elk movement. These features aren't just landmarks—they're functional terrain elements that shape how elk use the country.

Terrain spans from lower sagebrush benches near 6,100 feet to high ridges above 10,800 feet, with most country in the 6,500 to 8,500-foot band. Lower elevations feature open sagebrush parks interspersed with Douglas fir and lodgepole timber. Mid-elevation slopes transition to denser conifer forests with meadow pockets.

Upper ridges break into rocky terrain with scattered alpine vegetation. This elevation range creates distinct seasonal habitat zones—lower country accessible early and late season, higher ridges holding animals during summer and offering migration corridors in fall.

Two hundred miles of roads provide solid peripheral access, with Highway 22 and 191 offering straightforward entries at multiple points. Teton Village and Wilson nearby mean some day-use pressure, particularly on weekends and opening days. However, the unit's terrain—rolling, timbered, and requiring actual hiking to hunt effectively—filters out casual access.

Most hunter focus gravitates toward roaded drainages and lower benches; upper ridges and Phillips Ridge see lighter pressure. Strategic hunters can avoid crowded corridors by moving into the timbered mid-slopes.

Unit 78 occupies the western flank of the Teton Range, bounded by the Caribou-Targhee National Forest line on the north, Grand Teton National Park's western boundary, and U.S. Highway 191 to the east. Wyoming Highway 22 frames the southern and western edges at Teton Pass. The unit sits immediately west of Jackson Hole and the park, forming a natural transition zone between high alpine terrain and the lower sage valleys.

Its compact size concentrates hunting pressure in a defined area with clear geographic anchors.

The Gros Ventre River runs through the unit's eastern section, providing reliable water year-round. Cache Creek and Granite Creek offer perennial flow through their drainages, supporting the mid-elevation timber zones. Lake Creek and several spring-fed draws supplement water availability across the higher terrain.

This moderate water profile means elk have consistent access throughout the unit rather than being forced to specific seeps. Water scarcity isn't a limiting factor for hunting strategy here—instead, focus on how drainage systems concentrate travel corridors.

Elk are the primary quarry in this Teton Range foothill country. Early season hunting works lower sagebrush parks and timber edges where elk migrate from higher summer pasture. Mid-season calls for moving into denser timber on mid-elevation slopes, particularly around Phillips Ridge drainages where bulls concentrate before rut.

Late season focuses on lower country and southern aspects as elevation snow pushes animals downslope. The rolling, timbered terrain rewards glassing from ridges, then working drainages and benches systematically. Water availability throughout eliminates need to hunt specific seeps—instead, hunt quality habitat and be willing to cover vertical.