This unit is on the west side of Palisades Reservoir between Bear Creek and McCoy Creek. This area holds a good number of moose on three mountains and the ridges that run off them.

Most hunters take moose ranging from 30-36” wide on average. Some great mule deer and a good number of elk are found here and can be hunted during the same seasons as moose.

Just eight miles from the Wyoming line, this unit is mostly public land in the Caribou National Forest. The high points are Big and Little Elk mountains and Poker Peak, which at 8,439 feet is between those peaks and the reservoir. Most of the land is between 6,500 and 7,500 feet in elevation. Some slopes are steep, but most of them can be crossed by horse.

Conifer forests cover most of the eastern, northeastern and northern faces of the mountains and ridges. Spruces, pines and firs are the main trees found here. Southern and western exposures are open, brushy slopes or grassy ridges. Sagebrush and serviceberry bushes are common on dry slopes, with chokecherries, elderberries and snowberries found in wetter soils. Forbs like balsamroot, lupine and dock with wild grasses grow in meadows and openings. Maple brush provides good cover and feed in places. Aspens are common, typically growing in big groves.

The main roads are McCoy Creek Road, Bear Creek/Jensen Creek Road (Forest Road 58) and Brockman Road (Forest Road 86). Forest Road 863 branches from Bear Creek Road and climbs to a trailhead up the West Fork of Elk Creek on Big Elk Mountain. Hunters can hike or ride horses off these roads to reach great interior moose habitat. Hunters in this unit can not drive ATVs except on roads open to and designed for full-size pickups. You can usually get maps online.

Most hunters camp along forest roads. Backcountry hunters can camp almost anywhere. Calamity Campground on the west side of the reservoir has a loop that remains open after mid-September with campsites that have no services.

Nearby lodging options include: