This hunting district is found in northwest Montana along the Canadian border and just west of Glacier National Park (GNP). This area features some extremely steep terrain, many mountain lakes, and some breath taking views. Hunting success has taken a massive dip in recent years with heavy predation from Grizzlies and Wolves moving out of GNP. This area still sees a fairly healthy whitetail population, but hunters looking to pursue mule deer or elk will find much greater success in adjoining units. Grizzlies are present in this area so precautions need to be taken.

Predation problems on ungulates continues to be a persistent problem in this area and will likely continue to be a problem for the coming years.

This area is comprised of very steep terrain and will test nearly every hunter with their physical limits. From the flatlands on the southern and eastern borders, heavily timbered ridges rise rapidly and top out in craggy spines and peaks. At these high points rock slides and mountain lakes can be found in abundance. Hunters looking to hunt this district should put pre-season physical training at the top of the list.

Overall, the vegetation cover in this area will generally be very thick. Because of the lush climate hunters will often encounter nearly impassible areas chock full of alders and mountain maple. Lodgepole, doug fir, red fir, subalpine fir, and cedar will be found in abundance here as well as patches of white pine and ponderosa pine. In the highest elevations look for periodic areas where the trees will give way to patches of native grasses, lakes and rock fields. Down in the valley floors hunters will encounter logging activity and some agricultural development.

Nearly all of this district is classified as publicly owned lands with the exception of some arrows along the eastern border and much of the southern tip around Whitefish. Many roads that exist throughout the unit allow for vehicle access in the backcountry yet most hunters will still need to climb a great deal when hunting elk or mule deer. As with most other units, the highest hunter numbers will be found around roads and trailheads but hunters should be able to easily escape outside pressure due simply in part to the steepness of the surrounding terrain. With its close proximity to GNP, recreational hikers may also be encountered on the some of the area’s designated trails -these encounters will obviously decline rapidly as the weather turns colder.