I have never hunted unit 1. Quite a ways north for me. I have hunted unit 6 & 7 before. Pretty good hunting there. I have not been to unit 7 in a while. I know there has been a lot of logging up there. Anything close to the st joe, avery area is always good.

I have deer hunted in unit 1. Plus there is lots of moose. I don't really here of people elk hunting in that area. I would venture closer to the idaho\montana border than the washington\idaho border.

I went to alot of forest service meetings this last year. The ranger district in sandpoint is very protective of there elk herds on the east side of ponderay lake. This tells me there is alot more elk there than farther up north.

I have also seen elk up the pack river draingage.

I have only hunted deer and Black bear in unit one and have seen the most sign and elk just west of Priest lake and or east of the south end of the lake. farther north you'll find areas that don't really have suitable wintering grounds and there is alot of habitat that they wouldn't prefer. One of the reasons (IMO) the elk herds in unit one are smaller is that there seems to be a very high black bear density. There are a few forest service roads that take off the hwy that runs the west side of the lake, these roads intersect the hwy towards the south end of the lake and I have seen elk and sign all around this area and this is where I would start looking if I were hunting the area.

We looked on the South side of Lake Pend Orielle near lakeview and saw little sign. We might try another scouting trip to Priest lake area soon...we're running out of time. We did see plenty of moose sign and one small bull. Thanks for the help. BG

I saw 4 cows on sunday up the pack river.

tim

try Lightening creek area out of Clarks fork. not a big herd, but there are some big, big bulls when you see them. I lived there in 1984.
good luck!