HD 104 encompasses the Ninemile Valley northwest of Missoula—a broad, timbered drainage flanked by forested ridges that feels surprisingly remote for being so close to a university town. Elevations run from about 3,400 feet on Ninemile Creek near its junction with the Clark Fork up to 7,500 feet on the surrounding ridgelines. The valley floor is a mix of ponderosa pine parks, open meadows, willow-lined creek bottoms, and scattered ranches. The hillsides carry thick Douglas fir and lodgepole pine, with dense spruce-fir stands on the upper north-facing slopes. The Ninemile drainage has a storied history with wolves—the Ninemile pack was one of the first documented packs in western Montana during recovery—and the predator-prey dynamics here shape elk behavior in ways that keep the animals wary, nocturnal, and hard to pin down. Elk are the primary draw, with whitetail in the bottoms and mule deer on the drier south-facing slopes. Lolo National Forest dominates the HD, with private ranches along the valley floor and scattered state sections. The Ninemile Road follows the creek north from I-90 near Huson, and forest roads branch into the side drainages. Access is decent but the roads get rough quickly above the main valley, and some close early when fall rains deteriorate the surface. Missoula is 30 minutes east with full services. Cell service works in the lower valley near the highway and fades as you head north into the drainage. This HD flies under the radar compared to the Bitterroot and Blackfoot—it does not have the same name recognition, which works to your advantage. The elk here are timber elk that have learned to deal with wolves and human pressure, so they bed deep in the dark north-slope timber and move primarily at the edges of daylight. Slow still-hunting through the lodgepole and sitting saddles between drainages are the proven tactics here. A good tracking snow changes everything—get on fresh elk tracks in November and stay with them. HD 104 (Ninemile Valley) flies under the radar compared to the Bitterroot and Blackfoot — it lacks the name recognition of those drainages, which works to a hunter's advantage. General elk tags are available OTC for residents. Lolo National Forest dominates the HD. No designated wilderness exists. The Ninemile drainage has a storied wolf history — the Ninemile pack was among the first documented during wolf recovery — and the predator-prey dynamics shape elk behavior here. Elk are timber-dwelling animals that bed deep in dark north-slope spruce-fir and move primarily at dawn and dusk. Block Management is not a major factor due to the forest-dominated landscape. The Ninemile Road dead-ends, which keeps through-traffic out and reduces casual pressure compared to highway-accessible units. Slow still-hunting through lodgepole and sitting saddles between drainages are the proven tactics. A good tracking snow in November changes everything — get on fresh elk tracks and stay with them. The lower valley has private ranches, but most of the huntable mountain terrain is national forest.