Sheep in this unit are typically seen in steep mountains between the Lemhi Valley and the Montana border and are usually found close to the state line. Some mountains are steep, rugged and rise rapidly from foothills. The valley is long, flat, narrow and is filled with pastures, farmland, marshes and the Lemhi River bottoms.
Lowlands are made up of grassy pastures with some sagebrush, river bottoms full of riparian plants like willows, river birch, alders and berry bushes, farms planted in alfalfa and some cattails and bulrushes in marshy ground. Open, grassy foothills can be found above the Lemhi Valley with sagebrush, serviceberries, bitterbrush and other low bushes. Sheep can sometimes be seen grazing on steep sections of foothills, but most are found at much higher elevations. Northern and eastern slopes above the foothills are forested with Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, ponderosa pine, subalpine fir, lodgepole pine, blue spruce and other high-elevation conifers above about 8,000 feet. Timberline is found at 9,000 feet above sea level. Lichens, mosses, low shrubs, sparse and stunted trees, wildflowers and grasses grow at or above timberline, but a lot of the high country is covered with rockslides, talus slopes and cliffs. Sheep usually find feed and cover in sparse timber. Look for rams above and below the timberline.
The main road in this area is Idaho Highway 28 located on the western boundary. Several roads including the Lewis and Clark Highway, Ramsey Mountain Road, Reece Creek Road and Peterson Creek road leave Highway 28 and follow creeks and canyons up the mountains to the east. The northern part of this area has a lot of private land along Highway 28 and up several drainages, but Forest Roads access ground above private land. Plan to hike or ride horses to get to elevations where bighorn sheep can be found.
Hunters can camp along dirt roads or pack a light mountain tent into roadless sectors. Salmon Meadows Campground and RV Park in Salmon has cable TV hookups. Agency Creek Campground offers four primitive sites at no charge. Lower Hawley Creek Campground, located just east of Leadore and just outside the unit, offers free camping on 22 primitive campsites. Lodging available in Salmon includes Sacajawea Inn, Syringa Lodge and Stagecoach Inn next to the Salmon River.