Unit S28-1 (Bighorn Sheep Hunt Area 28-1)
Idaho Hunting Guide — Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
Hunt Area 28-1 is drawn from unit 28, in Lemhi County. Named ground inside it runs from 3,277 to 9,509 feet. Idaho Fish and Game publishes no per-unit Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep success figure we can verify for this hunt area. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.
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Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit S28-1
Hunt Area 28-1 is drawn from unit 28, in Lemhi County. Named ground inside it runs from 3,277 to 9,509 feet. Idaho Fish and Game publishes no per-unit Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep success figure we can verify for this hunt area. Check land status on a current map before you plan a route.
Where to Find Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in Hunt Area 28-1
Idaho Fish and Game draws an exact line around hunt area 28-1 and says nothing about where the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep stand inside it. Every place named below sits inside the hunt-area line. Which of them holds animals in your season is for you to find out.
What hunt area 28-1 is
Idaho Fish and Game describes Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunt area 28-1 as that portion of Unit 28 within the Panther Creek drainage downstream from and including the Copper Creek and Black Bird Drainage; and that portion of Unit 28 within the Salmon River drainage downstream from and including the Pine Creek drainage. That makes it a piece of ground drawn for this hunt, not a unit, and the outline on this page is IDFG's own polygon for it rather than a unit outline. The units it is drawn from lie in Lemhi County. Idaho Fish and Game also uses the code 28-1 for deer and pronghorn hunts, and in its own words "hunt areas are different for each species" — those are other pieces of ground, and this page is the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep area.
High ground inside the line: Fishfin Ridge, Yellowjacket Mountains and Gant Ridge
Named high points inside the hunt area include Fishfin Ridge at 9,509 feet, Yellowjacket Mountains at 9,509 feet, Gant Ridge at 9,434 feet, Cathedral Rock at 9,372 feet and Dome Mountain at 9,310 feet. Several carry a public-land flag in our data, which makes them the first places to try for a view. Sheep need rock to escape into and will not stand far from it.
Holding ground: China Gulch, White Horse Basin and Missouri Gulch
Below them sit China Gulch at 6,594 feet, White Horse Basin at 6,368 feet, Missouri Gulch at 6,075 feet, Ludwig Gulch at 5,543 feet and Arrastra Gulch at 5,026 feet. That is the low country of the hunt area — the ground animals drop into when they are pushed or when the weather turns. Pick the one with the least road on its upwind side.
Water: Sagebrush Spring and Napias Creek Falls
Named sources include Sagebrush Spring and Napias Creek Falls. Nothing in the data says which of them run in autumn, so a scouting trip earns its fuel.
How high the named ground goes
Named ground inside hunt area 28-1 runs from 3,277 feet to 9,509 feet — more than 4,000 feet between the named features alone, so the season you draw decides which part of it you hunt.
Unit S28-1 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
Named features inside the unit
Glass from: Fishfin Ridge (9,509 ft), Gant Ridge (9,434 ft), Dome Mountain (9,310 ft), Lake Mountain (9,264 ft)
Holding ground: Oregon Gulch (7,885 ft), Smith Gulch (6,895 ft), Davis Gulch (6,851 ft), Sagebrush Spring, Napias Creek Falls
Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.
How to Hunt Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep in Hunt Area 28-1
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Success Rates
Idaho Fish and Game's per-unit harvest statistics describe general seasons on game management units, and hunt area 28-1 is a controlled-hunt area, not a unit, so there is no figure here we can tie to it. A unit's general-season number would describe different hunters on different ground. Idaho Fish and Game's hunt planner reports controlled-hunt results hunt by hunt, which is the figure to check before you apply.
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds
Draw odds data not available for this specific unit/species combination in our database.
Search Idaho Draw OddsIdaho Fish and Game's 2026 first drawing for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in hunt area 28-1, with residents and nonresidents kept apart because they draw from different tag pools:
- Hunt 5012 — residents 62 applicants for 3 tags, 5% drawn; nonresidents 22 applicants for 0 tags, 0% drawn
- Hunt 5026 — residents 46 applicants for 1 tag, 2% drawn; nonresidents 20 applicants for 1 tag, 5% drawn
Idaho draws at random with no point system, so these are what that year happened to look like, not a requirement to build toward. Idaho Fish and Game reuses hunt numbers for different areas between years, so the figures are matched on the area each hunt had in 2026. Checked against Idaho Fish and Game's hunt planner draw results on 2026-06-09.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Idaho hunt area 28-1?
What is the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep success rate in hunt area 28-1?
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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yrSources & Verification
Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-10-24.
- Moose, Bighorn Sheep & Mountain Goat 2025 & 2026 Seasons & Rules — Idaho Department of Fish and Game · supports: Controlled hunt area description for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep hunt area 28-1, The game management units the area is drawn from, Controlled hunt numbers, tags and season dates · accessed 2026-10-24
- IDFG Hunt Planner — controlled hunt drawing odds — Idaho Department of Fish and Game · supports: Applicants, tags and percent drawn by hunt, year and residency · accessed 2026-06-09
- IDFG GameManagementUnits and ControlledHunts_All feature services — game management units and every species' controlled-hunt areas — Idaho Department of Fish and Game · supports: Mapped extent of the unit or hunt area, Which named ground falls inside its line · accessed 2026-10-24