Hunt 559A1 (North Snake River)
Oregon Hunting Guide — Bighorn Sheep
North Snake River is a slice of the Snake River breaks in Wallowa County, cut from the part of Unit 59 north and west of a line to Imnaha and a piece of Unit 58 beside it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime style draw on almost entirely public ground.
Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 559A1
Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready Oregon Unit 559A1 guide around your hunt: three ranked spots with morning, afternoon and evening plays, a day-by-day plan, topo maps with every pin numbered, a camp and access plan, the legal and retrieval rules for this unit, shot discipline, a meat-care and pack-out plan, and a pre-trip checklist. Every coordinate sits on land recorded as public.
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Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 559A1
North Snake River is a slice of the Snake River breaks in Wallowa County, cut from the part of Unit 59 north and west of a line to Imnaha and a piece of Unit 58 beside it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime style draw on almost entirely public ground.
Where to Find Bighorn Sheep in the North Snake River Unit: the breaks between Temperance Creek and Imnaha
The legal line, in words
This hunt isn't a whole wildlife management unit. It takes the part of Unit 59 north and west of a line that starts at the mouth of Temperance Creek, runs southwest on trail 1778 to Warnock Corral, then follows Road 4240 south and northwest into Imnaha. It also takes the part of Unit 58 north and east of a line that follows Corral Creek to Forest Road 46, runs north to Buckhorn Spring, and drops down Cherry Creek to the Snake River. Learn that line before you scout. A ram standing across it isn't yours to shoot.
Rock between the rim and the river
Relief is the story here. Grassy Knoll tops out at 6,523 feet and Bald Knob at 6,002, while the named range bottoms out near 948 feet at the Snake itself. Kernan Point, Square Mountain and Cactus Mountain sit in between. Sheep use broken rock and steep grass faces, so begin your looking where benches meet cliff bands, and work from the river bottom up to the rim rather than the other way around. ODFW lists nearly all of this ground as public land, which means you'll rarely need a landowner's okay, only a good map.
The ground ODFW draws for this hunt
ODFW's boundary for this hunt covers about 325 square miles, 95% of it public land by ODFW's count. Named features inside the line fall in Wallowa County. Elevation runs from about 948 to 6,556 feet. The highest named points are Grassy Knoll (6,523 ft), Bald Knob (6,002 ft) and Kernan Point (5,510 ft). ODFW's description reads: "95% public lands. That part of Unit 59 north and west of the following line: Beginning at the mouth of Temperance Cr; southwest on trail 1778 to Warnock Corral; south then northwest on Rd number 4240 to Imnaha; and that part of unit 58 north and east of the following line; west along Corral Cr to FR 46; north on FR 46 to Buckhorn Spring; north along Cherry Cr to the Snake River." ODFW's line is the legal one, so check it against a current land-ownership map, and get permission before you cross private ground or a locked gate inside it.
Unit 559A1 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 1,931–6,556 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 4,095 ft ; peaks can run higher. That spread means you can hunt two seasons in one day — plan clothing for both ends.
- 325.3 sq mi inside the boundary.
Who owns the ground
- National Forest — 60%
- BLM — 15%
- State Trust — 8%
- Private / Other — 17%
Roughly 83% is public. Carry a land-status layer anyway — these are area percentages, not a map of where the boundaries fall.
Water on the ground
- 82 stream segments
- 3 lakes
Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.
Named features inside the unit
Glass from: Grassy Knoll (6,523 ft), Grizzly Ridge (6,426 ft), Monument Ridge (6,363 ft), Jakey Ridge (6,275 ft)
Holding ground: Sour Apple Flat (6,367 ft), Ninemile Saddle (5,997 ft), Mormon Flat (5,812 ft)
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 Bighorn Sheep in the North Snake River Unit: glass the benches and plan the carry
Bighorn Sheep Success Rates
559A1 N Snake Rvr: 1 taken on 2 tags. Figures are ODFW's own 2025 harvest statistics.
Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts Req |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 2,070 | 0.1% | — |
| Archery — Controlled ram only (resident) | 1 | 648 | 0.2% | — |
Data from 2025 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number.
Open in Draw Odds EngineODFW's 2026 regulations give no first-choice applicant figure we can tie to a single hunt here. See ODFW's point summary reports.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
What ground does this Oregon bighorn sheep page cover?
When is the 2026 bighorn sheep season here?
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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 2026-10-30.
- 2026 Oregon Big Game Hunting Regulations — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · supports: Hunt areas and boundary descriptions, Seasons, bag limits and 2026 tags · accessed 2026-10-30
- Big game hunting harvest statistics, 2025 — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · supports: Hunters, harvest and success · accessed 2026-10-30
- Wildlife Management Units (ArcGIS) — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife · supports: 325 square miles · accessed 2026-10-30
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the boundary — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Grassy Knoll 6,523 ft, Bald Knob 6,002 ft · accessed 2026-10-30