Unit 22

Spring Mountain and Windy Ridge provide key observation points for glassing the open country. E A Mountain, Black Mountain, and Table Mountain anchor the upper terrain and offer navigation references. Deacon Flat and Mountain Meadows mark significant open areas where sheep bed and forage.

Goose Lake serves as a potential water source. Named drainages—Jakeys Fork, Wiggins Fork, Bear Creek Canyon, and Pease Draw—function as travel corridors and navigation landmarks. These features create a logical framework for hunting strategy, whether working ridges or pushing drainages for animals.

Elevations span from mid-6400s to near 9000 feet, creating distinct habitat layers. Lower elevations feature sagebrush flats and draws with scattered conifer patches and open ridgetops ideal for sheep. Middle elevations transition through ponderosa forest interspersed with mountain meadows and grassland benches.

Upper elevations offer timbered escape terrain with rocky outcrops and alpine park country. The sparse forest coverage means most of the unit remains relatively open—sagebrush and grass dominate lower and mid-elevations while rocky ridges and scattered timber create the upper-elevation sheep range.

Fair road access via 78 miles of roads creates a moderate pressure dynamic. Highway 287 provides the southern gateway, with Wiggins Fork Road offering westbound access toward the national forest. Dubois serves as the logical staging town with services and supplies.

The moderate road density means most hunters can reach primary hunting areas without extensive bushwhacking, but the terrain's relative straightforwardness may concentrate pressure on obvious routes and ridges. Sheep typically utilize terrain away from roads; successful hunters will explore draws, sidehill benches, and upper parks where foot traffic remains minimal.

Unit 22 lies in the eastern flank of the Wind River Range east of Dubois, bounded by Highway 287 to the south, the Wiggins Fork drainage to the west, and the Wind River Reservation to the east. The Shoshone National Forest boundary defines the northern extent. The unit encompasses terrain that drops from high mountain slopes into sagebrush flats and scattered ponderosa stands.

This geographic position places it between the high country to the west and lower reservation lands to the east, creating a natural transition zone where sheep utilize multiple terrain types seasonally.

Water is limited and scattered, critical for sheep hunting strategy. Goose Lake and reservoirs like Bitterroot Number 1 and Double Diamond Number 1 offer reliable sources, though they're concentrated in specific areas. The drainage system—Wiggins Fork, Bear Creek, Tappan Creek, Torrey Creek, and Spear Creek—provides secondary water but runs seasonally.

Spring Mountain, Windy Ridge, and associated flats suggest spring-fed sources common to sheep country. Hunters should scout water locations thoroughly; animals may concentrate near reliable sources during dry periods, but sheep often exploit high-country snowmelt areas missed by casual observers.

This is a bighorn or desert sheep unit requiring a traditional approach: high-country glassing combined with strategic foot travel. Use Spring Mountain, Windy Ridge, and Table Mountain as primary glassing stations to locate animals on open slopes and benches. Early season means sheep are higher and more accessible; work the ridgetop transitions where animals move between feeding and bedding areas.

Scout drainages like Bear Creek Canyon and Pease Draw for animals using timber escape cover. Water sources concentrate sheep during dry periods—position yourself with visual control of known springs and reservoirs. The moderate complexity and open character reward patience and persistent glassing over random canyon exploration.