Unit 30, Idaho

Unit 30 spans roughly 4,100 feet in the Lemhi River valley floor up to more than 10,000 feet in the Beaverhead Mountains. The valley portion is flat to gently rolling with pastures and riparian bottoms. West-facing and southern foothills are open and grassy with scattered low shrubs. Northern and eastern slopes above the foothills rise steeply through conifer forest to talus, rockslides, and alpine terrain above treeline. The Beaverhead Mountains mark the Continental Divide and Idaho-Montana border on the unit's eastern edge.

Unit 30 is bounded on the west by Idaho Highway 28, which runs the length of the Lemhi Valley between Salmon (US 93) and Leadore. Idaho Highway 29 forms the southeastern boundary, branching from Highway 28 and climbing over Bannock Pass into Montana. Primary public land managers are the BLM Salmon Field Office (~46.7% of unit) and the Salmon-Challis National Forest, Leadore Ranger District (208-768-2500; ~29.9% of unit). Key trailheads and campgrounds in the Leadore Region of Salmon-Challis NF include Big Eightmile Campground/Trailhead, Bear Valley Horse Camp, Meadow Lake Campground, Hawley Creek Upper and Lower Campgrounds, and Timber Creek Campground — all accessed off Hwy 28 or Hwy 29. The northern unit boundary contacts the Salmon River east of Salmon city (US 93 bridge). No federally-designated wilderness areas exist within the unit boundaries. The motorized hunting rule restricts off-road vehicle use to established legal roadways from August 30 through December 31. Elk hunting outside the National Forest boundary is restricted to antlerless elk within one mile of private cultivated crop fields.

Lower valley and foothill elevations support sagebrush, bitterbrush, serviceberry, and native grasslands. Foothills transition to patches of Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, and blue spruce. Mid- to upper-slope forests consist of Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, and lodgepole pine. Alpine zones above roughly 9,000 feet transition to lichens, mosses, low shrubs, wildflowers, and exposed rock. Riparian corridors along the Lemhi River and its tributaries contain willows and marsh vegetation. Overall land cover is approximately 67% rangeland and 17% forest by area.

Unit 30 supports elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, black bear, mountain lion, gray wolf, moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goat. Elk populations in Units 30 and 30A have been increasing based on aerial surveys and are above management objectives, with a bull-to-cow ratio of approximately 35 bulls per 100 cows. Mule deer are the primary deer quarry; populations in units east of the Salmon River are stable to slightly declining. White-tailed deer are present but are most commonly found on private land in valley bottoms. Pronghorn use open sagebrush and rangeland habitats at lower elevations. The Beaverhead Mountains serve as a biological corridor connecting the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Central Idaho Wilderness Ecosystem, facilitating seasonal movement of elk, moose, mountain goat, and bighorn sheep across the Continental Divide. Bears, mountain lions, and wolves are distributed throughout forested and transitional zones.