Zone 28 encompasses the Lemhi Range and the Lemhi Valley in east-central Idaho, a landscape of high, arid mountain ridges separated by broad sagebrush valleys. The Lemhi Range is a long, north-south trending mountain block rising from the valley floor at about 5,000 feet to over 11,000 feet on the highest peaks, including Diamond Peak at 12,197 feet, one of Idaho's tallest summits. Lower slopes are classic Great Basin sagebrush and bitterbrush, transitioning through mountain mahogany and Douglas fir into lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, and alpine meadows and talus at higher elevations. Aspen groves fill the mid-elevation draws and provide critical transitional habitat. The zone is primarily Salmon-Challis National Forest and BLM, with private ranch land concentrated in the Lemhi Valley along Highway 28. The town of Leadore sits in the valley and offers gas and very limited supplies; Salmon, about 45 miles north, has more options. Highway 28 runs the length of the Lemhi Valley, and forest roads climb into the range from multiple access points. Road conditions vary widely—some are well-maintained gravel, others are rough jeep tracks. Cell service is available along Highway 28 near Leadore but fades in the mountains. The Lemhi Range offers excellent mule deer hunting, with big bucks using the mahogany-sage transition zones. Elk inhabit the higher timbered country. The range is drier than central Idaho's timbered zones, so water sources concentrate game. Fall weather at elevation is cold and windy, with snow possible from early October. The high peaks create their own weather, and conditions can change rapidly. Zone 28 in the Lemhi Range and Lemhi Valley is primarily a controlled-hunt zone for elk, with mule deer available under general season in most units. Wolf presence is minimal in the Lemhi Range compared to the timbered central Idaho zones — the drier, more open terrain is less suitable wolf habitat. No wilderness designations apply, though the high Lemhi Range has roadless character above the forest road system. The zone is distinctive for its Great Basin character — sagebrush valleys, mahogany-covered slopes, and arid mountain terrain that feels more like Nevada than the wet forests of central Idaho. A tags provide general deer access; controlled elk tags are competitive but not as difficult to draw as the premier wilderness zones. The zone is known for excellent mule deer hunting in the mahogany-sage transition and along the aspen draws, where bucks in the 170-190 class are realistic. Water sources concentrate both deer and elk, making springs and creek crossings key ambush points in this dry terrain.