Topography and Vegetation: The area is dominated by the Ferris Mountains, extremely steep, rocky ridges rising to 10,000 feet with dense conifer forest on many northern slopes. These forested stands taper quickly into sagebrush prairies which extend north to granite rock outcrops covered with scattered conifers in the northern extreme of the area. To the south, the Ferris range drops into a narrow band of foothills before leading out into stabilized and active sand dunes. The eastern Ferris Mountains had significant acreage burned during wildfires in 2011 and 2012. Riparian meadows, irrigated hayfields and limited aspen stands are found along several major creeks.
General Statement Regarding this Hunt Area: There are almost no roads, primitive or otherwise, into the Ferris Mountains, with almost all access routes stopping at the base of the range. As a result, hunting on the mountains is on foot or horseback, and most of the terrain is too steep and rocky for horses. Fortunately, most of the flowing water is at the base of the mountain and in the associated foothills and, as a result, most elk are also found in this zone. But it is not uncommon to find these elk out in the desert sand dunes, open prairie or dispersed aspen pockets. October weather may vary from dry and windy with temperatures in the 70s and 80s to freezing cold with significant snowfall. While some roads in this area become muddy and nearly impassable when wet, many roads in sandy or rocky areas remain drivable even with some precipitation.