Bowhunters can hunt deer of either sex for a long season, or elk during a shorter season in this small area that is made up of land along American Falls Reservoir and a narrow strip along the Snake River all the way to Idaho Falls.

Some local bowhunters like this hunt because they can pursue mule deer and whitetails from August until late December. Some bucks reach trophy size because there is no rifle season and a lot of hunting takes place on private land, where hunters need permission to access.

This area covers just a small area around American Falls Reservoir and narrow strips of land along the Snake River all the way to Idaho Falls and Blackfoot. There are also thousands of acres of the western half of Fort Hall Indian Reservation within the unit. The BLM manages a few islands in Snake River, and the Department of Fish and Game manages the 3,400-acre Sterling Wildlife Management Area between the reservoir and Aberdeen.

Some hunters float the river to reach islands and BLM land along the river, but most land in this unit is private, so hunting permission from landowners is necessary.

Along the Snake River, deer live in heavy brush, bulrushes, cattails, dense willows, weeds and phragmites feeding in nearby farm fields at night. American Falls Reservoir is surrounded by irrigated farm land and a small amount of marsh and brush land. Sterling Wildlife Management Area has some dense rushes, cattails and other water plants that give cover for deer.

Lodging is available in American Falls, Blackfoot and Idaho Falls. Willow Creek Recreation Area offers camping until Nov. 1. Massacre Rock State Park offers 50 campsites and is open all year, but has limited services in winter. Indian Springs Resort and RV Park has 120 campsites, 30 of them with full hookups, including sewer.