The Owyhee River originates in Nevada, passes through Idaho, and flows into the Snake River in Oregon. Most of the Owyhee River Canyon is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, with the rest under the Bureau of Reclamation, the State of Oregon, and private management. The geologic life of the Owyhee River Basin began nearly 14 million years ago, and the river flows through strata of the Miocene, Pliocene, and Pliestocene Eras. The Owyhee Canyon offers scenic, historical, zoological, geological, botanical, archaeological, hunting, fishing, float boating, and wilderness values. The gorge provides winter protection to hundreds of mule deer, while chukar, partridge, and valley quail inhabit the canyon floor and rock slopes, golden eagles and a variety of hawks nest on rock ledges, and the river supports small-mouth bass, rainbow trout, and channel catfish. The livestock industry has been in the Owyhee River area since the 1800s, and wild horses can be found watering at the river where the deep gorge has been cut by tributary drainages. The canyon also contains signs of Indian and pioneer occupation, including rock shelters, petroglyphs, cabins, waterwheels, and corrals.