On the wind-blown mountain slopes south and west of Dubois winters the world’s largest herd of Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. Once found throughout all mountain habitats of the Rockies, the bighorn now survives in only a remnant of its former range. Sheep-eater Indians once hunted the mountains and basins of the Winds. In summer, elk, mule-deer, and mountain sheep inhabit the Wind River Mountains high to the west of this site, then migrate to lower-elevation wind-swept slopes and shrub-covered basins to winter. The Whiskey Basin sheep population has become an important source for western American efforts to expand the bighorn’s range and improve the species’ long-term welfare. Through transplanting and hunting, the herd in this area is maintained at about 1000 wintering bighorns, and each year excess animals are moved to reoccupy former ranges or supplement bighorn herds throughout the western U.S. and Canada. Constant winds keep foothill vegetation exposed for wintering wildlife, and in the rainshadow of the Wind River Mountains the basin generally does not retain deep snow cover, leaving shrubs and grasses available as winter food.