Unit 015, Nevada

Classic Great Basin topography: rugged volcanic rims and large plateaus dissected by canyons and draws. Valley floors sit around 4,000 ft; the high point is Poodle Mountain at 6,958 ft. The Buffalo Hills feature a basaltic circular plateau with deep canyons on the south and west flanks and broad flat plains on top. Smoke Creek Desert playa occupies low points in the southern section. Volcanic origins make cross-country vehicle travel difficult.

Unit 015 is managed almost entirely by BLM under the Winnemucca District Office (5100 East Winnemucca Blvd, Winnemucca, NV 89445) with a seasonal Black Rock Field Station at 200 Transfer Road, Gerlach, NV 89412 (775-623-1500). Less than 5% of the unit is private land. Primary highway access: Nevada State Route 447 provides the main corridor — approach from Reno northbound (~90 miles) or from Cedarville, CA southbound on Hwy 447 to Gerlach, which sits at the eastern tip of the unit and offers motels, food, and fuel. From Gerlach, Hwy 447 continues north into the unit. The southern portion is accessed via Smoke Creek Road (good gravel). Secondary roads include Buffalo Creek Road, Buckhorn Road, Painter Flat Road, and Pilgrim Lake Road. The road network is very limited — most secondary roads require four-wheel drive and become impassable in winter or wet conditions; carry extra fuel, spare tires, tire chains, and water. No developed campgrounds exist; dispersed BLM camping is allowed. Squaw Creek Reservoir is a popular trailer/RV staging area. The Buffalo Hills Wilderness Study Area (WSA, approximately 46,000 acres) within the unit is non-motorized for hikers and equestrians; motorized use confined to surrounding non-wilderness trails. Burn restrictions are frequently in effect — contact BLM before hunting season. Nearest hospitals and full services are in Cedarville CA, Susanville CA, and Reno.

Low elevations dominated by big sagebrush, black sagebrush, Mormon tea, and fourwing saltbrush; playa in the Smoke Creek Desert zone. Mid-elevations transition to sagebrush with bitterbrush and scattered western juniper. Upper-elevation deer and antelope habitat is characterized by mountain mahogany, bitterbrush, big sagebrush, and western juniper. Small aspen stands occur on northeast-facing slopes and near perennial water sources. Cheatgrass and medusahead have encroached heavily following repeated wildfires, degrading sagebrush and bitterbrush cover across much of the unit; the Poodle Fire burned along the Units 014/015 border.

Pronghorn antelope inhabit the unit year-round, with an estimated population of roughly 1,000 and a stable trend. Water sources and antelope are more concentrated in the northern half. Mule deer in this unit are primarily interstate migrants from California summer range (California Hunt Unit X5b); resident deer exist at low density year-round, and significant numbers only move into the Nevada winter ranges — Mixie Flat, Painter Flat, Wilcox/Willow Canyon, Buffalo and Parsnip Creeks, Red Mountain, Twin Peaks, Burro Peaks — after early winter snowstorms push migration. The resident deer herd is a non-standard unit managed by success-rate objective rather than buck-ratio objective; populations are well below historic highs (estimated down 60-70% from peaks of the late 1980s), partly due to repeated large fires consuming critical sagebrush-bitterbrush winter habitat. California bighorn sheep occur in the Buffalo Hills. Sage grouse are present and subject to a limited two-day season. Chukar partridge inhabit rocky canyon terrain throughout the unit, generating roughly 3,500 hunter days annually. Mountain lion are present statewide and available on an over-the-counter tag in Nevada. Wild horses (Buffalo Hills HMA) share the range.