Unit 064, Nevada

Unit 064 spans a wide elevation band from approximately 5,000 ft on the valley floors (Independence Valley, Boulder Valley) to high-elevation ridgelines in the Independence Mountains. Terrain transitions from rolling hills, broad benches, and shallow swales at lower elevations to steep canyon country above 7,000 ft. The North Fork of the Humboldt River drains the eastern flanks; the Owyhee River watershed lies to the north. Wildhorse Reservoir lies near the northern edge of the adjacent unit complex.

Primary access is via State Route 225 (Mountain City Highway) traveling north from Elko. Key secondary routes off SR-225 include: State Route 226 from Lone Mountain Station (accessing western portions and Hunt Units 062, 064, 066, 067, and northern 068), Gold Creek Road departing from Wildhorse Reservoir, California Creek Road (western flank), Maggie Creek Summit Road, and Jacks Creek Summit Road (northern portions). Interstate 80 provides southern entry via Maggie Creek Road (Highway 766 north of Carlin) and Highway 35 north of Battle Mountain. Most of the unit is BLM land managed by the Tuscarora Field Office (Elko District) and USFS Mountain City Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Large tracts of private land exist and must be respected; orange-topped fence posts denote restricted private land. Jerritt Canyon Mine in the central Independence Range requires hunters to check in at the mine office (accessible off SR-225) to cross to USFS-administered lands. Hunters seeking to cross the Petan Ranch to the YP Desert should call 775-756-6512 in advance, or access via Duck Valley Indian Reservation/Idaho. Camping is primarily dispersed and primitive on public lands; developed campgrounds are available at Wildhorse Reservoir State Recreation Area and Big Bend Forest Service campground. No gas stations north of I-80 until Owyhee — hunters should carry extra fuel, water, and spare tires. Cell service is limited throughout.

Dominant cover types follow an elevational gradient: sagebrush-steppe and bitterbrush dominate lower benches and valleys; mountain brush communities (serviceberry, chokecherry, mahogany) transition through mid-elevations; pinyon-juniper woodlands occupy mid-slopes; aspen, limber pine, and subalpine fir occupy higher drainages and north-facing slopes. Perennial grass meadows and riparian willow/sedge corridors occur along creek drainages. Post-fire rehabilitation areas support forb-grass regrowth with emerging new sagebrush recruitment.

Mule deer occupy the unit year-round, summering at higher elevations in the Independence Mountains and Bull Run Mountains, and migrating to lower sagebrush-steppe winter range in the Izzenhood, Sheep Creek, and southern Tuscarora Ranges as snow accumulates. Rocky Mountain elk are concentrated in the southern Independence Range, North Independence, and Bull Run Mountains during summer and fall, with smaller isolated groups in the North Tuscarora Range and Snowstorm Mountains; the northern sub-herd migrates into Idaho and Duck Valley Indian Reservation for winter. The unit group (062, 064, 066–068) elk population was estimated at approximately 625 animals (population objective: 500) as of early 2025, with a January 2025 aerial classification yielding 47 bulls:100 cows:49 calves. Pronghorn occupy bench country and lower-elevation sage flats from Lone Mountain to Wildhorse Reservoir, Double Mountain to Stag Mountain, the Adobe Range, Marsh Creek Bench, and the J-P and Diamond A Desert along the Idaho border. Additional wildlife includes bighorn sheep, mountain lion, moose (limited draw), sage-grouse, chukar partridge, Hungarian partridge, blue grouse, ruffed grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, quail, dove, and a variety of raptors and non-game species.

1. Unit 064 is never broken out in isolation in NDOW harvest or quota reports — all statistics are for the larger unit groups (mule deer: 061,062,064,066-068; elk: 062,064,066-068; pronghorn: 061,062,064,071,073). 2. The NDOW mule deer hunt information sheet on file covers unit group 062,067-068 (a late antlerless hunt); the elk sheet explicitly covers 062,064,066-068. 3. public_land_pct is null: no sourced figure was found specifically for unit 064; the NDOW info sheets describe most of the unit as BLM/USFS with large tracts of private land. 4. Moose season Sep 1–Nov 30 confirmed for unit group 061,062,064,066-068,071-077,081,101-103 per CR 25-07; quota is negligibly small (combined group quota of 2 tags per CR 25-13). 5. Season dates are 2025-2026 from CR 25-07; 2026-2027 dates are identical for this unit group.