Unit 066, Nevada

The unit spans elevations from roughly 5,100 to 8,400 feet. Kelly Creek Mountain in the Snowstorm Mountains reaches 8,402 feet, the highest point in the unit. Terrain is highly variable: the Snowstorm Mountains and the South Fork Owyhee River drainage feature steep, rugged canyons and high ridges, while the majority of the unit — the Owyhee Desert — consists of rolling hills, shallow and deep swales, benches, tables, and broad flats. The YP Desert east of the Owyhee River (Josephine Reservoir area) provides additional open basin terrain.

Unit 066 is administered primarily by the BLM Elko District. There is no designated Wilderness within the unit, and motorized vehicle access is widespread. Key access routes: (1) From Elko, drive north on US-225 (Mountain City Highway); at Lone Mountain Station turn west onto NV-226 (Deep Creek Highway) and follow approximately 45 miles over Chicken Creek Summit — where pavement ends, turn left at the intersection of Units 062/066/067 to access the eastern Owyhee Desert. (2) From I-80 at Golconda, drive north on US-95/NV-789 and east onto the Midas-Tuscarora Road; head north out of Midas into the Snowstorm Mountains, or continue east-northeast along the Unit 066 boundary past Scraper Springs to connect to the Elko route. (3) To access the Snowstorm Mountains, follow the Unit 051/066 boundary north from the Midas-Tuscarora Road toward Chimney Reservoir. Important private land constraints: the Petan Ranch controls large tracts in the eastern unit and requires permission (call 775-756-6512) or alternate access via Duck Valley Indian Reservation/Idaho to reach the YP Desert east of the Owyhee River; Duck Valley Indian Reservation lands bordering the north are closed to hunting. Primitive dispersed camping throughout BLM lands; Wilson Reservoir has a developed campground. Nearest services: Elko (full services); Mountain City and Owyhee (limited). No gas stations exist north of I-80 until Owyhee.

The dominant cover type is big sagebrush-bunchgrass throughout the Owyhee Desert, transitioning to lower-stature shrub communities at higher basin elevations. The Snowstorm Mountains support mixed aspen, serviceberry, and mountain brush communities. The South Fork of the Little Humboldt River corridor offers riparian vegetation. Large portions of the lower desert burned in the 2018 South Sugarloaf Fire, converting shrub communities to cheatgrass and perennial grassland; in areas where invasive annuals have not dominated the fire scar, an increase of perennial grasses may expand forage availability for antelope and deer. Wildlife water developments (guzzlers) maintained by NDOW are scattered across the desert portion.

Mule deer use all elevations of the unit, concentrating in the Snowstorm Mountains during summer and early fall before migrating to lower winter range. Elk occupy the unit in smaller numbers; the highest densities in the broader unit group are in the southern Independence Range and Bull Run Mountains, with few elk found in the Snowstorm Mountains. Pronghorn antelope are distributed across the Owyhee Desert flats, concentrating near lake beds (Silver Lake, Desert Ranch Reservoir, Button Lake) and guzzlers; bench country of the Snowstorm Mountains holds additional antelope at elevations between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. California bighorn sheep are present and recovering from a pneumonia die-off in recent years; they do not appear as a standalone tag unit in the 2025-2026 quota document. Moose have been documented and hunted in the broader unit group beginning 2024 (quota 2 for units 062,064,066-068). Mountain lions are present as a resident predator. Upland game includes sage grouse (unit has been subject to emergency closures following major fires — confirm current status with NDOW), chukar partridge, Hungarian partridge, ruffed grouse, blue grouse, sharp-tailed grouse, quail, and dove. Wild horses (Owyhee HMA) share the range. The unit is extremely isolated and lightly hunted relative to its size.

1. Mule deer quota (2,237) and harvest (855 hunters afield, 97% survey success) are for unit group 061,062,064,066-068 Early ALW — not Unit 066 alone. 2. Elk quota (30 resident ALW) covers unit group 062,064,066-068 combined; density in 066 is low. 3. Pronghorn quota (30 resident ALW) is specific to Unit 066. 4. California bighorn sheep are present but Unit 066 has no standalone bighorn tag in the 2025-2026 quota document. 5. Moose quota (2) covers the large unit group 062,064,066-068. 6. Sage grouse hunting has been subject to emergency closure following the 2018 South Sugarloaf Fire — confirm current status with NDOW. 7. The draft-cited mule deer hunt info PDF actually covers unit group 062,067-068, not 066; the correct group is 061,062,064,066-068.