Unit 141, Nevada

The unit encompasses the Cortez Mountains, which run southwest-to-northeast between Crescent Valley and Pine Valley, with the range's northeastern terminus reaching the Humboldt River near Palisade (approximately 9.5 miles southwest of Carlin). Valley floors (Crescent Valley, Pine Valley) sit at roughly 5,000 feet; mid-elevation ridges and hills run from 6,000 to 7,500 feet; and the upper Cortez Mountains reach to 9,153 feet (2,790 m) at Mount Tenabo, the range's high point. Upper terrain features rock outcroppings and open sagebrush basins with steep, rugged ridgelines. The terrain is characterized by wide, open valleys transitioning to increasingly rocky and steep mountain flanks.

Unit 141 is predominantly public land administered by the BLM. Private land is concentrated on valley floors in Crescent Valley and Pine Valley along agricultural areas and stream corridors. Primary highway access includes Nevada State Routes 306, 278, 305, and US Highway 50. Per NDOW, the units are accessible via several well-maintained dirt roads off NV-305, NV-306, NV-278, and US-50. Most hunting areas are passable with a standard pickup; some side roads and upper-elevation areas require high clearance or four-wheel drive, especially when wet. The BLM operates a developed campground at Mill Creek approximately 20 miles south of Battle Mountain; the USFS provides a fee campground at Bob Scott Summit on US-50 about 6 miles east of Austin. Primitive dispersed camping is permitted on BLM public lands. Nearest full services are in Eureka (most supplies and services per NDOW biologist), and Battle Mountain and Austin also provide gas, food, and lodging. Carlin and Elko to the north offer all services. There are no public campgrounds within the unit itself.

Valley floors support big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) steppe. From roughly 6,000 to 7,500 feet, pinyon-juniper (Pinus monophylla / Juniperus osteosperma) woodland covers the hillsides. Above 7,500 feet vegetation transitions to open sagebrush basins and mountain shrub communities (bitterbrush, serviceberry). Riparian corridors follow seasonal streams draining off the Cortez range. The sagebrush-steppe valleys serve as critical winter range for mule deer and year-round pronghorn habitat. Pronghorn densities are highest in the valley foothills and open flats of Crescent Valley.

Pronghorn antelope are present year-round at lower elevations; per NDOW, the highest pronghorn densities occur in the southern portion of unit 141 in the foothills of the Cortez range and in Crescent Valley. Most pronghorn are found in valley bottoms or on toeslopes of mountains. Mule deer are present but the NDOW unit group sheet notes the majority of deer in the 141-145 group are concentrated in the Diamond Range (Unit 144); Unit 141 has a smaller resident deer population with hunting improving late in October as deer migrate into the unit. Mountain lion are present as an opportunistic predator associated with mule deer distribution. The broader sagebrush landscape supports chukar partridge on rocky talus slopes and canyon edges. Wild horses and burros are present on BLM lands and can compete with deer and pronghorn for forage and water.