Unit 156, Nevada

Unit 156 spans Great Basin basin-and-range topography with north-south trending mountain ranges separated by broad valley floors. Elevation ranges from roughly 4,800–5,500 ft on valley bottoms (Reese River Valley, Antelope Valley, Crescent Valley, Grass Valley) up to approximately 9,678 ft at Mount Lewis (highest peak in the Shoshone Range, Lander County) and 9,147 ft at Fagan Mountain in the Simpson Park Mountains. The Fish Creek Range reaches 8,127 ft in the Eureka County portion. Terrain on the mountain flanks is a mix of rolling sagebrush benches cut by numerous creek drainages, transitioning to steeper rocky slopes and canyon country at upper elevations. Basin floors are broad and relatively flat, with alluvial fans merging into valley playas.

The unit is predominantly BLM public land managed by the Battle Mountain District, Mount Lewis Field Office (50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV). USFS land is also present within the broader management area. Nevada State Route 305 (Austin to Battle Mountain, approximately 87.7 miles through Lander County) is the primary paved corridor, running north-south through the Reese River Valley and providing the main staging axis for unit access. U.S. Route 50 skirts the southern end of the unit group area near Austin. Numerous dirt and gravel two-track roads branch off NV-305 and US-50 into the mountains and valleys; four-wheel drive may be necessary when dirt roads are wet, and high clearance is required on some side roads. There are no designated wilderness areas within the core of units 151–156, making the unit motorized-accessible by road where routes exist. Several Herd Management Areas overlap the unit — including Fish Creek and Roberts Mountain — and BLM gathers are conducted periodically. Staging communities are Austin (US-50/NV-305 junction) to the south and Battle Mountain (I-80/NV-305 junction) to the north; both provide gas, food, and lodging. 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 six miles east of Austin.

The dominant cover below roughly 6,500 ft is Wyoming and basin big sagebrush steppe with perennial bunchgrasses (bluebunch wheatgrass, Indian ricegrass). Pinyon-juniper (single-leaf pinyon and Utah juniper) woodlands dominate mid-elevations roughly 6,000–8,000 ft and have expanded significantly over recent decades, prompting ongoing BLM and NDOW removal projects. Mountain mahogany occurs in the transition zone and on upper rocky slopes. Riparian corridors along Reese River tributaries, Antelope Creek, Fish Creek, and Roberts Creek support willows, cottonwoods, and sedge meadows. Large-scale wildfires since the late 1990s have burned extensively across Management Areas 14–15, and post-fire areas have been reseeded with forage kochia, crested wheatgrass, and native species. Exotic annual grasses (cheatgrass) dominate lower-elevation burn scars. Wild horse overgrazing is a significant habitat-degradation factor across all cover types.

Mule deer are present in the unit but mule deer density is extremely low — NDOW biologists specifically note that hunting in unit 156 is typically unproductive. The highest mule deer densities across Management Area 15 are in units 152 (Mt. Lewis canyons) and 155 (Simpson Park Range). Deer in the broader unit group use mid- to high-elevation pinyon-juniper and mountain mahogany as summer range and descend to lower sagebrush benches for winter. The 2024-2025 spring survey for the unit group (151-156) yielded 51 fawns:100 adults — the highest ratio recorded since 2012 — with a modeled fall population of approximately 3,100 animals for the entire group. Pronghorn antelope are the primary big-game target in unit 156, ranging across sagebrush valleys and lower mountain benches. NDOW notes that in units 151, 153, and 156 most pronghorn congregate on private property — specifically agricultural fields — and hunters must confirm land ownership and obtain permission before accessing private land. Mountain lions are present and carry over-the-counter tags in Nevada. Greater sage-grouse inhabit sagebrush flats. Chukar partridge occur on rocky canyon slopes and rimrock. Wild horses (multiple HMAs overlap MA 15) compete significantly with native ungulates for water and forage.