Unit 202, Nevada

The unit covers the full Wassuk Range, a north-south trending mountain block west of Walker Lake in Mineral and Lyon Counties. Elevations rise from approximately 4,100 ft at Walker Lake to 11,239 ft at Mount Grant, the highest peak in the range and approximately eight miles northwest of Hawthorne. The terrain is steep and rocky at higher elevations with dramatic canyon drainages including Cottonwood Canyon, Dry Creek, Copper Canyon, Deadman Canyon, and Cat Canyon, transitioning to broad open Great Basin valleys at lower elevations. The east face of the Wassuk Range drops abruptly toward Walker Lake and US-95.

The primary access corridor is US Highway 95, which runs along the eastern base of the Wassuk Range between Walker Lake and Hawthorne. Several improved all-weather graded and graveled roads lead west off US-95 into the unit interior; beyond these main routes, a network of rougher roads and trails requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle. The unit is predominantly BLM and USFS public land (approximately 86% public per GoHunt; HuntScore reports 75% reflecting only open civilian federal land). BLM Walker Lake Recreation Area provides public staging along the lakeshore with developed areas including Sportsman's Beach, Tamarack Beach, and 20 Mile Beach, which serve as practical access points for bighorn sheep and lower-elevation deer hunting. Tag holders for the Mount Grant area must contact the Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot directly to arrange access, as the depot restricts civilian access east of US-95 in that area. Hawthorne, the county seat of Mineral County, provides full services including fuel, food, lodging, and medical facilities.

Classic Great Basin habitat: sagebrush and scrubland dominate lower elevations and valley floors; pinyon-juniper woodland covers mid-elevation slopes; scattered aspen stands appear at higher elevations. Riparian corridors are present along major drainages at the unit margins. The rocky canyon country at lower to mid elevations supports chukar habitat throughout.

Mule deer in unit 202 are primarily migrants from the Walker-Mono Interstate herd. Hunters typically wait for deer migrating out of their Sierra Nevada summer range; concentrations form at traditional wintering areas including Buller Peak and Powell Mountain on the Wassuk Range later in the season. Buck ratios are noted as low and mature bucks are scarce. Desert bighorn sheep maintain a population on the steep rocky Wassuk Range escarpment; habitat extends from Mount Grant south through Cottonwood, Dry Creek, Copper, Cat, and Deadman Canyons. The Walker-Mono Interstate pronghorn herd summers at higher elevations in the Bodie Hills and winters on the western slope of the Wassuk Range. Mountain lion is present given the deer and bighorn prey base. Chukar partridge occupy the rocky canyon and sagebrush country throughout the unit.