Unit 244, Nevada

Terrain is low-elevation Mojave Desert ranging from approximately 1,640 feet near the town of Moapa to a high peak of 5,203 feet on the main Arrow Canyon ridge. The landscape transitions from fairly level, unbroken bajada (alluvial fans) and valley floors to steep, rocky canyons, cliff bands, and broken ledges on the Arrow Canyon Range. The main ridge is described by NDOW biologists as extremely steep and rocky.

Most bighorn sheep habitat is public land administered by the BLM Las Vegas District. The Moapa River Indian Reservation occupies a large portion of the east side of the unit and is closed to public hunting; NDOW strongly recommends tagholders contact the Moapa Band of Paiutes First Nation (702-865-2787) for permission to use the 2-track road from the Ute Exit on I-15 across reservation lands to reach BLM ground on the east side of the Arrow Canyon Range. The west side of the Arrow Canyon Range is accessed from US Highway 93, but cliff bands prevent crossing to the east side from there. The northern portion of the Arrow Canyon Range is designated Arrow Canyon Wilderness, which prohibits all motorized vehicles — access is on foot or by stock only. No maintained trailheads or formal campgrounds exist within 20 miles; primitive camping is the rule. Full services are available in Las Vegas; limited services in Glendale and Moapa Valley.

Low-elevation desert scrub dominates, including creosote bush, white bursage, Mojave yucca, barrel cactus, and Joshua trees. Mid-elevation slopes support blackbrush. Desert washes carry honey mesquite and catclaw acacia. There is no pinyon-juniper, aspen, or alpine habitat within the unit; vegetation is entirely Mojave Desert in character. The unit receives precipitation from late-fall and winter storms plus late-summer monsoons. NDOW hauled water to three guzzlers (New Arrows #2, Cleo, and Jeannie) in December 2024 after no measurable rain from the typical late summer monsoon season (April 2024–February 2025).

Desert bighorn sheep (Nelson bighorn) are the primary game species and the principal reason for NDOW management focus on this unit. The 2024 aerial survey (conducted under drought-concentrated conditions) classified 169 bighorn with a ratio of 48 rams:100 ewes:28 lambs — the highest count ever recorded for this unit; NDOW attributes the high number partly to hot, dry conditions concentrating animals around water sources. The population has been relatively stable with a slight decline in recent years due to residual disease impacts and intermittent drought. Captures in February 2025 found all 6 sampled bighorn PCR-negative for M. ovi (no active infection), though ELISA results indicate past exposure. Movement between the Arrow Canyon Range and adjacent ranges is suspected in years with poor conditions. Key bighorn habitat includes Side Canyon, Ute Canyon, Battleship Wash/Hills, and the four water developments on the main ridge. Mule deer are present but at very low densities; NDOW notes that deer are rarely harvested from the Arrow Canyon Range and the unit is not considered good deer habitat. The Arrow Canyon Wilderness supports desert tortoise, chuckwalla lizards, and multiple bat species. Mountain lions are present as predators of bighorn. Gambel's quail occupy desert washes and scrub, particularly near Glendale. No elk or pronghorn are established in Unit 244 (those species occur in adjacent units to the north).