Unit 282, Nevada

The unit covers the Desert Range on the Clark and Lincoln County line. Elevations range from 4,000 feet on the valley floors to 6,540 feet at the highest peak on the north end of the unit. Landforms include jagged peaks, precipitous outcroppings, broad washes, and high plateaus. The Pintwater Range lies immediately northwest within the same unit access corridor.

Unit 282 is 100% public land managed by the U.S. Air Force (Nellis Air Force Base) and USFWS Desert National Wildlife Range, but has NO routine public access. The entire unit falls within the NTTR South Range. Tag-holders and their hunting party are permitted access to the Pintwater Range only through the restricted Point Bravo Gate, and only the day before the season opener. No pre-season scouting is allowed. All hunters and party members must: (1) consent to and pass a criminal background check, (2) be at least 14 years of age or older, and (3) attend the NTTR South Range hunter safety briefing upon obtaining a tag. No pets are permitted on NTTR. Season dates may be adjusted to accommodate Department of Defense operations. Nearest services: Indian Springs (partial) and Las Vegas (full services). Primitive camping is the rule; no developed campgrounds within the unit.

Vegetation follows an elevational gradient typical of the southern Nevada Mojave/Great Basin transition zone. Lower slopes and valley floors support creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) and white bursage (Ambrosia dumosa) desert scrub, with Mojave yucca and scattered cacti. Mid-elevations transition through blackbrush, Joshua tree, and mixed desert shrub communities. Upper slopes near the 6,540-ft summit support upland pinyon pine and Utah juniper woodlands with big sagebrush patches. The Desert Range bighorn sheep population depends on artificial water developments (guzzlers), as natural perennial water sources are absent in the range.

Desert bighorn sheep (Nelson/desert subspecies, Ovis canadensis nelsoni) are the primary game species and the primary conservation focus of the unit. The USFWS Desert National Wildlife Range manages the Desert Range bighorn subpopulation; sheep are permanent residents using the rugged escape terrain year-round. Mountain lions are present as a predator of bighorn sheep throughout the Desert National Wildlife Range. The refuge supports a diversity of mammal, bird, and reptile species across its elevation gradient, including species typical of both the Mojave and Great Basin desert ecosystems. Recommended sheep locations include White Sage Gap, Sheep Pass, Surprise Canyon, and the Chuckwalla and Tommy guzzler areas.