Nevada Mule Deer Pronghorn Bighorn Sheep

Unit 031 (Bilk Creek Range, Montana Mountains and Double H Mountains)

Nevada Hunting Guide — Mule Deer, Pronghorn, Bighorn Sheep

Unit 031 covers about 1,505 square miles of Humboldt County, reached from Winnemucca, Orovada and Denio. NDOW's sheet puts most of the deer hunting in the Bilk Creek and Trout Creek ranges, with fewer deer but real chances in the Montana and Double H mountains. Early hunts belong to the high country, and the downhill migration usually comes after the season closes.

View Draw Odds Nevada Hunting Guide

🏔️

90%

Public Land

⛰️

4,121–6,641 ft

Sampled elevation

Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 031

Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready Nevada Unit 031 guide around your hunt: three ranked spots with morning, afternoon and evening plays, a day-by-day plan, topo maps with every pin numbered, a camp and access plan, the legal and retrieval rules for this unit, shot discipline, a meat-care and pack-out plan, and a pre-trip checklist. Every coordinate sits on land recorded as public.

Mule Deer guide Pronghorn guide Bighorn Sheep guide

Free accounts get one report a year with the top spot unlocked. ProHunt Pro includes unlimited reports, all three spots, the full camp plan, and GPX/KML downloads for onX and Google Earth. Prefer to see one first? Open the builder and pick any unit.

Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 031

Where to Find Mule Deer in Unit 031: Trident Peak, the Trout Creek Range and the Montanas

Trident Peak and the Bilk Creek headwaters

Most of the unit's deer hunting happens in the Bilk Creek and Trout Creek ranges. In the Bilk Creek Range, high ground is the key: the country toward Trident Peak and the headwaters of Maggie Creek and Log Cabin Creek. The head of Bilk Creek, toward Lovely Valley, is also worth a look. The Trout Creek Range can be productive along the Nevada-Oregon border.

Round Mountain, Crowley Creek and the Double H Mountains

Deer are thin in the Montana Mountains, yet NDOW doesn't write them off, pointing to Round Mountain and the head of Crowley Creek. The Double H Mountains sit low. They still hold some deer, though: try the canyons on the east side of that range and the plateaus on its northwest side.

Early seasons concentrate deer at the higher elevations. Deer do shift downhill in this unit, but that migration usually comes well after the season ends, so don't plan a hunt around waiting for it. Go up to where they already are.

The ground NDOW draws for this tag

A mule deer tag for this group is good in unit 031, about 1,505 square miles measured on NDOW's own boundary, in Humboldt County. The named ranges inside the line are Sentinel Hills, Bilk Creek Mountains, Montana Mountains, Double H Mountains and The Granites. The highest named points are Engeler Peak (8,479 ft), Trident Peak (8,356 ft) and House Creek Butte (8,211 ft), and the lowest named ground sits near 4,106 feet. We don't print a land-status split for Nevada groups, because the figures we held didn't come from BLM's surface-management data; check BLM's current map for private parcels before you cross a fence or a cattle guard. GNIS names 62 springs inside it, Mud Spring, Ninemile Summit Spring, Ikes Spring and Mud Spring among them.

Unit 031 terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

The lay of it

4,121–6,641 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 4,976 ft ; peaks can run higher.
1,505.2 sq mi inside the boundary. Big enough that picking one drainage beats driving three.

Water on the ground

27 tanks
44 springs
172 stream segments
3 lakes

Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Engeler Peak (8,479 ft), Black Diamond Peak (7,898 ft), Disaster Peak (7,752 ft), Granite Mountain (7,635 ft)

Holding ground: Seven Springs Basin (6,502 ft), Lovely Valley (6,060 ft), Bull Basin (5,838 ft), Dacite Spring, Lone Willow Spring

Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.

How to Hunt Mule Deer in Unit 031: Highways 95, 140 and 293, and the Oregon line

Highways 95, 140 and 293 out of Winnemucca and Orovada

From Winnemucca, head north on Highway 95 and then Highway 140. Orovada gives you a second way in on Highway 293, and the unit can also be reached near Denio off Highway 140. Main and secondary roads are in fairly good shape, but you'll want a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle to reach most of the actual hunting country.

The state line in the Trout Creek Range

Some of the better deer country in the Trout Creek Range runs right along the Nevada-Oregon border. Know exactly where the line is before you shoot. A Nevada tag stops at it.

Dust, chukar and creek trout

Expect warm, dry, dusty weather on the early hunts. There's no developed campground in the unit, but trailer hookups are available in Orovada and McDermitt. Chukar and other upland seasons are usually open during the regular deer hunt, so a shotgun in the truck isn't a bad idea. Some creeks offer fishing as well. Check the regulations first, since not every water is open.

The 2025 season in NDOW's own numbers

NDOW's 2025 Big Game Hunt Data is the hunter survey behind these figures: who drew, who went, who filled a tag. Success there is NDOW's own figure, successful hunters over hunters afield. NDOW ran 1 more mule deer hunt on this group, smaller ones; the draw panel lists them.

Antlered, any legal weapon, Oct 05 - Nov 05: 90 resident and 7 nonresident tags. 83 hunters went afield and 58 filled their tag (70%). Hunters reported 4.0 days afield on average. 53% of the bucks residents took carried four or more points on a side.
Antlered, archery, Aug 10 - Sep 09: 35 resident and 4 nonresident tags. 35 hunters went afield and 9 filled their tag (26%). Hunters reported 6.6 days afield on average. 50% of the bucks residents took carried four or more points on a side.
Junior, seasonal weapon restriction, Aug 10 - Nov 05: 35 resident tags. 30 hunters went afield and 22 filled their tag (73%). Hunters reported 4.7 days afield on average. 55% of the bucks residents took carried four or more points on a side.
Antlered, muzzleloader, Sep 10 - Oct 04: 15 resident and 1 nonresident tags. 10 hunters went afield and 7 filled their tag (70%). Hunters reported 5.3 days afield on average. 33% of the bucks residents took carried four or more points on a side.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through the group are NV 140, Ninemile Road, US 95 and Wilder Creek Road. Our road inventory counts roughly 48 miles of pavement, 35 of gravel and 69 of high-clearance or four-wheel-drive track. The nearest towns are Orovada (21 mi), McDermitt (28 mi) and McDermitt Township (28 mi), measured from the centre of the closest unit in the group.

Getting in and staying out: unit 031

Named routes and what they need

NV 140 — 29.5 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Ninemile Road — 16.6 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
US 95 — 16.1 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Wilder Creek Road — 6 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
River Ranch Road — 4.3 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
Home Ranch Road — 2.6 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)

Ratings come from road data, not from a drive this season. Check current conditions with the managing office before you commit a trailer.

Nearest services

Orovada — 21.2 mi · no services listed
McDermitt — 27.5 mi · no services listed
McDermitt Township — 27.5 mi · no services listed
Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe — 30.3 mi · no services listed
Paradise Valley — 35 mi · no services listed

Season weather and signal

Jan38° / 17° · 1.4" precip
Aug88° / 50° · 0.1" precip
Sep80° / 41° · 0.3" precip
Oct65° / 32° · 0.7" precip
Nov49° / 23° · 0.6" precip
Dec38° / 17° · 1.4" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 26% of the unit. Plan on being out of contact and tell someone your route.

Nevada rules that decide your day

Summarised from NDOW regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.

Motorized retrieval

Nevada has no general off-road retrieval allowance; travel stays on existing routes.

Tagging

Validate and attach the tag before the animal is moved.

Leaving meat

Wasting edible meat is illegal.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting within 5,000 feet of an occupied dwelling without permission in some counties; no shooting from or across a highway.

Mule Deer: where to put the shot

Broadside or quartering away, on the back edge of the front leg about a third of the way up the body.

Shots to refuse

Nothing behind or overlapping the animal you picked.
Your maximum range is the farthest you have shot a three-shot group into a paper plate from the rest you are carrying.
Pass the shot you are talking yourself into.

Plan the carry: roughly 40– 120 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — two large coolers. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

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Mule Deer Success Rates

Antlered, any legal weapon: 58 of 83 hunters afield (70%); Antlered, archery: 9 of 35 hunters afield (26%); Junior, seasonal weapon restriction: 22 of 30 hunters afield (73%); Antlered, muzzleloader: 7 of 10 hunters afield (70%). Figures are NDOW's own, from its 2025 Big Game Hunt Data.

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — Mid Season bull/buck only (resident)	90	584	15.4%	—
Rifle — Mid Season bull/buck only (nonresident)	7	262	2.7%	—
Rifle — Limited Entry either sex (resident)	45	67	67.2%	—
Rifle — Limited Entry either sex (nonresident)	15	0	0.0%	—
Rifle — Limited Entry antlerless (resident)	35	80	43.8%	—
Rifle — Early Season either sex (resident)	35	53	66.0%	—
Archery — Early Season bull/buck only (resident)	35	43	81.4%	—
Archery — Early Season bull/buck only (nonresident)	4	16	25.0%	—
Muzzleloader — Early Season bull/buck only (resident)	15	25	60.0%	—
Muzzleloader — Early Season bull/buck only (nonresident)	1	8	12.5%	—

Data from 2025 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number. This agency publishes no point thresholds, so the Pts column stays blank and these are pool odds, not what a point total draws.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

From NDOW's 2025 Big Game Hunt Data. Demand is NDOW's count of tags awarded plus first-choice applicants who did not draw; its draw rate is tags over demand.

Antlered, any legal weapon — Residents: 584 demand for 90 tags, a 15.4% draw rate; Nonresidents: 262 demand for 7 tags, a 2.7% draw rate.
Antlered, archery — Residents: 43 demand for 35 tags, a 81.4% draw rate; Nonresidents: 16 demand for 4 tags, a 25.0% draw rate.
Junior, seasonal weapon restriction — Residents: 53 demand for 35 tags, a 66.0% draw rate.
Antlered, muzzleloader — Residents: 25 demand for 15 tags, a 60.0% draw rate; Nonresidents: 8 demand for 1 tag, a 12.5% draw rate.
Guided antlered, any legal weapon — Nonresidents: 3 demand for 3 tags, a 100.0% draw rate.

NDOW's hunt data publishes no points-required figure, so none is given here.

Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 031

Unit 031 is about 1,505 square miles of Humboldt County, reached from Winnemucca, Orovada and Denio. NDOW's sheet puts most of the pronghorn on the plateau tops of the Montana and Double H mountains, in the foothills above Kings River Valley and on the west side of the Bilk Creek Range. Off the main roads, high-clearance four-wheel drive is the rule.

Where to Find Pronghorn in Unit 031: plateau tops and the Kings River Valley foothills

The Montana and Double H plateaus

Four pieces of country carry most of this unit's pronghorn hunting: the Montana Mountains, the Double H Mountains, the foothill slopes of Kings River Valley, and the north and northwest parts of the Bilk Creek Range. On the Montanas and the Double H, NDOW's advice is to concentrate on the plateaus on top. Those tops are where you should spend your first days of glassing.

Kings River Valley and north from Bilk Creek Reservoir

NDOW calls the foothills above Kings River Valley a great place to find pronghorn. On the Bilk Creek Range, the west side gives you plenty of country to look over, roughly from Bilk Creek Reservoir northward.

Heat and the higher ground

Every 2025 pronghorn hunt here opened in August, from archery at the start of the month to the any-legal-weapon hunt that ran into early September. That means heat is a real possibility whatever you carry. When it's hot, NDOW suggests moving to the higher elevations. When the valleys bake, that means starting your day on the plateau tops instead of the foothills.

The ground NDOW draws for this tag

A pronghorn tag for this group is good in unit 031, about 1,505 square miles measured on NDOW's own boundary, in Humboldt County. The named ranges inside the line are Sentinel Hills, Bilk Creek Mountains, Montana Mountains, Double H Mountains and The Granites. The highest named points are Engeler Peak (8,479 ft), Trident Peak (8,356 ft) and House Creek Butte (8,211 ft), and the lowest named ground sits near 4,106 feet. We don't print a land-status split for Nevada groups, because the figures we held didn't come from BLM's surface-management data; check BLM's current map for private parcels before you cross a fence or a cattle guard. GNIS names 62 springs inside it, Mud Spring, Ninemile Summit Spring, Ikes Spring and Mud Spring among them.

Unit 031 terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

The lay of it

4,121–6,641 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 4,976 ft ; peaks can run higher.
1,505.2 sq mi inside the boundary. Big enough that picking one drainage beats driving three.

Water on the ground

27 tanks
44 springs
172 stream segments
3 lakes

Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Engeler Peak (8,479 ft), Black Diamond Peak (7,898 ft), Disaster Peak (7,752 ft), Granite Mountain (7,635 ft)

Holding ground: Seven Springs Basin (6,502 ft), Lovely Valley (6,060 ft), Bull Basin (5,838 ft), Dacite Spring, Lone Willow Spring

Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.

How to Hunt Pronghorn in Unit 031: Highway 140 from Winnemucca to Denio

Highway 95, Highway 140 and the Orovada turnoff

The usual way in from Winnemucca is north on Highway 95 and then onto Highway 140. From Orovada, Highway 293 leads into the unit, and there's a third approach near Denio off Highway 140. NDOW rates the main and secondary roads as relatively good. Getting from those roads to the pronghorn is another matter, and a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle is what NDOW recommends for reaching most of the hunting areas.

Camps in Orovada, McDermitt and Denio

The unit has no developed campgrounds. Trailer hookups are available in Orovada and McDermitt, and Denio has limited services. Orovada is the closest of the three to the unit, which makes it the natural base if you want hookups. Beyond the highways, the named roads inside the unit include Ninemile Road, Wilder Creek Road and River Ranch Road, and they're worth tracing on a map before the opener.

The unit offers trout fishing as well, which can fill an afternoon once your tag is punched. Read the fishing regulations first, because only some waters are open.

The 2025 season in NDOW's own numbers

NDOW's 2025 Big Game Hunt Data is the hunter survey behind these figures: who drew, who went, who filled a tag. Success there is NDOW's own figure, successful hunters over hunters afield.

Horns longer than ears, any legal weapon, Aug 22 - Sep 07: 90 resident and 10 nonresident tags. 92 hunters went afield and 66 filled their tag (72%). Hunters reported 2.9 days afield on average. 24% of the resident bucks had horns of 15 inches or longer.
Horns longer than ears, archery, Aug 01 - Aug 14: 35 resident and 4 nonresident tags. 32 hunters went afield and 12 filled their tag (38%). Hunters reported 4.1 days afield on average. 30% of the resident bucks had horns of 15 inches or longer.
Horns longer than ears, muzzleloader, Aug 15 - Aug 21: 15 resident and 2 nonresident tags. 15 hunters went afield and 9 filled their tag (60%). Hunters reported 2.8 days afield on average. 25% of the resident bucks had horns of 15 inches or longer.

Roads in and the nearest towns

Getting in and staying out: unit 031

Named routes and what they need

NV 140 — 29.5 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Ninemile Road — 16.6 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
US 95 — 16.1 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Wilder Creek Road — 6 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
River Ranch Road — 4.3 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
Home Ranch Road — 2.6 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)

Ratings come from road data, not from a drive this season. Check current conditions with the managing office before you commit a trailer.

Nearest services

Orovada — 21.2 mi · no services listed
McDermitt — 27.5 mi · no services listed
McDermitt Township — 27.5 mi · no services listed
Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe — 30.3 mi · no services listed
Paradise Valley — 35 mi · no services listed

Season weather and signal

Jan38° / 17° · 1.4" precip
Aug88° / 50° · 0.1" precip
Sep80° / 41° · 0.3" precip
Oct65° / 32° · 0.7" precip
Nov49° / 23° · 0.6" precip
Dec38° / 17° · 1.4" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 26% of the unit. Plan on being out of contact and tell someone your route.

Nevada rules that decide your day

Summarised from NDOW regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.

Motorized retrieval

Nevada has no general off-road retrieval allowance; travel stays on existing routes.

Tagging

Validate and attach the tag before the animal is moved.

Leaving meat

Wasting edible meat is illegal.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting within 5,000 feet of an occupied dwelling without permission in some counties; no shooting from or across a highway.

Pronghorn: where to put the shot

Broadside, straight up the front leg, a third of the way into the body. Pronghorn are shallow-chested and the lungs sit forward.

Shots to refuse

Range it, then range it again. Open country makes 400 yards look like 250.
Wait for the buck to stop. Nobody kills a running pronghorn cleanly on purpose.
Mind the backdrop. A miss carries a long way across a flat.

Plan the carry: roughly 30– 45 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — one large cooler with ice already in it. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

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Pronghorn Success Rates

Horns longer than ears, any legal weapon: 66 of 92 hunters afield (72%); Horns longer than ears, archery: 12 of 32 hunters afield (38%); Horns longer than ears, muzzleloader: 9 of 15 hunters afield (60%). Figures are NDOW's own, from its 2025 Big Game Hunt Data.

Pronghorn Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — Early Season buck only (resident)	90	543	16.6%	—
Rifle — Early Season buck only (nonresident)	10	304	3.3%	—
Rifle — Early Season doe/fawn (resident)	10	464	2.2%	—
Rifle — Limited Entry either sex (resident)	1	0	0.0%	—
Archery — Early Season buck only (resident)	35	21	100.0%	—
Archery — Early Season buck only (nonresident)	4	18	22.2%	—
Muzzleloader — Early Season buck only (resident)	15	19	78.9%	—
Muzzleloader — Early Season buck only (nonresident)	2	10	20.0%	—

Open in Draw Odds Engine

From NDOW's 2025 Big Game Hunt Data. Demand is NDOW's count of tags awarded plus first-choice applicants who did not draw; its draw rate is tags over demand.

Horns longer than ears, any legal weapon — Residents: 543 demand for 90 tags, a 16.6% draw rate; Nonresidents: 304 demand for 10 tags, a 3.3% draw rate.
Horns longer than ears, archery — Residents: 21 demand for 35 tags, a 100.0% draw rate; Nonresidents: 18 demand for 4 tags, a 22.2% draw rate.
Horns longer than ears, muzzleloader — Residents: 19 demand for 15 tags, a 78.9% draw rate; Nonresidents: 10 demand for 2 tags, a 20.0% draw rate.

NDOW's hunt data publishes no points-required figure, so none is given here.

Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 031

Unit 031 covers about 1,500 square miles of northern Humboldt County, but its California bighorns live in one place, the Double H Mountains. NDOW knows of no sheep left in the Montana Mountains after a 2014-15 die-off. Most rams are seen and taken along the Double H west escarpment, reached from Highway 95 and State Route 140.

Where to Find California Bighorn Sheep in Unit 031: the Double H West Escarpment

Moonshine Canyon south to Highway 140

The whole herd in Unit 031 lives in the Double H Mountains, per NDOW. The Montana Mountains population went through an all-age die-off in 2014-15, and the department isn't aware of any California bighorns occupying that range now. Don't spend your days there.

Within the Double Hs, the west escarpment is where most rams are seen and harvested. It runs about 15 miles, from the head of Moonshine Canyon south to Highway 140. Some sheep are also being seen on the southeast side of the range near the radio tower, which is worth a look if the west face comes up empty.

West-side springs and the Treefrog guzzler

Water ties this herd to the west side. NDOW says the sheep seem to associate with several springs on that face, and one big game water development there, called Treefrog, gets frequent use. Glassing the slopes around those waters is a sensible place to begin, especially early, when NDOW expects dry and dusty conditions. As the season goes on and temperatures drop, the sheet says you may see early pre-rut behaviour.

The ground NDOW draws for this tag

A bighorn sheep tag for this group is good in unit 031, about 1,505 square miles measured on NDOW's own boundary, in Humboldt County. The named ranges inside the line are Sentinel Hills, Bilk Creek Mountains, Montana Mountains, Double H Mountains and The Granites. The highest named points are Engeler Peak (8,479 ft), Trident Peak (8,356 ft) and House Creek Butte (8,211 ft), and the lowest named ground sits near 4,106 feet. We don't print a land-status split for Nevada groups, because the figures we held didn't come from BLM's surface-management data; check BLM's current map for private parcels before you cross a fence or a cattle guard. GNIS names 62 springs inside it, Mud Spring, Ninemile Summit Spring, Ikes Spring and Mud Spring among them.

Unit 031 terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

The lay of it

4,121–6,641 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 4,976 ft ; peaks can run higher.
1,505.2 sq mi inside the boundary. Big enough that picking one drainage beats driving three.

Water on the ground

27 tanks
44 springs
172 stream segments
3 lakes

Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Engeler Peak (8,479 ft), Black Diamond Peak (7,898 ft), Disaster Peak (7,752 ft), Granite Mountain (7,635 ft)

Holding ground: Seven Springs Basin (6,502 ft), Lovely Valley (6,060 ft), Bull Basin (5,838 ft), Dacite Spring, Lone Willow Spring

Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.

How to Hunt California Bighorn Sheep in Unit 031: Highway 95, State Route 140 and high clearance

North from Winnemucca on Highway 95

Drive north from Winnemucca on Highway 95. Then turn west on State Route 140, or keep going to Orovada and head west on State Route 293. NDOW rates primary and secondary road access as relatively good, but it recommends high-clearance four-wheel drive for most of the unit's hunting areas. Because the west escarpment runs south to Highway 140, State Route 140 is the obvious reference line for the bottom end of the rams' country.

A hard hunt in dry, dusty country

NDOW calls bighorn hunting very difficult. It asks hunters to know the unit, arrive physically prepared and carry equipment that's in good working order. All three apply here, because the sheep are on one escarpment and you'll be climbing it to see them.

Expect dry, dusty going during the early part of the season. Cooler weather late in the season changes things, and that's when the sheet says pre-rut behaviour can start to show. There are no developed campgrounds in the unit. Trailer hookups are available in Orovada and McDermitt, which makes either town a workable base for the drive to the Double Hs.

The 2025 season in NDOW's own numbers

NDOW's 2025 Big Game Hunt Data is the hunter survey behind these figures: who drew, who went, who filled a tag. Success there is NDOW's own figure, successful hunters over hunters afield.

Any ram, any legal weapon (031 - Double Hs), Sep 01 - Oct 31: 2 resident tags. 2 hunters went afield and 2 filled their tag (100%). Hunters reported 16.0 days afield on average.

Roads in and the nearest towns

Getting in and staying out: unit 031

Named routes and what they need

NV 140 — 29.5 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Ninemile Road — 16.6 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
US 95 — 16.1 mi · Paved (all rigs)
Wilder Creek Road — 6 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
River Ranch Road — 4.3 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)
Home Ranch Road — 2.6 mi · Graded gravel (2WD / small trailer)

Ratings come from road data, not from a drive this season. Check current conditions with the managing office before you commit a trailer.

Nearest services

Orovada — 21.2 mi · no services listed
McDermitt — 27.5 mi · no services listed
McDermitt Township — 27.5 mi · no services listed
Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe — 30.3 mi · no services listed
Paradise Valley — 35 mi · no services listed

Season weather and signal

Jan38° / 17° · 1.4" precip
Aug88° / 50° · 0.1" precip
Sep80° / 41° · 0.3" precip
Oct65° / 32° · 0.7" precip
Nov49° / 23° · 0.6" precip
Dec38° / 17° · 1.4" precip

Best signal is Verizon at about 26% of the unit. Plan on being out of contact and tell someone your route.

Nevada rules that decide your day

Summarised from NDOW regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.

Motorized retrieval

Nevada has no general off-road retrieval allowance; travel stays on existing routes.

Tagging

Validate and attach the tag before the animal is moved.

Leaving meat

Wasting edible meat is illegal.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting within 5,000 feet of an occupied dwelling without permission in some counties; no shooting from or across a highway.

Bighorn Sheep: where to put the shot

Broadside or quartering away, on the back edge of the front leg about a third of the way up the body.

Shots to refuse

Nothing behind or overlapping the animal you picked.
Your maximum range is the farthest you have shot a three-shot group into a paper plate from the rest you are carrying.
Pass the shot you are talking yourself into.

Plan the carry: roughly 40– 120 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — two large coolers. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

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Bighorn Sheep Success Rates

Any ram, any legal weapon (031 - Double Hs): 2 of 2 hunters afield (100%). Figures are NDOW's own, from its 2025 Big Game Hunt Data.

Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — Early Season ram only (resident)	5	1,260	0.4%	—

Data from 2023 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number. This agency publishes no point thresholds, so the Pts column stays blank and these are pool odds, not what a point total draws.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

From NDOW's 2025 Big Game Hunt Data. Demand is NDOW's count of tags awarded plus first-choice applicants who did not draw; its draw rate is tags over demand.

Any ram, any legal weapon (031 - Double Hs) — Residents: 987 demand for 2 tags, a 0.2% draw rate.

NDOW's hunt data publishes no points-required figure, so none is given here.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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Water

GNIS names 62 springs inside the group. Desert springs go dry; carry water and treat what you find.

🛣️

Road Conditions

NV 140, Ninemile Road and US 95 are the longest named roads in the group. About 48 mi paved, 35 mi gravel, 69 mi high-clearance or 4WD.

🥾

Terrain Difficulty

Named features run from 4,106 to 8,479 ft across the unit. More than 4,000 feet of relief, so plan the pack-out before the shot.

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Weather

Season normals from the group's largest unit: Sep 80/41°F, 0.3 in.; Oct 65/32°F, 0.7 in.; Nov 49/23°F, 0.6 in.; Dec 38/17°F, 1.4 in..

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Nearest Town

Orovada (21 mi), McDermitt (28 mi), McDermitt Township (28 mi)

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Permit Notes

A tag for this group is good only inside units 031. Check NDOW's current regulations for season dates before you go.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which units does a Nevada mule deer tag for 031 cover?

NDOW draws it as one unit group: unit 031, about 1,505 square miles in Humboldt County. The tag is good anywhere inside that line and nowhere outside it.

What was hunter success for mule deer on units 031 in 2025?

On NDOW's largest 2025 mule deer hunt here, the antlered hunt (any legal weapon), Oct 05 - Nov 05, 58 of 83 hunters afield filled their tag, 70%. That is NDOW's figure from its 2025 Big Game Hunt Data.

How hard is the mule deer draw for units 031?

For the antlered hunt (any legal weapon) NDOW counted 584 resident demand for 90 tags in 2025, a 15.4% draw rate, and 262 nonresident demand for 7, 2.7%. NDOW publishes no points-required figure in that data.

Which units does a Nevada pronghorn tag for 031 cover?

NDOW draws it as one unit group: unit 031, about 1,505 square miles in Humboldt County. The tag is good anywhere inside that line and nowhere outside it.

What was hunter success for pronghorn on units 031 in 2025?

On NDOW's largest 2025 pronghorn hunt here, the horns longer than ears hunt (any legal weapon), Aug 22 - Sep 07, 66 of 92 hunters afield filled their tag, 72%. That is NDOW's figure from its 2025 Big Game Hunt Data.

How hard is the pronghorn draw for units 031?

For the horns longer than ears hunt (any legal weapon) NDOW counted 543 resident demand for 90 tags in 2025, a 16.6% draw rate, and 304 nonresident demand for 10, 3.3%. NDOW publishes no points-required figure in that data.

Which units does a Nevada bighorn sheep tag for 031 cover?

NDOW draws it as one unit group: unit 031, about 1,505 square miles in Humboldt County. The tag is good anywhere inside that line and nowhere outside it.

What was hunter success for bighorn sheep on units 031 in 2025?

On NDOW's largest 2025 bighorn sheep hunt here, the any ram hunt (any legal weapon), Sep 01 - Oct 31, 2 of 2 hunters afield filled their tag, 100%. That is NDOW's figure from its 2025 Big Game Hunt Data.

How hard is the bighorn sheep draw for units 031?

For the any ram hunt (any legal weapon) NDOW counted 987 resident demand for 2 tags in 2025, a 0.2% draw rate. NDOW publishes no points-required figure in that data.

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Sources & Verification

Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-10-25.

Hunt Information Sheet — Mule deer, 031 — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Access, Recommended hunting areas, Biologist comments · accessed 2026-10-25
2025 Nevada Big Game Hunt Data — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Seasons, quotas and tags issued, Demand and draw rate by residency, Hunters afield, successful hunters and hunter success, Days hunted · accessed 2026-10-25
NDOW Hunt Unit Boundaries — unit groups (ArcGIS) — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Units 031, 1,505 square miles · accessed 2026-10-25
Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the group — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Sentinel Hills, Bilk Creek Mountains, Montana Mountains, Engeler Peak 8,479 ft, Trident Peak 8,356 ft · accessed 2026-10-25
Hunt Information Sheet — Pronghorn antelope, 031 — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Access, Recommended hunting areas, Biologist comments · accessed 2026-10-25
Hunt Information Sheet — California bighorn sheep, 031 — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Access, Recommended hunting areas, Biologist comments · accessed 2026-10-25