Unit 041 (Sahwave Mountains and the Selenite Range)

Cottonwood Canyon south to Bob's Spring

The unit is big, but NDOW's sheet puts the herd mostly in the Sahwave Mountains in southwestern Pershing County. Within the Sahwaves, the sheep live north of the pass road and along the east side of the range, from two canyons south of Bob's Spring north to Cottonwood Canyon. The sexes split that strip. Ewes prefer the area around Bob's Spring and the next two canyons to the south, while rams favor Cottonwood Canyon south to Bob's Spring. In mid to late October the rams go looking for ewes for the rut.

Stray sightings in the Seven Troughs, Nightingale and Selenite ranges

Bighorns have turned up outside the Sahwaves now and then: at the south end of the Seven Troughs Range, above Sage Hen Springs in the Nightingale Range, and at the south end of the Selenite Range. NDOW calls those random sightings, and bighorn density across the unit is low. The Sahwaves are where to spend your time. The other ranges rate a look only if you've covered the east side of the Sahwaves thoroughly.

Kumiva Peak and Seven Troughs Mountain are among the higher named summits inside the unit, though the sheet doesn't tie sheep to them.

The ground NDOW draws for this tag

A bighorn sheep tag for this group is good in unit 041, about 2,615 square miles measured on NDOW's own boundary, in Pershing County, Washoe County and Churchill County. The named ranges inside the line are Selenite Range, Hannan Range, Nightingale Mountains, Truckee Range, Sahwave Mountains and Seven Troughs Range. The highest named points are Kumiva Peak (8,224 ft), Seven Troughs Mountain (7,457 ft) and Juniper Mountain (7,453 ft), and the lowest named ground sits near 3,841 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 68 springs inside it, Trego Hot Springs, Dead Horse Spring, Duque Springs and Desert Spring among them.

From Route 447 or the Toulon exit

NDOW gives two approaches. From the west, come in off State Route 447, the highway between Fernley and Gerlach. From the east, leave Interstate 80 at the Toulon exit. Seven Troughs Road is another named road in the unit.

Scout the Sahwaves first, then climb

The biologist highly recommends scouting before the hunt, and the sheet's detail on where rams and ewes spend their time gives you something specific to check. Since the rams favor Cottonwood Canyon south to Bob's Spring, that's where a scouting trip should start. If your hunt runs into mid to late October, watch the ewe country around Bob's Spring and the canyons south of it too, because that's where rams head for the rut.

The hunt itself is physically demanding. The ground is steep and rocky, and hiking is the main way to reach the areas bighorns use. Camping is unrestricted, with no developed campgrounds. Fernley and Lovelock have full services, including fuel, vehicle repair, lodging, restaurants, convenience stores and grocery markets. Gerlach offers gas, some vehicle repair, limited food and lodging.

No 2025 draw on this group

NDOW's 2025 Big Game Hunt Data lists no bighorn sheep tag drawn for unit 041. NDOW still publishes a Hunt Information Sheet for the group, which is what the advice above comes from, so check the current year's regulations for whether a hunt is offered before you apply. Nothing on this page should be read as a season or a quota for this year.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through the group are I 80;US 95 ALT, 49, NV 447 and I 80;US 95. Our road inventory counts roughly 98 miles of pavement, 111 of gravel and 82 of high-clearance or four-wheel-drive track. The nearest towns are Lovelock (29 mi), Gerlach (32 mi) and Nixon (36 mi), measured from the centre of the closest unit in the group.