Unit 206, 208 (Excelsior Mountains, Garfield and Candelaria Hills)
Nevada Hunting Guide — Bighorn Sheep
Units 206, 208 cover about 1,239 square miles of Mineral and Esmeralda counties: the Excelsior Mountains and Garfield Hills, plus the Candelaria Hills and Miller Mountain. NDOW describes steep, rocky desert bighorn country laced with two-track roads, where most rams stay below the highest peaks and may follow water, or pine nuts, in November.
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Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 206, 208
Units 206, 208 cover about 1,239 square miles of Mineral and Esmeralda counties: the Excelsior Mountains and Garfield Hills, plus the Candelaria Hills and Miller Mountain. NDOW describes steep, rocky desert bighorn country laced with two-track roads, where most rams stay below the highest peaks and may follow water, or pine nuts, in November.
Where to Find Desert Bighorn in Units 206, 208: Thunder Mountain, Moho Mountain and the Candelaria Hills
Excelsior Mountains, Thunder Mountain to the Defender guzzler
NDOW's sheet is most specific about the Excelsior Mountains in Unit 206. Its list there is Thunder Mountain, Silver Dyke Canyon, Storm Canyon, Moho Mountain, Black Dyke Mountain, the hills behind the town of Marietta, and the Defender guzzler. The highest peak in the group rises past 8,600 feet, but NDOW expects most rams to be below about 7,500, so don't spend your days on the summits.
Garfield Hills, Candelaria Hills and Miller Mountain
Sheep may be seen anywhere in the Candelaria Hills and the Garfield Hills, and the sheet doesn't narrow those ranges to named canyons. Its advice is to start near the water developments. Miller Mountain, next to the Candelaria Hills in Unit 208, also holds bighorn.
Water in a warm November, pinyon in a good nut year
If the fall stays warm and dry, sheep may still be tied to water when the November season opens. A good pine nut crop changes the plan. The biologist says rams may forage in the treed, higher country when the nuts are on, and some areas carry heavy pinyon cover that rams use in those years. In a strong nut year, glass the timbered slopes as well as the open rock.
The ground NDOW draws for this tag
A bighorn sheep tag for this group is good in units 206 and 208, about 1,239 square miles measured on NDOW's own boundary, in Mineral County and Esmeralda County. The named ranges inside the line are Candelaria Hills, Huntoon Mountains, Garfield Hills and Excelsior Mountains. The highest named points are Moho Mountain (8,796 ft), Miller Mountain (8,721 ft) and Excelsior Mountain (8,680 ft), and the lowest named ground sits near 4,509 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 23 springs inside it, Sagundai Spring, Silver Dyke Spring, Summit Spring and Pepper Spring among them.
Unit 206, 208 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
Named features inside the unit
Glass from: Moho Mountain (8,796 ft), Excelsior Mountain (8,680 ft), Huntoon Mountains (8,525 ft), Garfield Hills (8,078 ft)
Holding ground: McBride Flat (7,734 ft), Anchorite Pass (7,619 ft), Truman Meadows (7,263 ft), Garfield Spring, Rock House 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 Desert Bighorn in Units 206, 208: US 95, State Route 360 and the two-track network
Bighorn Sheep Success Rates
Any ram, any legal weapon: 5 of 6 hunters afield (83%). Figures are NDOW's own, from its 2025 Big Game Hunt Data.
Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts (n/p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle — Late Season ram only (resident) | 6 | 100 | 6.0% | — |
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 EngineFrom 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 — Residents: 100 demand for 6 tags, a 6.0% draw rate.
NDOW's hunt data publishes no points-required figure, so none is given here.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
Which units does a Nevada bighorn sheep tag for 206, 208 cover?
What was hunter success for bighorn sheep on units 206, 208 in 2025?
How hard is the bighorn sheep draw for units 206, 208?
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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yrSources & Verification
Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-10-25.
- Hunt Information Sheet — Desert bighorn sheep, 206 208 — 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 206, 208, 1,239 square miles · accessed 2026-10-25
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the group — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Candelaria Hills, Huntoon Mountains, Garfield Hills, Moho Mountain 8,796 ft, Miller Mountain 8,721 ft · accessed 2026-10-25