Unit 254 (Specter Range and the Striped Hills)
Nevada Hunting Guide — Bighorn Sheep
Unit 254 is the Specter Range in southern Nye County, a small unit of about 87 square miles where most of the desert bighorn habitat is BLM land. Hunters can only get in from a few roads on the south side, the security site borders it to the north and east, and NDOW names no particular area to focus on.
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Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 254
Unit 254 is the Specter Range in southern Nye County, a small unit of about 87 square miles where most of the desert bighorn habitat is BLM land. Hunters can only get in from a few roads on the south side, the security site borders it to the north and east, and NDOW names no particular area to focus on.
Where to Find Desert Bighorn in Unit 254: the Specter Range from its south side
The whole Specter Range is the target
NDOW's sheet for Unit 254 is blunt about where to hunt: it names no particular area to focus on. The occupied bighorn habitat is the Specter Range, most of it managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and the practical reading is that the whole range is fair ground. Look all of it over rather than waiting for a named hotspot that the sheet doesn't give.
Bajada, ledges and steep canyons
What the sheet does describe is the shape of the ground. Some of it is fairly level, unbroken bajada. The rest climbs into steep, rocky canyons and broken ledges, and portions of the range are extremely steep. Elevations run from about 3,120 feet to roughly 4,600 at the top. GNIS also names the Striped Hills and Sand Hill Peak inside the unit line.
The north and east sides of the Specter Range border the Nevada National Security Site, so the huntable country is the range itself, approached from the south. NDOW gives no notes on water, seasonal movement or where rams tend to be found within the range. Without that, your scouting time goes into learning which canyons and ledge systems you can reach from the south-side roads.
The ground NDOW draws for this tag
A bighorn sheep tag for this group is good in unit 254, about 87 square miles measured on NDOW's own boundary, in Nye County. The named ranges inside the line are Specter Range and Striped Hills. The highest named points are Sand Hill Peak (3,295 ft), and the lowest named ground sits near 2,859 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.
Unit 254 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 2,823–4,603 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 3,377 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 87.2 sq mi inside the boundary.
Water on the ground
- 167 stream segments
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: Specter Range (4,828 ft), Striped Hills (4,045 ft), Sand Hill Peak (3,295 ft)
Holding ground: Strawberry Valley (2,968 ft), Rock Valley (2,859 ft)
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 Unit 254: a few south-side roads and the security site boundary
Bighorn Sheep Success Rates
Any ram, any legal weapon: 3 of 4 hunters afield (75%). 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) | 4 | 82 | 4.9% | — |
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: 82 demand for 4 tags, a 4.9% 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 254 cover?
What was hunter success for bighorn sheep on units 254 in 2025?
How hard is the bighorn sheep draw for units 254?
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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, 254 — 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 254, 87 square miles · accessed 2026-10-25
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the group — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Specter Range, Striped Hills, Sand Hill Peak 3,295 ft · accessed 2026-10-25