Unit 280 (Spotted Range on the Desert National Wildlife Range)
Nevada Hunting Guide — Bighorn Sheep
Unit 280 is the Spotted Range, about 403 square miles of Clark and Nye counties inside the Nevada Test and Training Range. Desert bighorn tagholders can't scout ahead, enter through a single restricted gate the day before the opener, and get two water developments from NDOW as their starting points.
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Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 280
Unit 280 is the Spotted Range, about 403 square miles of Clark and Nye counties inside the Nevada Test and Training Range. Desert bighorn tagholders can't scout ahead, enter through a single restricted gate the day before the opener, and get two water developments from NDOW as their starting points.
Where to Find Desert Bighorn in Unit 280: around the Spotted #1 and Spotted #6 water developments
Spotted #1 and Spotted #6
NDOW's advice for the Spotted Range fits in one line: hunt west of the Spotted #1 water development and around the Spotted #6 water development. That's the entire list. No scouting is allowed before the opener, so find both sites on a map, and study the canyons and ledges near them, long before you reach the gate.
From bajada to Aysees Peak
The sheet gives a short sketch of the ground. Parts of the unit are fairly level, unbroken bajada. Other parts are steep, rocky canyons and broken ledges. Elevation climbs from about 3,280 feet to the top of Aysees Peak, the high point NDOW names. Besides the Spotted Range itself, GNIS names the Ranger Mountains and the Buried Hills inside the unit line, and the Tower Hills are another named high point.
The unit belongs to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Desert National Wildlife Range, co-managed inside the Department of Defense's restricted South Range. NDOW's sheet doesn't say how the sheep move through the season here or how weather changes their use of water. With so little to go on, the two named water developments are the agency's only direct pointers, and the rest of the unit is ground you'll be seeing for the first time.
The ground NDOW draws for this tag
A bighorn sheep tag for this group is good in unit 280, about 403 square miles measured on NDOW's own boundary, in Clark County and Nye County. The named ranges inside the line are Spotted Range, Ranger Mountains and Buried Hills. The highest named points are Aysees Peak (6,252 ft) and Tower Hills (4,457 ft), and the lowest named ground sits near 3,542 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 280 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 3,047–5,428 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 4,409 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 402.6 sq mi inside the boundary.
Water on the ground
- 63 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: Spotted Range (6,071 ft), Mercury Ridge (5,260 ft), Tower Hills (4,457 ft)
Holding ground: Timpi Canyon (3,802 ft), Indian Springs Valley (3,542 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 280: the Point Bravo Gate and clearance for the whole party
Bighorn Sheep Success Rates
Any ram, any legal weapon: 3 of 5 hunters afield (60%). 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) | 5 | 84 | 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: 84 demand for 5 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 280 cover?
What was hunter success for bighorn sheep on units 280 in 2025?
How hard is the bighorn sheep draw for units 280?
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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, 280 — 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 280, 403 square miles · accessed 2026-10-25
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the group — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Spotted Range, Ranger Mountains, Buried Hills, Aysees Peak 6,252 ft, Tower Hills 4,457 ft · accessed 2026-10-25