Unit 282 (Desert Range on the Desert National Wildlife Range)
Nevada Hunting Guide — Bighorn Sheep
Unit 282 is the Desert Range, about 416 square miles on the Clark and Lincoln County line, and all of it lies inside the Nevada Test and Training Range. Desert bighorn tagholders hunt jagged peaks, broad washes and high plateaus they can't scout beforehand, entering through one restricted gate the day before the opener.
Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 282
Answer a few questions about your tag, your season and your rig, and the Field Intelligence Report builds a print-ready Nevada Unit 282 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.
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Bighorn Sheep Hunting in Unit 282
Unit 282 is the Desert Range, about 416 square miles on the Clark and Lincoln County line, and all of it lies inside the Nevada Test and Training Range. Desert bighorn tagholders hunt jagged peaks, broad washes and high plateaus they can't scout beforehand, entering through one restricted gate the day before the opener.
Where to Find Desert Bighorn in Unit 282: White Sage Gap, Sheep Pass and Surprise Canyon
White Sage Gap, Sheep Pass and Surprise Canyon
NDOW names five places for the Desert Range: White Sage Gap, Sheep Pass, Surprise Canyon, and the areas around the Chuckwalla and Tommy guzzlers. On a hunt where you can't scout before the opener, that list is your plan. Find each spot on a map, and work out the walking routes between them, before you reach the gate.
Jagged peaks, broad washes, high plateaus
The sheet describes a mixed range. There are jagged peaks and sheer outcrops, and between them broad washes and high plateaus. Elevations run from about 4,000 feet to roughly 6,500 at the highest peak, on the north end of the unit. GNIS names the Desert Hills inside the line along with the Desert Range itself, but no named summits.
The Desert Range is co-managed with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Desert National Wildlife Range, inside the Department of Defense's restricted South Range. NDOW's sheet doesn't describe how the sheep use water or move during the season. Two of its five named places are guzzler areas, though, and they're the only water the sheet mentions, so they're worth a careful look on your first day in. Since that first day is also your first sight of the range, rank all five spots in the order you'll check them before you arrive, and no daylight goes to deciding where to walk.
The ground NDOW draws for this tag
A bighorn sheep tag for this group is good in unit 282, about 416 square miles measured on NDOW's own boundary, in Lincoln County and Clark County. The named ranges inside the line are Desert Hills and Desert Range. 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 282 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 3,057–4,935 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 3,879 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 415.6 sq mi inside the boundary.
Water on the ground
- 14 tanks
- 8 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: Desert Range (6,575 ft), Desert Hills (5,589 ft)
Holding ground: Surprise Basin (5,072 ft), Burro Basin (4,425 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 282: the Point Bravo Gate, background checks and no scouting
Bighorn Sheep Success Rates
Any ram, any legal weapon: 1 of 1 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 — Late Season ram only (resident) | 1 | 20 | 5.0% | — |
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: 20 demand for 1 tag, a 5.0% 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 282 cover?
What was hunter success for bighorn sheep on units 282 in 2025?
How hard is the bighorn sheep draw for units 282?
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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, 282 — 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 282, 416 square miles · accessed 2026-10-25
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the group — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Desert Hills, Desert Range · accessed 2026-10-25