The land that spans the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge in Oregon and the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in Nevada has been home to hunters and the wildlife they pursued for tens of thousands of years. Thousands of petroglyphs, dating back to 6,500 years ago, look over the lakes and high country where the Northern Paiute lived for millennia.

Tens of millions of pronghorn once thrived across the American west before European settlement, but the wave of habitat destruction and overharvesting drove these incredible animals to remote strongholds, including the high plains surrounding Hart Mountain. The Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge and the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge were established in the 1930s to conserve summer and winter ranges for pronghorn and other wildlife. That foresight has provided some of the highest quality hunting opportunities for bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, and mule deer in the country where hunters often wait 15-20 years to draw a tag.

TRCP and our partners are working to ensure that the Hart-Sheldon Refuge complex is managed for the benefit of both wildlife and quality hunt opportunities. Read more about the refuge complex in the four-part series below written by deputy director of the Pacific Northwest, Michael O’Casey.