Unit D17

Amboy Crater and Pisgah Crater provide distinctive volcanic landmarks visible for miles across flat country—useful for orientation and long-distance glassing. Cadiz Dunes and Ross Horse Pasture mark major basin features. Significant ridges and summits like Windy Point, Black Ridge, and the Nopah Range help break up the monotony and offer glassing vantage points.

Bristol Lake, Cadiz Lake, and Rogers Lake are key reference points, though most are dry or seasonal. Little Dry Lake, Troy Lake, and Ivanpah Lake also appear on maps but are often ephemeral. Last Chance Canyon and its associated arch provide navigational reference in the eastern sections.

Nearly all terrain sits below 5,000 feet, with the median around 2,500 feet and occasional peaks reaching into the high desert around 7,800 feet. The landscape is predominantly open desert—creosote scrub, sparse sagebrush, and yucca flats—with virtually no closed forest. Low mountain ranges scattered throughout provide slightly higher elevation habitat with better vegetation and occasional juniper, but nothing resembling timber.

Bajadas (alluvial fans) slope from the mountains into the basins; lava fields and volcanic cinders create dark, rocky terrain in places. Most country is harsh and exposed, with pockets of slightly better cover in washes and low canyon systems.

The unit has moderate road density (0.79 mi/sq mi) with nearly 16,000 miles of roads distributed across the landscape. Highway corridors—including US-395 on the western edge and major routes through the basin—provide reasonable access corridors. However, vast distances between water and the open terrain mean hunting pressure is more diffuse than concentrated; you can find solitude by moving away from main drainages and known springs.

Private land creates access complications in places; road navigating requires careful attention. The sheer size and complexity work in the hunter's favor for avoiding crowds if willing to explore methodically.

D17 encompasses nearly 20,000 square miles of the southern Mojave Desert, anchored by the Antelope Valley in the northwest and extending south through vast desert basins toward the Nevada and Arizona borders. The unit is dominated by open plains and desert valleys with scattered low mountains rising 2,000 to 4,000 feet above the basin floors. Key geographic anchors include Lancaster to the north, the Mojave Desert plain stretching across the middle, and numerous named valleys—Ivanpah, Coyote, Cronise, Chemehuevi—that define the landscape.

The unit is mostly public land with significant private holdings interspersed, requiring careful navigation of ownership boundaries.

Water is the controlling factor in this unit. Most named lakes are dry or seasonal playas; permanent water is scarce. Reliable springs are scattered: Lovejoy Springs, Poison Spring, Rabbit Springs, Willow Spring, and Newberry Spring appear on maps but should be verified for current flow.

Waterholes and tanks—Tenmile Tank, Sixmile Tank, Threemile Tank, Ninemile Waterhole—may hold water seasonally. Major washes like Amargosa Creek, Big Rock Wash, and Oro Grande Wash run mainly during storm events. Hunters must plan around known water sources and carry adequate supplies; assume most surface water is unreliable and verify conditions before committing to remote areas.

Mule deer are the primary quarry in this desert environment. They concentrate around reliable water sources—springs, tanks, and seasonal washes—making these the focus of pre-hunt scouting. Early season offers better water availability and greener vegetation; later season forces deer into smaller core areas.

Glass from high points across basins to locate animals moving between bedding and feeding areas; the open terrain favors binocular work over ground hiking. Hunt major washes and canyon drainages for mule deer sign; expect animals to be active during cooler hours and water-focused during heat. White-tailed deer are present but less reliable; focus on riparian areas and heavier cover in low canyons.

Success depends heavily on water knowledge and persistence across vast country.