The announcement stated, "Due to the current force protection considerations, the commander, Lieutenant Colonel Anne Davis, HWAD (Hawthorne Army Depot), has closed the depot to all hunting, fishing and sightseeing."

According to military staff, the depot is at "Threat Com C" level due to recent events. The Mount Grant area will be closed to fishing as well as all hunting.

Walt Mandeville, the Nevada Division of Wildlife big game biologist in the area said the Mount Grant closure will mostly affect local hunters. "It's a popular area for the locals. I'm telling them to look elsewhere in the unit, along the state line, where the deer migration occurs," said Mandeville. Over 170 big game tags are issued for the area, according to NDOW records.

Powell Mountain and Buller Mountain areas at the south end of the Wassuk Range would provide alternative deer hunting in that unit, according to Mandeville.

For chukar hunters, the region south of Hawthorne offers good hunting. "The range conditions are far, far better south of Hawthorne," said Mandeville. He added that quail are found in all the agricultural valleys, and conditions for mountain quail appear to be good, especially in the Pine Grove area, and on the east slope of the Pinenut Range.