Unit 015 Mule Deer Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt unit · 1,192 sq mi
Draw hunts — squared bonus points
Every hunt here is a draw hunt, named by its weapon, what may be taken and its dates. In Nevada's draw an application is given one random number plus extra random numbers equal to its bonus points squared, and tags go to the lowest numbers first, so more bonus points always improve a hunter's chance but never guarantee a tag. Residents and nonresidents have separate quotas.
What hunting Unit 015 is like
Unit 015 is gentle and rolling country, with the large majority of its ground classed as gentle slope and almost nothing steep or rugged. Elevations run from about 3,800 feet up to 6,900 feet, and at every elevation band shrub and brush cover dominates, mixed with grass and meadow and, at the higher elevations, a small share of conifer and pinyon-juniper.
Public land makes up the large majority of the unit, managed by the BLM, but ownership is not the same as access — some of that public ground can only be reached by crossing private land, so a hunter should not assume a straightforward walk-in. About 4% of the unit is tribal land, which is closed to public hunting regardless of what a state tag allows, and a slice of private land rounds out the rest. Two fires have burned into the unit: the Stockade Canyon fire of 2024 covered about 18,000 acres, and the Poodle fire of 2020 covered about 8,100 acres. The Stockade Canyon ground, now two to four years removed from the burn, is at the stage when a burn can offer some of the best hunting on a unit: it is far easier to glass, and deer use it to feed early in the morning and right before dark, while the older Poodle burn has grown back thick with brush and deadfall that hides animals easily.
There are three seasons here, all for antlered bucks: archery, muzzleloader and a late any-legal-weapon hunt.
Mule deer hunts in Unit 015 (2026-27)
Each row is a hunt, told apart by its weapon, what may be taken and its dates. Draw difficulty is in words from the 2025 draw results: good, fair, long or very long odds, read for a hunter with no bonus points and for one holding 5 bonus points, in each pool. A hunt that covers only part of a unit says so under its name.
| Hunt | Dates | Legal deer | Resident | Nonresident | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | August 10 – September 9 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Muzzleloader | September 10 – October 4 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition, Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| Any legal weapon | December 11, 2026 – January 1, 2027 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | Nonresidents can apply No draw odds shown | — |
"No nonresident tags" means a nonresident cannot draw that hunt. "No draw odds shown" means that pool has tags for the hunt but too little draw history to put its odds in words. Odds are per application, never a promise, and a hunter with no bonus points can draw. A hunter needs no particular number of points for any hunt.
Archery · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · August 10 – September 9
Early in the archery season bucks are still in velvet and running in small bachelor groups across the summer range, and by the back half of the hunt they are shedding velvet while settling into early fall habits that otherwise look much the same. Summer scouting and glassing pay off more than anything else in this gentle, open country, since a hunter can watch bucks feed into the morning, mark where they bed in shade or on north-facing slopes, and plan a stalk through the middle of the day. Evening glassing often does more to locate a buck for the next morning than for an evening stalk. Bucks that seem to vanish are usually still nearby, tucked into a small crevice or draw. Resident archers face very long odds at zero bonus points but good odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents face very long odds at zero points and still face long odds even with 5.
Muzzleloader · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · September 10 – October 4
By the muzzleloader opener bucks have generally finished shedding velvet and are holding close to the same ground they used all summer, bedding in shade through the day and becoming easier to pattern with the same first-light and evening glassing approach. As the season runs into October, bucks grow steadily more nocturnal, so a hunter who is still finding bucks bedded during the day should expect that to get harder by the later days of the hunt. Residents face very long odds at zero bonus points but good odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents face very long odds at zero points and very long odds even with 5.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · December 11, 2026 – January 1, 2027
This late any-legal-weapon hunt runs December 11 to January 1 for antlered bucks, with December averaging about 2.5 inches of snowfall and lows near 22°F and January about 2.4 inches with lows near 23°F. The terrain is gentle and rolling, with shrub and brush, grass and meadow cover, and access across the public and private mix still takes planning. Residents face very long odds at zero bonus points but long odds with 5 bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,800–6,900 ft, typically around 4,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 77% gentle · 21% moderate · 3% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~1,101 sq mi
Habitat & cover
What grows here, by elevation. Each band adds to 100% on its own — these are shares of that band, not of the region.
Lower elevations
- Shrub and brush56%
- Other cover27%
- Grass and meadow16%
- Riparian1%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush84%
- Grass and meadow15%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush73%
- Grass and meadow23%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper3%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Recent fires
Wildfires in the last several seasons that burned a meaningful share of Unit 015. Fire perimeters show how much of the region burned, not how hot — and closures change through the year, so check current fire closures and restrictions before you go.
- Stockade Canyon fire, 2024 — about 18,000 acres in the region (2%).
- Poodle fire, 2020 — about 8,100 acres in the region (1%).
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 92% of Unit 015 is public land by ownership — BLM. Ownership is not the same as legal access: public land can be reachable only across private ground, and some parcels are closed or restricted.
- BLM92%
- tribal land4%
- Other land<1%
- Private3%
About 4% of this unit is tribal land, which is closed to public hunting and is not counted as huntable. Your tag does not open it.
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 88°F, lows around 53°F
- September — highs around 80°F, lows around 46°F
- October — highs around 66°F, lows around 36°F
- November — highs around 52°F, lows around 28°F, about 0.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 42°F, lows around 22°F, about 2.5 in of snowfall
Unit 015 mule deer hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get a mule deer tag in Unit 015?
Every mule deer hunt in Unit 015 is awarded through Nevada's draw; there is no over-the-counter tag. A hunter applies for a specific weapon season and, if successful, receives a tag for that hunt's dates and legal animal.
How hard are the hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Yes, residents and nonresidents draw from separate quotas and the odds differ by pool. For example, resident archery odds run from very long odds at zero bonus points to good odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresident archery odds run from very long odds at zero points to only long odds with 5 points.
Can a nonresident hunt here?
A nonresident can apply for the archery and muzzleloader antlered mule deer hunts in Unit 015, each with its own listed odds. Nonresidents can also apply for the any-legal-weapon hunt (December 11 to January 1); no draw odds are shown for it.
Does Nevada have bonus points and how do they work?
Nevada uses bonus points rather than preference points, and a hunter earns one by applying unsuccessfully or by purchasing a point instead of applying, with points tracked separately for each hunt category. In Nevada's draw an application is given one random number plus extra random numbers equal to its bonus points squared, and tags go to the lowest numbers first, so more bonus points always improve a hunter's chance but never guarantee a tag.
Which seasons fall in the rut, and how much of the region is public land?
Neither the archery nor the muzzleloader season in Unit 015 falls during the rut; archery and muzzleloader both run through earlier phases such as the summer bachelor and velvet-shed periods instead. About 92% of the unit is BLM public land, but roughly 4% is tribal land closed to public hunting and a small share is private, so a tag does not open every acre shown as public.
Data sources & methodology
- Nevada Department of Wildlife — 2026 Big Game Application FAQ — how the draw works, how bonus points are earned, squared and lost, and how many hunt choices an application takes
- Nevada Department of Wildlife — 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 big game hunting seasons (Commission Regulation 25-07) — season dates, weapons and legal animals for each group of units
- Nevada Department of Wildlife — Bonus point and application choice trends — the draw results behind the draw-difficulty words
- USGS / MRLC — National Land Cover Database — habitat and cover classes by elevation band
- USGS PAD-US — Protected Areas Database of the United States — land ownership and access
- PRISM Climate Group — 1991–2020 normals — fall weather
- National Interagency Fire Center — wildfire perimeters — recent fires, their size and where they burned
Draw difficulty is a qualitative reading of the modelled chance from the 2025 draw results for each pool, not published odds. Rut phases are borrowed regional timing, not Nevada-specific dates. Land shares are separate, non-overlapping categories. Confirm every rule with the Nevada Department of Wildlife before you apply.