Unit 031 Mule Deer Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt unit · 1,507 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 031 is like
Unit 031 is gentle and rolling country, with the bulk of its ground classed as gentle terrain and only a small sliver reaching steep or rugged slope. Cover is shrub and brush and grass and meadow at the lower and mid elevations, with grass and meadow dominating up high and a thin ribbon of riparian cover down low. Because this is a single unit drawn on its own, every hunt below applies only to Unit 031.
Public land makes up the large majority of the unit, managed by the BLM, with private land holding a meaningful share as well. About 1% of the unit is tribal land, which is closed to public hunting and does not open to a state tag regardless of what a hunter draws. Reaching BLM ground here can still mean crossing private parcels first, so access should never be assumed to be simple just because the ownership map looks public.
The three seasons here run from summer into early November, moving from velvet bucks on summer range through a nocturnal, migration-staging period.
Mule deer hunts in Unit 031 (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: Fair 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: Long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition, Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| Any legal weapon | October 5 – November 5 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
"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
Archery hunters in Unit 031 are working bucks that are still bachelored up on summer range, holding in small groups through the Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern phase before moving into the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase by late in the season. Scouting pays off here: bucks feed into the morning, bed in shade for most of the day, and glassing shady pockets and north-facing slopes is the way to find one and pattern where he beds before closing the distance at midday or working back in for an evening or next-morning stalk. Once velvet sheds, habits stay much the same, and a buck that seems to vanish is often still tucked into a nearby crevice or draw. Residents face fair odds at zero bonus points and good odds with 5 bonus points; nonresidents face very long odds at zero bonus points and long odds with 5 bonus points, and only antlered bucks are legal.
Muzzleloader · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · September 10 – October 4
The muzzleloader season opens late in the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase and runs into the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, so the same shady-pocket, north-facing-slope glassing that works in archery still applies early, with bucks becoming more nocturnal through October. Most bucks are still near where they spent the summer. Residents face long odds at zero bonus points and good odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents see very long odds at zero bonus points and long odds with 5 bonus points, and only antlered bucks may be taken.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · October 5 – November 5
By the time the any-legal-weapon season opens, bucks are deep into the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase and moving toward the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase by its close, which means more nocturnal movement and, late in the season, the start of a shift toward rutting ground — worth glassing the country between summer range and wherever that staging takes bucks next. November averages about 1.8 inches of snowfall with lows near 28°F. Residents hold very long odds at zero bonus points but fair odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents face very long odds at both zero bonus points and with 5 bonus points; the hunt is for antlered bucks only.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,100–8,500 ft, typically around 4,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 72% gentle · 23% moderate · 5% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~1,282 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 brush53%
- Grass and meadow30%
- Other cover13%
- Riparian3%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush50%
- Grass and meadow49%
Higher elevations
- Grass and meadow64%
- Shrub and brush36%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 85% of Unit 031 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.
- BLM85%
- tribal land<1%
- Private14%
About 1% 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 87°F, lows around 54°F
- September — highs around 78°F, lows around 47°F
- October — highs around 64°F, lows around 36°F
- November — highs around 49°F, lows around 28°F, about 1.8 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 39°F, lows around 22°F, about 4.3 in of snowfall
Unit 031 mule deer hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get a mule deer tag in Unit 031?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for one of the three mule deer hunts offered in Unit 031 — archery, muzzleloader, or any legal weapon, all for antlered bucks. There is no over-the-counter option; every tag here is awarded through the draw, and a hunter can apply with or without any bonus points already built up.
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. Residents see odds ranging from fair to very long at zero bonus points depending on the hunt, improving to good or fair with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents generally face longer odds in every hunt at both zero and 5 bonus points.
Can a nonresident hunt here?
Yes, a nonresident can apply for and draw any of the three mule deer hunts in Unit 031. Nonresident odds run very long at zero bonus points across all three hunts, with some improvement to long or very long odds with 5 bonus points.
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 mule deer points kept as their own separate total apart from other hunt categories. 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.
How much of Unit 031 is public land, and is any of it closed to a state tag?
Public land managed by the BLM covers the large majority of the unit, with private land making up most of the remainder. About 1% of the unit is tribal land, which is closed to public hunting and does not open to any state tag.
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.