Unit 032 Mule Deer Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt unit · 623 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 032 is like
Unit 032 is rolling country, with some steeper breaks, running from around 4,000 feet up to roughly 9,400 feet, with most of the ground sitting near 5,100 feet. The bulk of the unit is gentle to moderate slope. Cover shifts with elevation: lower ground is mostly shrub and brush with grass and meadow and a little riparian growth, mid elevations run heavier to shrub and brush, and the higher country adds a thin band of conifer and pinyon-juniper above mostly shrub and brush and grass and meadow. The Cherry Gulch fire burned about 16,000 acres inside the unit in 2022, roughly 4% of its area, and by the seasons described here that ground is two to four years post-fire — open enough to glass easily, with new grass and brush drawing deer in to feed in the early morning and right before dark while they still use the surrounding unburned timber for cover.
Public land dominates Unit 032, with BLM managing about 92% of the unit. The remaining private land, around 8.5%, is scattered through the rest of the unit, and because public and private ground interlock, reaching some public pockets can mean crossing private land first — access is never a given just because the ownership map looks open.
Mule deer hunts in Unit 032 (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: Good odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Good 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 | Nonresidents can apply No draw odds shown | 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: Good 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 season opens while bucks are still working through the Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern phase and runs into the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase, so early hunters find bucks bachelored up and still in velvet before habits shift only slightly once velvet comes off. The approach is built around morning glassing — find a buck feeding, mark where he beds in shade or on a north-facing slope, then either stalk him at midday while bedded or watch him into the evening and come back for him at first light. A buck that seems to vanish is often still tucked in a nearby crevice or draw rather than gone. Residents face good odds at zero and at 5 bonus points, while nonresidents face very long odds at zero bonus points but good odds with 5 bonus points, and the legal animal throughout is an antlered mule deer buck.
Muzzleloader · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · September 10 – October 4
Muzzleloader season carries through the back half of the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase into the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, so the first couple weeks still reward the same glass-and-stalk pattern around shaded bedding and north-facing slopes, but by October bucks are turning increasingly nocturnal and most are still near where they spent the summer. Early mornings and evenings are still the windows to find a buck on his feet; midday is for working in on one already bedded. Residents draw this hunt at long odds with zero bonus points and good odds with 5 bonus points, and the legal animal is an antlered mule deer buck.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · October 5 – November 5
The any-legal-weapon season runs from deep in the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase into the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase, so bucks are becoming more nocturnal and most are still near where they spent the summer, then by late October they may begin migrating toward their rutting ground — glassing the country between those two areas is the better play as the season closes. November averages about 1.3 inches of snowfall with lows near 28°F. Residents see very long odds at zero bonus points improving to good odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents face very long odds at both zero and 5 bonus points, and the legal animal is an antlered mule deer buck.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,000–9,400 ft, typically around 5,100 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 58% gentle · 29% moderate · 12% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~570 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 brush68%
- Grass and meadow21%
- Other cover9%
- Riparian2%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush78%
- Grass and meadow21%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush82%
- Grass and meadow15%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper2%
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 032. 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.
- Cherry Gulch fire, 2022 — about 16,000 acres in the region (4%).
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 92% of Unit 032 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%
- Private8%
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 37°F
- November — highs around 49°F, lows around 28°F, about 1.3 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 39°F, lows around 22°F, about 3.1 in of snowfall
Unit 032 mule deer hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get a mule deer tag in Unit 032?
Every mule deer hunt in Unit 032 is filled through Nevada's draw rather than sold over the counter. A hunter applies for a specific weapon season — archery, muzzleloader, or any legal weapon — and if drawn receives a tag for an antlered mule deer buck in that season.
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 hunt and by how many bonus points an applicant holds. Residents see good odds on the archery hunt even with zero points, while nonresidents only reach good odds on that same hunt once they hold 5 bonus points. The muzzleloader hunt runs long odds at zero points for residents, and the any-legal-weapon hunt is very long at zero points for both pools, improving to good odds for residents with 5 points but staying very long for nonresidents even with 5 points.
Can a nonresident hunt here?
Nonresident draw odds are listed for the archery and any-legal-weapon hunts in Unit 032. Nonresidents can also apply for the muzzleloader hunt (September 10 to October 4); 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 kept separate 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. A point only counts if the hunter holds an active hunting or combination license at the time of the draw, and points are lost if a hunter misses two years in a row of applying for that category.
Which seasons fall in the rut, and how much of the unit is public?
None of Unit 032's three mule deer seasons fall during the Primary Rut phase; the archery and muzzleloader hunts run through summer and early fall phases, and the any-legal-weapon hunt runs through fall migration and staging phases before the rut begins. About 92% of the unit is BLM public land, with the remaining roughly 8.5% in private hands, though reaching some public ground can still mean crossing private land first.
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.