Unit 035 Mule Deer Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt unit · 1,705 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 035 is like
Unit 035 is gentle and rolling country, with the great majority of its ground gentle and only a small sliver steep. Elevations run from about 4,000 feet up to 9,100 feet, and cover shifts with that climb: lower and mid elevations are dominated by shrub and brush with a grass and meadow component, while the higher country adds a thin band of conifer and pinyon-juniper to the same shrub-and-brush, grass-and-meadow base.
Public land covers about 81% of the region, all of it BLM-managed, with the remaining 19% in private hands. That public share is substantial, but reaching it is not always simple since blocks of it can sit behind private ground, so a hunter should plan access and permission rather than assume a straight walk-in. The Sombrero fire burned roughly 19,000 acres in the region, about 2% of its area, and for seasons falling in its first year after the burn, deer are likely in different places than they were in the summer, with most animals moving to ground that still has water and good feed. Green-up can come quickly once a fire is out.
Mule deer hunts in Unit 035 (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: Fair odds | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Muzzleloader | September 10 – October 4 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Good odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Good 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: 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 here runs through the heart of summer into early September, when bucks are still in velvet and holding in small bachelor groups across the Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern phase before sliding into the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase. Summer scouting and glassing matter more than anything else in this gentle, rolling terrain — find a buck early and mark where he beds, since he needs very little water to get by. Morning glassing to locate a bedded buck followed by a midday stalk is the standard play, with evening glass sessions used either to set up a stalk or simply to pattern him for the next morning. Resident archers draw this hunt for antlered bucks with good odds at zero bonus points and with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents face very long odds at zero points that improve to fair odds with 5 points.
Muzzleloader · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · September 10 – October 4
The muzzleloader hunt opens as bucks are finishing the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase and sliding into the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, so habits carry over from summer at first but shift as the season goes. Early on, bucks still feed into the morning and bed in shade through the day, making shady pockets and north-facing slopes worth glassing at first light before a midday stalk; a buck that seems to vanish is often still nearby in a crevice or draw. By late September and into early October bucks grow steadily more nocturnal, though most are still found near the same ground they held through summer. Residents draw this hunt with good odds at zero bonus points and with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents see very long odds at zero points that climb to good odds with 5 points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · October 5 – November 5
This hunt opens with bucks deep in the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, when bucks become more and more nocturnal and most are still near where they spent the summer, then runs into the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase as deer may begin migrating toward their rutting ground late in the season. That means the smart play shifts over the course of the hunt from working known summer haunts to glassing the open ground between that summer range and wherever the rut will unfold. November averages about 1.1 inches of snowfall with lows near 27°F. Residents face very long odds at zero bonus points on this antlered buck hunt that improve to good odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents see very long odds at both zero and 5 bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,000–9,100 ft, typically around 4,500 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 77% gentle · 17% moderate · 6% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~1,388 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 brush67%
- Grass and meadow19%
- Other cover14%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush70%
- Grass and meadow28%
- Other cover2%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush72%
- Grass and meadow25%
- 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 035. 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.
- Sombrero fire, 2026 — about 19,000 acres in the region (2%).
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 81% of Unit 035 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.
- BLM81%
- tribal land<1%
- Private19%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 91°F, lows around 53°F
- September — highs around 81°F, lows around 45°F
- October — highs around 67°F, lows around 35°F
- November — highs around 52°F, lows around 27°F, about 1.1 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 41°F, lows around 21°F, about 3 in of snowfall
Unit 035 mule deer hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get a mule deer tag in Unit 035?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for one of the three antlered mule deer hunts offered in Unit 035 — archery, muzzleloader, or any legal weapon — each with its own season dates and draw odds. There is no over-the-counter option; every tag here is awarded through the draw process. Applying is also how a hunter builds bonus points for future years in this category.
How hard are the Unit 035 hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Yes, residents and nonresidents draw from separate quotas with different odds. Residents see good odds on the archery and muzzleloader hunts at both zero and 5 bonus points, while the any-legal-weapon hunt is much tougher for a resident at zero points but improves to good odds with 5 points. Nonresidents face very long odds at zero points across all three hunts, improving to fair or good odds with 5 points on archery and muzzleloader, but staying very long even with 5 points on the any-legal-weapon hunt.
Can a nonresident hunt mule deer in Unit 035?
Yes, nonresidents can apply for all three antlered mule deer hunts in Unit 035 — archery, muzzleloader, and any legal weapon. None of these hunts are restricted to residents only, though nonresident odds start out very long at zero bonus points and improve by hunt with added 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 antlered mule deer points tracked separately from points in 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. A bonus 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.
How much of Unit 035 is public land?
About 81% of the region is public land managed by the BLM, with the remaining 19% in private ownership. Reaching public ground is not always straightforward, since some BLM parcels sit behind private land requiring permission to cross.
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.