Units 043, 044, 046 Mule Deer Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 2,417 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 Units 043, 044, 046 is like
Units 043, 044, 046 are drawn together, and the hunts described here cover all three. The country is mostly rolling, with some steeper breaks, running from around 3,900 feet up to 9,800 feet, with a mean slope near nine degrees. Lower elevations are dominated by shrub and brush with some grass and meadow and a touch of riparian cover; mid elevations run heavier to shrub and brush with grass and meadow mixed in; higher elevations add a measure of conifer and pinyon-juniper to the shrub and brush and grass.
About 63% of the region, roughly 1,517 square miles, is public land under BLM and State Wildlife Management Area management, but a lot of that ground is reached only by crossing private land, so access should never be assumed to be simple. Private land makes up about 36% of the region, and a hunter working toward those parcels needs to arrange permission ahead of time. A small other-land share, about 1.1%, rounds out the region. The Barber fire burned about 18,000 acres here in 2025, still in its first year of recovery, while the Gregg, Buffalo, and Summit fires each burned smaller pieces of ground between 2018 and 2019 and are now five to eight years out, with brush and deadfall thickening back in.
The three seasons — archery, muzzleloader, and any legal weapon — run consecutively from August through early November, each with its own draw odds for resident and nonresident hunters, and none of them fall within the primary rut.
Mule deer hunts in Units 043, 044, 046 (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: Very long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair 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
This is a velvet-and-bachelor-group hunt, spanning the Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern phase into the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase, so bucks are in velvet and often bachelored up in small groups early on. Scouting counts for a lot here: glass at first light to find a buck, mark where he beds in the shade or on a north-facing slope through the heat of the day, then make a move on him at midday while he's bedded, or pattern him in the evening for a return the next morning. A buck that seems to vanish is often still nearby in a small crevice or draw. Resident hunters draw this bow hunt for antlered mule deer bucks at good odds whether they carry zero or five bonus points, while nonresident hunters face very long odds at zero points but good odds with five points on the board.
Muzzleloader · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · September 10 – October 4
Running from the tail end of velvet shedding into the start of the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, this muzzleloader hunt still rewards the same bedding-area glassing that works in archery season — shady pockets and north-facing slopes hold bucks through midday, and the stalk-at-midday, watch-at-dusk routine still applies into late September. By October, though, bucks are trending more nocturnal while most are still near where they spent the summer, so persistence on known bedding country pays off more than covering new ground. Resident hunters face very long odds at zero bonus points but good odds with five points, while nonresident hunters see very long odds at zero points and fair odds with five.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · October 5 – November 5
Covering the back half of the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase into the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase, this any-legal-weapon hunt for antlered mule deer bucks has bucks becoming more and more nocturnal, with most still near where they spent the summer. As the season wears into late October and toward its November 5 close, bucks may start shifting toward rutting ground, so glassing the country between summer range and likely staging ground can pay off. November averages about 0.9 inch of snowfall with lows near 25°F. Resident hunters face very long odds at zero bonus points improving to fair odds with five, while nonresident hunters face very long odds at both zero and five bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,900–9,800 ft, typically around 4,900 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 64% gentle · 27% moderate · 9% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~1,517 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 brush63%
- Other cover21%
- Grass and meadow12%
- Riparian4%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush77%
- Grass and meadow21%
- Other cover2%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush68%
- Grass and meadow25%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper6%
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 Units 043, 044, 046. 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.
- BARBER fire, 2025 — about 18,000 acres in the region (1%).
- Gregg fire, 2018 — about 10,000 acres in the region.
- Buffalo fire, 2019 — about 6,400 acres in the region.
- Summit fire, 2019 — about 6,400 acres in the region.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 63% of Units 043, 044, 046 is public land by ownership — BLM and State Wildlife Management Area. Ownership is not the same as legal access: public land can be reachable only across private ground, and some parcels are closed or restricted.
- BLM62%
- State Wildlife Management Area1%
- Other land1%
- Private36%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 90°F, lows around 53°F
- September — highs around 81°F, lows around 45°F
- October — highs around 67°F, lows around 34°F
- November — highs around 52°F, lows around 25°F, about 0.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 42°F, lows around 19°F, about 3 in of snowfall
Units 043, 044, 046 mule deer hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get a mule deer tag in Units 043, 044, 046?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for one of three antlered mule deer hunts covering Units 043, 044, 046 together — archery, muzzleloader, or any legal weapon. Each hunt has separate resident and nonresident quotas, and a tag is only valid for the weapon and dates it was drawn for. There is no over-the-counter option; every mule deer tag here comes through the draw.
How hard are these hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Yes, residents and nonresidents draw from separate pools and the odds differ by hunt. Resident archery odds are good at zero bonus points and stay good with five, while nonresident archery odds start very long at zero points and improve to good with five. The muzzleloader and any-legal-weapon hunts are tougher for both pools at zero points, with the any-legal-weapon nonresident odds still very long even with five bonus points.
Can a nonresident hunt here?
Yes, nonresidents can apply for all three mule deer hunts in Units 043, 044, 046. Draw odds for nonresidents are generally longer than for residents at zero bonus points, though they improve with five bonus points, most notably for the archery hunt.
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 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.
Which seasons fall in the rut, and how much of the region is public land?
None of the three mule deer seasons in Units 043, 044, 046 fall within the primary rut; all three run from August through early November, ahead of it. About 63% of the region, roughly 1,517 square miles, is public land managed by BLM and a State Wildlife Management Area, though reaching some of that public ground can require crossing private land first. Private land accounts for about 36% of the region, with a small remaining share classed as other land.
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.