Units 071–079, 091 Mule Deer Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 5,940 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 071–079, 091 is like
Units 071–079, 091 are drawn together as one region, and the hunts described below cover all of them. The country rolls from about 4,300 feet up to nearly 10,800 feet, but most of it is gentle to moderate ground with only scattered steeper breaks. Cover across the region runs heavily to shrub and brush at every elevation band, with grass and meadow mixed through and small amounts of conifer and pinyon-juniper showing up at the higher elevations; riparian cover is a minor presence low down.
About three-quarters of the region, roughly 4,400 square miles, is public land under BLM, National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area management, with the remaining quarter in private hands. Public ownership here does not mean easy access — some public ground can only be reached by crossing private land, so a hunter has to plan routes rather than assume a line on a map is open. Four fires have burned small slices of the region in recent years: the Wildcat fire of 2022 burned about 21,000 acres and now sits two to four years out, while the Hot Canyon, Oxley and Adobe Mtn fires, all in the 2025–2026 window, are each within their first year after burning. None covers more than about one percent of the region. Across these seasons the Wildcat burn is two to four years out, 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, moving in and out of the unburned timber around it. The other three burns are in their first year, when deer are likely in different places than they were in the summer.
Every hunt here is a draw hunt, and residents and nonresidents are judged against separate quotas within each one, so a hunt's draw standing has to be read pool by pool rather than as one number for the region.
Mule deer hunts in Units 071–079, 091 (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: 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 – October 20 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| Any legal weapon | October 21 – November 5 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
| Archery | November 10 – November 20 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Primary Rut |
"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 this hunt bucks are still in velvet and holding in small bachelor groups, a pattern that carries into the start of the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase by the season's close. Summer scouting and first-light glassing pay off here — find a buck feeding into the morning, mark where he beds for the day in shade or on north-facing slopes, then close the distance at midday while he is settled. A buck that seems to vanish is often still nearby in a small crevice or draw. Residents face good odds at zero bonus points and good odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents see very long odds at zero bonus points improving to fair odds with 5 bonus points.
Muzzleloader · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · September 10 – October 4
This hunt opens as bucks are shedding velvet and runs into the start of the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, when bucks keep much the same habits as late summer but become more and more nocturnal through October, with most still near where they spent the summer. Residents hold long odds at zero bonus points, improving to good odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents face very long odds at zero bonus points and long odds with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · October 5 – October 20
This hunt falls 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. Residents face very long odds at zero bonus points but good odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents see very long odds at zero bonus points and long odds with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · October 21 – November 5
Late October into early November is the shift from the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase into the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase, when deer may begin migrating toward their rutting ground, so glassing the country between where they spent the summer and where they will be during the rut is the approach. November averages about 5.5 inches of snowfall with lows near 22°F. Residents hold very long odds at zero bonus points and long odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents face very long odds at both zero and 5 bonus points.
Archery · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · November 10 – November 20
This late archery hunt falls squarely in the Primary Rut phase, when bucks are rutting and spend their time with or near does rather than holding solitary summer patterns. Cold weather moving through — November snowfall averages near 5.5 inches with lows around 22°F — can push deer out of higher country onto easier, more open ground, and fresh snow is a good time to cut fresh buck tracks; bucks will most likely be with the does or nearby, so find the does first. Residents face very long odds at zero bonus points, improving to fair odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents see very long odds at both zero and 5 bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,300–10,800 ft, typically around 6,100 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 65% gentle · 28% moderate · 6% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~4,400 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 brush78%
- Grass and meadow16%
- Riparian3%
- Other cover3%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush78%
- Grass and meadow18%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper2%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush71%
- Grass and meadow19%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper8%
- Deciduous forest1%
Across the unit
- Shrub and brush81%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper10%
- Grass and meadow7%
- Other cover2%
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 071–079, 091. 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.
- Wildcat fire, 2022 — about 21,000 acres in the region.
- Hot Canyon fire, 2025 — about 13,000 acres in the region.
- Oxley fire, 2026 — about 11,000 acres in the region.
- Adobe Mtn fire, 2025 — about 11,000 acres in the region.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 74% of Units 071–079, 091 is public land by ownership — BLM, National Forest 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.
- BLM65%
- National Forest9%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- Private26%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 82°F, lows around 48°F
- September — highs around 72°F, lows around 40°F, about 0 in of snowfall
- October — highs around 58°F, lows around 30°F, about 0.4 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 45°F, lows around 22°F, about 5.5 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 36°F, lows around 15°F, about 10 in of snowfall
Units 071–079, 091 mule deer hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get a mule deer tag in Units 071–079, 091?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for one of the specific antlered mule deer hunts offered in the region, each defined by its weapon and dates. Every hunt here is awarded through the draw rather than sold over the counter, and residents and nonresidents are drawn from separate quotas.
How hard are the hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Yes, odds differ sharply by pool and by how many bonus points a hunter holds. Resident odds on the early archery hunt run good at both zero and 5 bonus points, while nonresident odds on that same hunt start very long at zero points and only reach fair with 5 points. Later hunts in October and November generally run long to very long for both pools at zero points, with bonus points helping residents more than nonresidents in most cases.
Can a nonresident hunt here?
Yes, nonresidents can apply for every antlered mule deer hunt listed in this region. Nonresident odds tend to run very long at zero bonus points across the hunts, though some hunts improve meaningfully with 5 bonus points.
Does Nevada have bonus points, and how do they work?
Nevada uses bonus points rather than preference points, and antlered mule deer points are a separate total from points for any other hunt category. In the 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 hunter needs an active hunting or combination license at the time of the draw for a bonus point to count, and points are lost if a hunter misses two years in a row of applying for that category.
Which seasons here fall in the rut, and how much of the region is public land?
Only the November 10–20 archery hunt falls within the Primary Rut phase; the August, September and October hunts all occur before the rut begins. About 74 percent of the region, roughly 4,400 square miles, is public land managed by BLM, National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area designations, with the remaining 26 percent in private ownership. Public ownership does not guarantee easy access, since some public ground can only be reached by crossing private 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.