Units 101–109 Mule Deer Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 6,378 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 101–109 is like
Units 101–109 together hold gentle and rolling country, with the great majority of the ground classed as gentle and only a sliver that qualifies as steep. The hunts below cover these units together. Shrub and brush dominates at every elevation band, with grass and meadow and some riparian strips at lower and mid elevations, while higher elevations add conifer and pinyon-juniper and a measure of deciduous forest.
Public land covers about 83 percent of the region's roughly 6,378 square miles, managed by BLM, National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area designations; the remaining 16 percent is private, and permission on that ground is the hunter's own to arrange. Public ownership does not mean easy entry, since some of that public ground is reachable only by crossing private land, so access takes some planning rather than being a given. Four fires — the Corta (2019), Hogan (2018), Range Two (2018) and Ibapah (2020) — each burned a small share of the region, and by the time of these seasons all of them are five to eight years regrown: thick brush and saplings standing five feet or better, with increasing deadfall, which hides animals easily.
Every hunt listed is a draw hunt, and Nevada separates resident and nonresident quotas for each one, so a hunter's pool matters as much as the season chosen.
Mule deer hunts in Units 101–109 (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: Long odds 5 points: Good odds | Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern, Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Muzzleloader | September 10 – September 30 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Good odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Long odds 5 points: Good odds | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition |
| Any legal weapon | October 1 – October 16 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| Any legal weapon | October 17 – October 30 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
| Any legal weapon | October 31 – November 8 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging |
| Archery | November 10 – November 20 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Long odds 5 points: Good 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 season bucks are still in velvet and bachelored up, settling into the Summer Range / Bachelor Pattern before shifting into the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase as September arrives. Summer scouting and glassing matter more than anything else here: a mature buck needs very little water, so a small seep or an occasional rainstorm can be enough. Bucks feed into the morning before bedding in shade for most of the day, so glassing shady pockets and north-facing slopes, then stalking a bedded buck at midday, is the standard approach; evenings are often better spent patterning a buck to return for the next morning. Resident hunters find good odds at zero bonus points and with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents face long odds at zero bonus points that turn to good odds with 5 bonus points.
Muzzleloader · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · September 10 – September 30
This muzzleloader season falls in the Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition phase, when bucks that have just shed velvet keep much the same habits as late summer. Glass at first light to find a buck and mark where he beds, then move in during the middle of the day while he's bedded in shade; evenings are often better for watching a buck until dark and returning the next morning. A buck that seems to vanish is often still nearby, tucked into a small crevice or draw. Resident odds run good at both zero and 5 bonus points, while nonresidents see long odds at zero bonus points improving to good odds with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · October 1 – October 16
This early-October season lands in the Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase, when bucks grow steadily more nocturnal but are still mostly found near their summer ground. Resident hunters face long odds at zero bonus points that become good odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents see very long odds at zero bonus points and fair odds with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · October 17 – October 30
This late-October season opens in the same Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase and then crosses into the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase as deer may begin migrating toward their rutting ground. Through October bucks become more and more nocturnal, and glassing the country between where they spent the summer and where they will be during the rut is the approach as the season wears on. Resident odds run long at zero bonus points and good with 5 bonus points, while nonresident odds are very long at zero bonus points and stay long even with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · October 31 – November 8
This season sits fully in the Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging phase, when deer may be working their way toward rutting ground, making the country between summer range and rut range worth glassing. November averages about 4.4 inches of snowfall with lows near 24°F, and weather moving in can push deer out of the high country onto more glassable ground. Resident hunters face very long odds at zero bonus points that improve to fair odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresident odds remain very long at both zero and 5 bonus points.
Archery · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · November 10 – November 20
This archery season falls during the Primary Rut, when bucks are rutting, so finding the does is the surest way to find a buck, since bucks will most likely be with them or nearby. November averages about 4.4 inches of snowfall with lows near 24°F, and weather moving in can push deer out of the high country onto more glassable ground, and fresh snow is also a good time to cut fresh buck tracks. Glassing early and late in the day fits this phase well. Resident odds run long at zero bonus points and good with 5 bonus points, while nonresident odds stay very long at both zero and 5 bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,200–11,400 ft, typically around 6,200 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 72% gentle · 21% moderate · 6% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~5,290 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 brush76%
- Grass and meadow10%
- Other cover10%
- Riparian3%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush78%
- Grass and meadow10%
- Other cover5%
- Riparian4%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper3%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush57%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper27%
- Deciduous forest10%
- Grass and meadow6%
Across the unit
- Shrub and brush79%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper17%
- Grass and meadow2%
- Riparian1%
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 101–109. 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.
- Corta fire, 2019 — about 16,000 acres in the region.
- Hogan fire, 2018 — about 11,000 acres in the region.
- Range Two fire, 2018 — about 9,200 acres in the region.
- Ibapah fire, 2020 — about 7,200 acres in the region.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 83% of Units 101–109 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.
- BLM73%
- National Forest10%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- tribal land<1%
- Other land<1%
- Private16%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 84°F, lows around 52°F
- September — highs around 75°F, lows around 43°F
- October — highs around 61°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.4 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 47°F, lows around 24°F, about 4.4 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 38°F, lows around 17°F, about 7.6 in of snowfall
Units 101–109 mule deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get a mule deer tag in Units 101–109?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for one of the archery, muzzleloader or any-legal-weapon hunts listed for the region, since every mule deer hunt here is awarded through the draw rather than sold directly. Residents and nonresidents apply into separate quotas, and a hunter who is not drawn can reapply in a future year.
How hard is it to draw a mule deer tag here, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Yes, residents and nonresidents draw from separate quotas and the odds differ by hunt and by pool. Some hunts run good odds for residents even at zero bonus points, while nonresidents in those same hunts can face long or very long odds at zero bonus points that improve with bonus points on hand.
Can a nonresident hunt mule deer in Units 101–109?
Yes, nonresidents can apply for every hunt listed in this region, each with its own nonresident draw odds, and the nonresident quota is separate from the resident one.
Does Nevada use bonus points, and how do they work here?
Nevada uses bonus points, not preference points, and mule deer points are tracked separately from points for any other 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 hunter only earns a point for a year in which they hold an active hunting or combination license, and points are lost if a hunter misses two years running of applying for the category.
Which of these seasons fall in the rut, and how much of the region is public versus closed to a state tag?
Only the November 10–20 archery season falls within the Primary Rut phase; the other listed seasons fall outside of it, including two that sit in an Early Pre-Rut staging phase as deer begin moving toward rutting ground. About 83 percent of the region is public land under BLM, National Forest or State Wildlife Management Area management, while the remaining roughly 16 percent is private ground where permission is the hunter's own to secure.
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.