Units 194, 196 Mule Deer Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 446 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 194, 196 is like
Units 194, 196 are drawn together as one region, and the hunts below all cover these units together. The country runs from around 4,400 feet up to nearly 10,800 feet, but most of it sits in a rolling to moderately steep middle ground — gentle and moderate slopes make up the large majority of the ground, with only a modest steep component and no truly rugged terrain. Lower elevations lean toward shrub and brush with some grass and meadow and a little riparian cover, mid elevations add a real conifer and pinyon-juniper component alongside shrub and brush, and the highest ground is a near-even mix of shrub and brush and conifer and pinyon-juniper with little else.
About 45 percent of the region, roughly 201 square miles, is public land under National Forest and BLM management, but ownership is not the same as access — some of that public ground can only be reached by crossing private land, so a hunter should not assume it is straightforward to get to. Private land accounts for about 51 percent of the region, meaning permission is very often part of the plan, and a small remainder, about 3.5 percent, falls into other land that is neither clearly public nor private. The Hawk fire burned about 15,000 acres here, roughly 5 percent of the region, and every season on the calendar this cycle falls within its first year after the burn, so deer may be using different ground than they did before the fire while the burned areas begin to green up.
Four hunts are offered across the year, all drawn through Nevada's bonus point system, with the draw treating residents and nonresidents as separate pools and giving each its own chances.
Mule deer hunts in Units 194, 196 (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: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long 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: Very long odds | Nonresidents can apply No draw odds shown | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition, Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| Any legal weapon | November 5 – November 30 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging, Primary Rut, Late Rut / Winter Consolidation |
| Archery | December 1, 2026 – January 1, 2027 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | — |
"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 early-season archery hunt opens while bucks are still in their summer bachelor groups and running through velvet, then overlaps the velvet shed and early fall transition as September wears on. Summer scouting pays off here — glassing shady pockets and north-facing slopes in the early morning to find a bedded buck, then working a stalk in the middle of the day while he holds still, is the most consistent approach. Evening glassing often serves better to pattern a buck for the next morning than for an evening stalk. Bucks can disappear into small crevices and draws without having gone far, and even after velvet sheds their routine changes little, though they may bed earlier and stay down longer. Draw chances for this antlered buck hunt run very long for residents and nonresidents at zero bonus points, improving to long odds for residents and staying very long for nonresidents with 5 bonus points.
Muzzleloader · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · September 10 – October 4
Running from September 10 to October 4, this muzzleloader hunt starts as bucks finish shedding velvet and carries into the stretch when they grow increasingly nocturnal. The same glassing-and-stalk pattern from late summer still works early — first light to locate and bed a buck, a midday stalk while he holds, evenings used mostly to pattern him for morning — but by October most bucks are sticking close to where they summered even as they move mostly after dark. This antlered buck hunt draws at very long odds for residents whether a hunter holds zero or 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · November 5 – November 30
By the time this any-legal-weapon hunt opens in November, the season runs through early pre-rut staging, the primary rut, and into late rut and winter consolidation by its close. 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 27°F, and weather moving in can push deer out of the high country onto more glassable ground, and a fresh snow is a good time to cut fresh buck tracks. This antlered buck hunt runs at very long odds for both residents and nonresidents at zero bonus points, and that holds very long for both even with 5 bonus points in hand.
Archery · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · December 1, 2026 – January 1, 2027
This late archery hunt runs through December into the first day of January, deep into winter with average snowfall near 10 inches in December and around 8.5 inches in January, and lows in the low-to-mid 20s. The terrain is rolling to moderately steep across most of the region, with cover split between shrub and brush and conifer and pinyon-juniper at the higher elevations. The legal animal remains an antlered buck. Draw chances sit at very long odds for residents and nonresidents at zero bonus points, with residents improving to long odds and nonresidents remaining at very long odds with 5 bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,400–10,800 ft, typically around 6,400 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 45% gentle · 39% moderate · 15% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~201 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
- Other cover48%
- Shrub and brush40%
- Grass and meadow7%
- Riparian3%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper2%
Mid elevations
- Other cover38%
- Shrub and brush34%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper21%
- Grass and meadow7%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush49%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper47%
- Grass and meadow3%
- 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 194, 196. 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.
- Hawk fire, 2026 — about 15,000 acres in the region (5%).
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 45% of Units 194, 196 is public land by ownership — National Forest and 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.
- National Forest45%
- BLM<1%
- tribal land<1%
- Other land4%
- Private51%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 80°F, lows around 50°F
- September — highs around 73°F, lows around 44°F
- October — highs around 61°F, lows around 35°F, about 0.2 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 49°F, lows around 27°F, about 4.4 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 41°F, lows around 22°F, about 10 in of snowfall
Units 194, 196 mule deer hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get a mule deer tag in Units 194, 196?
Every mule deer hunt in this region is awarded through Nevada's draw rather than sold over the counter. A hunter applies for a specific weapon and season, and residents and nonresidents are drawn from separate pools.
How hard are the hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
All four hunts in this region run at very long odds for most applicants at zero bonus points, and only the two archery hunts improve to long odds for residents holding 5 bonus points. Nonresidents remain at very long odds on every hunt that lists nonresident odds, even with 5 bonus points. 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.
Can a nonresident hunt here?
Nonresidents can apply for the archery hunts and the any-legal-weapon November hunt, each with its own nonresident pool, though the odds are very long at both zero and 5 bonus points. Nonresidents can also apply for the muzzleloader hunt (September 10 to October 4); no draw odds are shown for it.
Does Nevada have points, and how do they work?
Nevada uses bonus points rather than preference points, and antlered mule deer points are tracked separately from points in any other hunt category. A bonus point is earned by applying unsuccessfully or by purchasing one instead of applying, but only if the hunter holds an active hunting or combination license at the time of the draw. A hunter who skips applying in this category for two years running loses accumulated points in it.
Which seasons fall in the rut, and how much of the region is public land?
Only the any-legal-weapon hunt running November 5 through November 30 falls within the rut, spanning the early pre-rut staging period, the primary rut, and the start of late rut. The two archery hunts and the muzzleloader hunt all run outside the rut. About 45 percent of the region, roughly 201 square miles, is public land under National Forest and BLM management, with the rest split between private land, at about 51 percent, and a small share of other land that is neither public nor private.
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.