Units 202, 205–208 Mule Deer Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 3,963 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 202, 205–208 is like
Units 202, 205–208 sit across a broad stretch of rolling country, with some steeper breaks cut into the higher ground. Elevations run from roughly 3,900 feet up to 11,300 feet, with a typical elevation around 5,800 feet, where shrub and brush cover dominates and gives way to conifer and pinyon-juniper as the ground climbs higher. Only about a tenth of the terrain by area is steep or rugged. The hunts below cover these units together as a single draw region.
About 82 percent of the region is public land under BLM and National Forest management. Roughly 10 percent of the region is tribal land, closed to public hunting and not open on a state tag, and another 6 percent is a military range, also closed to the public. Private land makes up a small remainder, around 2.6 percent, and permission there is on the hunter to arrange. Ownership is not the same as access: some public ground can only be reached by crossing private land.
Nevada's draw determines who gets a tag here, and bonus points shift the odds without ever promising a tag outright. Every hunt listed is a draw hunt with separate resident and nonresident quotas, and the words attached to each hunt reflect how competitive it is at zero bonus points and with 5 bonus points.
Mule deer hunts in Units 202, 205–208 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any legal weapon | November 5 – November 30 | 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, Primary Rut, Late Rut / Winter Consolidation |
| Muzzleloader | December 1 – December 15 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Late Rut / Winter Consolidation |
| Archery | December 16, 2026 – January 1, 2027 | Antlered mule deer (bucks) | No points: Long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: 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.
Some hunts take in these units together with other units, so they have their own guides. Check them too:
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · November 5 – November 30
The November hunt opens as deer are still working their way toward rutting ground and runs clear through the primary rut and into the start of winter consolidation. Early on, glassing the country between summer range and the rut grounds pays off, and once the rut is underway bucks are preoccupied with does, 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 0.6 inch of snowfall with lows near 26°F, and weather moving in can push deer out of the high country onto more glassable ground, and fresh snow is worth checking for fresh tracks. This is an any-legal-weapon hunt for antlered bucks only, and the resident draw runs very long at zero points but turns fair with 5 points, while the nonresident side stays very long at both levels.
Muzzleloader · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · December 1 – December 15
By the time the muzzleloader hunt opens in December, the rut has moved into its late, winter-consolidation phase, with bucks still tied to does but the breeding push winding down. The same approach that works in late November still applies: glass early and late, watch for does, and expect bucks nearby. December averages about 1.6 inches of snowfall with lows near 20°F. This is a muzzleloader hunt for antlered bucks only, and it is one of the better opportunities in the region for a resident with points — zero-point odds run very long, but 5 points bring it to good odds, while nonresident odds stay very long at both levels.
Archery · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · December 16, 2026 – January 1, 2027
The archery hunt closes out the season from mid-December into the start of January, after the rutting phases of the earlier hunts. Snowfall averages around 1.6 inches in December and climbs to about 2.4 inches in January, with lows near 20°F and 21°F respectively, so snow depth is worth checking. Shrub and brush cover dominates, with conifer and pinyon-juniper mixed in higher up. This is an archery-only hunt for antlered bucks, and it rewards a resident holding points — long odds at zero points improve to good odds with 5 points, while nonresident odds run very long at zero points and long odds with 5 points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,900–11,300 ft, typically around 5,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 60% gentle · 29% moderate · 11% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~3,251 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 brush75%
- Other cover22%
- Grass and meadow2%
- Riparian1%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush88%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper6%
- Other cover4%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush70%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper28%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 82% of Units 202, 205–208 is public land by ownership — BLM and National Forest. Ownership is not the same as legal access: public land can be reachable only across private ground, and some parcels are closed or restricted.
- BLM69%
- National Forest13%
- tribal land10%
- military land6%
- Private3%
About 10% of this unit is tribal land, which is closed to public hunting and is not counted as huntable. Your tag does not open it. About 6% is a military range, closed to the public and not counted as huntable.
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 89°F, lows around 54°F
- September — highs around 80°F, lows around 46°F
- October — highs around 67°F, lows around 35°F, about 0 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 54°F, lows around 26°F, about 0.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 44°F, lows around 20°F, about 1.6 in of snowfall
Units 202, 205–208 mule deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get a mule deer tag in Units 202, 205–208?
Yes, but every mule deer hunt in this region is awarded through Nevada's draw rather than sold over the counter. A hunter applies for one of the listed weapon-and-season hunts, and residents and nonresidents compete in separate quotas for each one. Whether a hunter draws depends on the draw's random process and any bonus points held, not on showing up and buying a tag.
How hard are these hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
It varies a lot by hunt and by pool. The any-legal-weapon November hunt runs very long odds for a resident at zero points but improves to fair odds with 5 points, while nonresidents stay at very long odds either way. The archery and muzzleloader hunts show a similar pattern, with residents holding points doing noticeably better than nonresidents in the same hunt.
Can a nonresident hunt mule deer here?
Yes, nonresidents can apply for all three hunts listed for this region. That said, nonresident odds run long to very long across the board, even for a hunter holding 5 bonus points.
Does Nevada use bonus points, and how do they work for mule deer hunts here?
Nevada uses bonus points, not preference points, and a hunter earns one by applying unsuccessfully or by purchasing a point instead of applying, as long as they hold an active hunting or combination license at the time of the draw. Points are tracked separately for each hunt category, so mule deer points are their own total apart from points for any other species or hunt type. A hunter who misses two consecutive years of applying for mule deer loses accumulated points in that category.
Which of these seasons fall during the rut?
The any-legal-weapon hunt running November 5 through November 30 spans the early pre-rut staging period, the primary rut, and the start of late-rut winter consolidation, making it the hunt most squarely built around rutting behavior. The muzzleloader hunt from December 1 through December 15 falls in the late rut and winter consolidation phase, when bucks are still associated with does but the rut is winding down. The archery hunt in mid-December through New Year's Day runs later still, after the rutting phases named for the earlier hunts.
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.