Units 241–245 Mule Deer Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 3,533 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 241–245 is like
Units 241–245 are hunted together under one group of draw hunts, and the country across them is rolling, with some steeper breaks — gentle to moderate ground makes up most of the region, with only a small share of steep or rugged terrain. Elevation runs from about 1,500 feet up to about 8,000 feet, and cover shifts with it: lower and mid elevations are dominated by shrub and brush with grass and meadow mixed in, while the higher country carries more conifer and pinyon-juniper alongside its shrub and grass.
Public land dominates the region, with BLM managing roughly 97% of it, but that ownership share does not mean access is simple — some of that public ground can only be reached by crossing private land, so permission and route-finding matter before a hunt starts. Private land holds a small share of the region. Four fires have burned into the region in recent years: the Meadow Valley and Twin fires, both from 2020, are now five to eight years out and have grown back thick with brush and deadfall that hides animals well. The Grapevine and Kane Springs fires, both from 2026, are within their first year — ground that was bare right after the burn can green up fast with good moisture, and deer may already be moving back through those burns between patches of unburned cover.
Across the three seasons here, every hunt is drawn separately by weapon, and bonus points build within the mule deer category over time for hunters who keep applying.
Mule deer hunts in Units 241–245 (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 | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Velvet Shed / Early Fall Transition, Early Fall Migration / Nocturnal Buck Phase |
| Any legal weapon | October 5 – October 31 | 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 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
Archery season opens in summer and runs into early September, a stretch when bucks are still in velvet and often grouped up in small bachelor bands. Summer scouting pays off here — glassing shady pockets, north-facing slopes, and the country near water lets a hunter find a buck at first light, watch where he beds, and close the distance at midday while he's still down. Evening glassing often serves better to simply mark a buck for a return the next morning than to force a stalk in fading light. As the season runs into its final weeks and bucks begin shedding velvet, habits hold steady but bucks may bed earlier and stay down longer, so checking small crevices and draws near a buck that seems to vanish is worth the effort; residents face very long odds at zero points and long odds with five, while nonresidents face very long odds at both levels.
Muzzleloader · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · September 10 – October 4
Muzzleloader season picks up where archery leaves off, spanning the tail end of the velvet shed into a stretch when bucks grow steadily more nocturnal. Early on, the same glassing pattern still works — shady pockets and north-facing slopes hold bedded bucks worth a patient stalk at midday, and evening glassing is often more about relocating a buck for the next morning than forcing action before dark. By the back half of the season, through early October, bucks spend more time moving at night and less in daylight, though most are still holding near the same ground they used through summer, so persistence glassing that same country is the better bet than covering new ground. Both residents and nonresidents face very long odds at zero points and at five points in this hunt.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · October 5 – October 31
The any-legal-weapon season runs through October, a month in which bucks become more and more nocturnal, with most still near where they spent the summer. Toward the end of October, 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. Draw odds stay very long for both residents and nonresidents, whether at zero bonus points or with five.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 1,500–8,000 ft, typically around 4,700 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 58% gentle · 31% moderate · 10% steep · 1% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~3,440 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 brush77%
- Grass and meadow18%
- Other cover4%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper1%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush75%
- Grass and meadow16%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper8%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush54%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper30%
- Grass and meadow16%
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 241–245. 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.
- Meadow Valley fire, 2020 — about 59,000 acres in the region (3%).
- Grapevine fire, 2026 — about 26,000 acres in the region (1%).
- Twin fire, 2020 — about 26,000 acres in the region (1%).
- Kane Springs fire, 2026 — about 17,000 acres in the region.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 97% of Units 241–245 is public land by ownership — 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.
- BLM97%
- military land<1%
- Other land<1%
- Private2%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 92°F, lows around 64°F
- September — highs around 85°F, lows around 56°F
- October — highs around 72°F, lows around 45°F
- November — highs around 59°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.3 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 49°F, lows around 27°F, about 0.8 in of snowfall
Units 241–245 mule deer hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get a mule deer tag in Units 241–245?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for one of the archery, muzzleloader, or any-legal-weapon hunts that cover Units 241–245 together. These are all draw-only hunts, so a tag is never available simply by buying one over the counter. Residents and nonresidents apply into separate quotas for each hunt.
How hard are the hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
All three weapon seasons here run very long odds for residents at zero bonus points, improving only to long odds for archery with five bonus points while the other two stay very long even at that level. Nonresidents face very long odds at zero and at five bonus points across all three hunts. Both pools are drawn separately.
Can a nonresident hunt here?
Yes, nonresidents can apply for all three mule deer hunts offered in Units 241–245. Nonresidents draw from their own separate quota rather than competing directly against residents.
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, as long as they hold an active hunting or combination license at the time of the draw. 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. Mule deer points are tracked separately from points held for any other hunt category, and a hunter who skips applying for two years in a row loses them.
How much of the region is public land?
Roughly 97% of Units 241–245 is BLM public land, with a small remaining share in private hands. Ownership alone does not guarantee easy access, since some public ground can only be reached by crossing private property, so a hunter should plan routes and permission carefully rather than assume public land is simple to get into.
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.