Units 261–268 Mule Deer Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 5,656 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 261–268 is like
Units 261–268 together cover a broad stretch of rolling country, with some steeper breaks cut in here and there. Elevation runs from about 500 feet up to about 11,900 feet, with a typical elevation around 3,000 feet. Shrub and brush dominates the cover at every elevation band, with grass and meadow mixed in and pockets of conifer and pinyon-juniper at the higher elevations. Gentle-to-moderate slopes make up the bulk of the terrain. The hunts below cover these units together.
Public land makes up about three-quarters of the region, managed by BLM and the Forest Service, with a further share under Park Service management where hunting is allowed only in some areas and never in parks or monuments proper. Private land holds a real share too, and permission there is the hunter's own to arrange; a small sliver of other land rounds out the rest. Public ownership is not the same as open access — some of that public ground can only be reached by crossing private land, so a hunter should plan routes and permissions before setting out rather than assume a line on a map means a walk-in.
The three seasons here are archery, muzzleloader and any-legal-weapon, all for antlered bucks.
Mule deer hunts in Units 261–268 (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: 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: Very long odds 5 points: Fair 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: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Early Pre-Rut / Migration Corridor Staging, Primary Rut, Late Rut / Winter Consolidation |
"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
Through this stretch of summer and into early September, bucks are still in velvet and often grouped up in small bachelor bands, holding in the same country they've used all summer. The pattern is simple but demanding: glass at first light to locate a buck, mark where he beds in the shade or on a north-facing slope, then make the stalk while he's bedded in the middle of the day rather than trying to catch him on his feet. Evening glassing often just confirms where he'll be in the morning rather than producing an immediate shot. A buck that seems to vanish is often still nearby in a crevice or draw, not gone. Resident archers face very long odds at zero bonus points but good odds with five bonus points, while nonresidents go from very long odds at zero points to fair odds with five.
Muzzleloader · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · September 10 – October 4
By the time muzzleloader season opens, bucks have usually shed velvet, and their daily pattern holds close to the summer routine — feeding into the morning, then bedding tight for most of the day. The same glass-stalk-glass rhythm still works: find him early, let him bed, close the distance at midday, then use the evening sit to pattern him for the next morning rather than forcing a rushed stalk. As October arrives, bucks grow steadily more nocturnal, but most haven't moved far from the ground they held through summer, so staying on that same country pays off. Resident hunters face very long odds at zero bonus points, improving to fair odds with five.
Any legal weapon · Antlered mule deer (bucks) · November 5 – November 30
By the time this season opens deer may be migrating toward their rutting ground, so glassing the country between where they spent the summer and where they will be during the rut is worth it in the season's early days. Once the rut takes hold, the better tactic is to find the does, since bucks will most likely be with them or nearby. Weather moving in can push deer out of the high country onto more glassable ground, and fresh snow is a good time to cut fresh buck tracks. Both pools face very long odds at zero bonus points; with five bonus points residents move to long odds while nonresidents remain at very long odds.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 500–11,900 ft, typically around 3,000 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 66% gentle · 23% moderate · 10% steep · 1% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~4,249 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 brush57%
- Other cover32%
- Grass and meadow11%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush81%
- Grass and meadow13%
- Other cover5%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush73%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper18%
- Grass and meadow9%
Across the unit
- Shrub and brush61%
- Grass and meadow20%
- Other cover16%
- Riparian2%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 75% of Units 261–268 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.
- BLM66%
- National Forest9%
- National Park Service11%
- military land<1%
- tribal land<1%
- Other land2%
- Private12%
Hunting is allowed on some National Park Service land but not in national parks or monuments — check where it is allowed.
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 99°F, lows around 72°F
- September — highs around 92°F, lows around 65°F
- October — highs around 79°F, lows around 53°F
- November — highs around 65°F, lows around 41°F
- December — highs around 55°F, lows around 34°F
Units 261–268 mule deer hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get a mule deer tag in Units 261–268?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for one of the archery, muzzleloader, or any-legal-weapon buck hunts that cover these units together. Each hunt has separate quotas for residents and nonresidents, and a hunter picks a season based on weapon, timing, and how the draw odds look for their pool.
How hard are the hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Yes, residents and nonresidents are judged separately because each pool has its own quota. In general the archery and muzzleloader hunts draw easier for residents holding bonus points than the November any-legal-weapon hunt does, and on the any-legal-weapon hunt nonresident odds stay very long even with 5 bonus points.
Can a nonresident hunt here?
A nonresident can apply for the archery and the any-legal-weapon buck hunts in this region, each of which has nonresident draw odds. Nonresidents can also apply for the muzzleloader hunt (September 10 to October 4); no draw odds are shown for it.
Does Nevada have bonus points and how do they work?
Nevada uses bonus points rather than preference points, earned by applying unsuccessfully or by purchase instead of applying, with antlered mule deer points tracked separately from points for other hunt categories. 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. Points are lost if a hunter misses two consecutive years of applying for the category, and a point only counts if the hunter holds an active hunting or combination license at draw time.
Which season falls in the rut here?
The any-legal-weapon hunt running November 5 through November 30 is the one that reaches into the rut, spanning the early pre-rut staging period, the primary rut, and the late rut consolidation that follows. The archery and muzzleloader seasons both fall earlier in the year, well outside any rut phase.
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.