Nevada Elk Hunting

Nevada hunts are draw hunts, told apart by their weapon, what may be taken and their 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.

Nevada uses bonus points, not preference points. A bonus point is earned by applying unsuccessfully, or bought in place of applying, and each hunt category keeps its own points: antlered, antlerless and spike elk are three separate categories. A bonus point is earned only if the hunter has an active hunting or combination license at the time of the draw. Bonus points are lost if a hunter misses two years in a row of applying for the category.

Hunters draw in two pools, residents and nonresidents, with separate quotas; a hunt with no nonresident tags cannot be drawn by a nonresident at all. Nevada hunts are grouped by region, the units NDOW draws together, so each guide below covers a whole group. Every elk hunt is a draw hunt: none is sold over the counter.

Each guide covers what the country is like, how to get in, recent fires, and what each hunt is like on the ground, with draw difficulty in words for each pool.