Unit 062 Elk Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt unit · 778 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 Unit 062 is like
Unit 062 is rolling to moderately steep country, running from low ground near 5,300 feet up to higher country topping out around 10,400 feet, with most of the terrain gentle to moderate and only a modest share truly steep. At lower and mid elevations the cover is mostly shrub and brush with meadow and grass mixed in, while higher ground adds pockets of conifer and pinyon-juniper and some deciduous forest. Riparian cover is thin throughout. It is largely foot country, and a hunter should expect to cover ground on uneven footing to find elk rather than relying on any single easy access point.
About 61 percent of Unit 062 is public land under National Forest and BLM management, but ownership is not the same as access — a fair amount of that public ground sits behind or beyond private land, so reaching it is not automatic. About 8 percent of the unit is tribal land, which is closed to public hunting and does not open to any state tag. The remaining roughly 31 percent is private, and getting onto it is on the hunter to arrange. Two fires have reshaped parts of the habitat here: the South Sugarloaf fire of 2018 burned about 148,000 acres, roughly 30 percent of the unit, and is now five to eight years out, meaning the burn has grown back thick with brush, saplings, and increasing deadfall that can hide and slow movement. The Cottonwood Peak fire of 2025 burned about 33,000 acres, about 7 percent of the unit, and is in its first year, so the ground there is still adjusting and elk use of it may differ sharply from past patterns. The Gance fire of 2018 burned a smaller 5,400 acres, about 1 percent of the unit, and is likewise five to eight years post-fire.
Every elk hunt in Unit 062 is awarded through Nevada's draw, and antlered, antlerless, and spike elk are tracked as separate bonus point categories. Residents and nonresidents both have tags on the antlerless hunts listed here, drawn from separate quotas with different odds.
Elk hunts in Unit 062 (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 elk | Resident | Nonresident | Rut phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Archery | August 1 – August 15 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Fair odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Fair odds 5 points: Good odds | Late Summer / Velvet |
| Any legal weapon | September 17 – October 4 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Any legal weapon | October 5 – October 21 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Good odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
"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 this unit together with other units, so they have their own guides. Check them too:
Archery · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · August 1 – August 15
This early-season hunt falls in the Late Summer / Velvet phase, a time when a hunter after cow and calf groups should glass feeding openings in the cooler parts of the day and work ground where elk may move toward water and better feed as the heat of summer continues. Odds run fair at zero bonus points and improve to good with 5 bonus points for both residents and nonresidents, making this one of the more approachable antlerless draws in the unit.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · September 17 – October 4
Spanning the Primary Rut and into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, this hunt puts a cow or calf hunter into country where elk activity is heightened and groups may be more spread out and on the move; glassing openings and reading sign stays the practical approach for locating them. Draw odds are very long at zero bonus points for both residents and nonresidents, improving to fair with 5 bonus points, so this is a tougher draw than the early archery season. Weapon choice is open, which gives added flexibility for closing distance on cow and calf groups during this active stretch.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · October 5 – October 21
Running from the tail of the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase into Post-Rut Recovery, this hunt calls for the same patient approach: glass feeding openings early and late, and in the slower hours walk likely ground checking for tracks and droppings, staying on an area once sign shows elk are using it rather than moving off too soon. Residents face long odds at zero bonus points improving to good odds with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents start at very long odds and also reach good odds with 5 bonus points. It is the best-odds antlerless hunt of the three for a points holder, though still a tougher starting position without them.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,300–10,400 ft, typically around 6,600 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 46% gentle · 39% moderate · 15% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~477 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 brush64%
- Grass and meadow26%
- Riparian6%
- Other cover5%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush56%
- Grass and meadow39%
- Riparian2%
- Other cover2%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush60%
- Grass and meadow31%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper6%
- Deciduous forest4%
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 Unit 062. 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.
- South Sugarloaf fire, 2018 — about 148,000 acres in the region (30%).
- Cottonwood Peak fire, 2025 — about 33,000 acres in the region (7%).
- Gance fire, 2018 — about 5,400 acres in the region (1%).
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 61% of Unit 062 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 Forest44%
- BLM17%
- tribal land8%
- Private31%
About 8% of this unit is tribal land, which is closed to public hunting and is not counted as huntable. Your tag does not open it.
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 81°F, lows around 48°F
- September — highs around 71°F, lows around 40°F
- October — highs around 58°F, lows around 31°F, about 0.6 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 44°F, lows around 23°F, about 6.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 36°F, lows around 16°F, about 12.7 in of snowfall
Unit 062 elk hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get an elk tag in Unit 062 without applying for years first?
Yes. A hunter with no bonus points still receives one entry in Nevada's draw and can draw a tag the first time applying, though holding bonus points improves the odds. Unit 062 offers antlerless elk hunts across archery and any-legal-weapon seasons, each with its own draw odds for residents and nonresidents.
How hard is it to draw an elk tag in Unit 062, and does it differ for residents versus nonresidents?
Draw difficulty varies by season and by bonus points held: the archery antlerless hunt runs fair odds at zero points and good odds with 5 points for both pools, while the two any-legal-weapon antlerless hunts run longer at zero points and ease toward fair or good odds with 5 points. Residents and nonresidents are tracked as separate quotas, so one pool's odds do not depend on the other.
Can a nonresident hunt elk in Unit 062?
Yes, nonresidents can apply for every antlerless elk hunt listed for this unit, since none of them are marked as closed to nonresident tags. Odds for nonresidents differ from the resident odds on some of these hunts, particularly the any-legal-weapon seasons.
Does Nevada use bonus points for elk, and how do they work in Unit 062?
Nevada uses bonus points, not preference points, and antlered, antlerless, and spike elk are each tracked as a separate category. A hunter earns a point by applying unsuccessfully or by buying one instead of applying, but only while holding an active hunting or combination license, and points are lost if a hunter skips applying in that category for two years running. 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.
Which Unit 062 elk seasons fall during the rut, and how much of the unit is public land open to a state tag?
The two any-legal-weapon antlerless hunts, September 17 to October 4 and October 5 to October 21, both fall within the rut timing for this region, while the August 1 to August 15 archery antlerless hunt falls outside it. About 61 percent of the unit is National Forest and BLM public land, but roughly 8 percent is tribal land that stays closed to any state tag regardless of season.
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.