Unit 231 Elk Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt unit · 1,779 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. 2 hunts here have no nonresident tags; a nonresident cannot draw them.
What hunting Unit 231 is like
Unit 231 is gentle and rolling country, with mean slopes under ten degrees across the great majority of its ground and only a sliver of steep or rugged terrain. Lower elevations run almost entirely to shrub and brush, mid elevations mix shrub and brush with conifer and pinyon-juniper, and the higher country shifts to a conifer and pinyon-juniper base with pockets of shrub and brush and grass and meadow. Elk here have room to move across open, walkable ground, and a hunter who is fit for long days on foot will find few obstacles beyond distance and the need to cover it glassing and checking sign rather than climbing.
Public land dominates Unit 231, with BLM managing almost all of the roughly 1,779 square miles that make up the unit. That is a high share of public ground on paper, but ownership is not the same as access — some BLM parcels can only be reached by crossing private land, so a hunter should check routes in before counting on a piece of ground.
Every hunt in Unit 231 is drawn, never bought over the counter, and residents and nonresidents compete in separate pools with their own draw words. Antlered, antlerless and spike elk each run as their own bonus-point category, an applicant can draw only one elk tag, and the season a hunter chooses — archery, muzzleloader or any legal weapon — determines both the odds faced and where that hunt falls relative to the rut.
Elk hunts in Unit 231 (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 24 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | Nonresidents can apply No draw odds shown | Late Summer / Velvet, Pre-Rut Transition |
| Archery | August 25 – September 16 | Antlered elk (bulls) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Muzzleloader | September 17 – September 26 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | Nonresidents can apply No draw odds shown | Primary Rut |
| Any legal weapon | September 27 – October 4 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Any legal weapon | September 27 – October 4 | Spike elk | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No nonresident tags | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Muzzleloader | October 22 – November 5 | Antlered elk (bulls) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
| Any legal weapon | November 6 – November 20 | Antlered elk (bulls) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Migration Transition |
| Any legal weapon | November 21 – December 4 | Antlered elk (bulls) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Migration Transition, Winter Range |
| Any legal weapon | December 5, 2026 – January 1, 2027 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | — |
| Any legal weapon | December 5, 2026 – January 1, 2027 | Spike elk | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No nonresident tags | — |
"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 · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · August 1 – August 24
This August stretch falls in the Late Summer / Velvet phase sliding into the Pre-Rut Transition phase, early enough that cow and calf groups are still settled on summer ground rather than pushed anywhere by rut activity. A hunter working this hunt does best watching the areas where those groups are holding rather than covering long distances chasing movement. Draw odds for residents run very long odds at zero bonus points and fair odds with five bonus points.
Archery · Antlered elk (bulls) · August 25 – September 16
Spanning the Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases, this archery hunt catches bulls early on still close to where they spent summer, shedding velvet in the first week or two. Sitting water or glassing for a spot-and-stalk is the approach that pays off during this window. Resident odds run very long at zero bonus points and long with five bonus points, while nonresident odds sit at very long in both cases.
Muzzleloader · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · September 17 – September 26
This short muzzleloader hunt sits inside the Primary Rut phase, when cow and calf groups are active on the landscape and worth locating by watching the ground they're using rather than guessing at distant terrain. No major weather shift marks these dates. Resident draw odds run very long at zero bonus points and long with five bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · September 27 – October 4
Running from the Primary Rut into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, this any-legal-weapon hunt offers a window on cow and calf groups before they settle into post-rut patterns. Conditions through these dates bring nothing notable weather-wise. Resident and nonresident odds both run very long at zero bonus points, improving to long odds with five bonus points for either pool.
Any legal weapon · Spike elk · September 27 – October 4
Covering the Primary Rut and Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phases, this is a resident-only spike elk hunt. Weather across these dates is unremarkable. Resident odds run very long at zero bonus points and long with five bonus points; nonresidents cannot draw this hunt.
Muzzleloader · Antlered elk (bulls) · October 22 – November 5
By the time this muzzleloader hunt opens, bulls are in the Post-Rut Recovery phase moving into the Migration Transition phase, settling into secluded areas and showing themselves infrequently enough that it can hunt similarly to mule deer — glass feeding openings at first and last light, and use slower hours to walk likely ground checking for tracks and droppings. Where sign shows elk are using an area, staying patient on it beats moving on too soon, and later in this window bulls may regroup into bachelor bunches as cow groups start drifting toward wintering ground. November brings modest snowfall and lows near 25°F, which can be enough to nudge animals toward transition routes if it piles up. Both pools sit at very long odds whether a hunter holds zero or five bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered elk (bulls) · November 6 – November 20
This hunt falls entirely in the Migration Transition phase, when bachelor groups of bulls may be forming again and cow groups are thinning out as animals move toward wintering ground — fresh sign along that transition is worth more than sign from past seasons. November's modest snowfall and lows near 25°F can be a factor in how far along that shift has gotten. Resident and nonresident odds are both very long at zero bonus points and remain very long even with five bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered elk (bulls) · November 21 – December 4
Spanning the Migration Transition into the Winter Range phase, this hunt catches bulls that may be grouped with other bulls and settling into wintering areas that often see repeated use year after year — historical sign can narrow down where to look, but fresh tracks, droppings or sightings are what confirm elk are actually there. November and December both carry modest snowfall with lows dropping into the high teens and upper twenties, conditions that can firm up winter range use. Resident odds run very long at zero bonus points and long with five bonus points, while nonresident odds stay very long in both cases.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · December 5, 2026 – January 1, 2027
This late any-legal-weapon cow and calf hunt runs from early December into January, and winter weather is the main factor: December and January both bring multiple inches of snowfall and lows near 18 to 19°F, and if substantial snow has accumulated it can concentrate animals on lower ground. Resident and nonresident odds both run very long at zero bonus points and improve to long odds with five bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Spike elk · December 5, 2026 – January 1, 2027
This late resident-only spike elk hunt runs from early December into January, set against real winter weather: December and January bring several inches of snowfall and lows near 18 to 19°F, cold enough that if snow has piled up it may push animals toward lower ground. Resident odds run very long at zero bonus points and long with five bonus points; nonresidents cannot draw this hunt.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,700–9,300 ft, typically around 6,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 73% gentle · 23% moderate · 4% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~1,767 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 brush95%
- Other cover4%
- Grass and meadow1%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush70%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper29%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper74%
- Shrub and brush23%
- Grass and meadow2%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 99% of Unit 231 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.
- BLM99%
- Private<1%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 87°F, lows around 53°F
- September — highs around 78°F, lows around 45°F
- October — highs around 66°F, lows around 34°F
- November — highs around 53°F, lows around 25°F, about 1.2 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 43°F, lows around 18°F, about 2.7 in of snowfall
Unit 231 elk hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get an elk tag in Unit 231?
Every elk hunt in Unit 231 is awarded through Nevada's draw rather than sold over the counter. A hunter applies for a specific weapon, season and legal animal — antlered, antlerless or spike elk — and residents and nonresidents are drawn from separate pools.
How hard are the hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Draw difficulty varies by hunt, weapon and pool, and is described in words rather than numbers — ranging from very long odds to fair odds depending on how many bonus points a hunter holds. Residents and nonresidents are drawn separately, and some hunts carry no nonresident pool at all, so a nonresident cannot draw those regardless of points.
Can a nonresident hunt every hunt in Unit 231?
No. Nonresidents may apply for the archery, muzzleloader and any-legal-weapon hunts targeting antlered or antlerless elk, but both spike elk hunts have no nonresident tags at all, so only residents can draw those.
Does Nevada have bonus points, and how do they work in Unit 231?
Nevada uses bonus points rather than preference points, and a hunter earns one by applying unsuccessfully or by purchasing one instead of applying. Antlered, antlerless and spike elk each keep their own separate point tally, and in the draw an application gets one random number plus extra random numbers equal to its bonus points squared, with tags going to the lowest numbers first — so more points always improve a hunter's chance but never guarantee a tag.
Which seasons in Unit 231 fall during the rut?
The archery antlered hunt from late August into mid-September, the muzzleloader antlerless hunt in mid-to-late September, and both any-legal-weapon hunts running September 27 through October 4 all fall within rut phases. The earliest archery antlerless hunt in August and the hunts from late October through early December fall outside the rut.
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.