Unit 262 Elk Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt unit · 2,142 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. 3 hunts here have no nonresident tags; a nonresident cannot draw them.
What hunting Unit 262 is like
Unit 262 is rolling country, with some steeper breaks, running from low ground up through mid-elevation shrub and brush slopes into higher ground mixed with conifer and pinyon-juniper and pockets of grass and meadow. Most of the unit sits in gentle to moderate terrain, so the hunting is mostly foot country where glassing and covering ground on foot both come into play, with steeper, rougher pitches scattered through the higher elevations for hunters willing to climb into them.
Public land makes up the large majority of Unit 262, managed as BLM, National Forest and State Trust ground, but that ownership does not by itself guarantee easy walking access — a good share of that public ground can only be reached by crossing private land, so a hunter has to work out access before the season rather than assume it. Private land makes up a smaller share of the unit, and permission there is on the hunter to arrange.
All of the elk hunts in Unit 262 are drawn, and residents and nonresidents are held to separate quotas within that draw. None of the three hunts here carries nonresident tags, so a nonresident has no hunt to apply for in this unit.
Elk hunts in Unit 262 (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 25 – September 16 | Antlered elk (bulls) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | No nonresident tags | Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Any legal weapon | September 17 – September 30 | Antlered elk (bulls) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | No nonresident tags | Primary Rut |
| Muzzleloader | October 22 – November 5 | Antlered elk (bulls) | Residents can apply No draw odds shown | No nonresident tags | Post-Rut Recovery, Migration Transition |
"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 elk (bulls) · August 25 – September 16
Archery season opens with bulls still shedding velvet and settled close to where they spent the summer, spanning the Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases as it runs into mid-September. Sitting over water sources or glassing open ground for a spot-and-stalk works well in this stretch, especially while bulls haven't yet scattered far from their summer pattern. This hunt is for antlered elk only, and residents face very long odds at zero bonus points and at 5 bonus points; nonresidents cannot apply for it at all.
Any legal weapon · Antlered elk (bulls) · September 17 – September 30
By the time the any-legal-weapon season opens in mid-September, the unit is fully into the Primary Rut phase, which gives a hunter more ground to cover and more reason to work the mix of shrub, brush and grass openings where bulls are more active and visible this time of year. The terrain's mostly gentle-to-moderate character makes it reasonable to still-hunt or glass across open country, though the steeper breaks at higher elevation are there for anyone willing to push into them. It's a bull-only hunt, and residents face very long odds at zero bonus points and at 5 bonus points; nonresidents are not eligible for this hunt.
Muzzleloader · Antlered elk (bulls) · October 22 – November 5
Muzzleloader season runs late enough to fall into the Post-Rut Recovery and Migration Transition phases, when bulls that have finished rutting tend to pull back into secluded pockets and can be as tough to pattern as mule deer. Glassing feeding openings early and late, then using the slow midday hours to walk likely ground checking for fresh tracks and droppings, is the way to confirm bulls are actually using an area before committing time to it. As the season runs into early November, elk may start shifting toward wintering ground, so fresh sign along that transition is worth more than old sign from past years. This is an antlered-elk-only hunt, and nonresidents cannot apply for it.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 2,000–11,900 ft, typically around 4,200 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 60% gentle · 25% moderate · 14% steep · 1% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~1,937 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%
- Other cover31%
- Grass and meadow5%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush95%
- Grass and meadow4%
- Other cover1%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush62%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper36%
- 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 90% of Unit 262 is public land by ownership — BLM, National Forest and State Trust land. Ownership is not the same as legal access: public land can be reachable only across private ground, and some parcels are closed or restricted.
- BLM67%
- National Forest23%
- State Trust land<1%
- tribal land<1%
- Other land<1%
- Private9%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 96°F, lows around 69°F
- September — highs around 89°F, lows around 62°F
- October — highs around 76°F, lows around 50°F
- November — highs around 63°F, lows around 39°F
- December — highs around 54°F, lows around 32°F
Unit 262 elk hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get an elk tag in Unit 262?
Every elk hunt in Unit 262 is awarded through Nevada's draw. A hunter applies in the antlered, antlerless or spike elk category, and a tag in one category voids any other elk application that hunter holds for that draw.
How hard are the hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
The archery and any-legal-weapon hunts in Unit 262 run very long odds for residents at zero bonus points and at 5 bonus points, since more points improve a hunter's chance without guaranteeing a tag. Nonresidents have no hunt to draw here, because none of the three carries nonresident tags.
Can a nonresident hunt every season in Unit 262?
No. The archery, any-legal-weapon and muzzleloader bull hunts in Unit 262 all carry no nonresident tags, so a nonresident cannot apply for those seasons at all.
Does Nevada have bonus points, and how do they work in this unit?
Yes, Nevada uses bonus points rather than preference points, and antlered, antlerless and spike elk each keep their own separate point count. 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. A hunter loses points in a category after missing two consecutive years of applying for it.
Which Unit 262 seasons fall in the rut, and how much of the region is public land?
The archery bull hunt spans the Pre-Rut Transition, Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases, and the any-legal-weapon bull hunt falls entirely in the Primary Rut phase, while the muzzleloader bull hunt runs later, in the Post-Rut Recovery and Migration Transition phases. Public land makes up roughly 90 percent of Unit 262, managed as BLM, National Forest and State Trust ground, with the remainder in private ownership that requires a hunter's own permission to access.
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.