Units 061, 071 Elk Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 739 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 Units 061, 071 is like
Units 061, 071 are drawn together and cover rolling to moderately steep ground, with slopes mostly gentle to moderate and only a modest share of steep country. Elevations run from around 4,800 feet up near 9,900 feet, and the mix of shrub and brush with grass and meadow dominates at every elevation band, giving way to some conifer and pinyon-juniper and deciduous forest only up high.
About 82 percent of the region is public land under National Forest, BLM, and State Wildlife Management Area management, but ownership is not the same as access — some public ground here can only be reached by crossing private land, so a hunter should not assume a straightforward walk-in. About 6 percent of the region is tribal land, which is closed to public hunting and not open to a state tag. The remaining private land, around 12 percent, requires its own permission. The South Sugarloaf fire burned about 57,000 acres here in 2018, roughly 12 percent of the region, and by the time of these seasons that ground is five to eight years post-fire — thick with brush and saplings standing five feet or better, with increasing deadfall as burned timber continues to fall.
The hunts below span archery, muzzleloader, and any-legal-weapon seasons running from early August through the start of January, targeting antlered, antlerless, and spike elk as separate categories, each with its own bonus point history and draw outcome.
Elk hunts in Units 061, 071 (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: Long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Fair odds 5 points: Good odds | Late Summer / Velvet |
| Archery | August 16 – August 31 | Antlered elk (bulls) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Pre-Rut Transition |
| Muzzleloader | September 1 – September 16 | Antlered elk (bulls) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Any legal weapon | September 17 – 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 17 – October 4 | Spike elk | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No nonresident tags | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Any legal weapon | October 5 – October 21 | Antlered elk (bulls) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| Any legal weapon | 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, 2026 – January 1, 2027 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | — |
| Any legal weapon | November 6, 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 15
This early season falls in the Late Summer / Velvet phase, outside the rut. The draw runs long odds for a resident at zero bonus points and good odds with five, while a nonresident sees fair odds at zero and good odds with five.
Archery · Antlered elk (bulls) · August 16 – August 31
This archery bull hunt falls in the Pre-Rut Transition phase, outside the rut. In the first week or two of the archery season, bulls are stripping their velvet and are still close to where they spent the summer, so sitting water or glassing for spot-and-stalk opportunities can be effective. The draw sits at very long odds for a resident at zero bonus points, improving to fair odds with five, while a nonresident faces very long odds at both zero and five bonus points.
Muzzleloader · Antlered elk (bulls) · September 1 – September 16
This muzzleloader hunt runs through the Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases, so it falls in the rut. The South Sugarloaf burn (2018) is five to eight years out, when brush and saplings are very thick and deadfall builds each year. Both pools draw at very long odds whether a hunter holds zero or five bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · September 17 – October 4
Spanning the Primary Rut and Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phases, this antlerless hunt falls in the rut. October averages about 1 inch of snowfall with lows near 31°F. The draw runs very long odds for a resident at zero bonus points and long odds with five, with a nonresident facing the same very long odds at zero and long odds with five.
Any legal weapon · Spike elk · September 17 – October 4
This spike elk hunt, open to residents only, falls across the Primary Rut and Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phases. October averages about 1 inch of snowfall with lows near 31°F. The draw runs very long odds for a resident at zero bonus points and long odds with five; there are no nonresident tags for this hunt.
Any legal weapon · Antlered elk (bulls) · October 5 – October 21
As breeding slows through the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut and Post-Rut Recovery phases, mature bulls may pull away from larger cow groups and go solitary, with the biggest bulls often leaving first while smaller satellite bulls linger with cows still cycling. Bulls coming off the rut can be worn down and battered, sometimes carrying broken antlers, so hunters focused on antler condition should look bulls over carefully. These recovering bulls may settle into secluded pockets where feeding, bedding, and water sit close together, and their limited appearances in the open can make hunting them similar to hunting mule deer — glass openings at first and last light, and walk likely cover during the slow midday hours looking for fresh tracks and droppings. Both pools face very long odds at zero and at five bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered elk (bulls) · October 22 – November 5
Moving into the Post-Rut Recovery and Migration Transition phases, bulls may continue holding in secluded pockets early on before later regrouping into bachelor groups, as elk begin transitioning toward wintering areas and large cow groups may become less concentrated. Snowfall picks up in this window — averaging around an inch in October but closer to ten inches by November with lows dropping into the low 20s — so a hunter should watch for fresh sign along ground animals may move toward as conditions build, rather than relying on old sign from past years. Both resident and nonresident pools draw at very long odds whether a hunter holds zero or five bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · November 6, 2026 – January 1, 2027
This late antlerless hunt runs November 6 to January 1, with snowfall averaging about 9.9 inches in November, 15.8 in December and 15.7 in January, and lows near 23°F in November and 17°F in December and January. Snow depth is worth checking before committing to a spot. The draw runs very long odds for a resident at zero bonus points and fair odds with five, with a nonresident facing the same very long odds at zero and fair odds with five.
Any legal weapon · Spike elk · November 6, 2026 – January 1, 2027
This late spike elk hunt, open to residents only, runs November 6 to January 1, with snowfall averaging about 9.9 inches in November, 15.8 in December and 15.7 in January, and lows from 23°F down to 17°F. Snow depth is worth checking before committing to a spot. The draw runs very long odds for a resident at zero bonus points and long odds with five; there are no nonresident tags for this hunt.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,800–9,900 ft, typically around 6,600 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 35% gentle · 51% moderate · 14% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~604 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 brush52%
- Grass and meadow44%
- Riparian3%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush75%
- Grass and meadow23%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper1%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush70%
- Grass and meadow11%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper10%
- Deciduous forest9%
Across the unit
- Shrub and brush48%
- Grass and meadow44%
- Deciduous forest4%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper3%
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 Units 061, 071. 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 57,000 acres in the region (12%).
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 82% of Units 061, 071 is public land by ownership — National Forest, BLM and State Wildlife Management Area. 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 Forest60%
- BLM21%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- tribal land6%
- Private12%
About 6% 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 78°F, lows around 48°F
- September — highs around 68°F, lows around 40°F, about 0 in of snowfall
- October — highs around 55°F, lows around 31°F, about 1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 42°F, lows around 23°F, about 9.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 34°F, lows around 17°F, about 15.8 in of snowfall
Units 061, 071 elk hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get an elk tag in Units 061, 071?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for a specific weapon, season, and legal animal — archery, muzzleloader, or any-legal-weapon hunts targeting antlered, antlerless, or spike elk. Every one of these hunts is awarded by random draw; none can be purchased over the counter. A hunter may only end up with one elk tag total, since drawing one voids any other elk application.
How hard are the hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Draw difficulty varies a lot by hunt and pool: some archery and late-season antlerless hunts run from long odds down to fair or good odds for a resident holding bonus points, while most bull hunts here run very long odds for both residents and nonresidents even with bonus points in hand. Residents and nonresidents are drawn from separate quotas, so one pool's difficulty says nothing about the other's.
Can a nonresident hunt every hunt here?
No — nonresidents may apply for the archery, muzzleloader, and any-legal-weapon antlered and antlerless hunts, but the spike elk hunts running September 17 to October 4 and November 6 to January 1 have no nonresident tags at all and are closed to nonresident applicants entirely.
Does Nevada have bonus points, and how do they work?
Nevada uses bonus points, not preference points, and keeps antlered, antlerless, and spike elk as three separate categories, each tracking its own point history. In the draw, an application gets one random number plus extra random numbers equal to its bonus points squared, and tags go to the lowest numbers first — so more 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, and points only accrue while holding an active hunting or combination license at draw time.
Which seasons fall in the rut here?
The muzzleloader bull hunt from September 1 to September 16 and the any-legal-weapon antlerless, spike, and bull hunts running September 17 through October 21 all fall within the rut period. The archery hunts in August and the any-legal-weapon bull hunt from October 22 to November 5 fall outside that window, landing in earlier or later phases instead.
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.