Units 072–074 Elk Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 2,229 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 072–074 is like
Units 072–074 are drawn together as one region, and the hunts below cover these units together. The ground runs from around 5,100 feet up to nearly 10,800 feet, but most of it is rolling, with some steeper breaks rather than true mountain country — gentle and moderate slopes make up the large majority of the terrain. Lower and mid elevations are dominated by shrub and brush with a meadow and grass component, while the higher country adds patches of conifer and pinyon-juniper to that mix.
Public land covers about 83 percent of the region, managed across BLM, National Forest, and State Wildlife Management Area ground, with the remainder in private hands. That public share is substantial, but ownership is not the same as access — some public parcels sit behind private ground, so a hunter should not assume a straightforward walk-in even where it looks open on a map. The Wildcat fire burned about 15,000 acres here in 2022, and the Adobe Mtn fire burned about 11,000 acres in 2025, each about 1 percent of the region. Across these seasons the Wildcat burn is two to four years out, when a burn can offer some of the best hunting on a unit: it is easier to glass, with new grass and brush for feed, and elk use it to feed early in the morning and right before dark, moving in and out of the unburned timber around it. The Adobe Mtn burn is in its first year, when elk are likely in different places than they were in the summer.
Season to season, the hunts shift from archery in August through late-season spike and antlered hunts running into January, giving a hunter a range of draw categories — antlered, antlerless, and spike elk — each tracked separately in the points system, so the choice of hunt and weapon matters as much as the choice of unit.
Elk hunts in Units 072–074 (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: Long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | Late Summer / Velvet, Pre-Rut Transition |
| Archery | August 25 – September 16 | 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, Rut Onset, Primary Rut |
| Muzzleloader | September 17 – September 26 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | 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 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: 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: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Migration Transition |
| Any legal weapon | November 21, 2026 – January 1, 2027 | Spike elk | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair 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.
Some hunts take in these units together with other units, so they have their own guides. Check them too:
Archery · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · August 1 – August 24
This stretch falls in the Late Summer / Velvet phase sliding into the Pre-Rut Transition phase, outside the rut. A resident applicant faces long odds at zero bonus points but good odds with 5 bonus points, while a nonresident faces very long odds at zero bonus points and fair odds with 5 bonus points.
Archery · Antlered elk (bulls) · August 25 – September 16
Early in this season bulls are shedding velvet and still holding close to the same ground they used through summer, so sitting water or glassing for spot-and-stalk opportunities can be effective. The season runs on it moves through the Pre-Rut Transition and into Rut Onset and Primary Rut. Resident odds run very long at zero bonus points but improve to fair with 5 bonus points, while nonresident odds stay very long at both zero and 5 bonus points.
Muzzleloader · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · September 17 – September 26
This short hunt sits entirely in the Primary Rut phase, so it falls in the rut. A resident holds very long odds at zero bonus points but good odds with 5 bonus points, and a nonresident holds very long odds at zero bonus points improving to fair odds with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · September 27 – October 4
Spanning the tail of the Primary Rut into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, this antlerless hunt falls in the rut. October averages about 0.5 inch of snowfall with lows near 30°F. Both resident and nonresident applicants face very long odds at zero bonus points, improving only to long odds with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Spike elk · September 27 – October 4
Running the same dates and the same Primary Rut into Late Rut / Early Post-Rut window, this spike elk hunt is a resident-only opportunity with no nonresident tags available. October averages about 0.5 inch of snowfall with lows near 30°F. A resident applicant holds very long odds at zero bonus points, improving to long odds with 5 bonus points.
Muzzleloader · Antlered elk (bulls) · October 5 – October 21
As breeding slows through the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase and into Post-Rut Recovery, mature bulls may pull away from cow groups and isolate, with the biggest bulls often first to leave; smaller satellite bulls may linger with cows still cycling. Bulls can be worn and battered by this point, so look to secluded pockets where feed, bedding, and water sit close together, and be ready to glass openings morning and evening while reading tracks and droppings through the day; October averages about 0.5 inch of snowfall with lows near 30°F. Both pools sit at very long odds at zero bonus points and remain at very long odds even with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered elk (bulls) · October 22 – November 5
Covering the Post-Rut Recovery phase into Migration Transition, bulls recovering from the rut may settle into secluded areas where they meet their needs without traveling far, which can make hunting them similar to hunting mule deer — glass feeding openings at first and last light and walk likely ground for fresh sign through the day. Later in the window bachelor groups may begin reforming as animals drift toward wintering country, and October averages about 0.5 inch of snowfall with lows near 30°F while November averages about 6.4 inches with lows near 21°F. A resident holds very long odds at zero bonus points, improving to long odds with 5 bonus points, while a nonresident stays at very long odds at both levels.
Any legal weapon · Antlered elk (bulls) · November 6 – November 20
Entirely in the Migration Transition phase, this hunt comes as bachelor groups may be reforming and cow groups grow less concentrated as animals shift toward wintering ground — current sign along that transition is the key, since old sign only points to past use rather than current location. November averages about 6.4 inches of snowfall with lows near 21°F. A resident faces very long odds at zero bonus points, improving to long odds with 5 bonus points, while a nonresident stays at very long odds at both levels.
Any legal weapon · Spike elk · November 21, 2026 – January 1, 2027
This spike elk hunt runs November 21 to January 1, with snowfall averaging about 6.4 inches in November, 12.2 in December and 11.9 in January, and lows near 21°F in November and 15°F in December and January. It is a resident-only hunt with no nonresident tags available. A resident applicant holds very long odds at zero bonus points, improving to fair odds with 5 bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,100–10,800 ft, typically around 6,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 62% gentle · 30% moderate · 7% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~1,849 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 brush76%
- Grass and meadow18%
- Riparian3%
- Other cover3%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush77%
- Grass and meadow20%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper2%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush65%
- Grass and meadow26%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper8%
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 072–074. 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.
- Wildcat fire, 2022 — about 15,000 acres in the region (1%).
- Adobe Mtn fire, 2025 — about 11,000 acres in the region.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 83% of Units 072–074 is public land by ownership — BLM, National Forest 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.
- BLM66%
- National Forest17%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- Private17%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 81°F, lows around 47°F
- September — highs around 71°F, lows around 39°F
- October — highs around 58°F, lows around 30°F, about 0.5 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 44°F, lows around 21°F, about 6.4 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 35°F, lows around 15°F, about 12.2 in of snowfall
Units 072–074 elk hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get an elk tag in Units 072–074?
Yes, but only through Nevada's draw — there is no over-the-counter elk tag anywhere in this region. A hunter applies for a specific weapon and legal animal combination, such as archery antlerless elk or any legal weapon antlered elk, and if drawn receives a tag valid across Units 072–074 for those dates.
How hard are the hunts here to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Draw difficulty varies a lot by hunt and pool: some hunts run long or very long odds at zero bonus points for both residents and nonresidents, while others improve to fair or good odds for a resident holding bonus points. Residents generally see better odds improvement with points than nonresidents do, and a few hunts carry very long odds for nonresidents even with points in hand.
Can a nonresident hunt every season offered here?
No. Nonresidents may apply for the archery, muzzleloader, and any-legal-weapon hunts for both antlered and antlerless elk, but the spike elk hunts in this region are resident-only, so a nonresident cannot draw either spike season.
Does Nevada use a points system, and how does it work here?
Nevada uses bonus points, not preference points, and antlered, antlerless, and spike elk are tracked as three separate categories. 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 when they miss two consecutive years of applying for it, and points only accrue while the hunter holds an active hunting or combination license at the time of the draw.
How much of Units 072–074 is public land?
About 83 percent of the region is public land spread across BLM, National Forest, and State Wildlife Management Area ground, with the remaining 17 percent in private ownership. Public ownership does not guarantee easy access, since some public parcels can only be reached by crossing private land, so a hunter should plan routes carefully rather than assume every public parcel is simple to reach.
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.