Units 072–075 Elk Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 3,088 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 Units 072–075 is like
Units 072–075 are drawn together for elk, and the hunts below cover these units as one region. The ground runs from around 5,100 feet up to 10,800 feet, but most of it sits in rolling country with some steeper breaks rather than anything genuinely rugged — the bulk of the region is gentle to moderate slope, and only a small sliver qualifies as steep. Cover at the lower and middle elevations is dominated by shrub and brush with pockets of grass and meadow and a bit of riparian growth along the bottoms; higher up, grass and meadow expands and a modest share of conifer and pinyon-juniper appears. It is foot country for the most part, with open shrub slopes that reward glassing and legwork more than technical climbing.
About 77 percent of the region, roughly 2,370 square miles, is public land under BLM, National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area management, with the remaining 23 percent in private hands. Public ownership here does not mean easy access — much of that public ground can only be reached by crossing private land, so a hunter has to work out routes in advance rather than assume a public boundary means a clear walk-in. Three fires have touched the region recently: the Wildcat fire burned about 21,000 acres in 2022 and is now two to four years out, the kind of window where a burn can open up visibility and draw elk in to feed on new growth at the margins of standing timber. The Oxley and Adobe Mtn fires, both in 2025 and 2026 respectively, each burned around 11,000 acres and are still within their first year, a period when elk are more likely displaced toward ground with reliable water and feed rather than settled into any fixed pattern.
Every hunt in Units 072–075 is a draw hunt, and residents and nonresidents pull from separate quotas with their own bonus point categories for antlered, antlerless and spike elk.
Elk hunts in Units 072–075 (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any legal weapon | November 21, 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 | — |
"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:
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · November 21, 2026 – January 1, 2027
This late-season cow and calf hunt runs into the cold months, and the hunt leans on terrain and weather rather than rut behavior — glassing open shrub and grass country at lower and mid elevations where cow and calf groups tend to hold, and watching ground elk may move toward as conditions push them. By November lows are already dropping into the low 20s with modest snowfall, and by December and January snowfall totals climb well into the double digits with lows near 15°F, so accumulating snow can shift where animals are found. Draw odds are very long at zero bonus points and long with 5 bonus points for both residents and nonresidents.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 5,100–10,800 ft, typically around 6,300 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 65% gentle · 29% moderate · 6% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~2,370 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 brush78%
- Grass and meadow15%
- Riparian4%
- Other cover3%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush80%
- Grass and meadow17%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper1%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush70%
- Grass and meadow22%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper6%
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 072–075. 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 21,000 acres in the region (1%).
- Oxley fire, 2026 — about 11,000 acres in the region.
- Adobe Mtn fire, 2025 — about 11,000 acres in the region.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 77% of Units 072–075 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.
- BLM65%
- National Forest12%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- Private23%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 82°F, lows around 47°F
- September — highs around 72°F, lows around 39°F
- October — highs around 58°F, lows around 30°F, about 0.4 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 45°F, lows around 22°F, about 5.8 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 36°F, lows around 15°F, about 11.1 in of snowfall
Units 072–075 elk hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get an elk tag in Units 072–075?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for a specific weapon and legal animal combination tied to Units 072–075. Every elk hunt here is awarded through the draw rather than sold over the counter, and an applicant who draws one elk tag has every other elk application voided for that year.
How hard are the hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Yes, residents and nonresidents draw from separate quotas, and each pool has its own odds expressed in words rather than numbers. For the antlerless hunt covered here, both residents and nonresidents face very long odds at zero bonus points and long odds with 5 bonus points, though holding points never guarantees a tag.
Can a nonresident hunt this antlerless elk season in Units 072–075?
Yes, nonresidents have a hunt available for this antlerless season, separate from the resident quota. Odds are listed for both pools.
Does Nevada use bonus points, and how do they work here?
Nevada uses bonus points, not preference points, and antlered, antlerless and spike elk are tracked as three separate categories. A point is earned by applying unsuccessfully or by purchasing one instead of applying, but only counts if the hunter holds an active hunting or combination license at the time of the draw, and points are lost if a hunter skips applying in that category for two years running.
How much of Units 072–075 is public land, and is any of it closed to a state tag?
About 77 percent of the region, roughly 2,370 square miles, is public land managed by BLM, National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area designations, with the remaining 23 percent private. Public ownership does not guarantee straightforward access, since some public parcels can only be reached by crossing private ground.
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.