Units 078, 105–107, 109 Elk Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 2,885 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. One hunt here has no nonresident tags; a nonresident cannot draw it.
What hunting Units 078, 105–107, 109 is like
Units 078, 105–107, 109 are gentle and rolling country, with mean slopes under ten degrees and almost none of the region classed as steep or rugged. Shrub and brush dominate the lower and mid elevations, giving way at the higher country to a mix of shrub and brush with conifer and pinyon-juniper and small pockets of grass and meadow. The hunts described below cover these units together as one draw area. Three older fires — the Hogan fire (2018), the Ibapah fire (2020), and the Shafter fire (2019) — each burned a small share of the region and are now five to eight years post-fire, meaning the burned ground is thick with regrowth and brush five feet and taller, with built-up deadfall from toppled trees, which hides animals easily.
Public land makes up about 89 percent of the region, all of it BLM-managed, with the remaining 11 percent in private hands. Ownership on paper is not the same as a walk-in: reaching public ground here can require crossing private land, so a hunter should not assume straightforward access just because a map shows public color.
Every hunt in this region is a draw hunt, and Nevada's bonus point system applies separately to antlered, antlerless, and spike elk categories — a hunter builds points in whichever category they keep applying to, and loses them if two consecutive years pass without an application in that category. 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 draw from separate quotas, and nonresidents are not eligible at all for the spike elk hunt.
Elk hunts in Units 078, 105–107, 109 (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 | Nonresidents can apply No draw odds shown | Late Summer / Velvet |
| Muzzleloader | August 16 – August 31 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Long odds 5 points: Good odds | Pre-Rut Transition |
| Archery | September 1 – September 20 | Antlered elk (bulls) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | Nonresidents can apply No draw odds shown | Rut Onset, Primary 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 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Good odds | — |
| Any legal weapon | November 21, 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.
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 15
This early-season antlerless hunt falls in the Late Summer / Velvet phase, outside the rut. For residents, the draw runs Long odds at zero bonus points and Good odds with 5 bonus points.
Muzzleloader · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · August 16 – August 31
Moving into the Pre-Rut Transition phase, this muzzleloader antlerless hunt falls outside the rut. Both pools see Long odds at zero bonus points and Good odds with 5 bonus points.
Archery · Antlered elk (bulls) · September 1 – September 20
This archery hunt runs through the Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases, so it falls in the rut. The Hogan, Ibapah and Shafter burns are five to eight years out, when brush and saplings are very thick and deadfall builds each year. Resident odds run Very long at zero bonus points and Long with 5 bonus points.
Muzzleloader · Antlered elk (bulls) · October 5 – October 21
By muzzleloader season the rut is winding down through the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut and Post-Rut Recovery phases, and mature bulls may be pulling away from cow groups to isolate, often worn down and sometimes carrying broken points after weeks of breeding. Hunters should glass feeding openings early and late, then walk likely pockets where feeding, bedding, and water sit close together, treating fresh tracks and droppings as the signal to keep working an area rather than move on. Both pools face Very long odds at zero bonus points and Very long odds with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered elk (bulls) · October 22 – November 5
Spanning Post-Rut Recovery into Migration Transition, this hunt targets bulls recovering from the rut, which may settle into secluded pockets where their needs are met without much travel, which can make hunting them similar to hunting mule deer — glassing openings at first and last light and checking sign on foot through the slow hours. Snowfall averages around 3.9 inches in November with lows near 24°F. Resident odds run Very long at zero bonus points and Long with 5 bonus points; nonresident odds run Very long at zero bonus points and Very long with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered elk (bulls) · November 6 – November 20
Entirely within the Migration Transition phase, this later rifle hunt has bulls that may form bachelor groups again as elk begin transitioning toward wintering areas and large cow groups may become less concentrated. Fresh sign along that transition matters more than old sign from past years. November averages about 3.9 inches of snowfall with lows near 24°F. Resident odds run Very long at zero bonus points and Long with 5 bonus points; nonresident odds run Very long at zero bonus points and Very long with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · November 21, 2026 – January 1, 2027
This late antlerless hunt runs November 21 to January 1, with snowfall averaging about 3.9 inches in November, 6.8 in December and 8.6 in January, and lows near 24°F in November and 17°F in December and January. Snow depth is worth checking before committing to a spot. Resident odds run Very long at zero bonus points and Fair with 5 bonus points; nonresident odds run Very long at zero bonus points and Good with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Spike elk · November 21, 2026 – January 1, 2027
Covering the same late-November-to-January window, this spike elk hunt is a resident-only opportunity, with the same snowfall and cold as the antlerless hunt (about 3.9 inches in November, 6.8 in December and 8.6 in January, with lows from 24°F down to 17°F), so snow depth is worth checking. Resident odds run Very long at zero bonus points and Long with 5 bonus points; there are no nonresident tags for this hunt.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,200–10,300 ft, typically around 5,900 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 76% gentle · 19% moderate · 5% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~2,581 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 brush93%
- Other cover6%
- Grass and meadow1%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush94%
- Grass and meadow3%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper2%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush60%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper38%
- Grass and meadow2%
Across the unit
- Shrub and brush84%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper12%
- Grass and meadow2%
- Other cover2%
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 078, 105–107, 109. 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.
- Hogan fire, 2018 — about 11,000 acres in the region.
- Ibapah fire, 2020 — about 7,200 acres in the region.
- Shafter fire, 2019 — about 6,100 acres in the region.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 89% of Units 078, 105–107, 109 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.
- BLM89%
- Private11%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 85°F, lows around 53°F
- September — highs around 75°F, lows around 44°F, about 0 in of snowfall
- October — highs around 61°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.3 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 47°F, lows around 24°F, about 3.9 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 38°F, lows around 17°F, about 6.8 in of snowfall
Units 078, 105–107, 109 elk hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get an elk tag in Units 078, 105–107, 109?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for a specific weapon, season, and legal animal — antlered, antlerless, or spike elk. Each application is entered into that hunt's draw, and a tag is issued only if the application is selected; there is no over-the-counter elk tag anywhere in this region.
How hard are the hunts here to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Difficulty varies a great deal by hunt and by pool, ranging from good odds on some antlerless hunts with bonus points in hand to very long odds for nonresidents on the muzzleloader and rifle bull hunts even with points. Residents and nonresidents draw from separate quotas, so one pool's difficulty says nothing about the other's, and the nonresident pool is not offered at all for the spike elk hunt.
Can a nonresident hunt every season offered here?
No. Nonresidents may apply for the archery and muzzleloader antlerless hunts, the archery and muzzleloader antlered hunts, and both any-legal-weapon antlered and antlerless hunts. The any-legal-weapon spike elk hunt is resident-only, and a nonresident cannot apply for it at all.
Does Nevada have bonus points, and how do they work here?
Yes — Nevada uses bonus points rather than preference points, and antlered, antlerless, and spike elk are tracked as three separate categories. A hunter earns a point by applying unsuccessfully or by purchasing one instead of applying, but only while holding an active hunting or combination license, and points in a category are lost if a hunter goes two consecutive years without applying in it.
Which seasons here fall during the rut?
The archery bull hunt from September 1 to September 20 spans the Rut Onset and Primary Rut phases, putting it squarely in the region's rut window. The muzzleloader bull hunt from October 5 to October 21 catches the tail end of that activity, spanning the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut and Post-Rut Recovery phases.
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.