Units 105, 106, 109 Elk Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 2,381 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 105, 106, 109 is like
Units 105, 106, 109 are drawn together for elk, and the country across them is gentle and rolling rather than rugged: slopes average about 6 degrees, and the overwhelming majority of the ground is gentle terrain with only a sliver of steep or rugged ground anywhere. Elevations run from roughly 4,200 feet up to 10,300 feet, and cover shifts with that climb. Lower and mid elevations are dominated by shrub and brush with only scattered grass and meadow, while higher ground mixes shrub and brush with conifer and pinyon-juniper and a bit more open grass and meadow. It is largely foot-and-glass country, with the higher conifer and pinyon-juniper pockets offering the most visual cover for elk and the lower shrub country demanding more patience and longer looks.
Public land dominates the region: about 96 percent of the area, roughly 2,277 square miles, is BLM ground. Access to that public land is not automatic, though — some of it can only be reached by crossing private parcels, which make up about 4.4 percent of the region, and permission there is on the hunter. Two fires have burned here in the past decade: the Hogan fire (2018) burned about 11,000 acres, and the Ibapah fire (2020) burned about 7,200 acres, together touching a small share of the region. Both burns are now five to eight years old, old enough that brush and saplings have grown back thick, often five feet or taller, with increasing deadfall from toppled burned trees — cover that can hide elk well but also slow a hunter's approach.
Both hunts here run the same two weeks in the fall and fall during the rut, and both are drawn through Nevada's bonus point system, with antlered, antlerless and spike elk tracked as separate categories. A bonus point is earned by applying unsuccessfully, or bought in place of applying, but only counts toward a draw if the hunter holds an active hunting or combination license at that time. Points are lost when a hunter misses two consecutive years of applying for that category.
Elk hunts in Units 105, 106, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any legal weapon | September 21 – October 4 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | Nonresidents can apply No draw odds shown | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Any legal weapon | September 21 – October 4 | Spike elk | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No nonresident tags | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
"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) · September 21 – October 4
This hunt falls across the Primary Rut and into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, and a hunter after a cow or calf should look for elk gathered in groups rather than scattered singles, working the shrub and brush flats and the higher mixed conifer and pinyon-juniper pockets where those groups tend to hold. Weather through this stretch runs unremarkable, so expect conditions typical of the season rather than anything that pushes animals early. For residents the draw runs Very long odds at zero bonus points and Long odds with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Spike elk · September 21 – October 4
Running the same two weeks and spanning the same Primary Rut into Late Rut / Early Post-Rut window, this spike elk hunt rewards a hunter willing to work through the thicker cover left by the Hogan and Ibapah fire regrowth, where brush and deadfall can hide animals moving toward feed or cover. Weather over this period is unremarkable and should not force any change in plan. This is a resident-only hunt with no nonresident tags available, and for residents the draw runs Very long odds at zero bonus points and Long odds with 5 bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,200–10,300 ft, typically around 5,900 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 77% gentle · 19% moderate · 4% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~2,277 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 brush92%
- Other cover6%
- Grass and meadow1%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush96%
- Grass and meadow4%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush62%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper35%
- Grass and meadow2%
Across the unit
- Shrub and brush97%
- Other cover2%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper1%
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 105, 106, 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.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 96% of Units 105, 106, 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.
- BLM96%
- Private4%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 87°F, lows around 54°F
- September — highs around 77°F, lows around 45°F
- October — highs around 62°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.2 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 48°F, lows around 24°F, about 2.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 39°F, lows around 17°F, about 5.2 in of snowfall
Units 105, 106, 109 elk hunting FAQ
How does a hunter get an elk tag in Units 105, 106, 109?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for one of the elk hunts offered across Units 105, 106, 109, choosing among antlered, antlerless or spike elk categories. Only a drawn tag allows a hunter to hunt elk here; none of these tags can be purchased over the counter. Drawing one elk tag voids any other elk applications a hunter has in for that season.
How hard are the hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Draw difficulty is described in words rather than numbers: for the antlerless elk hunt, residents face Very long odds at zero bonus points and Long odds with 5 bonus points. The spike elk hunt is resident-only, with the same Very long odds at zero bonus points and Long odds with 5 bonus points for residents. Nonresidents cannot draw the spike elk hunt at all.
Can a nonresident hunt every hunt offered here?
No. The spike elk hunt in Units 105, 106, 109 has no nonresident tags, so a nonresident cannot draw it; that is a rule of the hunt, not a matter of long odds.
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. 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 point only counts toward that draw if the hunter holds an active hunting or combination license at the time, and a category's points are lost if a hunter misses two consecutive years of applying for it.
Which seasons here fall in the rut, and how much of the region is public land?
Both the antlerless elk hunt and the spike elk hunt run September 21 through October 4, a window that spans the Primary Rut and Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phases. About 96 percent of Units 105, 106, 109 is BLM public land, with the remaining roughly 4.4 percent in private hands; reaching some of that public ground can require crossing private parcels, so access is not always straightforward.
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.