Units 161–164 Elk Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 5,786 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 161–164 is like
Units 161–164 are drawn together for these elk hunts, and the country across them runs from low ground near 4,600 feet up to high points near 11,900 feet, with most of the ground rolling, with some steeper breaks rather than truly rugged. At lower elevations the cover is almost entirely shrub and brush, which holds through the mid elevations as well alongside a growing share of conifer and pinyon-juniper; by the time a hunter climbs into the higher country, conifer and pinyon-juniper cover becomes the majority type, with shrub and brush filling the rest. With gentle slopes dominating by far and only a small steep or rugged share, most of this region is foot country that rewards glassing and walking rather than technical climbing, though the vertical range from valley floor to high peak means a hunter can find very different conditions within the same unit group on the same day.
Public land covers essentially all of Units 161–164, managed by the BLM and National Forest, which gives a hunter wide latitude to choose where to hunt. That said, public ownership does not mean easy access — some public ground here can only be reached by crossing private land, so a hunter should expect to do some homework on routes in before committing to a spot.
Elk hunts in Units 161–164 (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: Very long odds 5 points: Good odds | No points: Long odds 5 points: Good odds | Late Summer / Velvet |
| Muzzleloader | August 16 – August 24 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Good odds | Pre-Rut Transition |
| Any legal weapon | October 1 – October 20 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | Late Rut / Early Post-Rut, Post-Rut Recovery |
| Any legal weapon | December 5, 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: Long odds | — |
| Any legal weapon | December 5, 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 15
This early-season hunt falls in the Late Summer / Velvet phase, when cow and calf groups can still be found working feeding openings in the cooler hours of morning and evening, making those spots worth a patient glassing session before moving on. A resident starts with very long odds at zero bonus points but sees those odds turn good with five bonus points, while a nonresident begins with long odds at zero points and also reaches good odds at five.
Muzzleloader · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · August 16 – August 24
Hunting this stretch means working the Pre-Rut Transition phase, when cow and calf groups are still using open feeding ground in the low-light hours and reward a hunter willing to glass early and late rather than push through cover. A resident holder faces very long odds at zero bonus points that improve to fair odds with five bonus points, and a nonresident moves from very long odds at zero points to good odds with five.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · October 1 – October 20
Spanning the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut and Post-Rut Recovery phases, this hunt rewards a patient approach: glass feeding openings at first and last light, then spend the slower midday hours walking likely ground for tracks and droppings, and once sign turns up stay on it rather than moving along too quickly. Both pools start at very long odds with zero bonus points and only climb to long odds with five bonus points, so this is one of the tougher draws in the lineup for either residents or nonresidents.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · December 5, 2026 – January 1, 2027
Running into early winter, this late hunt comes well after the rut, so success depends more on reading the ground and the weather; December lows average around 17°F with roughly 3.1 inches of snowfall and January lows near 18°F with about 3.4 inches, and if substantial snow has accumulated by then, cow and calf groups may move toward lower ground. A resident applicant sees very long odds at zero bonus points turn fair with five bonus points, while a nonresident goes from very long odds at zero points to only long odds with five.
Any legal weapon · Spike elk · December 5, 2026 – January 1, 2027
This late-season spike elk hunt also comes well after the rut, so a hunter is working the same cold-weather conditions as the other December hunt — lows near 17°F to 18°F and modest monthly snowfall totals — and if enough snow has piled up, animals may move toward lower ground where they become easier to locate. It is a resident-only opportunity, with no nonresident tags issued for it at all, and a resident starts at very long odds with zero bonus points before reaching fair odds with five bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 4,600–11,900 ft, typically around 6,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 66% gentle · 25% moderate · 9% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~5,760 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%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush84%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper15%
Higher elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper57%
- Shrub and brush41%
Cover classes from the USGS National Land Cover Database. “Other cover” is the remainder — bare ground, water, agriculture and developed land.
Land & access
About 100% of Units 161–164 is public land by ownership — BLM and National Forest. Ownership is not the same as legal access: public land can be reachable only across private ground, and some parcels are closed or restricted.
- BLM64%
- National Forest35%
- Private<1%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 84°F, lows around 53°F
- September — highs around 75°F, lows around 45°F
- October — highs around 63°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 50°F, lows around 24°F, about 1.8 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 41°F, lows around 17°F, about 3.1 in of snowfall
Units 161–164 elk hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get an elk tag in Units 161–164?
Yes, but only by applying through Nevada's draw for one of the specific hunts offered there, since there is no over-the-counter elk tag anywhere in the state. A hunter picks a weapon, legal animal and date range, applies, and is awarded a tag only if selected in that hunt's draw.
How hard are the hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Draw difficulty is published in words rather than numbers, ranging from very long odds to good odds depending on the hunt and how many bonus points an applicant holds. Residents and nonresidents draw from separate quotas, so the odds for the same hunt can differ substantially between the two pools, and some hunts are not open to nonresidents at all.
Can a nonresident hunt every hunt offered here?
No. Nonresidents may apply for the antlerless elk hunts by archery, muzzleloader and any legal weapon, but the any-legal-weapon spike elk hunt has no nonresident tags and is not open to nonresident application at all.
Does Nevada use bonus points, and how do they work for elk?
Nevada uses bonus points, not preference points, and antlered, antlerless and spike elk are each tracked as their own separate point category. A point is earned by applying unsuccessfully or by purchasing one in place of applying, but only if the hunter holds an active hunting or combination license at the time of the draw, and points in a category are lost if a hunter skips applying for that category two years in a row.
Which of these seasons fall in the rut?
The any legal weapon antlerless elk hunt running October 1 through October 20 falls within rut-related phases. The earlier archery and muzzleloader antlerless hunts in August occur before the rut begins, and the two December hunts come well after the rut.
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.