Units 221–223 Elk Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 2,830 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 221–223 is like
Units 221–223 together cover a sweep of country that runs from low valley floors near 3,800 feet up to peaks around 11,000 feet, with most of the ground gentle to moderate and only small pockets of steep or rugged slope. Overall it hunts as rolling country with some steeper breaks, open enough for glassing but with real elevation to climb when elk push high. Lower elevations are dominated by shrub and brush with scattered grass and meadow, mid elevations mix shrub and brush with growing conifer and pinyon-juniper cover, and the highest ground is mostly conifer and pinyon-juniper. It is foot country for anyone willing to work the elevation gain, and the hunts below cover these units together.
Public land makes up essentially all of the region, managed across BLM, National Forest and State Wildlife Management Area ground, but ownership is not the same as access — some of that public ground is reachable only by crossing private land, so a hunter should never assume straightforward entry just because a map shows public color. The Ward fire burned about 8,700 acres here in 2026 and is in its first year of recovery, meaning elk may have shifted off that ground toward water and feed, with green-up possible quickly if moisture cooperates. The Brown fire burned roughly 7,200 acres back in 2020 and by now sits five to eight years out, which means that old burn has grown back thick with brush and saplings tall enough to hide animals, plus increasing deadfall from toppling burned timber.
Every hunt listed here is a Nevada draw hunt, and an applicant can draw only one elk tag, across the antlered, antlerless and spike categories, each of which banks its own bonus points separately.
Elk hunts in Units 221–223 (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: Very long odds 5 points: Long 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: Long 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: Fair odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Fair odds | Primary Rut |
| Muzzleloader | 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: Very long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Migration Transition |
| Any legal weapon | November 21 – December 4 | Antlered elk (bulls) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Very long odds | Migration Transition, Winter Range |
"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 early season falls across the Late Summer / Velvet phase and the Pre-Rut Transition phase, when cow and calf groups can still be found using the same areas they occupied through summer, before any seasonal shift begins. There is nothing notable in the weather to change the approach during this window. Draw odds for residents run from very long at zero bonus points to long with 5 bonus points, while nonresidents see very long odds at zero points improving to fair odds with 5 bonus points.
Archery · Antlered elk (bulls) · August 25 – September 16
Archery hunters drawing this tag start in the Pre-Rut Transition phase and work through Rut Onset into the Primary Rut, a stretch when bulls are shedding velvet early on and still holding close to their summer ground before activity builds through the rut. Sitting water sources or glassing open country for a spot-and-stalk opportunity can pay off, especially in the opening week or two while bulls haven't moved far. Weather is not a factor worth planning around in this window. Resident draw odds run very long at zero bonus points to long 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 muzzleloader season sits entirely in the Primary Rut phase, a period when cow and calf groups may be found moving with or near rutting activity rather than holding to fixed summer patterns. Nothing in the weather for this window changes the hunt. Draw odds for both residents and nonresidents run very long at zero bonus points, improving to fair odds with 5 bonus points in either pool.
Muzzleloader · Antlered elk (bulls) · October 22 – November 5
By the time this muzzleloader bull season opens, the rut has wound down and hunting gets quiet and methodical. Bulls recovering from the rut tend to settle into secluded pockets where they can meet their needs without moving much, making them behave more like mule deer than vocal rutting elk — glassing feeding openings at first and last light, then using slower midday hours to walk likely ground checking for fresh tracks and droppings pays off, and staying put on an area with good sign beats jumping around. Later in this stretch bulls may start regrouping into bachelor bunches, and as winter approaches elk begin drifting toward wintering ground, with large cow groups spreading out rather than staying concentrated. November brings modest snowfall, around 2 inches, with lows near 24°F, conditions worth watching since accumulating snow can nudge animals toward that wintering country. Resident draw odds run very long at zero bonus points to long with 5 bonus points, while nonresident odds remain very long at both levels.
Any legal weapon · Antlered elk (bulls) · November 6 – November 20
This any-legal-weapon bull season falls in the Migration Transition phase, when bachelor groups may be reforming and animals are drifting toward wintering areas rather than holding to rut-season locations. Large cow groups tend to break into smaller, more scattered bunches during this stretch, so fresh sign along likely transition routes matters more than historical sign alone. November weather brings about 2 inches of snowfall and lows near 24°F, and heavier accumulation can help push animals toward lower wintering ground. Draw odds are very long for both residents and nonresidents, at zero bonus points and even with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlered elk (bulls) · November 21 – December 4
The latest bull season spans the tail of the Migration Transition phase into the Winter Range phase, when bulls are commonly grouped with other bulls and wintering areas may be seeing the kind of repeated use that carries over year to year. Historical sign can help narrow down where to look, but confirming current activity with fresh tracks, droppings or sightings is what actually puts a hunter on elk, and patience in a good area tends to beat covering ground. By December, snowfall averages around 3.4 inches with lows near 17°F, on top of November's roughly 2 inches and 24°F lows, cold enough that sustained snow can concentrate animals on wintering ground. Resident draw odds move from very long at zero bonus points to long with 5 bonus points, while nonresident odds remain very long at both levels.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,800–11,000 ft, typically around 6,200 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 63% gentle · 28% moderate · 9% steep · 1% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~2,822 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 brush89%
- Grass and meadow5%
- Other cover3%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper2%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush69%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper28%
- Grass and meadow2%
Higher elevations
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper56%
- Shrub and brush42%
- Grass and meadow2%
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 221–223. 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.
- Ward fire, 2026 — about 8,700 acres in the region.
- Brown fire, 2020 — about 7,200 acres in the region.
Fire perimeters from the National Interagency Fire Center.
Land & access
About 100% of Units 221–223 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.
- BLM97%
- National Forest2%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- Private<1%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 87°F, lows around 52°F
- September — highs around 78°F, lows around 44°F
- October — highs around 65°F, lows around 33°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 52°F, lows around 24°F, about 2 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 42°F, lows around 17°F, about 3.4 in of snowfall
Units 221–223 elk hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get an elk tag in Units 221–223?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for a specific hunt defined by weapon, legal animal and season dates, and residents and nonresidents apply into separate quotas. There is no over-the-counter elk tag anywhere in this region; every hunt listed is awarded only through the draw.
How hard are these hunts to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Draw difficulty varies widely by hunt and by pool, ranging from very long odds down to fair odds depending on the season and how many bonus points a hunter holds. Residents generally see somewhat better odds than nonresidents on the same hunt, and some bull hunts stay very long for nonresidents even with bonus points built up.
Can a nonresident hunt elk in Units 221–223?
Yes, nonresidents can apply for most of the hunts listed here since each shows its own nonresident draw odds, though those odds run long to very long on the bull seasons. Nonresidents draw from a separate quota than residents, so one pool's demand does not affect the other.
Does Nevada have bonus points, and how do they work here?
Nevada uses bonus points rather than preference points, and a hunter earns one by applying unsuccessfully or by purchasing a point instead of applying that year. Antlered, antlerless and spike elk are tracked as three separate categories, so points built for a bull hunt do not carry over to an antlerless hunt, and a hunter who skips applying for a category two years running loses the points banked in it.
Which of these seasons fall in the rut?
The archery bull season from August 25 to September 16 and the muzzleloader antlerless season from September 17 to September 26 both fall within rut-related phases according to regional timing. The other seasons, including the early archery antlerless hunt and the later muzzleloader and any-legal-weapon bull hunts, fall outside those rut 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.