Units 222, 223 Elk Hunting, Nevada
Nevada hunt units drawn together · 2,064 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. 2 hunts here have no nonresident tags; a nonresident cannot draw them.
What hunting Units 222, 223 is like
Units 222, 223 together cover a broad stretch of rolling country, with some steeper breaks toward the higher ground. Elevation runs from roughly 3,800 feet up near 11,000 feet, and the lower and mid elevations are dominated by shrub and brush, with conifer and pinyon-juniper cover building toward the higher band where it reaches closer to half the ground. Grass and meadow openings stay a minor share at every elevation. With most of the terrain gentle to moderate and only a small steep or rugged share, this is largely foot country, where covering ground on rolling slopes matters more than technical climbing.
Public land makes up essentially all of the region, spread across BLM, State Wildlife Management Area and National Forest ground. That ownership does not make entry simple — reaching public ground here can still mean crossing private land, so access takes planning rather than assuming a straight walk-in from a map. The hunts described below apply across Units 222 and 223 together, drawn as a single group rather than unit by unit.
Elk hunts in Units 222, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any legal weapon | September 27 – October 4 | Antlerless elk (cows and calves) | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Any legal weapon | September 27 – October 4 | Spike elk | No points: Very long odds 5 points: Long odds | No nonresident tags | Primary Rut, Late Rut / Early Post-Rut |
| Any legal weapon | December 5, 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 | — |
| 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:
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · September 27 – October 4
This hunt falls across the Primary Rut and into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase, when cow and calf groups are worth keying on away from breeding activity rather than looking for mature animals. Resident odds run Very long odds at zero bonus points and Long odds with 5 bonus points, and nonresident odds sit at the same Very long odds at zero bonus points and Long odds with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Spike elk · September 27 – October 4
Running the same Primary Rut and Late Rut / Early Post-Rut stretch, this spike elk hunt asks a hunter to work the rolling ground where groups are active during this window, independent of breeding behavior. It is a resident-only hunt with no nonresident tags available, and resident odds run Very long odds at zero bonus points and Long odds with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Antlerless elk (cows and calves) · December 5, 2026 – January 1, 2027
Later in the year, cow and calf groups may move toward lower ground as conditions push them, and a hunter filling an antlerless tag should be ready to work that lower country rather than higher benches. December brings lows near 18°F with about 2.8 inches of snowfall, and January adds lows near 19°F with roughly 3.5 inches, so accumulating snow can be a factor in pushing animals downslope. Both pools read Very long odds at zero bonus points and Long odds with 5 bonus points.
Any legal weapon · Spike elk · December 5, 2026 – January 1, 2027
This spike elk hunt runs through the same late-season window, when groups may move toward lower ground as winter conditions build, and a hunter should be ready to follow that shift rather than hunt the higher benches. December lows run near 18°F with about 2.8 inches of snowfall, and January lows near 19°F with roughly 3.5 inches, snow worth watching as a trigger for movement. It is resident-only, with odds running Very long odds at zero bonus points but improving to Fair odds with 5 bonus points.
Terrain & elevation
- Elevation
- 3,800–11,000 ft, typically around 5,800 ft
- Slope breakdown
- 68% gentle · 26% moderate · 6% steep · 0% rugged
- Public land by ownership
- ~2,059 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 meadow4%
- Other cover4%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper2%
Mid elevations
- Shrub and brush79%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper17%
- Grass and meadow3%
Higher elevations
- Shrub and brush51%
- Conifer and pinyon-juniper47%
- Grass and meadow2%
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 222, 223 is public land by ownership — BLM, State Wildlife Management Area 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.
- BLM99%
- State Wildlife Management Area<1%
- National Forest<1%
- Private<1%
Private land: permission is the hunter's to get.
Fall weather
- August — highs around 88°F, lows around 53°F
- September — highs around 79°F, lows around 45°F
- October — highs around 67°F, lows around 34°F, about 0.1 in of snowfall
- November — highs around 53°F, lows around 25°F, about 1.6 in of snowfall
- December — highs around 43°F, lows around 18°F, about 2.8 in of snowfall
Units 222, 223 elk hunting FAQ
Can a hunter get an elk tag in Units 222, 223?
A hunter applies through Nevada's draw for one of the elk hunts offered in Units 222, 223, choosing between the antlerless and spike elk hunts. Each category is applied for separately and carries its own draw outcome, and drawing a tag in one elk category voids any other elk application that hunter holds that year.
How hard are the hunts here to draw, and does it differ for residents and nonresidents?
Draw difficulty is shown in words rather than numbers, running from Good odds down to Very long odds depending on the hunt and how many bonus points an applicant holds. Residents and nonresidents draw from separate quotas, so one pool's difficulty does not reflect the other, and some hunts are closed to nonresidents entirely regardless of points.
Can a nonresident hunt every hunt in Units 222, 223?
No. Nonresidents may apply for the antlerless elk hunts (cows and calves) offered in these units, but they may not draw either spike elk hunt, which are resident-only.
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 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 hunter who skips applying in a category for two consecutive years loses the points built in that category.
Which of these seasons fall during the rut?
The early antlerless hunt and the early spike elk hunt, both running September 27 through October 4, fall across the Primary Rut and into the Late Rut / Early Post-Rut phase. The two December-through-January hunts come well after the rut, when weather and elevation shape elk location more than breeding activity.
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.