Nevada

Nevada is renowned for producing giant, wide-antlered mule deer bucks across its high-desert basin-and-range geography. The Ruby Mountains, Jarbidge Wilderness, Santa Rosa Range, and White Pine County are legendary for heavy-beamed bucks feeding in high-elevation aspen pockets and mahogany ridges.

All mule deer tags are distributed via Nevada Department of Wildlife's (NDOW) spring draw system, which utilizes squared bonus points. August archery season targets velvet bucks living above tree line, while October and November rifle seasons allow hunters to glass rutting bucks as they descend into lower sagebrush winter ranges.

Nevada manages its elk herds strictly for trophy quality, limiting tag numbers to ensure that bulls reach full maturity. Eastern Nevada units—particularly the Schell Creek Range, White Pine County, and the Ely district—consistently produce massive 360-to-390+ inch bulls with heavy antler mass and deep fourth points.

NDOW conducts an annual draw for archery, muzzleloader, and rifle tags. Archery hunters in September experience intense rutting action in isolated mountain ranges surrounded by sagebrush valleys. Because tag density is exceptionally low, hunters enjoy undisturbed, unpressured encounters with giant herd bulls.

Nevada is the undisputed king of Desert Bighorn Sheep hunting in the lower 48 states, holding more wild sheep and issuing more desert bighorn tags than any other state in the nation. Rams inhabit rugged desert mountain ranges across Clark, Nye, Lincoln, and Esmeralda counties.

Rams patrol sheer limestone cliffs, volcanic crags, and dry desert canyons. NDOW's bonus point draw is competitive, but Nevada's high tag quotas offer the best statistical draw odds in America for wild sheep. The hunt requires high-end tripod-mounted optics, desert backpacking gear, and stamina to navigate loose scree and vertical canyon walls.

In addition to desert bighorns, Nevada supports thriving herds of California Bighorn Sheep in the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge and Santa Rosa Range, as well as Rocky Mountain Bighorns in the high-alpine peaks of the Ruby Mountains.

These northern Nevada sheep hunts present a distinct contrast to the southern desert, featuring high-altitude ridgelines, alpine cirques, and deep canyon rims. Drawing one of these tags provides an extraordinary adventure in some of the most remote, untamed backcountry in the Great Basin.

The expansive sagebrush flats, playa lakebeds, and rolling volcanic hills of northern and central Nevada (Washoe, Humboldt, and Elko counties) host healthy pronghorn populations with exceptional horn genetics.

NDOW offers archery, muzzleloader, and rifle tags via the annual draw. August archery hunts center on ground blinds positioned over isolated desert springs and stock tanks, while rifle hunters enjoy fast-paced spot-and-stalk adventures across millions of acres of contiguous public BLM lands.

Nevada harbors an abundant mountain lion population across its rugged mountain ranges and pinion-juniper breaks. With millions of acres of roadless public land and high prey densities, Nevada is a premier destination for winter cougar hunting.

NDOW offers over-the-counter tags regulated by regional harvest quotas. Hunting is conducted primarily with trained hound packs trailing fresh tracks on winter snow across steep canyon terrain. Nevada toms routinely attain massive body weights, feeding on desert mule deer and feral horses.

Established in 2011, Nevada's limited-entry black bear hunt takes place in the western portion of the state along the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains and Pine Nut Range (Units 192, 194, 201, 202).

NDOW issues a limited number of tags for both spot-and-stalk and hound hunting seasons, governed by strict overall and female harvest quotas. Hunters glass dense manzanita brush, Jeffrey pine forests, and alpine avalanche chutes for bears feeding on berries and acorns prior to winter denning.