Written by Scott Reekers
Projected Application Dates & Deadlines
| Species | Date Type | Resident | Non-resident | Taghub Data Access | Elk | Application Deadline | May 07, 2025 | 11PM PST | March 14, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Draw Results Available | May 23, 2025 | |||
| Deer & Pronghorn | Application Deadline | May 07, 2025 | 11PM PST | ||
| Draw Results Available | May 23, 2025 | |||
| Sheep & Goat | Application Deadline | May 07, 2025 | 11PM PST | ||
| Draw Results Available | May 23, 2025 | |||
| Dates are subject to change. Please check the regulations. | ||||
2. Don’t Add Up the Quotas for Each Unit in Hunt Units with More Than One Valid Unit | The tags listed for each unit are for the whole unit group, not each unit.
Bonus Point Cost
| Species | Resident/Nonresident | Elk | $10 |
|---|
| Pronghorn |
| Deer |
| Sheep |
| Goat |
Agency Information
| Nevada Department of Wildlife | |
|---|---|
| Las Vegas | 702.486.5127 |
| Reno | 775.688.1506 |
| Elko | 775.777.2300 |
| Henderson | 702.486.6742 |
| Winnemucca | 775.623.6565 |
| Ely | 775.289.1655 ext. 21 |
| Fallon | 775.423.3171 |
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2025
It’s hard to believe that this is my 10th year writing the Nevada MRS, but here we are. The theme for this year is unfortunately going to center around the drought that continues to plague about two-thirds of the State. With that in mind let’s jump straight into the Nevada overview.
This year’s Nevada application deadline for the main draw is May 7, 2025. Take this into account when building your multi-state application strategy across the West. With Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and some species in Arizona all running extremely close together with their deadlines in May, it has made it tough to roll money from unsuccessful applications into the next state on the application list. It has also made strategy planning for multiple states a little tougher. Nevada’s weighted, random-draw system makes it worth noting; a tag can be drawn at any point. With the quality that Nevada can produce on some of the best hunts it’s important to weigh all of the options and the number of years you have been in the draw, but Nevada is a must-apply State if you’re after a monster bull, buck or ram.
I learned a long time ago that admitting when I was wrong is a good thing. Last year I reported that Nevada looked to be in a correction year for drought. Boy, was I wrong…Nevada was not in a recovery year. Looking at the drought map from the time of this writing it’s pretty easy to see that most of the State is still being hammered by significant drought. The farther south one travels the worse it is going to be. If you are a digital subscriber or Eastmans’ Elite member, check out the expanded version of this article for more in-depth drought conversation.
Nevada’s price structure looks the same for 2025. Residents will pay $38 for a license and nonresidents will pay $155. Make sure you take a look at the other assorted fees that are associated with applying, such as the $1 processing fee, the $3 predator fee, per application and the $10 application fee. These are the little fees that can add up quickly. Be prepared and take a look at the chart on this page to make sure you know the prices for the tags themselves if you are one of the lucky ones to draw.
Nevada’s draw system remains the same and thankfully so, as it would be a tough learning curve for me to explain if Nevada went the way Colorado has with lots of structure changes. Make sure you check out some of our recent podcasts that have some great information. Ike Eastman recently had Jordan Christensen of “The Draw” on his Podcast, and Brian Barney and Dan Pickar continue to produce top-notch draw related content for listeners to dig into related to application strategies. Take the time to subscribe to those podcasts wherever you listen to podcasts.
Let’s dive into the Nevada draw system. We will start at the application level and pretend that I have built 10 bonus points in Nevada. Ten bonus points means that I have 101 applications placed into the system as Nevada squares the number of bonus points, plus your application for the current year to give you that many applications in the draw. Every one of those applications is assigned a random number by the system. After the random number assignment the system looks at applications from lowest to highest number going through the entire application to see if there is a hunt on your list that has not been emptied of its tag quota. For example, Unit 231 for mule deer may not have any tags left when my lowest number application is up to bat, but my second choice hunt, 111-113, may have tags available and I would be awarded a 111-113 tag. Bonus points are never a guarantee for a tag; however you want the numbers in your favor. If you don’t plan to hunt this year, don’t forget to buy your bonus points.
One other point I need to stress is that many times Nevada doesn’t approve final quotas until very close to the deadline for applications. This is certainly something to pay attention to as this can have a major impact on strategy or if the best decision this year is to buy points and move on.
Don’t be afraid to shoot me an email or call the office and ask me about your application strategy for Nevada. As always, good luck in the draw.
TagHub Blog & Digital Extras
The extra content worth discussing this year is two-fold; feral horses and of course, drought. One contains good news and the other is well, pretty painful to look at. Let’s dive in.
The bad news first is that shy of a sudden onslaught of winter moisture and some serious monsoon weather, Nevada is in tough shape, particularly in the southern half. Now to be clear NDOW has done a good job making sure that there are guzzlers located across the State. They have worked hard to get water resources to the areas that need it most.
However, the big issue is not a lack of guzzlers, but a lack of feed. Rain is what determines vegetation growth. We are in a scenario where there simply isn’t enough vegetation left for big game animals to eat with literally months of no moisture driving growth.
What does that mean for this year’s application season? Well, I’m going to be putting in for points this year as it makes far more sense for me to give the draw a break this go-round. Will there still be big bulls killed in Nevada this year? Certainly, but as my personal strategy is to apply for late-season hunts there will be a lot of broken bulls if the precipitation trend continues. If I draw Nevada I want to kill a big bull that is mostly intact and that only happens in the late season if there is good moisture.
Moving on to the bright and shiny news. The feral horse population is going down. I have to give credit to the BLM who has gotten very creative with their management strategies for the animals. From 2020-2023 the BLM has rounded up 50,000 feral horses across the West and chemically spayed/neutered many others. BLM plans to remove 20,000 animals/year for the foreseeable future.
This has cut the population down to about 38,000 as of March 2024, and I will be curious to see what the 2025 count looks like. That is roughly 9,000 animals less than what had been reported in years past. Here is the tough part, Nevada believes they can only sustain 13,000 feral horses. With that in mind there is quite a way to go and plenty of opposition to go with it. Horses and the West are woven together like a spider web and emotions tend to run high when conversation runs to this topic.
For western hunters it’s pretty easy to see the rise in population of feral horses coinciding with elk and mule deer population declines. Feral horses can out compete both species and have the ability to drastically change an environment for the worse. The aggressive roundups and chemical spaying will make a big difference in the long run.
Will this change draw strategies for me? Well, as I’m doing points only this year, feral horses are one more reason I am sitting out.
If you have followed me for any amount of time it is no secret that mule deer are my favorite animal to hunt, especially in the high country. So where does Nevada fit in strategy-wise for me? Let’s start with what Nevada is known for. Nevada produces trophy class bull elk and the highest opportunity for desert sheep of any State. Plenty of big mule deer have come from Nevada, but like the rest of the West, their numbers have taken a long ride on the struggle bus. However the State continues to make big efforts to combat the decline and the efforts made by the BLM to cut down feral horse numbers will help dramatically. Money continues to be set aside for habitat improvements that, over time, will help. Mule deer herds take many years to recover and the State has lost around 50% of their total deer population since they started tracking the numbers. That is a very large population loss. That is why I pick and choose which years I apply and which years I just buy points; this year will be points only due to drought.
That said though, what is the status of deer hunting in Nevada? In 2023 Nevada issued 10,783 total deer tags, in 2024 they increased that count to 12,954 tags. The biggest piece to note in the 2024-2025 data though is that of the tags that were issued, 2,094 went to junior tag holders. There were mild increases in all of the other weapon class categories, but it’s looking a little better for the youth hunters in terms of opportunity.
The State of Nevada still does not report buck age classes or something like height or even the “gold standard” of outside spread to correspond with point totals. This makes it a challenge to parse the data to say the least, so NDOW, if you are reading this, a place in your surveys for outside spread would be fantastic. This would help hunters make informed decisions on their applications every year.
What will hunting mule deer look like in Nevada for 2025? Populations may be down but it is always the strongest that survive. That said, I would call hunting mule deer in Nevada a very mixed bag. The drought throughout much of the eastern portion of the State and heading southwest across the State will make antler growth tough in many areas. I would be looking at the northern Blue and Green-Chip units to burn my points. That will be where as of right now, the best circumstances will be for antler growth; outside of that it might be worth waiting a year.
With that said I didn’t make wholesale changes on chip colors because we still have time to recover from the drought in some of the eastern areas. Last year I reported that the drought monitor looked better, but bear in mind that we may just be riding a roller coaster praying for monsoon season to help the State’s 30-100 buck-to-doe ratio Statewide continue to improve and there be enough forage for all of them.
All that said, enjoy the research! There will still be good bucks in Nevada. Hopefully you are one of the lucky ones to draw and of course notch a tag on a mature buck.
2025 Deer Table updated March 6, 2025
If I sound like a song on repeat, well, I should. Drought across much of Nevada will have a negative effect on trophy expectation. Forage is going to be an issue this year for sure in much of Nevada. Last year I was really optimistic and thought the State was just about out of the woods drought-wise. Looking at the drought monitor, I was very wrong.
With Nevada moving the deadline back to May a few years ago made it much easier to get the best data into TagHub before the applications are due. Be watching for the updated 2024 harvest data inside of TagHub. If you want a free trial, call the office, we would be glad to give you access.
Time for the elk data. The most powerful data that NDOW uses is 50” main beam measurement as a standard for bull elk maturity; the most recent data from 2023 is much lower than 2022 and on par with 2021. Thirty percent of the bulls hit that magic mark, which is down 6% from the previous year. 2022 was the high water mark at 36%. The average is 32%; unfortunately with the drought data being what it is I am not sure that we will see that number rise.
In 2024 the department recommended 4,360 total elk tags including spikes, which was up from 4,057 tags for 2023 which represents a 7.5% increase. This is a good thing for opportunity, but the State maintains an overall strategy to keep the elk population below 20,000. The tag increase represents population growth, however as of this writing, there is not a 2025 total number. The 20,000 top end is an absolute high, with the current population being a reflection of management strategies designed to reduce competition with other game animals, in particular, a struggling mule deer population.
The biggest issue then is that with this strategy, it can be very hard to draw a tag. Lets use 231 for example – as a nonresident, plan on sheep hunt-like odds for drawing a tag. Think less than 2%. The odds are beyond tough, but someone has to draw them, right?
Let’s talk about trophy quality expectations. I have stated that a 330 bull is possible in every unit group and I maintain that, and I honestly believe that a patient trophy hunter can exceed those numbers by a long shot. If I were one of the very lucky ones holding a tag after the draw, I would be holding out for a bull that tops that number, depending on the unit, of course. The late hunts are still producing some of the best bulls from across the West and I expect there will be many big bulls that are submitted for Eastmans’ feature stories again in 2025.
I would look hard at the Blue-Chip hunts further north with drought conditions not as strong there. Good luck in the elk apps, I hope our readers are some of the lucky ones with tags in their pockets this fall!
2025 Deer Table updated March 6, 2025
Ready for the bright spot in the Nevada MRS? Based on our data and Blue and Green-Chip analysis, the best units are also the areas either least affected by drought or out of drought all together! Pronghorn do most of their growing during late winter and into the spring and have the majority of their growth done by the time summer starts. With that in mind I think this will be a good year in many areas and I will be surprised if we aren’t looking at a trend upwards of the 15” plus horn tracking mechanism that NDOW uses.
What strategy would I recommend for someone who wants to kill a trophy pronghorn buck? Burn those points if you can! If you are a pronghorn nut like some of the guys in our office, years like this are what we hope for. The potential for good habitat during horn growth season is there and with a population that is trending up it might just be the year to gamble. With an objective of 20-30 bucks to 100 does Statewide and a stable to growing population in most places, the herd is in good shape. For 2024 there were 2,931 tags issued for horns longer-than-ears which was a 33% increase. The Department is decreasing the horns shorter-than-ears tags to keep populations where they would expect them to be and of course mitigate conflict with agriculture.
If I had a tag in my pocket what would I expect trophy-wise, you ask, to pull the trigger? Nevada is a state that has produced big bucks historically. It won’t be a cakewalk but with some boot leather burned, tire tread worn and lots of miles covered with the glass the State will produce some quality animals. Nevada has plenty of public land to look over just about everywhere in the State, but that can be a curse because it means a LOT of time looking for a good buck!
This means scouting will be of utmost importance as understanding where the bucks will be during the season drawn will be incredibly valuable information. A warm dry summer will certainly concentrate all of the bucks around water or closer to agriculture that has irrigated fields. That will mean spending plenty of time learning the roads that lead to the guzzlers spread out all over the State. Guzzler information can be found on the NDOW website and should be studied well.
Per the historical usual, the best hunts will be in the North and along the borders, especially based on the drought information we have as of publication. If you have an Eastmans’ Elite membership double click on the Nevada button and you will see the trophy potential button on the top of the map. This option will provide a great visual and the 3D maps will help with the scouting process that I mentioned above.
Good luck in the draw this year and let us know how you did if you were one of the lucky ones who drew a pronghorn tag in Nevada!
2025 Table updated March 6, 2025
It finally happened! In 2024 there was deemed to be a huntable population of moose in Nevada. The Nevada border with Idaho sees a significant amount of ungulate migration and enough of the moose population has moved into Nevada or grown to present the opportunity for the State to hunt moose. What does this look like moving into the future? Well the first year went well and I will be watching for more information to let you know what quality of hunt this will be. In the long run this is a great conservation story and hopefully there will be opportunities to hunt moose across the viable habitat. If you are a Nevada resident reading this I would make sure my hat is in the ring!
2025 Table updated March 6, 2025
If you want to hunt desert sheep you have to apply in the State of Nevada. However, this year I have to point out that if you have anything else you could be applying for, this is the year. The desert sheep population has dropped from 10,300 in 2019 to 6,400 in 2024 due to multi-year drought and disease impacts to herds Statewide. I have been beating the drought drum hard this year and the vulnerability that sheep have to disease and drought makes it pretty easy to see my doom and gloom posture on the subject.
NDOW recommended 193 desert ram tags across all weapon types for the 2024 season compared to 230 tags approved by the Wildlife Commission. That is a 16% cut in tag numbers when compared to 2023. Be paying attention to quotas as those will be released later this spring for 2025.
Recommendations for ram tags are based on never going above 8% of the population and then not exceeding 50% of the rams being older than six years.
Be watching Eastmans’ TagHub for more data in the form of harvest reporting for 2024. Preliminary data looks good, all things considered.
As far as a long term perspective goes, we are at the mercy of rain hitting the Southwest in significant enough inches to cause an impact. All of my research has indicated NDOW will continue to manage with a conservative approach moving forward. NDOW rarely has any type of knee-jerk reactions to anything and this extended drought has been accounted for as best they can. Moving forward I would expect to see the numbers improve the same year that I am able to move forward with reporting that the drought has subsided in a meaningful way. That sounds pessimistic but that is the nature of writing and researching material like this.
Where does that leave us as far as application strategy for 2025? Well, sheep hunting is hard no matter what and lucky tag holders are going to work for it. If you have been in the game for a very long time, why stop now? Put in for the hunts and maintain your steady hand. If you haven’t been in the game for long, the next couple of years might just be worth points-only applications, with one caveat; if you are aging out of the hunting game I would keep applying no matter what. Hope for the best kind of luck you can have in the hunting world and apply for Blue-Chips across the board. Steady hands in application strategies and in management make for the best outcomes.
What hunts would I apply for if I were sitting on a stack of bonus points? It would be the usual units like 181, 262, 263, 268 and 253 because of their consistency. These hunts will still have quality animals worth pursuing and have proven so over the course of time. If I were applying I would also be looking hard at on-the-ground experience. The members of the Eastmans.com Forum have been a great reference with many of them being Nevada residents; great feedback can be had there!
2025 Table updated March 6, 2025
“You can’t hunt what you don’t apply for,” and one of you reading this is hopefully the lucky one to draw a tag! The State of Nevada has 350 animals and NDOW allows for 2-5% of that population to be taken every year, depending on the circumstances. Overall the population trend continues to rise and over time I would expect that to turn into a few tags. However, the odds are steep; think somewhere in the neighborhood of 1% at times. So roll the dice, get your name in the game and good luck as you apply for this once-in-a-lifetime hunt!
This is one of the few species we have to talk about where the long drought hasn’t been a major factor. The mountain goat hunts have held steady over the years and the success is typically high, because honestly, you will likely only get ONE chance at this ever on the draw. However, drought can affect any animal population and for 2023, NDOW cut down the number of tags by one. They went from 13 in 2023 to 14 in 2024 which represents a slight increase.
There is one thing that NDOW is concerned about though; the overharvest of nannies by hunters. Because it is so hard to identify a nanny vs. a billy in the field there has been what NDOW considers an overharvest of nannies. If this trend continues there might be a cutback further in tags and the first to go is always the nonresident hunt.
2025 Table updated March 6, 2025
Archived Analysis | 2024
2024 is here and with it comes another application season! Make sure you read the digital edition and TagHub as I have added some fairly major draw analysis from 2023 from the Nevada draw report. There is some great information there, especially in regards to the number of people now applying in Nevada. Applications are up and the information laid out in that report may help you plan significantly.
This year’s Nevada application deadline for the main draw is May 08, 2024. Take this into account when building your multi-state strategy. With Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and some species in Arizona all running extremely close together, it has made it hard to roll money from unsuccessful apps into the next state. It has also made it a bit more tricky to plan multi-state strategies. Take the time necessary and plan accordingly as Nevada could be a win at any point with their draw system.
Drought in Nevada continues to be a real thing. However, this year is proving to be a correction level year. Looking at the drought monitor images most of the state is in good shape. With that said this might be a good year to try and burn those Nevada bonus points. The bottom line is that, as of this writing, there should be good groceries available statewide that will help with antler and horn growth in a big way.
Now let’s move on to the draw. Nevada’s price structure looks the same for 2024. Residents will pay $38.00 for a license and nonresidents will pay $155.00. Make sure you take a look at the other assorted fees that are associated with applying such as the $1.00 processing fee, the $3.00 predator fee, per application, and the $10.00 application fee. These are the little fees that can add up quickly so be prepared and take a look at the chart on this page to make sure you know the prices for the tags themselves.
Nevada’s draw system remains the same and thankfully it is much easier to explain in print than it is on a podcast. Over the last few years I am sure a few listeners were scratching their heads when I explained it. Also, here’s a shameless plug…Dan Pickar and Brian Barney have put together some good podcasts recently on draw strategies. Those can be found on any podcast player or you can look at some great content for state analysis inside of Eastmans’ TagHub. Our state authors know their stuff and it shows in those videos.
Without further rambling here is my attempt to explain the Nevada draw system. Let’s start at the application level and pretend that I have built 10 bonus points in Nevada. Ten bonus points means that I will have 101 applications placed into the system as Nevada squares the number of bonus points, plus your application for the current year to give you that many applications in the draw. Every one of those applications is assigned a random number by the system. After the random number assignment the system looks at applications from lowest to highest going through the entire application to see if there is a hunt on your list that has not been emptied of its tag quota. For example, unit 231 for mule deer may not have any tags left when my lowest number application is up to bat, but my second choice hunt, 111-113, may have tags available and I would be awarded a 111-113 tag. Bonus points are never a guarantee for a tag, however you want the numbers in your favor. If you don’t plan to hunt this year, don’t forget to buy your bonus points.
Don’t be afraid to shoot me an email or call the office and ask me about your application strategy for Nevada. As always, good luck in the draw.
The competition has never been higher 46% growth in five years; in most businesses would be a solid uphill clip that, as long the system could handle it, ownership would be very happy. The 46% growth over five years in this instance is the number of total applications the state of Nevada had for their big game draw. More people participating is a good thing, right? From a sustaining hunter numbers standpoint, yes. From a nonresident perspective though, this kind of growth in applications has made the line for drawing a tag much longer.
I’m in the nonresident pool and that is a fairly hard pill to swallow. However, I have to admit that I’m in the pool of people that started right before this five year period that is in the report. How should this information affect your draw strategy?
The best answer that I have is, pay attention to the economy. When the economy stinks people tend to start thinking a bit more about hunting around home than hunting out of state. A lot of people had a lot of extra time on their hands with cash they hadn’t planned on having during the purgatory that we called Covid in 2020. Many hunters used that cash to enter the western hunting game. Now that the cash flow has been shortened, groceries have skyrocketed and gas has stayed at higher than normal levels, I’m expecting there to be a slight drop in applications.
However, all this coincides with a rise in the number of people sitting on the sidelines accumulating points. I will reserve the right to be wrong on this as there may be quite a few people who simply put it on the credit card and try to pay it off.
What other standout pieces of data were there? The first may be an indicator that we have hit the top of the applicant growth curve, or be very close. In 2022 there were 84,434 clients, in 2023 there were 85,362 total clients, an increase of less than 1,000. The majority of the growth in applicants grew in the years prior. The number of actual applications grew by 23,925, however one thing to note as well is that every applicant seems to be adding more species to their checkout que.
The age group of 31-45 had the most clients and the 46-70 group continued a slight growth path. However, at age 46 and age 66 the number of clients dropped sharply. Many of us have wondered if we would be seeing a steady drop in the number of baby boomers applying for tags. This might be an indicator that, yes, there is a drop off, but it will be a few more years before we really see the baby boomers leave the application pool in high enough numbers to lower application numbers.
Composite wise, across new, returning and loyal customers, that looks like 9,820 applicants. That is a pretty significant number of people potentially leaving the application pool due to age. Many in this category may quit hunting after the next hunt in Nevada due to health or simply burning points across a variety of states takes them away from Nevada. So what is the bottom line? A significant number of people may be leaving the application pool in the coming years.
The report has more, but those are the biggest broad strokes that I noticed. Plan accordingly with Nevada. There is a really good chance that for the next few years we will be looking at lower draw odds for all species.
Mule deer hold a special place in my heart and they always will. Trophy-wise, Nevada is known for their trophy-class bull elk and the highest opportunity for desert sheep. Plenty of big mule deer have come from Nevada, but like the rest of the West their numbers are struggling. However, the state is making big efforts to combat the decline. Money is being set aside for habitat improvements that, over time, will help. The operative piece of that statement is the “over time” portion. Mule deer herds take many years to recover and the state has lost around 50% of their total deer population since the state started tracking the numbers, which is obviously not a good state of affairs.
With all that said, what is the status of deer hunting in Nevada? In 2022 Nevada issued 15,185 total deer tags; in 2023, they cut that by 40% to 10,783 tags. That is significant but is in line with meeting their herd health objectives as well as reaching the goals of helping the population grow. Deer are the species that have taken the wild horse/burro competition square on the chin. Habitat most negatively affected by those species encroaching into new areas is right where mule deer live and grow. Add in the consequences of drought and we have the situation we do now: declining deer herds with constant struggles to recover.
Nevada does not report age class or something like height or even the “gold standard” of outside spread to correspond with point totals. As any seasoned mule deer hunter knows, it is very hard to figure out maturity in a unit from points alone, so NDOW, if you are reading this, a place in your surveys for outside spread would be fantastic! Please help us make informed decisions on our apps!
Let’s move on to what the 2024 mule deer season will look like in Nevada. Populations may be down but it is always the strongest that survive. With the better precipitation this winter so far statewide, there is strong potential for mature bucks to reach their potential. Good groceries produce big bucks and if the trend continues there will be good feed available. What Nevada needs though is several good years stacked together to help the herd recover.
Sadly, the population estimate in 2023 was 68,000 animals. This is a far cry from the 80,000 that were estimated when I wrote this last year. This can be attributed to the rough winter we had last year with poor conditions for recovery. Nevada didn’t escape the crazy winter conditions, however the decline in population was certainly more profound in the areas in the North.
Enjoy the research! There will still be good bucks to be had, and hopefully you are one of the lucky ones!
Table - Coming soon!
Nevada is an arid state and as such, much can be made about winter weather, in particular how much snow accumulates to produce the forage that elk eat. There are certainly other factors, but this one makes a BIG difference in a state like Nevada. Last year I was reporting that much of the state was in a drought, except the areas in the North and on the border with Utah. This year I can report that the majority of the state is OUT of the drought and will be in great condition for producing big main beamed bulls that we have all come to expect.
As of this writing I don’t have the composite unit group or state-wide reports but watch for TagHub exclusive blogs in April covering that data, as well as harvest reports to be updated in TagHub. With Nevada moving the deadline back to May a few years ago, it made it much easier to get the best data into TagHub before the deadline!
On to the elk data! NDOW still uses a 50 inch main beam measurement as a standard for what is considered mature; the most recent data from 2022 is very strong. 33% of the bulls hit that magic mark which is up 2% from the previous year. 2020 was the high water mark which was 34%. The average is 31%, and with good moisture so far in Nevada I could see this year again being higher than that.
In 2023 the department recommended 4,073 total elk tags, which was up from 3,908 tags for 2022. This is a good thing for opportunity, but the state maintains an overall strategy to keep the elk population below 20,000 and is currently sitting at 12,500 animals. The 20,000 top end is an absolute high, with the current population being a reflection of management strategies designed to reduce competition with other game animals, in particular a struggling mule deer population.
Also of note is that Nevada is ground zero for big game conflict with wild horses and burros. Until the feral animals are brought down to much lower numbers, there is very little opportunity for heading back to the higher numbers closer to 20,000. Add in that Nevada has finally moved out of a consistent drought phase, which was also forcing managers to keep numbers low and it is pretty easy to see how the 12,500 current objective was needed.
The biggest issue then is that with this strategy it can be very hard to draw a tag. Let’s use 231 for example, as a nonresident plan on sheep hunt-like odds for drawing a tag. Think less than 2%. They are really rough, but somebody has to draw the tags, right? It’s always fun when someone reading these articles draws and says we helped make the choice on applications.
Let’s talk about trophy quality expectations. Last year I stated that a 330” bull is possible in every unit group and I maintain that, especially in a year when the threat of drought is minimal. However, if I were one of the very lucky ones holding a tag after the draw, I would be holding out for a bull that tops that number. The late hunts are still producing some of the best bulls from across the West and I expect to see some giants again this year.
The usual suspects continue to do well, like the Jarbridge in 072 as well as any of the hunts in 111-115. Watch for 2023 harvest data to hit TagHub sometime in April, which may help you iron out your choices.
Good luck in the elk apps; I hope our readers are some of the lucky ones with tags in their pockets this fall!
Table - Coming soon!
As of this writing the usual statewide graphs that help paint the picture for the overall harvest of pronghorn aren’t available. However, what I have seen so far paints a picture of a very mixed bag. 28,000 was the estimated population count and that number will be adjusted in the very near future when the counts are completed for the year.
One thing that should certainly be considered this year in Nevada is that unless something changes, the forage will be good for horn growth this spring. Pronghorn do most of their growing during the tail end of spring and have the majority of their growth done by the time summer starts. With that in mind, I think this will be a better year overall. I expect that by next year at this time, when I am looking at the charts showing how many 15” plus bucks are taken in the fall of 24, the numbers will be up. If the wet trends continue, especially in the Blue/Green-Chip areas through 2025, the potential is there to have strong trophy quality.
What strategy would I recommend? This would be a good year to try and burn those points. If you are an antelope nut like some of the guys in our office, years like this are what we hope for. The potential for quality habitat is there this year and with a population that is trending up it might just be the year to gamble, with an objective of 25 bucks to 100 does. In 2022 the herds were sitting at 34 bucks, 100 does and 29 fawns. To get that a bit closer to the objective there were 2,166 tags issued for horns longer than the ears in 2023. I will be interested to see how that played out in the counts this year. With the initial success numbers looking good from what I have seen in the reports, I am betting the buck-to-doe ratio will be closer to objective.
If I had a tag in my pocket, what would I expect trophy-wise, you ask, to pull the trigger? Nevada is a state that has historically produced big bucks. It won’t be a cakewalk by any stretch but with some boot leather burned, tire tread worn and lots of miles “walked” with the glass, it will produce some quality animals. Nevada has plenty of public land to look over just about everywhere in the state, but that can be a curse because it means a LOT of time looking for a good buck!
This means scouting will be of utmost importance as understanding where the bucks will be during the season drawn will be incredibly valuable information. Be aware that a very warm summer can undo the wet winter Nevada has had. That will mean spending plenty of time learning the roads that lead to the guzzlers spread out all over the state. Guzzler information can be found on the NDOW website.
Per usual, the best hunts for the most part will be in the North and along the borders. With the better moisture, you might consider that a Green-Chip unit a little further south might not be bad. If you have a TagHub membership, double click on the Nevada button and you will see the trophy potential button on the top of the map. This option will provide a great visual and the 3D maps will help with the scouting process that I mentioned above.
This is normally where I break down the best units to apply for in the state of Nevada, especially if you are one of the loyal ones who have a boatload of bonus points heading into the draw. However, I thought this year with the lower population it might be better to suggest the best region as a whole to apply for.
Good luck in the draw this year and let us know how you did if you were one of the lucky ones who drew an antelope tag in Nevada!
Table - Coming soon!
If you want to hunt desert sheep you have to be applying in the State of Nevada. Let’s put this in perspective…Nevada has approximately 7,500 desert sheep and that population, albeit the state is in a slump, (more on that later) is only 5,000 fewer animals than their total elk population. Add on that there are quite a few good hunts to apply for and I can’t imagine why someone chasing a slam wouldn’t have their name in the hat here! Mine certainly is!
One thing that must be noted though, is that with the population decline, Nevada has cut tags. For 2023 only 211 tags were issued in the draw and that was down from 271 in 2022. The state issued 321 tags in 2021 for desert sheep, 315 the year before and held steady with 311 and 317 the two years prior to that which illustrates a steady number of cuts. These numbers illustrate pretty clearly that NDOW is doing its best to be responsive to a lower population and is working towards recovery.
As of this writing the reports were nearly done detailing 2023 harvest success. The full update will be on TagHub sometime in April. With that stated, there weren’t many adjustments made in my trophy potential columns. The biggest adjustment for me mentally was the simple reality that I was looking through many less scores because fewer tags have been issued.
Last year I detailed the two predominant factors in the population decline as being pneumonia and severe drought over the course of multiple years. Looking at the biologist report for setting the season in 2024, those two factors continue to be the areas of biggest concern. Unfortunately they also tend to work hand-in-hand to hurt the populations. Thirsty sheep will travel farther to reach water, and when they find it there is the chance that they will find sheep they haven’t interacted with, sheep that might just have pneumonia and shortly thereafter is a new band of sheep with the disease. NDOW is doing their best to track the disease and therefore manage appropriately.
We might just get lucky with this break in the drought and see some movement in a positive direction population-wise. As I am taking a quick look at SNOTEL data, it is pretty evident that everywhere in the southern Rockies is doing pretty well from a precipitation standpoint. Nevada is certainly in that category and barring an incredibly hot summer, there should be no issues staying out of drought territory this year, which means that there is a good chance that we will see desert sheep stay put because there is available water where they are. This will limit contact between groups and that, in and of itself, will help. One mountain range doubled its population between 2017 and 2021 only to lose almost half of the population in a die-off. The situation has been rough but there are still plenty of good hunts out there!
Now for the units that I would recommend: if I were sitting on a stack of bonus points, I would be looking at the usual units like 181, 262, 263, 268 and 253. These hunts will still have quality animals worth pursuing. If I were applying I would also be looking hard at on-the-ground experience. The members of the Eastmans.com Forum have been a great reference, and with many of them being Nevada residents, you might be able to get some real feedback on what to expect from a hunt.
Table - Coming soon!
I said it last year and I will say it again, “You can’t hunt what you don’t apply for.” Someone has to draw mountain goat tags in Nevada and if you are a resident it may as well be you. However, the odds are steep; think somewhere in the neighborhood of 1% at times. So roll the dice, get your name in the game and good luck as you apply for this once-in-a-lifetime hunt!
One thing of note though, is that this is one of the few species we have to talk about where the long drought hasn’t been a major factor. The mountain goat hunts have held steady over the years and the success is typically high, because honestly, you will likely only get ONE chance at this ever on the draw. However, drought can affect any animal population and for 2023, NDOW cut down the number of tags by one. They went from 14 in 2022 to 13 in 2023 which equates to a 7% drop.
One other piece to note is that the heydays for hunting Rocky Mountain goats appear to have been 2001-2009. NDOW made big cuts in tags in 2010 and then again in 2012. Hopefully with some better environmental conditions, the landscape will be able to hold more animals which will mean a few more tags for hunters hoping to draw.
Table - Coming soon!
Archived Analysis | 2023
Welcome to 2023 application season! As is always the case with Nevada, the latest harvest data are not available from the fall hunting season of 2022 at this moment for print but will be updated in TagHub when NDOW releases it later this spring. Grades and trophy status will be adjusted when and where needed. If you have not added a TagHub membership to your print subscription, you can do that by calling us here at the office or visiting eastmans.com. We have a 30-day free trial for every option except the Elite Annual Membership, and you can cancel at any time. If you buy an elite annual, we will be glad to send some free gear as well (Look at the TagHub ad to see the current option)! As a print subscriber, we hope you enjoy the free trial and get all of the data you need for going on a western hunt this fall.
This year’s Nevada application deadline is May 10, 2023. Make sure you take this into account when building a multistate strategy. Not long ago, it was possible to build a strategy to apply in just a few states at a time, rolling refunds into the next state. Now Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and some species in Arizona are all running extremely close together. Plan accordingly. Drought in Nevada continues to be a real thing. Flying into SHOT Show, looking at the reservoirs in dire need of a fill-up was a good reminder of where the state stands in the big picture. However, there was something unique going on in southern Nevada while I was landing—it was raining. Every day was overcast and like the rest of the West, the state has experienced cool weather. Looking at the Snotel and USDA data, it appears that the central and northern sections of the state are getting some relief from the worst portions of the drought, and with a little luck, a wet spring may make for better antler-growing conditions than in recent years.
Even with a little more water appearing on the horizon, it would still be wise to know where every guzzler is located, in particular for mule deer and of course the world-class desert sheep hunting. The guzzler programs do much to help every species, however, those two benefit the most. Scouting water is always key in the arid states, and knowing the general regions where the guzzlers are located will certainly provide an advantage in scouting travel routes to and from them. Now let’s move on to the draw! Nevada hasn’t made any significant changes to its system or price structures for 2023. Residents will pay $38 for a license, and non-residents will pay $155. Make sure you take a look at the other assorted fees that are associated with applying, such as the $1 processing fee, the $3 predator fee, per application and the $10 application fee. These are the little fees that can add up quickly, so be prepared and take a look at the chart on this page to make sure you know the prices for the tags themselves.
Nevada’s draw system remains the same, and thankfully, it is much easier to explain in print than it is on a podcast, as I am fairly certain there were a few listeners scratching heads when I explained it. So here it goes… Let’s start at the application level and pretend that I have built 10 bonus points in Nevada. With 10 bonus points, it means that I will have 101 applications placed into the system, as Nevada squares the number of bonus points, plus your application for the current year to give you that many applications in the draw. Then every one of those applications is assigned a random number by the system. After the random number assignment, the system looks at applications from lowest to highest, going through your entire application to see if there is a hunt on your list that has not been emptied of its tag quota. For example, unit 231 for mule deer may not have any tags left when my lowest number application is up to bat, but my second-choice hunt, 111-113, may have tags available, and I would be awarded a 111-113 tag. My advice to any of you with 10 points or more is to shoot for the moon on every application. If you have been applying this long, take advantage of the opportunity you have with lots of applications in the system. You aren’t guaranteed a tag with more bonus points than the next guy, but at least statistically, your odds are higher.
And here we go! Good luck in the draws, and feel free to email me with any Nevada-related questions; I will be glad to answer them!
Mule deer are my favorite animal to hunt and observe. While not nearly as gloomy as my sheep write-up, it pains me to note how much drought and feral horses and burros are impacting the big-game population and herd health in Nevada. The big-game status book even reported on the negative relationship that these animals have on native big-game populations. The issue is that horses and burros can out compete sheep, deer and antelope for water, and therefore, the habitat with the best conditions. In time, they are very hard on the territory and then move on to the next water hole, leaving it far worse than it was before. Nevada isn’t the only state dealing with this issue; however, because of the vast amount of public land, it makes it much more of a challenge to manage.
So where does that leave us with the status of deer? In 2021 Nevada issued 16,530 mule deer tags. This was an overall decrease in the number of issued tags continuing the downhill trend that has been going on for 11 years now. There was an overall success rate of 40% for the any legal weapons hunt, with 39% of the bucks harvested breaking the 4-point or better mark. This is a downhill trajectory from the high of 45% in 2019 and 43% in 2020. I am fearful this is turning into a trend due to the drought and competition.
Now, I have to be transparent with you as a reader. Nevada does not report age class or something like height or even the “gold standard” of outside spread to correspond with point totals. As any seasoned mule deer hunter knows, it is very hard to figure out maturity in a unit from points alone, so NDOW, if you are reading this, a place in your surveys for outside spread would be fantastic!
Migration route protection continues in Nevada as well with research showing the areas that need to be protected for future populations to thrive. Research like this will help, and with the problems created by feral horses, the issues are being identified to stabilize the deer populations in Nevada. Hopefully it will lead to rebounds in the near future.
Let’s look at what we should expect for hunting season 2023 for mule deer in Nevada. While populations may be down, it is always the strongest that survive. When the strong are given better groceries than they have ever had, that can turn into some big bucks. My prediction is that there will be an uptick in trophy quality in the northern and western portions of the state and even some around the Reno area where the precipitation has been the heaviest. We may even get lucky and find out that the fawn recruitment rate grows this year with better groceries for does and the younger deer.
What did the big game status book have to say this year? The latest data say that there are approximately 80-85,000 mule deer in Nevada. NDOW wants to get that population larger than 100,000 animals, but the fact remains, that is a very tall order. In 2021 there were 16,530 tags issued, and 39% of the bucks harvested were 4-point or better. Not terrible but compared to what we normally expect from Nevada, this falls short.
One of the x-factors in terms of data that I use to help sort through maturity in any of the better units is how many bucks had 5+ points. Because Nevada doesn’t use antler width or any form of main beam measurement, it is hard to sort maturity class simply by straight data. However, as a mule deer nut, I know that most bucks don’t start growing extras until later in life. If you really want to nerd out after reading the data in the journals or TagHub, go look at the harvest reports. They are telling. This and consistency of harvest are what I use to rate a unit or unit group as blue-chip hunt.
This year due to the tough conditions and data release set for after print, I am going to wait to post about blue-chips, as things can change drastically with weather conditions. We will share on social media when TagHub has been updated, and you can use a free trial to get access to the updated charts and data.
In 2022 I told you that Nevada has plenty of big bulls, which it still does. I also told you that due to the drought the state was experiencing, we would see plenty of bulls that had broken tines hit the dirt, especially in the late seasons. Well, it is safe to say that Nevada may have more intact bulls hitting the dirt after the rut ended, thanks to a year that has bucked the drought trend. The best part is that the areas that should green up the best for growing big bulls are the areas with the best history of producing big bulls, thanks to genetics and conservative management. If you are hoping for that once-in-a-lifetime tag, this may be one of the better years as long as the green-up goes as expected.
NDOW uses a 50-inch main beam measurement as a standard for what is considered mature; the most recent data from 2021 is very strong. 31% of bulls taken hit that magic mark, which was only 3% less than the most recent high-water mark from 2020 of 34%. The average is 31%, which in turn means that NDOW has done a very strong job in producing the highest quality hunts for big bulls on an annual basis. 2023 could be a year to beat the average with the weather we are seeing.
The herd composition is sitting at 41 bulls/100 cows/36 calves. The most recently published data indicate that 95% of elk units are at or above objective statewide. The best piece of that equation is the slow, steady hand that NDOW uses for big game management. It also helps that they understand what they have in terms of carrying capacity for elk. Much of the state is not prime-time elk habitat, and therefore, growing the herd, population wise, is not the objective. Managing the herd for healthy maintenance of elk numbers is the most important piece of the equation.
The bummer is that with this strategy it can be very hard to draw a tag. Let’s use 231 for example, as a non-resident plan on sheep hunt like odds for drawing a tag—think less than 2%. Yeah, they are rough, but somebody has to draw the tags, right? So, it may as well be one of you reading this, searching for an inside track on a solid hunt.
Moving to trophy quality expectations, I have to believe based on the data that a bull better than 330 is possible in every single hunt. That said, if I were one of the lucky ones holding a tag after the draw, I would likely be working on finding even better than that, as it is certainly possible. The late hunts consistently produce some fantastic bulls, as the timing of the season is conducive for hunters to be able to find them and hunt them in bachelor groups.
The normal performers of the Jarbridge in 072 as well as any of the hunts in 111-115 are hunts that would be on my application. Because I am working with data that is from 2021 for print, I have to go with the historical trends, and any of the hunts in those unit groups are where my application would be headed.
Here is to hoping that the green-up drives 2023 to be one of the best years we have seen for bull elk trophy quality in Nevada!
The fall of 2021 was not a banner season, and I will be surprised if the new data from 2022 reflect much different. In 2020 a solid 27% of the bucks had horns longer than 15 inches. In 2021 that slipped down to 13%. This is quite the drop from the 3-year average of 29%. Drought likely was the largest contributor to this issue, and I expect that when I sort through the data, there won’t be much of a change. However, a glitch in the reporting system may also have led to the drop; we will see what is reported from 2022 very soon.
When I look at the precipitation that has happened so far to affect snowpack and drought, I expect the reports for the fall of 2023 to be much better. The population is estimated to be 28,000 for 2022, which is a slight drop from what I reported last year but not a terrible drop considering the drought conditions that can hammer antelope.
So, what is the strategy that I would recommend? Personally, I would be building points and waiting to see how the numbers and quality recover. Drops like what we have seen here will happen when drought hits, but antelope numbers recover quickly when there is a wet winter like what we have had this year. In fact, if you were to overlay the areas hit hardest by drought before the 22/23 winter and then overlay where the best precipitation has been seen, it is in some of the best antelope areas. Gambling on another wet winter and spring and then burning points in the fall of 2024 might not be a bad idea, especially if you have fewer than 10 points.
For those of you who have 10 or more points, it might be worth it to take the gamble. The strongest are the ones who survive, and with that in mind, with better forage they will be growing decent horns. The trick will 100% be just finding them. Nevada has big areas to hunt, and as a result, it can be a challenge to find the populations of any animal, let alone populations of antelope spread out all across the desert. If you do draw, I would recommend intensive scouting.
In 2021 there was a 66% overall success rate for pronghorn hunters in all hunts in Nevada, with 3,415 tags issued total. The any legal weapon hunt had a 74% success rate overall, which was down 3% from the year prior. The biggest takeaway to remember, especially as a non-resident, is that there are very few tags for the taking. Nevada is a long game for antelope, with the chance to kill a very nice buck with some work and likely many years applying.
The objective the state of Nevada shoots for is 25 bucks to 100 does. In 2022 the herds were sitting at 34 bucks/100 does/29 fawns. With this management objective, we can see the buck number is a bit high overall, but with the state’s steady hand management, this objective can be achieved for the best herd health.
That begs the question: With a tag in my pocket, what should I be looking for in a trophy buck? Well, in all honesty, I think there will still be trophy-quality bucks roaming the hills to hang a tag on, and when it comes to antelope, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I wouldn’t pass on a high 70” buck. The issue is simply that there are fewer antelope than in years past, and it will require even more work than it normally takes to find them. If you draw a tag, be prepared to cover lots of miles, look over lots of country and expect to work VERY hard to find the trophy potential available.
Scouting will be important, as understanding where the bucks will be during the season will be the most important information. Be aware that a very warm summer can undo the solid wet winter we have had. That will mean spending plenty of time learning the roads that lead to the guzzlers spread out all over the state.
When looking in TagHub and at the map, you will notice that the northern, eastern and western borders have the best trophy forecasts. If you have quite a few points, I would stack your application with hunts in the northernmost third of the state. Hunts there seem to produce very well.
This is normally where I break down the best units to apply for in the state of Nevada; however, I thought this year, with the lower population, it might be better to suggest the best region as a whole to apply for.
The northeast and northwest corners of the state have historically been the best options, and any of the unit groups there can produce a big buck. The units stretched across the north-central section of the state can be a great option, too, as most of them are the green-chip units. The most reliable measure that I have used to determine rankings has been the 15-inch metric that NDOW tracks every year. Success over time is the next ranking that I look for, and with all of that in mind, the north-central section is a solid performer with some great habitat to produce big bucks. With a little warmth in March and April during the prime growing season for bucks, there might be enough budding sage to produce some big bucks there. As it stands right now, that is where the best snowpack and precipitation have been. Those factors make it my top choice for a trophy Nevada pronghorn.
The state of Nevada issued 321 tags in 2021 for desert sheep, 315 the year before and held steady with 311 and 317 the two years prior to that. The ram harvest was 257 animals, which made for an 82% success rate, which was, unfortunately, the lowest since 2002. The average age class of rams harvested was 6.9 years of age, which is described as relatively strong by NDOW, and we would hope so, considering that this is the highest average age over the last 30 years.
Trophy quality matched the historical average of 152 with a measured score of 152 5/8. In the tracked 10-year average, there were 18 rams that broke the 170 B&C score. That consistency is very hard to beat and will continue to remain steady as long as NDOW is able to continue working through the issues that come with disease outbreaks. NDOW has done a very good job in handling those situations when they come and will make it a priority in the future as the desert sheep herd is sitting at 8,200 animals. One piece of major concern for NDOW is that the population sat at 10,200 in 2019, the peak, and has dropped 2,000 animals since then. While concerning, this can and does happen with sheep populations, which is why micromanagement is required to do a good job and NDOW is committed to growing the population.
NDOW has attributed the decline in population to several factors. The first is—you guessed it—the multiyear drought that we are hoping the state may have finally turned the corner on. The next is competition from feral horses and burros, and the last is high lamb mortality due to disease. If you are active in Nevada big game politics, please let your representatives know that the horses and burros have become a very big problem and need to go.
In the big picture, NDOW is working to manage pneumonia outbreaks in herds that mingle with others during the rut and the ongoing drought. The biggest challenge seems to be that carriers of the disease can spread this over long periods of time. For a detailed look inside the specific herds getting hit the hardest, you will want to look at the big game status book and then adjust your application strategy accordingly. Some herds that were noted have dropped over 50% in the last 7 years from an overall herd population. The drought is exacerbating the population issues of those herds, and when throwing in the feral horse and burro issues, it is pretty easy to see how we have gotten here.
NDOW activated emergency measures in some of the worst drought-stricken areas when guzzlers dried up in the last few years. This is a fairly uncommon situation, but because many of the desert herds lean heavily on these guzzlers for water, it was necessary to make sure they stay full and provide water to the herds that were dependent on them for survival. With the winter we are having now, I don’t expect guzzlers drying up to be an issue unless we have extraordinary weather patterns producing a giant heat wave.
NDOW does its aerial surveys now, and the new big game status book due this year will be telling. In 2021 we saw only 20 lambs per 100 ewes. This is not good, as the normal conditions produce 30 lambs to 100 ewes, and this is why NDOW is looking at the issues from an all-hands-on-deck perspective. 2021 was the third year of population contraction. 2022 will likely be another based on the data pointing to the simple reality that drought has been a major contributor to the population decline. It is not the only issue by any means, but it is one that has been at the forefront for several years.
With all of the challenges that desert bighorn sheep are facing, I have to admit this write-up took on a negative feel. With that in mind, apply carefully and take a hard look at all of the data here in the MRS and in TagHub to make the best decisions possible. When the full data sets for the 2022 season come out, we’ll be updating TagHub as usual.
If I were sitting on a boatload of points, I would be looking at the usual units like 181, 262, 263, 268 and 253. These hunts will still have quality animals worth pursuing. If I were applying, I would also be looking long and hard at on the ground experience. The members of the Eastmans.com Forum have been a great reference for me, and with several of them being from Nevada, you might be able to get some real feedback on what to expect from a hunt.
As is often said, “You can’t hunt what you don’t apply for.” Someone has to draw mountain goat tags in Nevada, and if you are a resident, it may as well be you, right? However, the odds are steep—think somewhere in the neighborhood of 1% at times. But hey, you might be the guy to draw. So, roll the dice, get your name in the game and apply for this once-in-a-lifetime hunt.
Nevada offered 3 hunts in 2021, and data for the 2022 season will be updated as soon as it is available from NDOW in TagHub. Good luck applying; we hope to hear that one of our subscribers is one of the lucky hunters.
Unit 101
This hunt is a marginal hunt, and it is 100% due to access issues; that is the only reason it is not a green-chip unit. With the East Humboldt Wilderness making up large sections of this hunt, it is a remote backcountry adventure. NDOW reports on their website that the goats in this area are in the most extreme country inside of this area and that there is very limited access. They are politely letting us know that a backpack hunter has quite the grunt to get in, and livestock might make this hunt quite a bit more enjoyable.
Unit 102
2021 saw 7 tags issued for this unit, with 5 of them making it to the field and 3 of them going home with a goat. No explanation is given as to why the two hunters didn’t make it to the field, but that is a first for me on this species. This unit is in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains with most of the goat country breaking 10,000 feet and Ruby Dome towering in the high country at 11,387 feet. Hiring a packer if you draw this tag might be a wise decision; access from the north and west are through private land, and if trespass permission cannot be had, it would be wise to have options to help with packing the 350-lb. animal out.
Unit 103
Billies in the 8-inch range are what should be expected on this hunt. For 2023, it will likely be one tag again, as that has held steady for as long as I have written the Nevada MRS. This is a game of just being in, hoping for a chance.
Pearl Peak rises to 10,847 feet in the southern Ruby Mountains, and this isn’t a hunt to show up out of shape for, hoping for a good experience. If you are looking for adventure, this hunt will provide you with more than your fair share. This is a fairly new population of goats that has made the cliffs their home in the Pearl Peak area. Finding snow will aid in success, as the dry climate dictates where you can find goats that need water. Access is good at Mitchell Creek, but elsewhere, it will be tough; be prepared to hike if you are the lucky applicant.
Archived Analysis | 2022
2022 is here, and it feels just like yesterday that I was saying exactly the same thing about 2021. Per usual with Nevada, the latest harvest data is not available from 2021 at this moment for print but will be updated in TagHub as soon as NDOW publishes it, and we will adjust unit and unit group grades and forecasts accordingly. If you have not added a TagHub membership to your print subscription, you can do that by calling us here at the office or visiting eastmans.com. We have a 30-day free trial for every option except the Elite Annual Membership, and you can cancel at any time. This was the easiest way we could think of to make sure that our print subscribers could access the most up-to-date data in states that publish it close to the deadline.
This year’s Nevada application deadline is May 10, 2022. Last year due to Covid it was moved to May from the traditional earlier dates, which has made May much busier for all of us who apply in multiple states. The tentative draw announcement day is the 20th of May, plenty of time to get Wyoming applications in if you are unsuccessful in Nevada.
Drought conditions were very real for the second year in a row in Nevada. Does that mean there won’t be big bucks and bulls? Hardly. What it means is that the late hunts for deer and elk will likely feature broken up antlers. TagHub’s drought layer will be updated once more before the application deadline, giving a fair indication of what early antler growth will look like moving into the summer growing season. Can we predict exactly how precipitation will influence antler growth? No. However, knowing that snowpack is solid and the bucks and bulls have good high-elevation food serves as a good way to influence expectations when a tag is in the pocket.
One advantage that Nevada does have, in particular for mule deer and of course their world-class desert sheep hunting, is a robust guzzler program designed to keep the animals well hydrated, even during the dry, dusty years. Scouting water is always key in the arid states, and knowing the general regions where the guzzlers are located will certainly provide an advantage in scouting travel routes to and from them.
Now let’s move on to the draw! Nevada hasn’t made any significant changes to their system or price structures for 2022. Residents will pay $38 for a license and nonresidents will pay $155. Make sure you take a look at the other assorted fees that are associated with applying such as the $1 processing fee, the $3 predator fee, per application and the $10 application fee ($15 for elk). These are the little fees that can add up quickly, so be prepared and take a look at the chart on this page to make sure you know the prices for the tags themselves.
Nevada’s draw system has not changed this year, and it is pretty straightforward…well, if jumping on one foot, chewing bubble gum and throwing darts all at the same time is simple. Let’s start at the application level and pretend that I have built 10 bonus points in Nevada. With 10 bonus points, it means that I will have 101 applications placed into the system as Nevada squares the number of bonus points, plus your application for the current year to give you that many applications in the draw. Then every one of those applications is assigned a random number by the system. After the random number assignment, the system looks at applications from lowest to highest, going through your ENTIRE application to see if there is a hunt on your list that has not been emptied of its tag quota. For example, unit 231 for mule deer may not have any tags left when my lowest number application is up to bat, but my second choice hunt, 111-113, may have tags available, and I would be awarded a 111-113 tag. My advice to any of you with 10 plus points is to shoot for the moon on every application! If you have been applying this long, take advantage of the opportunity you have with lots of applications in the system. You aren’t guaranteed a tag with that many points, but your odds are way better than the guys with just a couple.
Will you be one of the lucky ones to draw a coveted tag in Nevada? Well, I am wishing good luck for you as long as you aren’t ahead of me in the draw with the same hunts on the application. If I didn’t answer your question here, feel free to drop me an email at [email protected] or visit ndow.org for more information.
Blue Chip
Unit Group 221-223
Unit Group 241-245
081
TagHub Exclusives
Unit Unit 231
Units 194-196
High-performing Region
I save my mule deer write-up for last, because it is no secret that hunting mule deer is my absolute favorite. It makes my research sharpest when heading into my last species and just like you, I am looking for the best bang for my points. So how do the deer herds look in Nevada heading into this year? Let’s dive right into my favorite species!
In 2019, 45% of the deer harvested in Nevada were 4-points or better, an increase of 3% over 2018. How did 2020 fare? Well, down by 2%. However, it must be noted that the 4% or better trend took a significant swing for the better about the time I took over writing the Nevada MRS. 2012-2014 reported 4-point or better stats of 37%, in 2015 it went to 38% and then in 2016 it hit 41% and has never been lower than that.
Now, I have to be transparent with you as a reader. Nevada does not report age class or something like height or even the “gold standard” of outside width to correspond with point totals. As any seasoned mule deer hunter knows, it is very hard to figure out maturity in a unit from points alone, so NDOW, if you are reading this, a place in your surveys added for outside width would be fantastic!
Let’s move on to environmental conditions. The BLM issued a directive this year focusing much of their strategy to protect migration corridors, in particular the corridors mule deer use to transition from summer to winter range. For details on this, visit blog.eastmans.com and search Nevada. I put together a detailed blog with links to the actual executive order. Other issues facing mule deer include the continued encroachment of juniper pines and competition from feral horses. For Nevada to continue to keep the higher age class of bucks that I mentioned above, they will have to keep all of these factors in mind, which I believe they are, based on the published strategies that I have read.
Let’s look at what we should expect for hunting season 2022 for mule deer in Nevada! Mule deer hunting there has always had great potential, and with any luck, a giant can be found in just about every unit. However, a 200-inch buck is not hanging around every tree, and I maintain that unless you draw the best of the best tags, if you find a 170-inch buck, you should probably be figuring out how to put him on the ground.
What did the big game status book have to say this year? Fawn recruitment is up to 51 fawns per 100 does, which is up by five from last year. However, the biggest concern is that because of the drought we are facing, conditions where there are more young deer competing for less food unless conditions change this year. We need moisture in a big way in Nevada to capitalize on the upward trend and see the deer numbers head back north of 100,000. That is going to be a tall order considering the drought has taken its toll again this year and dropped the population by 14% down to 84,000 animals.
One of the x-factors in terms of data that I use to help sort through maturity in any of the better units is how many bucks had 5+ points. Because Nevada doesn’t use antler width or any form of main beam measurement, it is hard to sort maturity class simply by straight data. However, as a mule deer nut, I know that most bucks don’t start getting the extras until later in life. If you really want to nerd out after reading the data in the journals or TagHub, go look at the harvest reports. They are telling. This and consistency of harvest are what I use to rate a unit or unit group as blue-chip hunt. Let’s dig into the best of the best blue-chip units!
Units 221-223
I am going to keep this unit group as a blue-chip option, because it is hard to beat the historical consistency, and it has stayed above 40% in the 4-point or better category every year over the last 10. The region has historically had good genetics and the management strategy is solid. For me, this is a top-of-the-line hunt in Nevada.
Unit Group 241-245
For the 2022 status of this unit group, I am going to keep them all the same color they were last year—some blue, some green. The highest densities of mule deer can be found in units 241 and 242, and 75% of the bucks unit group-wide were 4 points or better. If you are a nonresident looking for deer, these are the units inside this group where I would start. The any-weapon hunts will likely be the best bets here as well for a quality hunt.
081
This hunt stays at the top tier for me again this year, especially for the any legal weapon and the muzzleloader hunts. Those two seasons are late enough to offer excellent opportunities at rutting bucks, and that in and of itself makes for a fun hunt. In 2019, 84% of the bucks here were four points or better, and in 2020 there were 78% killed in the 4-point-or-better category. This affirms that there is a mature mule deer population to hunt even though the 4-point-or-better percentage dropped below 80%. I have to emphasize, though, that the successful hunters will have to work hard, know migration routes and look for the does during rut hunts.
One important thing to note regarding this unit as well is that this unit has a small population of resident deer and is labeled by NDOW as one to keep the pressure off the resident herd. Lower hunting pressure usually is a good formula for bucks making it to maturity, even with a low population.
TagHub Exclusives
Unit 231
Every state has its Holy Grail. Unfortunately, this unit is no longer that for the state of Nevada. Over time, this unit has had issues with juniper pine encroachment in the best areas for growing big deer and subsequently, the game has changed there. As you will see in my charts and in the updates coming to TagHub after the harvest reports, unit 231 is now a green-chip hunt.
Is it worth keeping on the application? Absolutely! The trick with this hunt is knowing where the deer will be during the particular hunt that is drawn. The earlier muzzleloader and archery seasons should be spent in the higher elevations with efforts moved to transition areas when the later dates approach.
194-196
This unit group has consistently produced high numbers of 4-point-or-better bucks—think better than 60% every year but one in the last 10. Why isn’t it a blue chip you ask? Well…this one suffers from bordering California, which means that predator numbers could be an issue at any given point based on the fact that mountain lions don’t know borders. Could this be an absolutely great hunt? Yes, it could; I would keep it on your list!
High-performing Region
The entire northwest corner of Nevada should be on your list for applications. The whole region consistently produces, and is worth the time to investigate, apply and scout!
2022 Table updated on May 26, 2022
Unit Group 111-115
Unit Group 072-0749
078, 105-107, 109
TagHub Exclusives
231
091
078, 105-107, 109
221 - 223
075
Trophy elk hunting is synonymous with the state of Nevada. Hunting season 2022 will be no different, but I have to be honest with you as a western trophy hunting resource. There are still plenty of big bulls in the great state of Nevada, but if you cash in, I would highly encourage you to mentally prepare for lots of broken off points and even main beams. Drought has been a major factor the last several years in Nevada and 2021 was a doozy. Personally, broken tines don’t bother me, as they tell a story much like the scars on an MMA fighter’s fist and face. Broken mains, on the other hand, would probably have me holding back from sending a bullet down range on a mature bull, especially with how hard it is to draw in Nevada.
NDOW is reporting that the 2020-21 season was the second best on record in the state of Nevada as measured by their trophy objectives. Nevada wants mature bulls in their herds, and they reported that 34% of the bulls taken in 20/21 had main beams of 50 inches or greater, and the average age of bulls harvested was 6.1 years old. Nevada has managed well for trophy quality and the estimate of 13,000 animals with a 37/100 bull-to-cow ratio. The bull-to-cow ratio is down from 46/100 but still within a range that produces plenty of big bulls.
90% of the state’s elk herds are at objective, or slightly below, which is a large contributing factor to the quality of bulls we see coming out of the state. NDOW plans to keep this trend by continuing their current tag allocations and using cow tags to make sure that the carrying capacity of each region and unit group remains stable.
On to the hardest piece of the equation, actually drawing a tag! The numbers are low, but the popularity of elk hunting is at a high point, and I am fully expecting the 2021 data to show us the vivid induced application craze continued. Let’s use 231 for example, as a nonresident, plan on sheep hunt like odds for drawing a tag. Think less than 2%. Yeah, they are rough, but somebody has to draw the tags, right?
Moving on to the hunts themselves, make sure you spend some time familiarizing yourself with the historical charts that Nevada has put together outlining which units inside a hunt group carry the hunt. The hunt description that NDOW provides is great for that. Several hunts have multiple units that simply put, just don’t have a lot of bulls coming out of them. Where the rubber meets the road now is how that will play into my blue-chip choices. My recommendations are going to be based on performance across all hunts for a group. This will give the most complete picture of a unit group, and with time, hopefully Nevada will start to provide a better unit-by-unit breakdown of the numbers. I will do my best to pull all of the data together to best help you find the herds that have significant populations and, of course, big bulls!
On to the blue-chip units!
Unit Group 111-115
Once again, this hunt finds itself at the top of my hunts because 76% of the bulls harvested here were 6-point-plus bulls, and 41% of the bulls had main beams longer than 50 inches. Those are hard numbers to beat in any state, let alone in a state like Nevada that manages for trophy bulls. All seasons and all weapons types can expect a good hunt here. A wise elk hunter has this hunt on their list.
Unit Group 072-0749
NDOW manages for approximately 1,000 elk on national forest and about 300 in the rest of the units. Bearing that in mind, most of the bulls have come from the Jarbridge or surrounding areas close to or on the national forest. If you are lucky enough to draw any of the tag options, you will be happy if you plan a hunt that includes the 110,000 acre Jarbridge.
078, 105-107, 109
In 2020 the elk hunting was good here. 55% of the bulls here had main beams longer than 50 inches, and 47 inches was the average. Wow! The average main beam length here is about as good as it gets. Spend plenty of time looking at the hunt descriptions on the NDOW site, as they outline where the highest populations of elk can be found.
231
The late hunt for this unit will likely be on my application this year. This unit has earned more fame for its mule deer hunting, but there are big bulls here to be had with 61% of the 167 animals harvested here being 6 point or better and 34% of them having main beams longer than 50 inches.
091
In 2019 there were nine bulls harvested here, and 44% of them had main beams longer than 50 inches. Low odds, but a good chance at killing a very nice bull!
078, 105-107, 109
These units performed well this year, with a composite of 48% of the bulls having main beams over 50 inches.
221 - 223
This hunt is a stalwart that saw 39% of the 90 total bulls harvested break the magic 50-inch main beam mark. Lots of country to cover; be prepared to scout.
075
Well, I was wrong on this hunt. The data suggest that the trophy quality here was not as strong as it has historically been. 24% of the bulls here had 50-inch or better main beams; if those numbers stay in that range, I may have to call this a marginal hunt next year.
2022 Table updated on May 26, 2022
Blue Chip
Units 076, 077, 079, 081, 091
Units 021, 022
Unit Group 012-014
Unit 015
TagHub Exclusives
Unit 011
Unit 035
As of this writing, 2020 stats are the most recent details that I could get for print. My plan is to update this for TagHub as soon as data comes out, and one piece I am hoping for is an improvement in the number of 15-inch bucks. 2020 is down to 27%, and in 2019 it dropped from 2018 by 1%. My gut says that this is drought related, as the forage available to bucks during the growing season has been rough at best.
Nevada remains a solid place to build the bonus points with the hope of acquiring a good tag. Across all seasons and weapons types, 2,826 antelope were harvested in 2020, and bear in mind that 27% of them had horn lengths longer than 15 inches. Is that the best Nevada has ever been? Well, 34% is the highest number in their documentation in 2011, but in the grand scheme of things, that is pretty steady and strong.
One thing that I did find alarming in the 20/21 status book is the overall population trends. There are just shy of 30,000 pronghorns living in the state, with 9,970 classified during the 20 counts. The overall trends suggest that the population is in a downward trend. The overall population ratio looks like 33 bucks:100 does:31 fawns. The fawn numbers are what were concerning NDOW. Harvest stats and winter 22 surveys will be very telling in regard to whether this is a blip in the radar or a three-year pattern that can qualify as a trend. One thing is for certain—a wet spring would help out the summer forage build up and in turn help more fawns survive.
Here is where things start to get interesting. Nevada has not been immune to the overall rise in applications for big game hunting opportunities. In 2019 there were 32,960 people who applied for an antelope tag. In 2020 there were 37,887, which is quite an increase. We will see if the trend continued into 2021; my guess is that it did and likely won’t stop until we settle down economically and vacation time is tougher to come by due to the work from home options now available.
Overall trophy projections for 2022 are going to be directly tied to NDOW’s steady hand in managing the herd, drought and of course the trend in each unit with the 15-inch plus horn data. With all of that in mind, if you draw a tag, you can expect to have a fun hunt, look over good bucks and probably take home a quality animal. My personal prediction is that we will see a fairly flat look on the 15-inch plus charts. NDOW takes a very steady hand approach and will evaluate tag numbers accordingly. In three years when the 19 and 20 crop of fawns are approaching maturity will be when we see tag numbers start to get cut down.
This year a little bit less water means that knowing guzzler and other water source locations will be very important. If you are a resident who draws a tag, take advantage of your locale and scout the water holes.
Scouting water can be the make-or-break-it difference in drought years, especially for archery hunters. Personally, I enjoy spot-and-stalk antelope hunting with a bow a lot more than sitting over a water hole. However, sitting a water hole may be a productive strategy for archery hunters, and with some scouting, rifle hunters could enjoy success watching travel routes to and from a buck’s territorial areas.
On to the blue-chip units!
When looking in TagHub and in the heat maps, you will notice that north and both the eastern and western borders have the best trophy forecasts. If you have quite a few points, I would stack your applications from hunts in the northernmost third of the state. Hunts there seem to produce very well!
Units 076, 077, 079, 081, 091
In 2019, this unit group had a success rate of 79% overall, and 68% of those animals had horns better than 15” tall. In 2020 success was up to 90%, and 52% had 15-inch or better. Three seasons ago the numbers were slightly better, with an overall success rate of 85%, and 64% of those bucks had antlers better than 15”. In 2017, 55% of hunters harvested bucks that broke the 15” mark. The hunt was down in the 15-inch category but still a solid performer.
Units 021, 022
Three-year increments are how I judge an antelope unit group’s trophy rating, and this 100% public land unit group does well across all weapons types. Overall, success has been good, with 52% in 2017, even better in 2018 with 88% and holding steady in 2019 with another 88%. How did these units do in 2020? 88% for the any-legal-weapon-hunt; putting this hunt on your app is well worth it!
Unit Group 012-014
Last year, I threatened to move this hunt to green if improvement didn’t come. Well, it rebounded, and the 15-inch category improved by 4% up to 24% overall. From 2016 to 2017, the harvest of 15”-or-better bucks here dropped by 10%. The fall of 2018 saw this stat climb slightly to 30% and then drop back down to 22% in 2019, and it swung back up again in 2020. My gut says that this will still be a solid performer worth putting in your app on the backend.
Unit 015
We look for trends here at Eastmans’, and this newcomer to the blue-chip list is trending well. In the fall of 2019, 31% of the bucks here had horns that broke the magic 15” mark and the two falls prior had 15” + scores of 26% and 41%. That is great consistency, and in the last 10 years, there has only been one outlier at 10%. 2020 saw 33% of the bucks break that 15+ mark, all in all keeping this hunt in my top recommendations.
TagHub Exclusives
Unit 011
This green-chip hunt has the potential to head to blue for 2023, with 34% of the bucks doing better than 15 inches. This is a solid choice for the 4th or 5th slot on your application and might even be worth a better shot if you know the unit well.
Unit 035
There is always one that tends to buck the trends. This hunt has been on the way up the last few years and has had two years of improved numbers in the 15+ world. Jumping into the 40th percentile in 2020, I am very interested in seeing what 2021 has to show. It might just get the upgrade to green.
2022 Table updated on May 26, 2022
If you are trying to complete a slam and aren’t applying in Nevada, especially for their coveted desert sheep tags, then you are swimming upstream. The state of Nevada issued 315 tags in 2020, holding steady with 311 and 317 the two years prior to that. Tag numbers in 2021 show 316 for desert sheep, 64 for California sheep and 6 for Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. The ram harvest was 288 animals, the second highest in history, and the average age was 6.8 years. The age class is strong, thanks to the steady hand approach that Nevada employs in all of its big game management strategies.
Trophy quality continues to be good, with 16 rams taken with B&C scores over 170 inches coming from 11 different units statewide. The average statewide was 154 in 2020, up slightly from the long-term average of 152.
Stay in the game here; with the random element in Nevada’s draw system, you never know, it just might be your year. I would be lying, though, if I didn’t let you know that the odds are tough at best, and you should be getting a lottery ticket if you draw a tag.
Big picture issues that NDOW is working to manage involve pneumonia outbreaks in herds that mingle with others during the rut and the ongoing drought. The issue seems to be that carriers of the disease can spread this over long periods of time. For a detailed look inside of the specific herds getting hit the hardest, you will want to look at the big game status book and then adjust your application strategy accordingly. Several herds noted have dropped over 50% in the last seven years from an overall herd population. The drought is exacerbating the population issues of those herds.
NDOW also activated emergency measures in some of the worst drought-stricken areas when guzzlers actually dried up. This is a fairly uncommon situation, but because many of the desert herds lean heavily on these guzzlers for water, it was necessary to make sure they stay full and provide water to the herds that were dependent on them for survival.
Nevada is currently in the process of all of their herd counts, which means we will have population estimates to debate on the Eastmans.com Forum for the next few weeks while we wait for the deadline and draw results. Overall, the population estimate is down slightly to 9,500 in 2021 from 9,500 animals in 2020. The issues they are facing with pneumonia are very real.
Let’s move on to the units that are likely to produce the biggest rams this year! One thing to remember as I talk about the trophy potential of each of these units is that there is no such thing as an easy sheep hunt. Every one of these hunts will take a lot of work to harvest a big ram, and the terrain they live in will test you. But if you are reading this, I am betting you knew that! Good luck, and take great pictures; we’d love to see you in the Journals.
181
This hunt would be toward the front of my application, with an average score of 156 and the top-end ram in the three-year analysis breaking 170, it’s hard not to like it.
262
In 2019 three rams broke 160, with the top score being 167 5/8 and the lowest scoring ram here was only an inch and 5/8 from breaking that magic number. In the three-year analysis, the top-end sat at 178 3/8. Pretty easy call to put this at the front of your application if you are trying to burn a boatload of points.
263
This has been one of my top choices for the last few years since I was tasked with writing the Nevada MRS. Six rams from this hunt broke the magic 160 mark, and the top ram in the unit only needed 6/8 of an inch to break into the 170s—oh so close in 2019. The top of this hunt hit 179 1/8 in the three-year analysis … WOW! This is the consistency and trophy pool that can make a unit one of the best to spend your years of hard-earned points on.
268
This hunt had a ram hit the 180-inch score mark in the three-year reporting, with an average score of 160. Lots of potential here for a big ram. Stack your odds that way; if you have a boat load of points, this would be a unit I would seriously have on my short list.
253
253 is a very strong performer. The average score over the last 10 years according to NDOW is 166 2/8. There aren’t many other units on that chart that break 160, which shows exactly why this is a blue-chip unit.
The last few years, units 241, 242 and 243 were right on the bubble for me between blue and green, which means I label them as a green chip. Once the NDOW publishes the hunt stats for 2021, I will be moving these units into the blue-chip territory. They have performed very well the last few years, with the high scores and the average scores doing well.
162 finds itself continuing its life as a blue chip this year to one of the premier blue-chip spots. There aren’t a lot of sheep killed here, but the lone harvest scored 162 6/8. Hard not to like a unit like that! This tag is also valid in 163, which produced several very good rams.
Other hunts worth considering are 173, both the north and south option. Scores here have been strong and very much worth your consideration, especially as a resident.
The biggest thing to remember in Nevada is that just about any hunt can produce a big ram. Apply wisely based on trends and history, and there is a real solid chance if you draw to bring home a great ram.
Table updated on May 26, 2022
You can’t go hunt mountain goats if you don’t apply in every state that it is possible. Unfortunately for nonresidents, a Rocky Mountain goat hunt is not possible in the great state of Nevada. Probably best to just keep throwing money into that stash for expensive hunts if you have that bug. However, for those of you resident hunters in Nevada reading this…well, good luck, as this is about as tough of odds as you can get—think way less than 1%. But hey, all of you know that already if you are looking at this write-up.
Nevada offers three hunts, and in 2020 there were nine successful applicants who should have immediately bought lottery tickets based on the luck they had in the draw. Just about all of the applicants harvested a goat, with the exception of 1 Hunter.
I have this hunt labeled as marginal because of access, that’s it. With the East Humboldt Wilderness making up large sections of this hunt, it is truly a backcountry adventure. NDOW reports that the goats in this area are in the most extreme country inside of this area and that there is very limited access. They are telling us nicely that any hunter who draws this tag should plan on hiking for a long time or have stock. My gut says that whoever draws the tag(s) for this hunt likely won’t care how challenging it will be.
2020 saw seven tags issued for this unit, and six of the hunters came home with a goat. This unit is in Nevada’s rugged Ruby Mountains, with most of the goat country breaking 10,000 feet, with the Ruby Dome towering above goat country at 11,387 feet. This one isn’t for the faint of heart. I would consider hiring a packer if you draw this tag; access from the north and west are through private land, and if trespass permission cannot be had, it would be wise to have options to help with packing the 350-lb. animal out.
Billies in the eight-inch range are what should be expected in this hunt. For 2022 it will likely be one tag again, as that has held steady for as long as I have written the Nevada MRS. This is a game of just being in, hoping for a chance.
Pearl Peak rises to 10,847 feet in the southern Ruby Mountains, and this isn’t a hunt to show up out of shape hoping for a good experience. If you are looking for adventure, this hunt will provide you with more than your fair share. This is a fairly new population of goats that has made the cliffs their home in the Pearl Peak area. Finding snow will aid in success, as the dry climate dictates where you can find goats who need water. Access is good at Mitchell Creek, but elsewhere it will be tough; be prepared to hike if you are the lucky applicant!
2022 Table updated on May 26, 2022
Archived Analysis | 2021
So, 2021 is here and application season is in full swing! What makes this year unique is that TagHub is now one year old and we have made some very cool refinements, one in particular that you will enjoy. A 30-day free trial that will let you see the 2020 harvest data incorporated into the data sorting tool. Nevada’s system is always tight with their reporting against our print deadline and that at times puts the harvest data in the journals a year behind. With the 30-day free trial we can offer all of you the current year’s harvest data before Nevada’s May 10 deadline. If you enjoy TagHub, keep it. If you just need it for Nevada, well consider the free trial our gift to you this year to be able to make an informed decision that includes the harvest data for your hunt!
The other TagHub feature that I am excited about is our drought layer. With the incredibly dry summer that most of the West saw in 2020 drought is on everyone’s mind. With a quick look through the feature I can tell that we are looking at a fairly dry winter thus far. Antler growth starts NOW and that is something to keep in mind if you are sitting on a lot of points. When the bucks and bulls don’t start well, overall quality can be a challenge. Watch for an update on western drought conditions at blog.eastmans.com.
Other than the drought map looking rough, what is the overall condition of big game hunting in Nevada? Based on my research and contacts in the state there is no time like the present to hunt Nevada. Sure, you may have drought and all the associated challenges but with all the weird going on across the country we all need a little sanity. What better way to find it than looking for the best hunting opportunities in the state of Nevada and gambling on a chance at a great buck or bull? My name will be in the hat this year for sure!
As always scouting will be the difference between success and failure for most hunters and with the drought likely playing out through the summer you’ll need to find that water! The animals will be moving to and from water supplies so dial up those guzzler and spring locations in your mapping tools and scout them hard. This is key in Nevada in a normal year and it will be even more important heading into the next year.
Now let’s move on to the draw! Nevada hasn’t made any significant changes to their system or price structures for 2021. Residents will pay $38.00 for a license and nonresidents will pay $155.00. Make sure you take a look at the other assorted fees that are associated with applying such as the $1.00 processing fee, the $3.00 predator fee per application and the $10.00 application fee. These are the little fees that can add up quickly so be prepared and take a look at the chart on this page to make sure you know the prices for the tags themselves.
Nevada’s system has not changed this year, it’s still complicated and every time I explain it over the phone to subscribers it feels a little more complicated. Let’s start at the application level, and pretend that I have built 10 bonus points in Nevada. With 10 bonus points it means that I will have 101 applications placed into the system as Nevada squares the number of bonus points, plus your application for the current year to give you that many applications in the draw. Then every one of those applications is assigned a random number by the system. After the random number assignment, the system looks at applications from lowest to highest going through your ENTIRE application to see if there is a hunt on your list that has not been emptied of its tag quota. For instance, Unit 231 for mule deer may not have any tags left when my lowest number application is cycled through, my second-choice Hunt 111-113 may have tags available and I would be awarded a 111-113 tag. My advice to any of you with 10+ points is to shoot for the moon on every application! If you have been applying this long, take advantage of the opportunity you have with lots of applications in the system. You aren’t guaranteed a tag with that many points but your odds are way better than the guys with just a couple of points!
Nevada’s deadline for 2021 is May 10th and results are scheduled to be available on May 26. This still falls before the Wyoming deadline of May 31 which means that if you aren’t successful in Nevada there are still a few opportunities to cycle those tag fees into including Wyoming.
Will you be one of the lucky ones to draw a coveted tag in Nevada? Well, I’m rooting for you and hope this is your best season ever! If I didn’t answer your questions here feel free to drop me an email at [email protected] or visit ndow.org for more information.
Blue Chip
231
Unit Group 221-223
Unit Group 241-245
081
In 2019, 45% of the deer harvested in Nevada were 4 points or better, an increase of 3% over 2018. How did 2020 fare? Well, we will have that updated in TagHub as soon as the State releases their data. My expectation is that we will see a par for the course year but the 2021 season may see a slight drop off due to the drought.
What other net positives are headed for mule deer in Nevada? Juniper management seems to be at the top of the list for many agencies including the BLM who has made serious efforts in 2020 to cut down on the native juniper pines that have been encroaching on sage grouse habitat. Where sage grouse thrive mule deer often do as well and this is likely a good thing for a mule deer herd that has been declining in overall population for quite a while now. What will grow in place of the junipers over time will be sage and other transplanted grasses that will be favorable to mule deer populations. Keep an eye on this for the long game, in a few years the areas around Ely could be doing very well with solid growth.
Another challenge that the NDOW is contending with is the constant rise in the population of feral equine. Yup, wild horses are outcompeting the deer and combining that with the challenge of juniper pines growing at a rapid pace mule deer will struggle. In one roundup the BLM removed 1,000 horses from one plain. That’s a lot of horses out-competing deer in an area that continues to shrink thanks to the pine growth. A pretty clear response is to keep removing horses and knocking down the pines where possible.
So, let’s manage expectations for 2021 in the state of Nevada. Mule deer hunting there has always had great potential and with any luck a giant can be found in just about every unit. However, a 200” buck is not hanging around every tree and I maintain that unless you draw a cream of the crop tag, if you find a 170” buck you should probably make a play.
One of the X-factors in terms of data that I use to help sort through maturity in any of the better units is how many bucks had 5+ points. Because Nevada doesn’t use antler width or any form of main beam measurement it is hard to sort maturity class simply by straight data. However, as a mule deer nut I know that most bucks don’t start getting the extras until later in life. If you really want to nerd out after reading the data in the journals or TagHub go look at the harvest reports. They are telling.
The Nevada Big Game Status Book for 2019/20 indicated that the northwestern corner of the state had an increasing herd population, be watching for updates related to this inside of TagHub as that data is not published by the State until after spring counts are concluded. Overall, the state’s population is stable at the moment, but I am curious to know the biologists’ perspective if there isn’t more moisture deposited between now and the release of the status book. Bear in mind that the cold snap that found all of the western states in February may have an impact on does and their fawn recruitment.
A change that I need to remind all of you of this year in the MRS, for the hard to draw units especially, is the switch from the highest bonus points in the draw to an average points in the draw column. The average bonus gives a rounded picture rather than the high end of what your number of apps will be competing with. Bonus point numbers are difficult because they bounce around a lot. An average helps smooth it out some but be careful, especially in hunts with a low number of tags. Use them more to compare units than to predict how soon you will draw. Let’s dig into the best of the best blue chip units!
231
Every state has its Holy Grail. In Nevada, 231 is just that and it primarily has to do with its overall consistency over time. The trick with this hunt is knowing where the deer will be during the particular hunt that is drawn. The earlier muzzleloader and archery seasons should be spent in the higher elevations with efforts moved to transition areas when the later dates approach.
Units 221-223
It is with much sadness that I have to write that one of my favorite picks and consistent mule deer units year after year is going to the short list for moving to green next year. This unit has done well for a very long time, but what concerns me is that “all of the above” are encroaching on this unit group. You can see that 58% of the bucks killed in this group were 4+ points which indicates a solid hunt with bucks of a decent age class. This doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t apply here by any stretch, just be forewarned that you may want to hunt this soon as the long-term prospects may not be as strong as they are right now. When I talked about feral horses and juniper pines, well here you go.
Unit Group 241-245
This year I have moved some of these units to green chip status as the highest densities of mule deer can be found in units 241 and 242. If you are looking for deer this is where I would start. Bear in mind that any weapon hunts will likely be the best bets here as well for a quality hunt.
081
This hunt stays in the top tier for me again this year, especially for the any weapon and the muzzleloader hunts. Those two seasons are late enough to offer excellent opportunities at rutting bucks and that in and of itself makes for a fun hunt. In 2019, 84% of the bucks here were four points or better indicating that there is a mature population to hunt and this is the third year in a row with better than 80% in that category. I have to emphasize though that the successful hunters will have to work hard, know migration routes and look for the does during rut hunts.
One important thing to note regarding this unit as well is that it has a small population of resident deer and is labeled by NDOW as one to keep the pressure off the resident herd. Lower hunting pressure usually is a good formula for bucks making it to maturity, even with a low population.
Table - Recently updated March 15, 2021
Honorable Mentions
075
231
091
078, 105-107, 109
221 - 223
Holding with tradition, I will be reporting 2019 data with reference to the conditions in 2020. Take advantage of the free trial of TagHub, we will have as much updated data from the state as we can get before the deadline.
If I am honest with myself you probably skipped the introduction to the Nevada section and flipped right to the elk charts and write ups to see what I had to report about the bugling brutes of September. With a trophy elk hunting heritage like what Nevada has it’s a hard one to look past for the serious elk hunter. Honestly, the hardest part is deciding which of the quality hunts to put at the front of my application. With what Nevada has to offer there is a very real chance that if I were to draw a great tag there it might take me most of my hunting career in Wyoming to compete with it from a score, or even main beam perspective. Here is why I honestly believe that. In the 2019-2020 Big Game Status Book it is reported that 45% of bull hunters were successful. Of that 45% success rate, 32% had main beams longer than 50”. Nevada has BIG bulls with a total population estimate of 13,000 animals. With other states pushing above or close to 100K animals it is pretty obvious that Nevada manages for quality, herd health and healthy relationships with other herds.
Let’s talk about the challenges that the elk in Nevada are facing and how that translates to a potential hunt for you. The first is the drought that happened across the West in the late summer months and into the fall. Based on the data it doesn’t look like it stunted top end growth but the simple reality is that it often means antlers that are more brittle. Nevada is an arid state to begin with so it is pretty normal to look over a lot of broken bulls in the late seasons. This gets even worse in a drought summer like we had. Be prepared for this in 2021 if the dry trend continues here.
With a bull to cow ratio of 46 bulls to 100 cows, hunters won’t have an issue finding bulls to hunt either. I would highly recommend spending plenty of time in the Big Game Status Book if you do draw a tag. They very clearly outline which of the units in a unit group holds the bulls. Unfortunately, the State has stopped breaking down harvest data on a unit by unit basis. Rather they have gone to reporting on the unit group stats as a whole and leave it up to us as hunters to figure out which unit in a unit group has the bulls. I would recommend scouting if at all possible for this reason, if you draw archery or muzzleloader during the rut look for cows as the bulls will start cruising to look for them during the early archery and be living with them during the muzzleloader season.
Here is the real kicker, actually drawing a tag! The numbers are low but the popularity of elk hunting is at a high point and I am fully expecting with the Covid craziness that consumed our country right around application season that the 2020 odds were a little worse than even in 2019. Let’s use 231 for example, as a nonresident, plan on sheep like odds. Think less than 2%. Yeah, they are rough, but somebody has to draw the tags right?
Moving into the hunts themselves, make sure you spend some time familiarizing yourself with the historical charts that Nevada has put together outlining which units inside a hunt group carry the hunt. Several hunts have multiple units that simply put, just don’t have a lot of bulls come out of them. Where the rubber meets the road now is how that will play into my blue chip choices. My recommendations are going to be based on performance across all hunts for a group. This will give the most complete picture of a unit group and with time, hopefully Nevada will start to provide a better unit by unit breakdown of the numbers. And I will do my best to extrapolate all of the data to help you find the herds that have significant populations.
Let’s give a specific example, for instance, unit 072 has been a big bull factory, but all of the data for the any legal weapon hunt now comes from all of the units in this grouping. As more data is available we will do our best to update inside of TagHub.
This unit group has flat been performing the last few years and in 2019 it was no different with very little coming out of Nevada that would tell me this was a subpar hunt year for the unit. A great 49% of the bulls in 2019 had 50+” main beams! Almost half of the bulls killed in this unit group were in the upper echelon of hunts. In my opinion there really isn’t a bad hunt here.
NDOW manages for approximately 1000 elk on National Forest and about 300 in the rest of the units. Bearing that in mind most of the bulls have come from the Jarbridge or surrounding areas close to or on the National Forest. If you are lucky enough to draw any of the tag options you will be happy if you plan a hunt that includes the 110,000 acre Jarbridge.
This hunt didn’t do as well in 2019 as it has in the past based on the composite data. I fully expect the 2020 data and the 2021 hunt to reflect much better on the unit than the 2019 sampling.
231
Just a solid hunt that has had habitat improvement the last few years to help mitigate conflict with landowners and elk. 34% of the 70 bulls killed in 2019 here were 50+”.
091
In 2019 there were 8 bulls harvested here and 69% of them had main beams longer than 50”. Low odds, but a good chance at killing your best bull!
078, 105-107, 109
These units performed well this year with a composite of 48% of the bulls having main beams over 50”.
221 - 223
This hunt is a stalwart that saw 39% of the 90 total bulls harvested break the magic 50” main beam mark. Lots of country to cover, be prepared to scout.
Table - Recently updated March 15, 2021
Blue chip units
Unit Group 076, 077, 079, 081, 091
Unit Group 021, 022
Unit Group 012-014
Unit 015
2019 saw only a 1% drop in the state’s measured statistic that I generally use as a trophy quality indicator. The stats for 14+” bucks dropped from 30% to 29% of all bucks taken in the state of Nevada in 2019. It’s hard to argue that Nevada isn’t one of the most consistent states when it comes to trophy antelope production. The biggest challenge in Nevada has always been acquiring the tag, 4,541 tags were issued in 2019. Let’s put that in perspective compared to say, a place like Wyoming. Two units combined in northeast Wyoming had over 1,200 any antelope tags issued and both aren’t bad areas either.
On the other hand though, in Nevada a trophy hunter stands a very good chance of harvesting a solid buck when a tag is drawn. It is worth it to be picky here as the stats consistently show quality bucks are harvested there every year and a few are even submitted to the journals.
NDOW used the words consistent or steady regularly in the big game status book to discuss the herd that is in the neighborhood of 30,000 animals. To illustrate how high the demand was for the tags, take a guess at how many applications there were? If you guessed 32,960 in 2019, you were right. Pretty stiff competition for those tags but hey, you have to play to win!
Overall trophy projections for 2021 are going to be directly tied to NDOW’s steady hand in managing the herd, drought and of course the trend in each unit with the 15”+ horn data. With all of that in mind, if you draw a tag you can expect to have a fun hunt, look over good bucks and probably take home a quality animal.
The X factor that is really unique to pronghorn is how their growing season works. Deer and some elk have really just started to drop their antlers as I am writing this in mid-March. Pronghorn can start dropping in November and their growth will be dictated directly by the quality of groceries they are getting through the depths of winter and early spring. The challenge this year is that there wasn’t much late summer growth fueled by fall showers. The drought that gripped the West reared its ugly head and held on until late winter. The data will show how the drought affected feed conditions.
This year a little bit less water means that knowing guzzler and other water source locations will be very important. Personally, I enjoy spot and stalk antelope hunting with a bow a lot more than sitting over a water hole. However, this may be a productive strategy for archery hunters and with some scouting, rifle hunters could enjoy success watching travel routes to and from a buck’s territorial areas.
For a buck to doe ratio NDOW shoots for 20-30 bucks per 100 does. In 2018 the ratio sat at 42 bucks to 100 does which is obviously higher than the objective. The way to bring this down is obviously a few more buck tags, we will see how this plays out to reach that number.
Last year I reported that NDOW had a GPS tracking program in place and it is already paying dividends. This program has resulted in some great knowledge that will be reflected in management strategies in the coming years!
On to the blue chip units!
Unit Group 076, 077, 079, 081, 091
In 2019 this unit group had a success rate of 79% overall and 68% of those animals had horns better than 15” tall. Strong performer to say the least. Two seasons ago the numbers were slightly better with an overall success rate of 85% and 64% of those bucks had antlers better than 15”. In 2017, 55% of hunters harvested bucks that broke the 15” mark, all this data indicates that the unit group continues to rise and will be a player on the blue chip list well into the future.
Three year increments is how I judge an antelope unit group’s trophy rating and this 100% public land unit group does well across all weapons types. Overall, success has been good with 52% in 2017, even better in 2018 with 88% and holding steady in 2019 with another 88%. Horns greater than 15” came in right at 46% which makes this unit group a shoe in for top placements.
Unit Group 012-014
From 2016 to 2017 the harvest of 15” or better bucks here dropped by 10%. The fall of 2018 saw this stat hold steady at 26% and then move to 22% in 2019. Could this unit group move to the green chip category next year? This is a very real possibility, but it is worth taking a chance on and putting as a 5th choice on your application.
Unit 015
This is a newcomer to the blue chip list. In the fall of 2019 28% of the bucks here had horns that broke 15” and the two falls prior had 15”+ scores of 26%. That is great consistency and in the last 10 years there has only been one outlier at 10%. I think we can chalk that up to bad luck for the hunters who drew the tag in 2013.
Table - Recently updated March 15, 2021
As weird as it may sound, it’s kind of fun to dig through the data every year and get a picture of how Nevada’s sheep population fared. The 2020 harvest data has not been published but I am optimistic that it will be available before the deadline to apply. However, if you are reading this write-up it means that you are serious about hunting sheep. And you can’t hunt sheep if you aren’t in the game. Nevada’s game is desert sheep and a herd with high enough health to issue 317 total ram tags and a Boone and Crocket average score of 151 4/8”. There were 17 rams harvested that broke the 170 mark over 11 different units. This is actually down from 2017 but in the long run the consistency is there to show that Nevada is where you need to be applying if you want to harvest a desert bighorn ram.
The state boasts a 90% success rate overall on rams, but this may be the only statistic that can be misleading. Every year it surprises me how many people kill small rams because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and they can’t bear the thought of not being successful. Keep that in mind as you look through the numbers, there are always outliers on the bottom of the score sheets that NDOW puts together.
Remember that it is about playing the game and hoping to beat the odds. Many times I found myself looking at less than 1% odds when working through the data. What does less than 1% look like? By luck standards it means buy a lottery ticket or two if you see “successful” next to your name!
Nevada is currently in the process of all of their herd counts which means we will have population estimates to debate on the eastmans.com forum for the new few weeks while we wait for the deadline and draw results. Overall, the population estimate is down slightly to 10,200 animals. This is a huge number of sheep considering that there are only 13,000 elk in the state of Nevada. Sheep however are not nearly as resilient as elk in terms of beating disease and recruitment. Hence, why there are approximately 300 tags a year for desert bighorn sheep.
Speaking of their resiliency, there were some pneumonia outbreaks that continue to challenge NDOW properly managing the desert sheep population. It is worth jumping into the 2019-2020 status book and reading the paragraph covering the outbreaks.
One reminder this year is the change to the chart we made last year. This is our move away from five-year trends and into a three year average success trend. Why the change? Three years in terms of animals that have the lifespans that these sheep do is plenty of time to know what populations are doing, overall health and of course if there is trophy potential in any unit.
Moving on to the units that are likely to produce the biggest rams this year! One thing to remember as I talk about the trophy potential of each of these units is that there is no such thing as an easy sheep hunt. Every one of these hunts will take a lot of work to harvest a big ram and the terrain they live in will test you. But if you are reading this, I am betting you knew that! Good luck, and if you’re successful take great pictures and get a hold of our editor, to submit your hunt story to the Journals.
Taking a hard look at the scores there were 5 rams here that broke 160” and 3 more that needed less than an inch to break into the 160” class. Consistency will always be the first thing that I look for in any species and any hunt. That level of trophy class consistency suggests that 2020 should be a very good year!
In 2019 three rams broke 160” with the top score being 1675/8” and the lowest scoring ram here was only 15/8” from breaking that magic number. Solid performance that should keep this unit on your Nevada application.
This has been one of my top choices for the last few years since I was tasked with writing the Nevada MRS. Six rams from this hunt broke the magic 160 inch mark and the top ram in the unit only needed 6/8 of an inch to break into the 170s, oh so close. This is the consistency and trophy pool that can make a unit one of the best to spend your years of hard-earned points on.
This hunt has likely some of the best quality rams as well as the number of tags to go with it. This unit boasts multiple rams pushing 170” and one that blows past that mark at 173 2/8”. If you are playing the odds this is a great time to have this unit as the top choice on your application. Stack your odds that way, if you have a boatload of points this would be a unit I would seriously have on my short list.
This unit finds itself moving up the charts this year to one of the premier blue-chip spots. There aren’t a lot of sheep killed here, but the lone 2019 harvest scored 162 6/8”. Hard not to like a unit like that! This tag is also valid in 163 which produced several very good rams.
This is a very strong performer. The average score over the last 10 years according to NDOW is 166 2/8”. There aren’t many other units on that chart that break 160” which shows exactly why this is a blue-chip unit.
Table - Recently updated March 15, 2021
If you are reading this page of the MRS it means that you have the bug. You are an adventure hound or a collector looking to bring home a mountain goat to keep hammering away at the slam. Nevada has three hunts for the great bearded creatures that live in the most unforgiving country North America has to offer. You have to have your name in the hat to win and somebody has to be the lucky one. Why not you right?
Well, as your friendly neighborhood MRS writer it is also my responsibility to inform you just how tough it is to draw a tag. The best odds available were 0.2% in 2019 and nothing indicates they were going to be getting any better in 2020. This year will be just as challenging, so be prepared to be disappointed. If you are playing the mountain goat game though you are likely used to that feeling or just haven’t been playing the game long enough.
Here are some fun odds for you...0.1% was how lucky the one hunter who drew the tag in 2019 was! He left money on the table if he didn’t buy a lottery ticket that day as well. The billy harvested in this unit had horns that broke 9” on both sides making for a great trophy for Nevada. As of this writing the data for the 2020 harvest was not available, be watching TagHub for the updated data
Six mountain goat tags were issued in 101 and four were killed there. None of them broke the 9” mark, but hey, they were hunting mountain goats. This unit is nestled in Nevada’s rugged Ruby Mountains with most of the goat country exceeding 10,000 feet and Ruby Dome towering above goat country at 11,387 feet. This one isn’t for the faint of heart. I would consider hiring a packer if you draw this tag, access from the north and west are through private land and if trespass permission cannot be had it would be wise to have options to help with packing the 350 pound animal out.
Pearl Peak rises to 10,847 feet in the southern Ruby Mountains, this isn’t a hunt to show up out of shape for, hoping for a good experience. If you are looking for adventure, this hunt will provide you with more than your fair share. This is a fairly new population of goats that has made the cliffs their home in the Pearl Peak area. Finding snow will aid in success as the dry climate dictates where you can find goats who need water. Access is good at Mitchell Creek but elsewhere it will be tough, be prepared to hike if you are the lucky applicant! For four years running only one tag was issued and 100% success was enjoyed by the lucky hunter. Billies in the 8” range are what you can expect in this unit. The only nanny killed in 2019 was in this unit, once the checkout data is available we can update this in TagHub with data reflecting the 2020 hunt.
Table - Recently updated March 15, 2021
