Nevada's Best Mule Deer Units

[Founder]

MonsterMuleys.com contributing writer, Jeff Keysar, shared with us this fine article which points out odds, success rates, 4-point or better units, and the overall best units in the state of Nevada.
It's well worth reading through.

The Best Nevada Hunt Units For Muley Bucks

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Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com
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[desertbonehunter]

Highest Success Rates

Mule Deer Tags
If you're not a trophy hunter but you do want to fill the freezer, no problem. These tags might just fit the bill this year; after all, they had the highest success rates for Nevada muley bucks in 2013.


RIFLE Hunt Unit Success Rate (%)
194, 196 83%
121 Late 82%
21 78%
131 - 134 Late 77%
221 - 223 Late 73%

LOL this is funny, yeah if you want to fill the freezer put in for these units. Cant speak for 12 or 21 but 19 13 late and 22 late are about the hardest tags in the state to draw. So your not going to be applying for these to "fill the freezer"

 

[bownanza332]

That's exactly what I was thinking. I think the draw odds on 19 are like 26 to 1 or something in that area haha. better have 12 points to draw that one. If you are relying on those areas to fill the freezer, you will starve long before you fill it back up.

 

[COSA]

The "1 to 1" or "2 to 1" draw odds are also misleading since they only use an applicants 1st choice. I would guess most of the successful applicants did not list area 10 as their 1st choice. Only way to get an actual representation of your odds is to add up all the successful from all units in your point class and then divide that by all unit's successful & unsuccessful applicants for the same point class.

 

[buckhorn]

I agree with desertbonehunter
Nevada is not a state to "fill the freezer" with mule deer. Neither is any other state that requires points to draw. Especially for non residense.
If you want a quality hunt in NV You will be Building points and that includes buying the $150.00 license every year whether you hunt or not. Plus the app. fees. That adds up to a lot of money over the years.
Also those late hunt bucks arent good eating anyway unless you shoot a dink.
Most hunters wishing to hunt NV are in it for the trophy.
The report posted by Founder is accurate from that perspective.
However the quality of bucks in the units around the Reno area are not what the more remote units can produce.

 

[Califelkslayer]

COSA, You are dead on.

I have yet to see accurate draw odds for Nevada deer. But they do give you an "idea" although not much of one.

 

[jbricejr]

What do you guys think about the deer odds for NV on Hunterstrailhead, accurate?

 

[Califelkslayer]

I believe they only use 1st choice apps for reference. I just joined Hunterstrailhead this year. But they were doing the odds for hunitn fool for a few years, and Monster Muleys before that. And I seem to remember that's how they do it.

True odds in Nv would almost be impossible. You would have to figure out how many folks put in for a specific hunt, 1st-5th choice. Then how many of those drew one of their choices before their choice for that specific hunt.

Example: If I put in for the specific hunt #AB246 as my 3rd choice but drew my second choice, #AC135, my application would have to be factored out.

Hope I didn't confuse you as much as I did myself.

 

[jbricejr]

Ok, so are you saying that an applicants odds of drawing one of their 5 choices is a little higher than the draw percentages reported by Hunterstrailhead, or is it not that simple?

 

[COSA]

The odds are probably somewhat accurate for your harder to draw units like 231 or 61 Late which are commonly listed as an applicant's first choice. The less desireable hunts such as 101 Mid the odds are likely significantly over estimated as very few applicants list it as a first choice and many draw as their 2nd-5th choice.

 

[NVdrhntr]

don't forget the bonus point factor also.
Because Nevada squares bonus points, there are many many times the total numbers in the draw. So, your not just competing against a person's application but against the number of points they have.
If you only have say 2 bonus points, you get 5 numbers and they take your lowest number to put in the draw.
If multiple people have say 8 bonus points, they get 65 numbers.
lowest number taken for the draw. So, Califelkslayer is right.
True odds are almost impossible to figure with the 5 choice application.
If you put in for a certain area, you are competing against everyone who put in for that area as any choice 1-5 except those
who drew before you in another area. And their bonus points.
Ha, odds just got alot longer unless your a top bonus point person.

 

[Califelkslayer]

Nv deer hunter, I left of the PPs because that would have confused me even more.

But I drew a top 3 antelope unit tag with 6PPs and an elk tag with 7 PPs.

Only in Nevada. Come on sheep tag.

 

[piper]

some people are lucky, some aren't.
That can't hide the fact that the odds of drawing nonresident tags in Nevada are quite dismal.

I am almost always on the not drawn list , but since I grew up in Nevada, I keep on a trying

 

[nitis]

I wouldn't go so far as to say dismal unless you are referring to getting a tag every year

I'm pretty sure a 2-3 cycle on deer tags for non residents isn't hard to do unless of course you want to wait for some uber premium hunt

 

[NVRACKS]

I have only hunted units 111, 231,222, and 10. From my experience I think every unit in Nevada offers trophies. Obviously certain units hold more deer but you put the work in you will at least see trophy deer in whatever unit youre in. Love my state of Nevada

 

[Califelkslayer]

NVRACKS, IMO you nailed it. Every hunt has quality animals.

If I just wanted to hunt Units 6, 7 or 10, archery, i'm sure I could draw a deer tag 2 out of every 3 years. I even drew 10 early rifle the year after I drew 10 late archery, once. You just never know.

 

[buckmster28]

Does nevada look at all five choices before they move to the next applicant?

 

[Ridgeline]

yes, that is the way I understand it.

 

[jims]

Unfortunately with license, pref pt, and other fees, NV is one of the most expensive states in the West to apply for tags! You can easily spend over $200/year to apply for a few species. $200 x 10 years is $2,000....ouch! If I told my wife I was going to spend $2,000 the next 10 years applying for NV tags my bags would likely be packed and out on the front porch!

Just because a particular unit produces a high percentage of 4x or better bucks and high success rates doesn't exactly mean it's one of the better "trophy units" in the state! Some of the best "Trophy Units" in NV can potentially have low deer densities and poor success rates. They may be desert units with few bucks available but if you are lucky you might find a monster.

 

[Califelkslayer]

Jims, $2,000.00 over 10 years. Sounds like alot of money. Since you put it like that, you shouldn't apply.

I look at it as $17.00 a month. Since I believe I can afford $17.00 a month, I think I'll apply.