This is Nevada's published 2026-27 season, the whole state at once. A pin reads its hunt unit off the map and cuts this to the seasons, arms and limits that apply there.

Nevada deer seasons

2026-27

1 antlered deer per licence year. One antlered mule deer a year, because a hunter may hold one deer tag a year and every deer tag is drawn. "An eligible person may submit one (1) application for antlered mule deer and one (1) application for antlerless mule deer (if available), or one (1) application for the junior antlered or antlerless mule deer, per draw application period." The tag names a unit group, a weapon and a date block; it is not valid anywhere else, on any other weapon, or on any other day. Seasons and Regulations, printed pp. 4 and 9.

Archery Mule Deer
Archery equipmentPrinted in 5 columns — check which covers your hunt unit.
August and early September in most of the state, with a second November or December block in six unit groups.
10 August to 9 September
Aug 10 – Sep 9Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
1 December to 10 December
Dec 1–10Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
10 August to 9 September, then 10 November to 20 November
Aug 10 – Sep 9Antlered only
Nov 10–20Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
10 August to 9 September, then 1 December to 1 January
Aug 10 – Sep 9Antlered only
Dec 1 – Jan 1Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
10 August to 9 September, then 16 December to 1 January
Aug 10 – Sep 9Antlered only
Dec 16 – Jan 1Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
- An archery tag is valid for archery equipment only; the crossbow allowance on printed p. 54 is for general season hunts, not for an archery hunt.
- Unit group 021 hunts archery in December rather than August — it is the one group in the state whose whole calendar sits at the end of the year.
- Every Nevada deer tag is drawn. The application period for the 2026 seasons closed at 11 p.m. PST on 13 May 2026 and results were released on or before 29 May. Seasons and Regulations, printed p. 1.
- Legal shooting hours are half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Printed p. 55.
Muzzleloader Mule Deer
Muzzleloading riflePrinted in 7 columns — check which covers your hunt unit.
Between the archery and the rifle seasons — 10 September to 4 October across most of the state.
10 September to 4 October
Sep 10 – Oct 4Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
11 December to 20 December
Dec 11–20Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
21 November to 10 December
Nov 21 – Dec 10Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
10 September to 30 September
Sep 10–30Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
10 November to 30 November
Nov 10–30Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
1 December to 15 December
Dec 1–15Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
10 September to 10 October
Sep 10 – Oct 10Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
- Unit group 203 has no muzzleloader mule deer hunt. The book prints an any-legal-weapon row and an archery row for it and no muzzleloader row at all.
- "A person may hunt big game mammals with a rifle if the rifle uses a centerfire cartridge .22 caliber or larger and no larger than .50 caliber." A muzzleloading rifle and a muzzleloading shotgun are both legal weapons for mule deer. Printed p. 54.
- Every Nevada deer tag is drawn. The application period for the 2026 seasons closed at 11 p.m. PST on 13 May 2026 and results were released on or before 29 May. Seasons and Regulations, printed p. 1.
- Legal shooting hours are half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Printed p. 55.
Any Legal Weapon Mule Deer
Any legal weaponPrinted in 10 columns — check which covers your hunt unit.
The main season. October across the north and west, November in the south, December in three unit groups.
5 October to 5 November
Oct 5 – Nov 5Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
11 December to 1 January
Dec 11 – Jan 1Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
21 December to 1 January
Dec 21 – Jan 1Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
5 October to 20 October, then 21 October to 5 November, then 1 December to 15 December
Oct 5–20Antlered only
Oct 21 – Nov 5Antlered only
Dec 1–15Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
5 October to 20 October, then 21 October to 5 November
Oct 5–20Antlered only
Oct 21 – Nov 5Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
1 October to 16 October, then 17 October to 30 October, then 31 October to 8 November
Oct 1–16Antlered only
Oct 17–30Antlered only
Oct 31 – Nov 8Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
5 October to 16 October, then 17 October to 30 October, then 31 October to 8 November
Oct 5–16Antlered only
Oct 17–30Antlered only
Oct 31 – Nov 8Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
5 November to 30 November
Nov 5–30Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
5 October to 2 November
Oct 5 – Nov 2Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
5 October to 31 October
Oct 5–31Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
- "Any legal weapon" for mule deer means archery equipment, a muzzleloading rifle, a centerfire firearm, a shotgun including a muzzleloading shotgun, or a crossbow. A rimfire is not a legal weapon for mule deer. Printed p. 54.
- A rifle must use a centerfire cartridge of .22 calibre or larger and no larger than .50, with a case no longer than three inches. A handgun must be centerfire, .22 or larger, with a barrel of four inches or more. Printed p. 54.
- Unit groups 061-068, 071-091, 101-109, 111-113, 114-115, 121, 131-134, 141-145, 151-156, 161-164, 171-173 and 221-223 split the season into an early and a late hunt — sometimes three — and the tag names which one. The blocks below are all of them; your tag is valid in one.
- Unit 115 also carries a 1-15 December any-legal-weapon hunt of its own, which unit 114 does not.
- Every Nevada deer tag is drawn. The application period for the 2026 seasons closed at 11 p.m. PST on 13 May 2026 and results were released on or before 29 May. Seasons and Regulations, printed p. 1.
- A crossbow is a legal weapon for mule deer only on a general season hunt, not on an archery-only hunt. Printed p. 54.
- Legal shooting hours are half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Printed p. 55.
Junior Archery Mule Deer
Archery equipmentPrinted in 4 columns — check which covers your hunt unit.
The junior tag's archery dates. A junior hunter is 12 to 17 on the first day of the hunt.
10 August to 9 September
Aug 10 – Sep 9Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
1 December to 10 December
Dec 1–10Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
10 November to 20 November
Nov 10–20Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
16 December to 1 January
Dec 16 – Jan 1Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
- Nevada prints its junior mule deer hunts as three tags, not one: a Primitive tag good for archery or muzzleloader, an Any Legal Weapon tag, and a Classic tag good for all three. Which of them exists depends on the unit group. The dates here are the archery dates of whichever junior tag that unit group has.
- A junior tag is drawn in the same May draw as an adult tag and a junior may hold one deer tag a year like anybody else.
- Every Nevada deer tag is drawn. The application period for the 2026 seasons closed at 11 p.m. PST on 13 May 2026 and results were released on or before 29 May. Seasons and Regulations, printed p. 1.
- Legal shooting hours are half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Printed p. 55.
Junior Muzzleloader Mule Deer
Muzzleloading riflePrinted in 6 columns — check which covers your hunt unit.
The junior tag's muzzleloader dates, between the junior archery and junior rifle blocks.
10 September to 4 October
Sep 10 – Oct 4Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
11 December to 20 December
Dec 11–20Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
21 November to 10 December
Nov 21 – Dec 10Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
10 September to 30 September
Sep 10–30Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
1 December to 15 December
Dec 1–15Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
10 September to 10 October
Sep 10 – Oct 10Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
- Unit group 203 has no junior muzzleloader hunt, as it has no adult one.
- The Primitive junior tag is valid for archery or muzzleloader, on the archery dates or the muzzleloader dates respectively — not on both at once, and not for a centerfire firearm.
- Every Nevada deer tag is drawn. The application period for the 2026 seasons closed at 11 p.m. PST on 13 May 2026 and results were released on or before 29 May. Seasons and Regulations, printed p. 1.
- Legal shooting hours are half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Printed p. 55.
Junior Any Legal Weapon Mule Deer
Any legal weaponPrinted in 7 columns — check which covers your hunt unit.
The junior tag's any-legal-weapon dates, which run longer than the adult season in most of the north.
5 October to 5 November
Oct 5 – Nov 5Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
11 December to 1 January
Dec 11 – Jan 1Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
21 December to 1 January
Dec 21 – Jan 1Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
5 October to 2 November
Oct 5 – Nov 2Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
1 October to 2 November
Oct 1 – Nov 2Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
5 October to 31 October
Oct 5–31Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
5 November to 30 November
Nov 5–30Antlered only
One antlered mule deer, on the tag you drew.
- The junior any-legal-weapon hunt is not the adult season with a younger hunter on it: in fourteen unit groups it runs to 2 November where the adult early and late hunts together close on 5 November, and in unit group 101-109 it opens on 1 October and runs unbroken to 2 November where the adult hunt is split into three.
- Every Nevada deer tag is drawn. The application period for the 2026 seasons closed at 11 p.m. PST on 13 May 2026 and results were released on or before 29 May. Seasons and Regulations, printed p. 1.
- A crossbow is a legal weapon for mule deer only on a general season hunt, not on an archery-only hunt. Printed p. 54.
- Legal shooting hours are half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Printed p. 55.

New This Season

What changed since last year, and is therefore easiest to get wrong.

The 2026 tag quotas are printed beside each season in the third printing of the book, and this app does not carry them: the draw was held in May, and a quota says nothing about where a tag is valid.
The chronic wasting disease Transportation Restriction Zone continues over hunt units 192-196, 201-208, 211-213 and 291, with mandatory sampling for any mule deer taken inside it.
CWD has still not been found in Nevada, but it is now detected in three of the five states that border it; the nearest confirmed cases are around Bishop, California.

Legal Arms

2026-2027 Nevada Big Game Seasons, Applications & Hunting Regulations weapon specifications, as the digest prints them.

Archery equipment

Printed pp. 54-55

A bow, on an archery hunt or on an any-legal-weapon hunt.
A sight illuminated or powered by a battery in the sight, light-gathering fibre optics, a radioactive isotope such as tritium, or iridescent or fluorescent paint.

A crossbow on an archery-only hunt — the crossbow column in the legal weapons table is marked "only for general season hunts".
A sight that casts or projects a visible beam of light.
Night-vision, thermal or electronically light-gathering equipment of any kind.

Muzzleloading rifle

Printed p. 54

A muzzleloading rifle, on a muzzleloader hunt or an any-legal-weapon hunt.
A muzzleloading shotgun, which the legal weapons table counts under shotguns.

Any rimfire cartridge, on any deer hunt.
A muzzleloader on an archery-only hunt.

Any legal weapon

Printed p. 54

A rifle using a centerfire cartridge of .22 calibre or larger and no larger than .50, with a case no longer than three inches.
A handgun using a centerfire cartridge of .22 calibre or larger with a barrel of four inches or more.
A shotgun, including a muzzleloading shotgun.
A crossbow, on a general season hunt.
Archery equipment and a muzzleloading rifle, which stay legal on an any-legal-weapon hunt.

Any rimfire cartridge for mule deer.
A centerfire cartridge larger than .50 calibre, or with a case over three inches.

Hunting Hours and Orange

What the state defines as legal light, and what has to be worn in it.

Legal Shooting Hours

Printed p. 55

"Legal shooting hours for hunting big game species in Nevada are ½ hour before sunrise to ½ hour after sunset, except for Mountain Lion which can be legally hunted at any time of day or night." The book prints no table and points hunters at sunrise-sunset.org; the times here are computed for the pin.

Fluorescent Orange

No hunter orange requirement appears in the 2026-2027 seasons and regulations book

Nevada requires no hunter orange of a big game hunter. The only fluorescent orange the book mentions is the paint a landowner uses to post a boundary against trespass, printed p. 29. Wearing it is still the cheapest insurance there is, particularly in the any-legal-weapon seasons, when several unit groups have an early and a late hunt running back to back.

Sundays

No day-of-week closure appears in the 2026-2027 seasons and regulations book

Nevada closes no day of the week to hunting. A season that is open is open on Sunday.

Standing Rules

The parts of the digest that are true every day of the season.

The tag is the season

Printed pp. 4 and 9

There is no over-the-counter deer tag in Nevada. Tags for every big game species except mountain lion are awarded through a random computerised draw held in late May; the 2026 application period closed at 11 p.m. PST on 13 May and results were released on or before 29 May.

A tag names a unit group, a weapon and a date block. It is not valid in a neighbouring unit group, on another weapon, or in another block, and the seasons this app shows for a pin are every season that runs on that ground — not every season your tag covers.

One application for antlered mule deer and one for antlerless mule deer per draw period, or one for the junior antlered or antlerless hunt.
Drawing a tag in a species category ends your other applications in that category for the year.
Mountain lion is the exception: its tags are over the counter and its season is year-round.

Hunt survey questionnaire

Printed p. 55

A hunt survey questionnaire must be submitted for every big game tag, whether or not anything was harvested. It is due by 5 p.m. PST on 31 January after the season the tag was issued for closes; a hunt that closes after 31 January is due by 5 p.m. PST on 28 February.

Failing to file it blocks you from applying in the following year's draw. The penalty can be lifted by completing the questionnaire and paying a $50 fee before the application period closes.

Trail cameras, optics and aircraft

Printed p. 54

Placing, maintaining or using a trail camera on public land from 1 August to 31 December, with certain exemptions (NAC 503.1485).
Using any trail camera capable of transmitting images, video or wildlife location from 1 July to 31 December.
Night-vision, thermal imaging, infrared or electronically light-gathering equipment while hunting or while locating game (NAC 503.1455). A battery-lit, fibre-optic or tritium sight is fine.
Using an aircraft or drone to locate or observe big game in a management unit from 1 July to the last day of February (NAC 503.148).
Gathering shed antlers on public land in Elko, Eureka, Lander, Lincoln, Nye or White Pine County from 1 January to 30 April without an annually renewed shed antler collection certificate (NAC 503.172).

Tagging and Reporting

The clock that starts the moment the deer is down.

Printed pp. 28 and 55

Every deer must be reported by 5 p.m. PST on 31 January after the season closes — 28 February for a hunt that closes after 31 January.

Submit the hunt survey questionnaire through your account at ndowlicensing.com.
It is required for every big game tag, harvested or not.
A mule deer taken inside the CWD Transportation Restriction Zone must also be sampled, with the sample reaching NDOW within a week.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Background, and the rules that apply if you carry a carcass out of a management area.

Printed p. 28

Chronic wasting disease has not been found in Nevada as of the 2026-2027 book, but it is detected in three of the five bordering states and the nearest confirmed cases — a road-killed deer in spring 2024 and two more inside the city limits that autumn — are around Bishop, California. The Nevada Department of Agriculture's quarantine order draws a Transportation Restriction Zone across the units nearest to it.

Anyone who harvests a mule deer in hunt units 192-196, 201-208, 211-213 or 291 must submit a CWD sample.
The sample must reach NDOW within one week of the harvest.
Inside the zone the animal can be brought to the Reno (Valley Road) or Tonopah NDOW offices; a self-taken sample can be dropped at any NDOW office.
Transport restrictions apply to a deer taken inside the zone and to any deer, elk, moose or caribou brought in from outside Nevada.
The CWD hotline is (800) 800-1667 and current sampling locations are at ndow.org/blog/chronic-wasting-disease/.

Where This App Is Coarser Than the Digest

Said plainly, because an absence is easy to read as a permission.

Quotas are not carried. The third printing of the book prints the 2026 quotas beside each season; the draw is over and draw odds are not in this app at all.
The rut date is an estimate. NDOW publishes no peak breeding date for Nevada mule deer, and mid-November is a reading of where the state's deer sit between Utah's and California's rather than a figure the department has printed.
Antlerless mule deer hunts are not here. Nevada issues antlerless deer tags as depredation hunts, announced separately from this book, and there is no antlerless row in the mule deer season tables.
The restricted guided non-resident hunts (printed pp. 49-50) run on the same dates as the resident and non-resident any-legal-weapon hunts and are not carried as a separate season; the difference is who may hold the tag, not when it is open.
Unit group 203's special firearm restrictions are flagged but not spelled out — the book cites NAC 503.170 rather than printing them.

Useful Numbers

The agency, when the app cannot answer it.

Nevada Department of Wildlife: 6980 Sierra Center Parkway, Suite 120, Reno NV 89511. (775) 688-1500.
Application questions: 1-855-542-6369.
CWD hotline: (800) 800-1667.
Licences and tags: ndowlicensing.com

Transcribed from the published 2026-27 Nevada digest. Where this app and the digest disagree, the digest is the law. Read the Nevada Department of Wildlife digest.