Nevada · Deer · 2026–27 Edition
Nevada Deer Season 2026–27: Dates, Zones & Bag Limits
01 — Seasons by method
| Method | Zones | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Archery | Most unit groups | Aug 10 – Sep 9 |
| Muzzleloader | Most unit groups | Sep 10 – Oct 4 |
| Muzzleloader | Unit Groups 101-109 | Sep 10 – Sep 30 |
| Muzzleloader | Unit Groups 221-223 | Sep 10 – Oct 10 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) | Unit Groups 101-109 — Early | Oct 1 – Oct 16 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) | Most unit groups (011-013, 014, 022, 031-035, 041-046, 051, 065, 181-184 and the early/late split groups) | Oct 5 – Nov 5 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) | Unit Groups 171-173 — Early | Oct 5 – Oct 16 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) | Unit Groups 231, 241-245 | Oct 5 – Oct 31 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) | Unit Groups 195, 251-254 | Oct 5 – Nov 2 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) | Unit Groups 101-109 & 171-173 — Mid | Oct 17 – Oct 30 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) | Unit Groups 101-109 & 171-173 — Late | Oct 31 – Nov 8 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) | Southern Nevada — Unit Groups 192, 194, 196, 201-208, 211-213, 261-268, 271, 272, 291 | Nov 5 – Nov 30 |
| Archery (late) | Unit Groups 071-079, 081, 091, 101-109, 121 | Nov 10 – Nov 20 |
| Muzzleloader (late) | Unit Groups 081 | Nov 21 – Dec 10 |
| Archery (late) | Unit Group 021 | Dec 1 – Dec 10 |
| Archery (late) | Unit Groups 192, 194, 196 | Dec 1 – Jan 1 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) | Unit Group 115 — second hunt | Dec 1 – Dec 15 |
| Muzzleloader (late) | Unit Groups 202, 205-208, 211-213 | Dec 1 – Dec 15 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) | Unit Group 015 | Dec 11 – Jan 1 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) | Unit Group 081 | Dec 11 – Jan 1 |
| Muzzleloader (late) | Unit Group 021 | Dec 11 – Dec 20 |
| Archery (late) | Unit Groups 201-208 | Dec 16 – Jan 1 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) | Unit Group 021 | Dec 21 – Jan 1 |
02 — Bag limits
| All hunts | 1 deer per tag — one antlered mule deer application and one antlerless mule deer application (where offered) allowed per draw period |
|---|
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (August 10, 2026) 05:26 — 20:19
Rule: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset for big game, unless a specific hunt says otherwise (per NDOW). Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Nevada sun times for any other date.
04 — License
A Nevada hunting license and deer permit are required. Costs, age rules and where to buy are on our license page below.
Nevada hunting license cost & deer permits →
Where to hunt public land in Nevada — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Scouting a property before Nevada's opener usually means glassing terrain and running a trail camera through the summer and early fall.
- Hunting binoculars on Amazon →
- Trail cameras on Amazon →
- Trail camera SD cards — class, capacity & format explained →
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. These are category links, not a single named pick — we run no product tests of our own.
06 — FAQ
When does deer season start in Nevada?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is August 10, 2026 — Archery, limited to Most unit groups. Other weapons and zones start later — see the table above.
When does deer season end in Nevada?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 1, 2027. Individual methods and zones close on their own dates.
When does bow season start for deer in Nevada?
Archery opens August 10, 2026 (Most unit groups). Later segments may follow — see the seasons table.
When does rifle season start for deer in Nevada?
Any Legal Weapon (rifle) opens October 1, 2026 (Unit Groups 101-109 — Early). Later segments may follow — see the seasons table.
When does muzzleloader season start for deer in Nevada?
Muzzleloader opens September 10, 2026 (Most unit groups). Later segments may follow — see the seasons table.
How many deer can you shoot in Nevada?
2026–27 bag limits: All hunts — 1 deer per tag — one antlered mule deer application and one antlerless mule deer application (where offered) allowed per draw period. Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting deer in Nevada?
On opening day (August 10, 2026) legal light runs 05:26 to 20:19. The rule is: Half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset for big game, unless a specific hunt says otherwise (per NDOW). Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Nevada sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt deer on my own land in Nevada without a license?
No — Nevada requires a license to hunt protected game regardless of land ownership. The only property-related carve-out is a narrow defense allowance for wildlife threatening people or property, not a general hunting exemption.
Verified · Nevada Department of Wildlife · Last verified 2026-08-16
Publisher's note. Nevada mule deer hunting is entirely tag-draw — there is no over-the-counter general season, and access to any given hunt unit depends on drawing (or holding enough bonus points for) that unit's tag. Dates come from CR 25-07, the Commission Regulation adopted for both 2025-26 and 2026-27; the two seasons are identical, so the 2026-27 column repeats the 2025-26 one throughout. ALWAYS READ YOUR OWN UNIT GROUP — the 'most unit groups' rows are a majority, not a rule. Southern Nevada is the trap: unit groups 192, 194, 196, 201-208, 211-213, 261-268, 271, 272 and 291 do NOT run the familiar Oct. 5 - Nov. 5 rifle season, they run Nov. 5 - Nov. 30, a month later. Units 231 and 241-245 close Oct. 31, units 195 and 251-254 close Nov. 2, and unit groups 101-109 and 171-173 are cut into three separate draw hunts (Early / Mid / Late) that together run Oct. 1 or Oct. 5 through Nov. 8. Units 015, 021, 081 and 115 sit on their own December-January windows. Archery is Aug. 10 - Sept. 9 nearly everywhere, but unit 021 has no August archery at all (Dec. 1-10 instead), and several groups add a late archery hunt in November or December. ON THE MUZZLELOADER TABLE: CR 25-07 renders unit group 101-109 without dates on its own line, with one orphaned date row at the foot of the table, in both the resident (hunt 1371) and nonresident (1372) versions — the same artifact in both. NDOW's own draw and quota documents resolve it: 101-109 is Sept. 10-30, and the remaining pairings stand as printed. Anyone re-verifying this file should not try to read that one table from the linearized PDF text alone.