Nevada · Elk · 2026–27 Edition
Nevada Elk Season 2026–27: Archery, Muzzleloader & Rifle Dates
01 — Seasons
| Season | Zone note | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Archery — Antlerless | Nearly all elk unit groups (061 through 231) | Aug 1 – Aug 24 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) — Antlerless | Nearly all elk unit groups; includes special late 'Unit 113 ND' hunt running into January | Aug 1 – Jan 31 |
| Antlered — Depredation (low-density population-control hunts, poor success expected) | Unit groups 101-103, 115A, 144-145, 231B, 251 | Aug 1 – Jan 1 |
| Archery — Antlered | Nearly all elk unit groups (061 through 262); unit 091 is an interstate hunt shared with Utah | Aug 15 – Sep 20 |
| Muzzleloader — Antlerless | Nearly all elk unit groups (072 through 231) | Aug 16 – Sep 30 |
| Muzzleloader — Antlered | Nearly all elk unit groups (051 through 262) | Sep 1 – Nov 5 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) — Antlered | Nearly all elk unit groups (051 through 231), with unit-specific Early/Late splits | Sep 17 – Dec 4 |
| Any Legal Weapon (rifle) — Spike bull only | Unit groups 061 through 231, with unit-specific Early/Late splits | Sep 17 – Jan 1 |
Nevada elk hunting is organized into roughly 20 numbered hunt units grouped into unit groups (e.g. 061/071, 076/077/079/081, 111-115), each carrying its own draw-only quota, weapon-type season and, in many unit groups, separate 'Early' and 'Late' date splits for the same hunt code — check NDOW's unit maps for the specific unit group you draw.
02 — Tags & bag limits
| All hunt codes | One elk per drawn tag; the tag specifies antlered/spike-only/antlerless per the specific hunt code drawn |
|---|---|
| Antler restriction (Depredation antlered hunts) | Hunters may only take an antlered elk with no more than 5 points on either antler, including the first point on the main beam (NAC 502.006) |
03 — Shooting hours
Legal light on opening day (August 1, 2026) 05:18 — 20:29
Rule: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset for all big game hunts, unless otherwise specified (per NDOW Commission Regulation CR 25-07) — no elk-specific exception found. Sunrise/sunset shift daily — the times above are computed for opening day; use your local Nevada sun times for any other date.
04 — License & tags
Elk hunters in Nevada need a Nevada hunting license plus an elk tag. Both resident and nonresident hunters may apply, but nonresident tag quotas are capped well below resident quotas (commonly cited at roughly 10% of total tags per species, though NDOW's own regulation text does not state an exact statewide elk percentage) — resident and nonresident hunt codes for the same unit group and weapon type otherwise run identical season dates.
Where to hunt public land in Nevada — WMAs by county & access rules →
05 — Scouting gear
Scouting a unit before Nevada's opener usually means glassing basins and running a trail camera through summer.
- 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 elk season start in Nevada?
The earliest 2026–27 opener is August 1, 2026 (Archery — Antlerless). See the table above for every method.
When does elk season end in Nevada?
The latest 2026–27 closing date is January 31, 2027. Individual seasons close earlier — see the table above.
Do I need to enter a draw to hunt elk in Nevada?
Every elk tag in Nevada is allocated through NDOW's annual draw lottery — there is no over-the-counter elk tag anywhere in the state, for any weapon type or unit. A small number of low-elk-density unit groups (101-103, 115A, 144-145, 231B, 251) run separate 'Depredation' hunts intended to reduce elk numbers where they conflict with private land, which NDOW itself flags as having poor hunter success expected. Applicants accrue bonus points in years they aren't drawn, and many high-quality units require years of points to draw even once.
How many elk can you shoot in Nevada?
2026–27 bag limits: All hunt codes — One elk per drawn tag; the tag specifies antlered/spike-only/antlerless per the specific hunt code drawn. Antler restriction (Depredation antlered hunts) — Hunters may only take an antlered elk with no more than 5 points on either antler, including the first point on the main beam (NAC 502.006). Limits are set per zone and per permit — check the agency's own regulations before you hunt.
What time can you start shooting elk in Nevada?
On opening day (August 1, 2026) legal light runs 05:18 to 20:29. The rule is: One-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset for all big game hunts, unless otherwise specified (per NDOW Commission Regulation CR 25-07) — no elk-specific exception found. Sunrise and sunset shift daily, so work the offset against your local Nevada sun times for any other date.
Can I hunt elk 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 2026-08-15
Publisher's note. Season dates read directly from NDOW Commission Regulation CR 25-07, '2025-2026 and 2026-2027 Big Game Hunting Seasons' — the Board of Wildlife Commissioners' own regulation text, which sets both years' seasons in advance and lists the 2026-27 column explicitly for every hunt code. Elk seasons are broken into roughly a dozen hunt codes (Any Legal Weapon Antlered #4151, Muzzleloader Antlered #4156, Archery Antlered #4161, Any Legal Weapon Antlerless #4181, Muzzleloader Antlerless #4176, Archery Antlerless #4111, Spike-only Any Legal Weapon #4651, plus separate Depredation hunts #4102/#4107 in a handful of low-elk-density unit groups) each covering ~15-20 unit groups with unit-specific 'Early'/'Late' date splits; the methods[] rows below give the earliest-to-latest date span found within each weapon/class category rather than reproducing every individual unit-group row — exact dates for a specific unit group should be checked against the regulation's own table. Resident and nonresident hunt codes (e.g. 4151 vs 4251) run identical date ranges per unit group in every case checked, so they are not broken out separately here. The regulation's header note states hunting hours for all big game are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset unless otherwise specified. Nonresident tag quotas were not found as an explicit percentage inside this regulation; third-party sources describe Nevada nonresident big game quotas as generally around 10% of total tags, which is consistent with, but not confirmed by, NDOW's own primary text — flagged here rather than stated as certain. Depredation hunts are population-control hunts in specific low-elk-density unit groups (101-103, 115A, 144-145, 231B, 251) explicitly marked by NDOW as having 'poor hunter success expected' and are included as their own row rather than folded into the general antlered category.