Intro

If you’re planning a visit to Nevada, think about giving the bright lights and frenetic energy of Las Vegas a miss, and instead venture out to explore its approximately 48 million acres of public land. Just below, we’ll countdown the top 5 public land spots to consider for your next hunting trip in the ‘Silver State’.

But what kind of wildlife can you expect to encounter?

Nevada Wildlife

Particularly famous for its elk and three sub-species of bighorn sheep, for the hunters among you there are some great opportunities to be had, as can be seen from our table below.

To avoid missing any of these opportunities, remember to hook up a trail camera in the area you plan to hunt. 

For this purpose, you might want to consider the WingHome 350C. Its 22MP resolution will capture detailed photos of even the smallest jackrabbit and its 0.3-sec trigger speed will ensure that even the fastest pronghorn antelope won’t slip by unnoticed. For more information, feel free to contact us by email or chat with us directly on Facebook or Twitter. 

So, let’s begin by taking a closer look at the game species Nevada is most famous for…

Elk hunting in Nevada

Although the draw for these fantastic beasts is hard to get (see below for details), it’s absolutely worth it! Nevada has some of the best elk hunting in the country and some of the easiest to access, with a large herd just 20 miles north of Las Vegas. Their numbers have been growing year-on-year, with bull scores upwards of 350 pts (B&C). 

Mule deer hunting in Nevada

The iconic deer of the West, mule deer are to be found in the central and eastern areas of Nevada, where good spring rainfalls provide sufficient vegetation for grazing. Your best bet for snagging one is in late October to early November. But be warned, the tags can take 10 years or more to draw! 

Bighorn sheep in Nevada

Nevada is the only state to offer three huntable species of sheep: desert bighorns, Rocky Mountain bighorns and California bighorns. Not only that, Nevada offers more non-resident desert bighorn sheep permits than all other states combined, with 309 tags issued last year at a 90% success rate. 

So enough with what to hunt, next important question is to find out when you can hunt…

Hunting Season in Nevada 2019/2020

Note: Big game hunt draw random application deadline is in February, with draws in mid-April and June.

We can now move onto our countdown of the top 5 hunting spots in Nevada, starting at number 5… 

5. South Fork State Recreation Area

Size: ca. 4,000 acres.

Description:
Located in northeast Nevada, five miles due south of the city of Elko. Visitors can marvel at the glorious Ruby Mountains that serve as a backdrop. The park is made up of the 1,650-acre South Fork Reservoir, famous for its trout and bass fishing, together with surrounding marsh, meadowlands, and hills. Waterfowl, including mallard ducks, pintail ducks, green-winged teal, American widgeon, northern shoveler, common coots and Canada geese are regularly seen in and around the reservoir and the surrounding hills home mammals such as mountain mule deer, badgers, coyote, beavers and kit foxes.

Hunting: Shotgun or archery mule deer and pheasant.

Contact:
Address: 353 Lower South Fork #8, Spring Creek, NV 89815
Tel: (775) 744-4346

4. Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge

Size: 24,000 acres.

Description:
Famous for being the largest remaining oasis in the Mojave Desert and an area of international importance, this wildlife refuge is comprised of spring-fed wetlands and alkaline desert uplands. It’s to be found just on the border with California, in the Amargosa valley of southwest Nevada, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. 

Hunting: 
Black-tail jackrabbits, desert cottontails, and white-tailed antelope squirrel. (No hunting allowed in or over any springs or stream channels, except for retrieving game).

Contact:
Address: 610 Spring Meadows Rd, Amargosa Valley, NV 89020, USA
Phone: (775) 372-5435

3. Black Rock Desert Wilderness

Size: 314,829 acres.

Description:
With the Black Rock Range to the east and the Jackson Mountains to the West, this wilderness is named after the Black Rock Desert that’s to be found in the eastern part. Although it is largely barren and flat, there are elevated regions, the Elephant and Pinto Mountains, that provide habitat for both predator and prey mammals. 

Hunting: Mule deer, pronghorn antelope, California bighorn sheep, chukar, and sage-grouse.

Contact:
Address: Winnemucca, NV 89445, USA

2. Desert National Wildlife Refuge

Size: 1.5 million acres.

Description:
Just north of Las Vegas, this is the largest wildlife refuge in the lower 48 states. There are six major mountain ranges within the refuge’s borders, rising to a maximum height of 10,000 feet and valleys of around 2,500 feet. It was founded to conserve the habitat of the native desert bighorn sheep, although there are other wildlife species to be found, including mule deer, coyotes, badgers, bobcats, foxes, and a limited number of mountain lions. 

Hunting: Limited bighorn sheep.

Contact:
Address: 16001 Corn Creek Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89124, USA
Tel: (702) 879-6110

1. Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest

Size: 6,3 million acres.

Description:
Home to the largest elk herd in Nevada, this is the largest national forest in the US outside Alaska. It’s spread over 13 counties and contains numerous mountain ranges, including the Santa Rose Range in the north to the Spring Mountains, near Las Vegas, in the south. 

Hunting: Coyotes, bobcats, grey foxes, elk, mule deer, antelope, small game and waterfowl.

Contact:
Address: Austin, NV 89310
Tel: (775) 964-2671

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed that look at all that Nevada has to offer the hunter or wildlife enthusiast alike. Whether you choose the casino tables or the open wilderness, we hope you get the prize you’re after on your next trip to this great state! 

As always, for all your trail camera and hunting information, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where we’ll be happy to answer your questions. And we’ll be happy to provide more information about our flagship 350C trail camera.

Happy trails from the WingHome team!