Nevada Unit 068 Mule Deer Hunting Guide

Nevada Unit 068 sits in the eastern part of the state and offers mule deer hunters a large, rugged landscape spanning 1,132,481 acres, with elevations ranging from 4,047 to 8,712 feet. For hunters researching where to point their Nevada mule deer application, Unit 068 combines a sizeable public land base, a genuine trophy pedigree in the surrounding counties, and tag quotas that have grown substantially in recent years — a combination worth understanding in detail before committing points or preference to this unit.

At 51% public land, just over half of the unit is open to public access, meaning hunters need to do their homework on land ownership boundaries before setting up camp or glassing a drainage. With no wilderness designation in this unit, motorized access is generally unrestricted compared to wilderness-heavy units elsewhere in the state, which matters for hunters weighing vehicle options for scouting and access into the unit's back country. The elevation range — from valley floors near 4,000 feet up to nearly 8,700 feet — gives the unit real vertical relief, and that terrain diversity is a major factor in how hunters should plan their approach, from early-season high-country glassing to lower-elevation transition zones later in the year.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 068 Worth Applying For?

Based on data compiled by HuntPilot, Unit 068 presents a legitimate opportunity for mule deer hunters, particularly given the substantial growth in tag allocations heading into 2025. Every hunt type tracked for this unit saw quota increases from 2024 to 2025: the ALW-Mule Deer Antlered Early hunt jumped from 516 to 855 tags (a 66% increase), the ALW-Mule Deer Antlered Late hunt grew from 59 to 99 tags (68% increase), the AR-Mule Deer Antlered hunt rose from 228 to 325 tags (43% increase), and the M-Mule Deer Antlered hunt climbed from 98 to 153 tags (56% increase). Even the smaller Guided Antlered categories saw modest growth or stability, with the Early guided hunt increasing from 27 to 30 tags and the Late guided hunt holding steady at 3 tags both years.

This kind of across-the-board quota expansion signals that wildlife managers see room for additional harvest pressure in the unit, which is typically a byproduct of a herd that can support more hunters. That's corroborated by the harvest trend: hunter numbers rose from 1,028 in 2024 to 1,670 in 2025, and harvest success actually improved alongside that growth, climbing from 40% in 2024 to 44% in 2025. A rising success rate during a year when hunter numbers increased by more than 60% is a meaningful data point — it suggests the unit absorbed considerably more pressure without a corresponding decline in hunter success, which points toward a healthy deer population capable of supporting the additional tags.

On the trophy side, the counties overlapping Unit 068 carry a strong history of producing record-book mule deer entries. That trophy pedigree, combined with the unit's substantial elevation range and large footprint, gives serious hunters a reason to consider this unit for a quality buck hunt rather than a strictly meat hunt. It's worth remembering that record-book entries are logged at the county level and are shared across neighboring units within those counties — the bucks contributing to that trophy reputation weren't necessarily taken inside Unit 068's exact boundaries, but the broader area clearly has the genetics and habitat to produce mature, record-class bucks.

Taken together, growing quotas, improving success rates, and a strong regional trophy history make Unit 068 a unit worth serious consideration for both resident and nonresident applicants, particularly those willing to get away from roads and into the unit's more remote pockets — a theme echoed by hunters discussing this unit and others like it in the region.

Harvest Success Rates

Unit 068's harvest data shows a positive trend over the two most recent years available. In 2024, 1,028 hunters harvested 407 deer for a 40% success rate. In 2025, that number improved to 44% success, with 742 deer harvested out of 1,670 hunters. That's a notable achievement given hunter numbers increased by more than 60% year-over-year — typically, a large influx of additional hunters would be expected to dilute success rates as more pressure spreads across the same herd. Instead, success held firm and even improved, which is a strong sign that the deer population in Unit 068 is currently in good shape and can support increased harvest without a meaningful drop-off in hunter success. Hunters should still recognize that these are unit-wide totals across all mule deer hunt types combined, so individual results will vary depending on which specific tag a hunter draws and where within the unit they choose to hunt.

Trophy Quality

The counties overlapping Unit 068 carry a strong history of trophy mule deer records. This doesn't guarantee every hunter will encounter a record-class buck, and as always with county-level data, the record-book entries attributed to this area are shared among neighboring units rather than being exclusive to Unit 068's boundaries. That said, a strong regional trophy history combined with the unit's large size, elevation range, and lower-pressure back-country pockets suggests genuine potential for hunters willing to scout hard and hunt away from easy road access. Forum discussion among hunters familiar with Nevada's eastern units consistently emphasizes that quality bucks exist in nearly every unit in this part of the state, but finding them requires getting off the beaten path — a theme that applies directly to Unit 068 given its size and mixed terrain.

Access & Terrain

Unit 068 covers a large area — just over 1.13 million acres — with 51% of that land classified as public. That's a majority-public unit, but the roughly 49% private land means hunters need to pay close attention to property boundaries, particularly in lower-elevation valley bottoms where private land tends to be concentrated in Nevada's high desert country. There is no wilderness designation within the unit, so there are no motorized-access restrictions tied to wilderness boundaries — hunters can generally use vehicles more freely here than in wilderness-heavy units, though that doesn't mean every route is passable or maintained.

The elevation range, from 4,047 feet up to 8,712 feet, gives hunters a lot of vertical terrain to work with. That spread typically translates into distinct habitat zones: lower sagebrush and desert-adjacent terrain at the bottom of the range, transitioning into piñon-juniper foothills, and eventually higher-elevation timber and open basins near the top. Hunters targeting early-season deer will likely want to focus on higher elevations where deer hold before weather pushes them down, while later-season hunters may find deer concentrated at lower and mid elevations as they transition toward wintering areas.

Access themes discussed by hunters familiar with the unit point to extensive two-track road networks reaching into the back country, along with limited but present water sources on public land — critical intel for planning camp locations and scouting routes, especially in the warmer months. Hunters have noted that vehicle choice matters here; while the unit doesn't require specialized side-by-sides to access most areas, the extensive network of rougher two-track roads means higher-clearance vehicles will open up more ground, particularly for hunters concentrating their efforts in the more remote southern portions of the unit. Given the size of Unit 068 and the fact that just over half the unit is public, hunters serious about finding better bucks and lower pressure should plan on scouting trips well ahead of their hunt to identify which public parcels hold water, feed, and cover away from the road system. HuntPilot's mapping tools, including public land overlays, can help hunters identify exactly where those public parcels sit relative to access roads before they ever set foot in the unit.

How to Apply

Nevada's draw system does not use points to guarantee draws — as one hunter on a Nevada hunting forum accurately put it, "you could lose out to a guy with one point," and there is no guaranteed draw in any unit regardless of how many points a hunter holds. This makes Unit 068's growing tag quotas particularly relevant, since more available tags generally improves the odds of drawing regardless of an applicant's point total. Hunters should check HuntPilot's Nevada state page (/states/nv) for current draw odds specific to each hunt type and residency class before finalizing their unit choices, since draw odds themselves are not part of the data covered here.

Application dates and fees change every draw cycle. For the current deadlines, fees, and draw odds, see HuntPilot's Nevada page at /states/nv.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Unit 068? Unit 068 spans a wide elevation range from 4,047 to 8,712 feet across more than 1.1 million acres, giving hunters a mix of lower desert and sagebrush terrain, piñon-juniper foothills, and higher-elevation basins and timber. There is no wilderness designation in this unit, so vehicle access is not restricted by wilderness boundaries, though hunters should expect extensive two-track road systems rather than paved or well-maintained routes, particularly in the more remote southern reaches of the unit.

What is harvest success in Unit 068? Harvest success in Unit 068 was 44% in 2025 (742 harvested out of 1,670 hunters) and 40% in 2024 (407 harvested out of 1,028 hunters). These figures represent all mule deer hunt types combined for the unit, and the improving trend alongside a large increase in hunter numbers is a positive indicator of herd health.

How big are the mule deer in Unit 068? Trophy data specific to individual scores isn't detailed here, but the counties overlapping Unit 068 carry a strong history of producing record-book mule deer entries. Since those records are logged at the county level and shared with neighboring units, they reflect the broader region's genetic and habitat potential rather than Unit 068 exclusively. Hunters seeking a mature buck should plan on scouting away from roads, where forum discussion suggests better bucks tend to hold up in less-pressured pockets.

Is Unit 068 worth applying for? Based on the data available, yes — Unit 068 shows rising tag quotas across every mule deer hunt type from 2024 to 2025, an improving harvest success rate even as hunter numbers grew substantially, and a strong regional trophy history. Combined with a majority-public land base at 51%, this unit offers real opportunity for both resident and nonresident hunters, particularly those willing to scout hard and hunt the unit's more remote terrain.

When should hunters scout Unit 068 for mule deer? While specific season dates aren't covered here, hunters discussing this unit have noted success scouting in late July ahead of fall hunts, using that window to check road conditions, locate water sources on public land, and identify deer concentrations before hunt season begins. Given the unit's size and elevation range, an early scouting trip is particularly valuable for narrowing down which drainages and elevation bands are holding deer before committing to a specific area on opening day.