Nevada Unit 164 Elk Hunting Guide

Nevada Unit 164 offers elk hunters a large, entirely public-land landscape spanning 775,937 acres with elevations ranging from 4,762 to 9,219 feet. For hunters researching Nevada Unit 164 elk hunting opportunities, this unit presents a mix of hunt types — from antlered and antlerless draws to spike and archery-specific tags — spread across a big block of accessible country with zero private land to navigate around.

With 100% public land and no wilderness designation, Unit 164 is fully open to DIY access without the guide requirements or permission logistics that complicate hunting in more fragmented units. That accessibility, combined with a diverse menu of elk hunt types, makes this a unit worth a close look for both resident and nonresident applicants building a Nevada elk strategy.

This article breaks down what the data actually shows for Unit 164 — harvest trends, tag quota movement, trophy potential, and the application process — so hunters can decide whether to spend a choice on this unit in the 2026 draw.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 164 Worth Applying For?

The case for Unit 164 starts with access. At 100% public land and 0% wilderness, hunters can move freely across nearly 776,000 acres without worrying about locked gates, private inholdings, or the Wyoming-style guide mandates that apply in wilderness areas of other states. This is DIY country in the truest sense — the entire unit is open for hunters willing to put in scouting time and physical effort across elevations that climb from valley floors near 4,762 feet to peaks above 9,200 feet.

The harvest numbers tell a mixed but informative story. In 2024, only 68 hunters pursued elk in Unit 164 and posted a strong 40% success rate with 27 animals harvested. In 2025, hunter numbers jumped sharply to 239 with 64 harvested, dropping the overall success rate to 27%. That swing is a classic signal of increased tag issuance diluting per-hunter success — and it lines up with the tag quota data, which shows meaningful increases across several hunt types heading into 2025.

Looking at the quota trends, the direction is telling. The ALW-Elk Spike quota jumped from 25 to 35 tags (a 40% increase), AR-Elk Antlerless climbed from 30 to 40 tags (33% increase), AR-Elk Antlered rose from 7 to 12 tags (71% increase), and M-Elk Antlerless nearly tripled from 7 to 17 tags (143% increase). Meanwhile, ALW-Elk Antlered Late tags were trimmed from 36 to 30 (a 17% cut) and ALW-Elk Antlerless Early dropped from 35 to 30 (14% cut). ALW-Elk Antlered Early held steady at 30 tags both years.

This pattern — antlerless and spike tags expanding while some antlered quotas contract or hold flat — suggests Nevada wildlife managers are leaning into herd management and antlerless harvest in this unit rather than aggressively growing bull opportunity. For hunters chasing a mature bull, that's an important signal: the antlered draws remain comparatively tight even as overall hunter pressure in the unit has grown. For hunters who want meat and are flexible on sex designation, the antlerless and spike increases represent genuinely improving opportunity.

Trophy history for the counties overlapping Unit 164 shows a moderate track record of trophy-class elk production. That's not the calling card of an elite trophy unit, but it does indicate the habitat and genetics exist to produce respectable bulls for hunters willing to get away from access points and hunt the more remote pockets of this large unit.

Bottom line: Unit 164 is worth applying for if hunters prioritize public-land access, don't mind a mixed bag of hunt types (including antlerless and spike opportunities), and are realistic about trophy expectations. It's a stronger opportunity unit than a guaranteed trophy unit based on the data available.

Harvest Success Rates

Unit 164's harvest data shows real year-over-year volatility that hunters should factor into expectations:

• 2024: 68 hunters, 27 harvested, 40% success rate
• 2025: 239 hunters, 64 harvested, 27% success rate

The near-tripling of hunter numbers between 2024 and 2025 corresponds with the tag quota increases documented above, particularly in the antlerless and spike categories. More hunters in the field with more antlerless-oriented tags typically produces a higher raw harvest count but a lower overall success percentage, since antlerless and spike hunts often see different pressure dynamics than limited antlered draws.

Hunters drawing an antlered tag in Unit 164 should not assume the blended 27-40% range reflects their specific hunt type — the unit total combines multiple hunt categories with very different tag counts and difficulty levels. Hunters should use HuntPilot's unit page to look at hunt-type-specific data where available before setting expectations for a particular draw category.

Trophy Quality

Trophy records from the counties overlapping Unit 164 indicate a moderate history of trophy-class elk production. This isn't a unit with a heavy pedigree of record-book bulls, but moderate trophy history means quality animals have come from this area and remain possible for hunters willing to scout hard and hunt the unit's more remote terrain away from roads and pressure.

Given the qualitative nature of this data, hunters should treat Unit 164 as a solid opportunity unit with realistic — not exceptional — trophy upside. As one theme echoed across hunter forums for Nevada units generally: quality bulls can show up in almost any unit, but finding them requires time in the field and a willingness to get off the beaten path. Unit 164's fully public, wilderness-free landscape gives hunters the freedom to do exactly that without navigating access restrictions.

Access & Terrain

Unit 164 spans 775,937 acres entirely on public land — a rare combination in the West where checkerboard ownership and private inholdings often complicate access planning. With 0% wilderness designation, there are no special guide requirements or motorized-access restrictions tied to wilderness boundaries, giving hunters full latitude to use roads, trails, and cross-country routes to reach hunting areas.

Elevation in the unit ranges from 4,762 feet up to 9,219 feet, a spread of more than 4,400 vertical feet. That range points to genuinely varied terrain — from lower sagebrush and valley-floor country to high-elevation timber and alpine basins near the top of the unit. Hunters can expect to move through multiple vegetation and terrain zones depending on where they focus their effort, and elk are likely to shift elevation bands seasonally within that range.

Because the entire unit is public land, scouting is straightforward from a permission standpoint — the limiting factor is time and physical effort, not access rights. Hunters serious about finding elk away from pressure should use mapping tools, like the public land and terrain overlays available through HuntPilot, to identify drainages, elevation bands, and less-traveled pockets of the unit worth a scouting trip before the season.

How to Apply

These dates and fees apply to both resident and nonresident applicants, though the fee structure differs significantly by residency.

For current draw odds specific to Unit 164's various hunt types, visit HuntPilot's Nevada state page at /states/nv, which tracks year-over-year application data as it becomes available.

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 Nevada Unit 164? Unit 164 covers 775,937 acres with elevations ranging from 4,762 feet to 9,219 feet, indicating diverse terrain from lower valley and sagebrush country up through higher-elevation timbered and alpine zones. The unit is 100% public land with no wilderness designation, meaning hunters have full access to explore the entire elevation range without permission barriers or wilderness-specific access restrictions.

What is harvest success like in Unit 164? Harvest success has varied significantly by year. In 2024, 68 hunters harvested 27 elk for a 40% success rate. In 2025, hunter numbers grew to 239 with 64 harvested, a 27% success rate. The drop in overall success alongside rising hunter numbers reflects increased tag issuance, particularly in antlerless and spike hunt categories, rather than declining herd quality.

How big are the elk in Unit 164? Trophy records from the counties overlapping Unit 164 show a moderate history of trophy-class elk. This suggests solid, respectable bulls are possible for hunters who scout thoroughly and hunt away from access points and pressure, though the unit isn't documented as a top-tier trophy producer based on available records.

Is Unit 164 worth applying for? Based on the data, Unit 164 is a reasonable choice for hunters who value guaranteed public-land access and don't mind pursuing a mix of hunt types, including antlerless and spike options where recent quota increases (up to 143% in some categories) have expanded opportunity. Hunters specifically chasing a trophy bull should weigh the moderate trophy history and the comparatively flat-to-declining antlered quotas against other Nevada units before committing a draw choice.

Does Unit 164 require a guide for nonresident hunters? No. Nevada does not impose Wyoming-style wilderness guide requirements, and Unit 164 has 0% wilderness designation regardless. Nonresident hunters are free to hunt this unit DIY without hiring an outfitter, though the tag fee and license costs should be factored into trip budgeting.