Nevada Unit 164 Pronghorn Antelope Hunting Guide

Nevada Unit 164 offers a fully draw-dependent pronghorn hunting opportunity spread across 775,937 acres of public land in central Nevada. With 100% public land access and zero wilderness acreage, this unit gives hunters wide-open access to classic pronghorn country without the guide requirements or access restrictions that come with wilderness-designated ground. Every hunt in Unit 164 is limited-quota — there is no general season here, so hunters must draw a tag before they can hunt pronghorn in this unit.

Elevations in the unit range from 4,762 to 9,219 feet, giving hunters a mix of open valley floor and higher benches and foothills typical of Nevada's basin-and-range topography. That elevation spread means pronghorn can be found working sagebrush flats early in the season and pushed toward higher benches as conditions change. For hunters weighing whether to apply here, the combination of complete public access, moderate trophy potential, and recent harvest trends makes Unit 164 worth a closer look — but the numbers below tell a more nuanced story than "apply and forget it."

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 164 Worth Applying For?

Unit 164 presents a mixed but generally favorable picture for pronghorn hunters willing to navigate Nevada's draw system. The biggest point in its favor is unambiguous: 100% public land ownership means there are no access barriers, no negotiating with private landowners, and no risk of getting locked out of huntable ground once a tag is drawn. That's a meaningful advantage in a state where private land can fragment pronghorn range in other units.

Harvest success has been strong in most recent years, with three of the last five seasons posting success rates at or above 73%. That's a solid indicator that hunters who draw tags here and put in the effort are connecting. The one outlier — 2023, when only 2 of 6 hunters harvested for a 33% success rate — is worth noting but shouldn't be read as a trend given the very small sample size that year. Overall hunter numbers in this unit are modest, ranging from just 6 to 26 hunters across the five years of data reviewed, which reflects the limited-quota nature of every hunt type offered here.

Tag quotas have also been trending upward across all three tracked hunt types. The ALW-Antelope Horns Longer Than Ears quota jumped from 6 tags in 2024 to 15 tags in 2025, a 150% increase. The AR-Antelope Horns Longer Than Ears quota doubled from 3 to 6 tags over the same period, and the M-Antelope Horns Longer Than Ears quota tripled from 1 to 3 tags. These increases suggest Nevada wildlife managers see room to grow hunter opportunity in Unit 164, which is a good sign for the health of the local pronghorn population and a good sign for hunters hoping quotas continue to expand.

Trophy potential in the counties overlapping this unit is best described as moderate — there's a documented trophy history here, but it isn't among the standout areas in the state. Hunters chasing a genuinely exceptional buck should treat Unit 164 as a solid, dependable option rather than a marquee trophy destination. Given the combination of full public access, respectable and generally improving success rates, and growing tag quotas, Unit 164 is worth applying for — particularly for hunters who prioritize a fair shot at connecting on a pronghorn over chasing a specific trophy class.

Harvest Success Rates

Recent harvest data for Unit 164 shows generally strong performance with some year-to-year variability that's common in a low-volume draw unit:

• 2025: 25 hunters, 20 harvested — 80% success
• 2024: 10 hunters, 8 harvested — 80% success
• 2023: 6 hunters, 2 harvested — 33% success
• 2022: 11 hunters, 9 harvested — 82% success
• 2021: 26 hunters, 19 harvested — 73% success

Four of the five years show success rates between 73% and 82%, which is a strong showing for pronghorn hunting anywhere in the West. The 2023 dip to 33% stands out as an anomaly, but with only 6 hunters afield that year, a couple of missed opportunities or difficult weather conditions could easily swing the percentage that dramatically. Hunters should weight the multi-year average more heavily than any single season, and the broader trend across 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025 points to a unit where a drawn tag translates into a harvested animal more often than not.

The rebound to 80% success in 2025, on the unit's highest hunter count in the dataset (25 hunters), is particularly encouraging — it shows the unit can maintain strong success rates even as more tags are issued, which aligns with the quota increases seen across all three hunt types heading into 2025.

Trophy Quality

Trophy records tied to the counties overlapping Unit 164 point to moderate trophy potential. This isn't a unit with a deep or standout trophy pedigree, but it has produced trophy-class animals historically. Hunters should understand that record-book entries are logged at the county level, not the unit level, so any trophy history associated with this area is shared with neighboring units that fall within the same counties — the specific animals behind that history could have been taken anywhere across that broader landscape.

Given the moderate rating, hunters drawing a tag in Unit 164 should set realistic expectations: this is a unit where a solid, representative pronghorn buck is a very reasonable outcome, and an exceptional buck is possible but not the norm. Hunters whose primary goal is scoring a record-caliber trophy might want to weigh Unit 164 against other Nevada units with a stronger documented trophy history. Hunters who want a good all-around pronghorn hunting experience — solid success odds, full public access, and a fair chance at a nice buck — will find Unit 164 a reasonable and defensible choice.

Access & Terrain

Unit 164's defining access feature is straightforward: 100% of the unit is public land. There is no private land to negotiate, no leased ground to work around, and no risk of a drawn tag going to waste because of blocked access. This is about as favorable an access situation as a hunter can find in the West, and it removes one of the biggest headaches that pronghorn hunters face in units with fragmented land ownership.

The unit also carries 0% wilderness designation, meaning there are no additional wilderness-area travel restrictions to plan around, and vehicle access to huntable terrain should be more straightforward than in wilderness-heavy units. This matters for pronghorn hunting specifically, since spot-and-stalk tactics on these animals often benefit from the ability to relocate quickly across open country by vehicle before closing the final distance on foot.

Elevation across the unit spans from 4,762 feet up to 9,219 feet — a substantial range that suggests hunters may need to adjust their approach depending on where pronghorn are concentrated during the season. Lower elevations likely hold classic sagebrush-flat pronghorn habitat, while the upper end of that elevation range climbs into foothill and possibly timbered terrain atypical of core pronghorn range. Hunters should expect to spend most of their effort in the lower-to-mid elevation bands where open, grass-and-sage terrain dominates, while being aware that animals can push higher during periods of pressure or unusual weather.

Total unit acreage of 775,937 acres gives hunters plenty of room to spread out and glass, which is the standard and most effective approach for pronghorn — locating animals at distance across open terrain before planning a stalk. With full public access across a unit this size, hunters have the freedom to explore multiple drainages and benches without needing special permission or facing boundary conflicts.

How to Apply

Nevada issues pronghorn tags through a limited-quota draw system, and Unit 164 has no general season — every hunter who wants to hunt pronghorn here must first draw a tag through one of the hunt types offered in this unit. Nevada's draw uses a bonus-point structure where points are squared to calculate entries (points² + 1), and the system is waste-adjusted. Critically, no point level guarantees a tag in Nevada — even hunters with a substantial point balance are still working within a weighted lottery, not a preference system where the highest point holders are assured a tag.

Residents and nonresidents apply through separate pools, and hunt types in Unit 164 are tracked independently — the ALW, AR, and M hunt type designations each carry their own tag quotas and applicant pools, so hunters should not assume favorable odds in one hunt type translate to another. A successful draw consumes accumulated points for that species, meaning a hunter who draws a Unit 164 tag will restart their point balance near zero for future pronghorn applications.

Because Nevada's draw odds, tag quotas, and applicant volumes shift from year to year, hunters should not rely on historical percentages to predict their chances in the current cycle. For up-to-date draw odds, current tag quotas, and application details for Unit 164, hunters should check HuntPilot's Nevada state page, where draw statistics are kept current with each application cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Unit 164? Unit 164 spans a wide elevation range from 4,762 to 9,219 feet across 775,937 acres, all of it public land. Hunters should expect classic Nevada basin-and-range terrain — open sagebrush flats and valley floors at lower elevations transitioning to higher benches and foothill country at the upper end of the elevation range. The complete lack of wilderness designation (0%) means vehicle access to most of the unit should be relatively unrestricted compared to wilderness-heavy units elsewhere in the state.

What is harvest success like in Unit 164? Harvest success has generally been strong, with four of the last five years (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025) posting success rates between 73% and 82%. The exception was 2023, when success dropped to 33% on a very small sample of just 6 hunters. The 2025 season saw 25 hunters harvest 20 animals for an 80% success rate, suggesting the unit maintains strong performance even as tag numbers increase.

How big are the pronghorn in Unit 164? Trophy records tied to the counties overlapping Unit 164 point to moderate trophy potential — the area has some documented trophy history but isn't considered a top-tier trophy destination within Nevada. Hunters seeking a solid, representative buck have good reason for optimism, while those chasing a record-class animal should treat this as a possibility rather than an expectation. Note that trophy records are tracked at the county level and are shared with neighboring units in the same counties.

Is Unit 164 worth applying for? Yes, for hunters prioritizing full public land access and reliable harvest success. With 100% public land, no wilderness restrictions, generally strong success rates, and quotas that have been increasing across all three tracked hunt types heading into 2025, Unit 164 offers a solid, dependable pronghorn hunting opportunity. It's a stronger choice for hunters focused on the overall experience and a fair shot at connecting than for those exclusively chasing top-end trophy potential.

Do hunters need a guide to hunt pronghorn in Unit 164? No. Nevada does not impose a state-mandated guide requirement for nonresident hunters in this unit, and with 0% wilderness acreage, there are no wilderness-related guide requirements either. Hunters can pursue a DIY approach across the unit's fully public landscape, though hiring local knowledge is always an option for those unfamiliar with the terrain.