Nevada Unit 213 Mule Deer Hunting Guide

Nevada Unit 213 is a limited-quota mule deer unit covering 383,825 acres of entirely public land, making it a draw-only destination for hunters chasing deer in the Silver State. With no general season available here, every hunter afield in Unit 213 has earned their tag through Nevada's bonus point draw system — a fact that shapes everything from hunter density to buck age structure. For hunters researching this unit, understanding the harvest trends, tag structure, and terrain is essential before committing points to the application.

This unit spans an elevation range of 4,532 to 7,972 feet, offering a mix of lower desert benches and higher foothill country typical of Nevada's Great Basin range-and-basin topography. With 100% public land and 0% wilderness designation, Unit 213 is fully open to motorized access on existing roads, which makes it approachable for do-it-yourself hunters without the logistical complications that wilderness boundaries can create in neighboring states.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 213 Worth Applying For?

The data on Unit 213 tells a story of a small, tightly managed mule deer unit with modest but trackable harvest trends. In the 2025 season, 41 hunters pursued deer here and 16 harvested, good for a 39% success rate — the best of the last three years. That's up from 34% in 2024 (35 hunters, 12 harvested) and 33% in 2023 (27 hunters, 9 harvested). The three-year trend shows success rates climbing steadily even as hunter numbers have grown, which is a reasonably encouraging sign for a unit this size — it suggests the deer population is holding up under increasing hunting pressure rather than being drawn down.

Tag numbers back this up. The core antlered mule deer tag allocation (ALW-Mule Deer Antlered) grew from 15 tags in 2024 to 20 tags in 2025, a 33% increase, while the guided antlered allocation doubled from 1 to 2 tags. Meanwhile, the antlered-restricted (AR) and muzzleloader-coded (M) antlered allocations both held steady at 5 tags each across the same period. This pattern — growing the standard antlered quota while keeping the smaller specialty allocations flat — suggests Nevada's wildlife managers see room to modestly expand opportunity in this unit without overextending the resource.

For hunters with nonresident points, Unit 213 isn't likely to be a unit that produces headline-grabbing bucks every year, but the trophy history for the counties overlapping this unit shows only a limited record of trophy-class entries. That doesn't mean mature bucks don't exist here — it means hunters should set realistic expectations rather than planning a trip around chasing an all-time-class animal. Given the fully public, fully accessible nature of the unit and a success rate trending in the right direction, Unit 213 is a reasonable target for hunters who want a legitimate shot at a representative mule deer buck in open Nevada country, rather than a unit to burn a decade of points on in pursuit of a giant.

Harvest Success Rates

The three most recent seasons of harvest data for Unit 213 show a unit with consistent, moderate success:

• 2025: 41 hunters, 16 harvested — 39% success
• 2024: 35 hunters, 12 harvested — 34% success
• 2023: 27 hunters, 9 harvested — 33% success

The upward trend in success rate alongside growing hunter numbers is notable. Typically, as more hunters enter a fixed-size unit, success rates either hold flat or decline due to increased competition for the same number of animals. Here, both hunter participation and success climbed together, which points toward a stable or improving deer population rather than a unit being hunted down. Hunters should still treat these numbers as a three-year snapshot rather than a guarantee — herd conditions, weather, and migration timing all affect any given season's outcome.

Trophy Quality

Trophy records tied to the counties overlapping Unit 213 show only a limited history of entries. This places Unit 213 in a different category than Nevada's marquee trophy units that regularly produce entries recognized in record books. That said, a limited trophy history doesn't mean the unit lacks mature bucks — it simply means hunters shouldn't walk in expecting to regularly encounter exceptional-class deer. Given the remote, entirely public character of the terrain and the modest hunter pressure reflected in the harvest numbers, there is certainly potential for a buck to reach maturity undisturbed, but hunters chasing a genuine trophy-caliber animal should treat Unit 213 as a solid opportunity unit rather than a unit built around trophy odds.

As one longtime Nevada hunter noted in discussion forums, the belief among many deer hunters is that nearly every unit in the state holds the potential for a quality buck — some units simply produce them more consistently than others. Unit 213 falls into the category of units where a good buck is possible, but not the primary draw for hunters stacking maximum points specifically for trophy potential.

Access & Terrain

Unit 213 is entirely public land — 100% — with 0% wilderness designation. This combination is about as favorable as it gets for do-it-yourself access: hunters don't need to worry about losing huntable ground to private inholdings, and the absence of wilderness boundaries means motorized access on existing roads and trails is permitted throughout, rather than requiring hunters to hike or pack in on foot or stock as is common in wilderness-heavy units elsewhere in the West.

The elevation range of 4,532 to 7,972 feet reflects classic Great Basin range-and-basin country — lower sagebrush flats and benches giving way to higher foothill and low-mountain terrain. This kind of vertical relief typically pushes deer to summer in the higher country and drop into lower elevations as weather and forage conditions change through the season, giving hunters options to hunt different elevation bands depending on conditions encountered during their hunt.

Hunters planning to scout this unit should take advantage of the full public land base to explore multiple drainages and elevation zones before settling on a hunting area. HuntPilot's mapping tools, including public land overlays, can help hunters identify specific roads, ridgelines, and water sources within the unit's boundaries to build an efficient scouting plan. Because the unit carries no wilderness restrictions, hunters have flexibility to cover more ground by vehicle before committing to an area on foot, which is a meaningful advantage in country this size — nearly 384,000 acres is a lot of ground to pattern on foot alone.

How to Apply

Unit 213 is a limited-quota draw unit for mule deer — there is no general season here, so every hunter who wants to hunt deer in this unit must apply through Nevada's draw system. Nevada operates a bonus point system, meaning unsuccessful applicants accumulate points that improve their statistical position in future draws, though — as is common with bonus point systems — no number of points guarantees a tag. Draws remain probabilistic rather than a strict seniority system, so even hunters holding significant point totals face real competition for tags in sought-after units.

Both resident and nonresident hunters apply through the same general process, though nonresidents are subject to separate allocation pools and generally face steeper competition for tags than in-state applicants. Nevada's structure includes multiple hunt-type allocations within a single unit — as seen in Unit 213 with its standard antlered allocation, a smaller guided antlered allocation, and separate antlered-restricted and specialty allocations — so hunters should carefully review which specific hunt type matches their equipment and hunting style before applying, since each hunt type draws from its own separate tag pool with its own level of competition.

Given the "less than 5%" draw odds commonly cited by nonresident hunters with double-digit point totals in Nevada's more competitive units, applicants should expect multi-year point strategies even for moderately competitive units like Unit 213. Because draw odds, tag quotas, and application fees change from year to year, hunters should not rely on historical figures when planning an application. For current deadlines, fees, and draw odds specific to Unit 213, see HuntPilot's Nevada state page at /states/nv, which reflects the most recent application cycle data.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Nevada Unit 213?

Unit 213 covers 383,825 acres of Great Basin range-and-basin terrain, with elevations spanning from 4,532 feet in the lower desert benches up to 7,972 feet in the higher foothill country. The unit is 100% public land with 0% wilderness, meaning motorized road access is available throughout rather than being restricted to foot or stock travel. This terrain mix gives hunters options to work both lower sagebrush country and higher elevation zones depending on weather and deer movement during the hunt.

What is harvest success like in Unit 213?

Recent harvest data shows success rates of 39% in 2025, 34% in 2024, and 33% in 2023, with both hunter participation and success rate trending upward over that three-year window. This points to a unit holding a stable or improving mule deer population even as more hunters have drawn tags here in recent seasons.

How big are the mule deer in Unit 213?

Trophy records for the counties overlapping Unit 213 show only a limited history of trophy-class entries, meaning hunters shouldn't expect this unit to regularly produce record-book bucks. That said, mature bucks are certainly possible given the fully public, roadless-free access and moderate hunting pressure reflected in the harvest data. Hunters should view Unit 213 as a solid opportunity unit for a representative buck rather than a unit targeted primarily for trophy potential.

Is Nevada Unit 213 worth applying for?

Based on the available data, Unit 213 is a reasonable unit for hunters seeking a legitimate, fully public mule deer hunt with improving harvest trends and a growing core tag allocation. It is not, based on current trophy records, a unit to target specifically for trophy-class bucks. Hunters who want a solid chance at harvesting a mature buck in accessible, 100% public-land country — without expending maximum points chasing a marquee trophy unit — should consider adding Unit 213 to their Nevada application strategy.

Does Unit 213 require a guide or outfitter?

No wilderness areas are designated within Unit 213, so there is no state-mandated guide requirement tied to wilderness access, unlike units with significant wilderness acreage in other western states. The unit does include a small guided antlered tag allocation as a separate hunt type, but this is an optional allocation rather than a blanket outfitter requirement for all hunters in the unit.