By Jeff Keysar
MonsterMuleys.com Freelance Writer
Nevada has gained a reputation in recent years for producing some excellent trophy mule deer. The Silver States geography ranges from alpine conifers in the north to Mojave desert lowlands in the south, and makes for a variety of hunting conditions and habitats.
However, not all Nevada hunting units are created equal. Luckily, the Nevada Department of Wildlife compiles and publishes hunt statistics on an annual basis, so weve taken those stats from the 2013 hunt season and broken them down to discover which were the top five units for fourpoint or bigger bucks. Weve also figured out which five units had the best draw odds and also which units had the highest hunter success. Youll find these stats below for the resident rifle, muzzleloader, and archery seasons.
And as an extra twist, every hunt unit in the state has been given a "dream hunt score," which takes the stats for draw odds, hunter success, and number of fourpoint or bigger bucks and combines them for an overall score. For example, if 100% of a unit's hunters were successful, and 100% of the bucks taken were 4+ points, and the draw odds were 1 to 1, the score would be 200, a theoretical perfect score. (100 plus 100 divided by 1.) In keeping with this formula, the top five units with dream hunt scores closest to 200 are listed at the end.
Draw Odds
Many hunters aren't that worried about trophies they just want the chance to hunt. According to NDOW, these were the five units with the best draw odds for a Nevada mule deer buck in 2013. I will only list the top five unless two or more units tied for the same odds:
NOTE: The odds below are "resident" odds.
| RIFLE Units with 1 to 1 Odds | RIFLE Units with 2 to 1 Odds |
| 101-109 Mid | 32 033 Early 35 043 - 046 Early 51 061, 062, 064, 066 - 068 Early 071 - 079, 091 Early 101 - 109 Early 101 - 109 Late 111 - 113 Early 114 - 115 Early 121 Early 141 - 145 Early 151 - 156 Early 161 - 164 Early 171 - 173 Early 221 - 223 Mid 251 - 253 |
| MUZZLELOADER Units with 1 to 1 Odds | MUZZLELOADER Units with 2 to 1 Odds |
| 51 101 - 109 181 - 184 271, 272 | 15 31 32 35 041 - 042 043 - 046 061, 062, 064, 066 - 068 071 - 079, 091 111 - 113 114 - 115 121 141 - 145 151 - 156 171 - 173 202, 205, 206 211, 212 251 - 253 291 |
| ARCHERY Units with 1 to 1 Odds |
| 33 34 043 - 046 51 071 - 079, 091 Early 101 - 109 Early 101 - 109 Late 114, 115 141 - 145 151 - 156 161 - 164 171 - 173 181 - 184 271, 272 |
Highest Success Rates
If you're not a trophy hunter but you do want to fill the freezer, no problem. These tags might just fit the bill this year; after all, they had the highest success rates for Nevada muley bucks in 2013.
| RIFLE Hunt Unit | Success Rate (%) |
| 194, 196 121 Late 21 131 - 134 Late 221 - 223 Late | 83 82 78 77 73 |
| MUZZLELOADER Hunt Unit | Success Rate (%) |
| 21 34 201, 204 261 - 268 31 | 100 100 100 100 86 |
| ARCHERY Hunt Unit | Success Rate (%) |
| 202, 205, 206 Late 194, 196 Early 195 131 - 134 81 121 Late 194, 196 Late | 100 86 67 63 50 50 50 |
The Most Trophy Class Bucks
Of all the units available to hunt mule deer in Nevada, some are better than others. Here's where the biggest bucks were taken in Nevada in 2013:
| RIFLE Hunt Unit | % of Bucks 4-Point or Better |
| 221 - 223 Late 81 194, 196 161 - 164 Late 114, 115 Late | 89 73 73 68 67 |
| MUZZLELOADER Hunt Unit | % of Bucks 4-Point or Better |
| 21 22 34 251 - 253 261 - 268 | 100 100 100 100 100 |
| ARCHERY Hunt Unit | % of Bucks 4-Point or Better |
| 21 192 Early 251 - 253 194, 196 Late 211 - 212 231 | 100 100 100 75 75 75 |
The Top Five "Dream Hunt" Units
As mentioned before, all of Nevada's mule deer hunting units have been compared to each other using the formula explained earlier, and the top five units with the best combination of draw odds, hunter success, and trophyclass bucks from 2013 are listed below:
| RIFLE Hunt Unit | Dream Hunt Score |
| 251 - 253 101 - 109 Mid 221 - 223 Mid 101 - 109 Late 121 Early | 51 48 47 44.5 44.5 |
| MUZZLELOADER Hunt Unit | Dream Hunt Score |
| 51 251 - 253 31 34 202, 205, 206 | 77 75 68 66.7 61.5 |
| ARCHERY Hunt Unit | Dream Hunt Score |
| 181 - 184 043 - 046 161 - 164 251 - 253 101 - 109 Late | 83 74 71 70 69 |
It's important to note that the numbers above are more reliable for the rifle season than for the muzzleloader and archery seasons due to the higher numbers of tags and hunters. Statistical reliability goes up when the sample size increases basically, the more hunters hunting and returning hunt cards, the more reliable the total result. Other factors such as disease, predation, habitat loss and even hunter skill level can affect the numbers, especially in units that don't have many tags available.
Still, the units shown represent a good place to start if you're hoping to bag a buck in Nevada this year. As we continue this analysis through the years, some very interesting trends may emerge. But until then, good luck, hunters!
