Nevada Deer — Unit 251
Bennett
Nevada Unit 251 covers 849,374 acres and lies 115 miles west of Caliente. 98% of it is public land, mostly BLM (97%) and national forest (2%). In 2025, 27 people hunted mule deer here and took 1 — 4% of them killed something. The 2025 draw put up 1 nonresident tag here for 24 first-choice applicants.
Your chance of drawing here
Every deer license type on offer in Unit 251, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2025 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
1332-251.252.253.254-1005 Mule deer antlered | NR | Any Legal Weapon | 251 - 254 1 tags · 24 applicants · Standard<1% Point builder 2% as 2nd choice
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1342-251.252.253.254-0810 Mule deer antlered | NR | Archery | 251 - 254 1 tags · 3 applicants · Standard<1% Point builder 11% as 2nd choice
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1372-251.252.253.254-0910 Mule deer antlered | NR | Muzzleloader | 251 - 254 1 tags · 2 applicants · Standard<1% Point builder 10% as 2nd choice
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NRG-251.252.253.254-1005 Restricted nonresident guided antlered mule deer | NR guided | Any Legal Weapon | 251 - 254 1 tags · 2 applicants · Guided<1% Point builder 33% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1332-251.252.253.254-1005 ↗ Mule deer antlered | NR | Any Legal Weapon | 251 - 254 Rifle | <1% Point builder | 2% | — | 1 / 24 | Standard | Oct 5 – Nov 2, 2026 |
| 1342-251.252.253.254-0810 ↗ Mule deer antlered | NR | Archery | 251 - 254 Archery | <1% Point builder | 11% | — | 1 / 3 | Standard | Aug 10 – Sep 9, 2026 |
| 1372-251.252.253.254-0910 ↗ Mule deer antlered | NR | Muzzleloader | 251 - 254 Muzzleloader | <1% Point builder | 10% | — | 1 / 2 | Standard | Sep 10 – Oct 4, 2026 |
| NRG-251.252.253.254-1005 ↗ Restricted nonresident guided antlered mule deer | NR guided | Any Legal Weapon | 251 - 254 Rifle | <1% Point builder | 33% | — | 1 / 2 | Guided | Oct 5 – Nov 2, 2025 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2025 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- As 2nd choice —
- Nevada lets you name more than one hunt on the application. Miss on your first choice and you go into the pot for whatever tags are left, alongside everyone else's second choices. Points never help a lower choice, so this number is the same whatever you have banked — it is usually worth naming a hunt that goes undersubscribed.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2025 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard license | $168 | $168 | $408 |
| Guided license | $168 | $168 | $468 |
Application deadlines: Mar 9, 2027 (expected) for Guided · May 13, 2027 (expected) for the main draw. Full fee breakdown.
Other licenses valid in Unit 251
Not in the table above because they had no result in the 2025 draw.
The country
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
Who owns the ground
- BLM 822,262 ac · 97%
- National Forest 14,108 ac · 2%
- Private 13,002 ac · 2%
How the hunting has gone
What Nevada Department of Wildlife publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. Nevada Department of Wildlife publishes these per hunt rather than per unit; the rows below add its own figures together, since a hunter holds one tag for the species in a season. Nevada Department of Wildlife reports this unit inside the group 251-254, so the figures below cover the whole group, not Unit 251 alone.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 27 | 1 | 4% |
| 2024 | 20 | 5 | 25% |
| 2023 | 18 | 3 | 17% |
| 2022 | 19 | 4 | 21% |
| 2021 | 53 | 8 | 15% |
Boundary: NDOW Game Management Units
Harvest: 2025 Mule Deer Harvest by Unit Group
Harvest: 2024 Mule Deer Harvest by Unit Group
Harvest: 2023 Mule Deer Harvest by Unit Group