Nevada uses a squared bonus point system, and it is a true lottery. No tags are set aside for top point holders. Every application gets one random draw number, plus extra numbers equal to your bonus points squared. The lowest number wins. Points make a big difference as they stack up, since 5 points gives you 26 numbers instead of 1. But a first-year applicant can still draw a great tag, and a 15-point applicant can still miss. Nevada sells no over-the-counter mule deer or elk tags, so this system decides almost every hunt.

How you get points

• Apply and don’t draw. You earn one point per hunt category for each unsuccessful application, as long as you hold an active Nevada hunting license.
• Buy a point only. A bonus point only application costs $10. It’s exempt from the $3 game tag application fee and the $5 elk fee. You can buy points during the main application period or the second draw period in June, when bonus points for all big game species go on sale.
• License required. You must hold a hunting license for that license year to earn a point. Nevada lets you apply and buy the license only if you draw, but that application earns no point.
• One point per year. You can earn only one point per category per license year.
• No points while waiting. You can’t buy bonus points for a category while you’re in a waiting period for it.

Licenses for 2026 are $38 (resident adult hunting), $75 (resident adult combination) and $155 (nonresident adult combination). Youth 12–17 pay $15. You must be 12 to hunt big game, and a parent or guardian signs for applicants under 18.

How points are used in the draw

The squared formula. Every application gets one random number between 1 and 100 million. If you have bonus points, you get more numbers: your points squared, plus one for the current year. The draw uses your lowest number.

Bonus points	Total draw numbers
0	1
1	2
3	10
5	26
10	101

Five choices. You can list up to five unit-and-season choices per species and sex class, as long as five different hunts are available. NDOW recommends using all five. If your first choice fills before your number comes up, your later choices still give you a shot.

Separate categories. Antlered mule deer, antlered elk, antlerless elk and spike elk each have their own bonus points. You can apply for spike elk while you build antlered elk points.

Quotas. Commission Policy 24 sets tags at about 90% resident and 10% nonresident. In many small unit groups, that leaves one or two nonresident tags.

Party applications. A party has at least two hunters who apply for the same hunts. The party’s points are averaged and rounded to the nearest whole number, and the party draws together or not at all.

The nonresident guided mule deer draw

Nonresidents can apply in a separate guided mule deer draw. In 2026 it ran February 9 to March 9, with results March 20. A licensed Nevada master guide or subguide must sign your application and stay with you in the field. Immediate family of the guide can’t apply. The guided quota is a percentage of the nonresident tags issued the year before, so the odds can be better than the regular nonresident pool. The tradeoff is the guide’s fee. Check NDOW’s current fee table for the guided tag price, since the 2026 regulations’ fee table doesn’t list it separately.

Nevada has no guided draw for elk.

Residents vs. nonresidents

2026	Resident	Nonresident
Hunting license (adult)	$38 hunting / $75 combination	$155 combination
Bonus point only	$10	$10
Application fees, deer	$10 + $3 + $1 processing	$10 + $3 + $1 processing
Application fees, elk	Add $5 elk fee	Add $5 elk fee
Mule deer tag, if drawn	$30	$240
Elk tag, if drawn	$120	$1,200 antlered / $500 antlerless
Share of tags	About 90%	About 10%
Guided draw	No	Mule deer only

The draw itself works the same way for both groups.

Keeping and losing points

• Drawing resets you. Your points in a category go to zero when you draw or buy a tag in that category.
• Don’t skip two years. You forfeit your points if you fail to apply in a category for two consecutive years, when a season for that category was offered. A bonus point only application is an application in that category, so buying a point each year should keep you active. Confirm in the current regulations.
• Elk waiting periods. If you draw an antlered elk tag, you may not apply for antlered elk for the next 7 open seasons, whether or not you kill a bull. Antlerless and spike elk have no waiting period. Mule deer has no waiting period in the 2026 rules.
• Report your harvest. A missed harvest report can cost you a year of big game tags.

Point creep and “points to draw”

In a squared system, “points to draw” doesn’t mean a cutoff. It means the point level where your odds become reasonable. As more hunters pile up points, your odds at any given level slowly fall.

Mule deer example: Say a unit group has 10 nonresident tags and 300 applicants. A 0-point applicant holds 1 number. A 6-point applicant holds 37 numbers. If most of the field sits at 2–4 points, the 6-pointer has noticeably better odds but is still far from a sure thing.

Elk example: Antlered elk tags are scarce, and drawing one starts a 7-season wait. A 10-point applicant holds 101 numbers against a 2-point applicant’s 5. That’s about 20 times as many chances, but on a unit with only a few nonresident bull tags, both may still miss for years.

Strategy

• Apply every year. The two-year rule is the easiest way to lose a big point total. If you won’t hunt, buy the $10 point.
• Use all five choices. List the hunt you want first and a higher-odds hunt farther down. Drawing any choice resets your points, so only list hunts you’d be glad to hunt.
• Spike and antlerless elk. They have separate points and no waiting period, which makes them a good way to hunt elk while you build antlered points.
• Nonresidents: Weigh the guided draw if you plan to hire an outfitter anyway. Specialty Silver State and Dream tag drawings are another long shot.
• Outfitters and private land: See discount guided hunts and hunting leases.

Key numbers for 2026

Item	Number
Main draw applications	March 23 – May 13, 2026 (11 p.m. PT)
Main draw results	On or before May 29, 2026
Second draw (points also on sale)	June 8–15, 2026
Nonresident guided deer draw	February 9 – March 9, 2026
Draw numbers per application	Points squared + 1
Hunt choices	Up to 5
Bonus point only	$10
Resident / nonresident quota	About 90% / 10%
Lose points if you skip	2 consecutive years
Antlered elk waiting period	7 open seasons

FAQ

Are bonus points or preference points better? Nevada’s squared bonus points never guarantee a tag. The upside is that anyone can draw in any year.

Do my deer points help me draw elk? No. Each category has its own points, and antlered, antlerless and spike elk are all separate.

Do I need to buy a license to get a point? Yes. You need a hunting license for that year.

What if I draw an antlered elk tag and don’t hunt? The 7-season wait still applies, and your antlered elk points reset.

Related: Nevada Mule Deer Hunting Guide · How to apply for the Nevada mule deer draw · Preference points by state

Rules and fees are from the Nevada Department of Wildlife for the 2026 draw. Confirm in the current regulations before you apply.