Unit 021 (Petersen Mountain, Sand Hills and Seven Lakes Mountain)
Nevada Hunting Guide — Mule Deer
Unit 021 sits just north of Reno along the California line, about 440 square miles of Washoe and Lassen county ground that's mostly public land. Its deer hunts run late in the year, in open, often burned country where deer are easy to see. NDOW points hunters to Petersen Mountain, the north side of Seven Lakes Mountain and the Sand Hills.
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Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 021
Unit 021 sits just north of Reno along the California line, about 440 square miles of Washoe and Lassen county ground that's mostly public land. Its deer hunts run late in the year, in open, often burned country where deer are easy to see. NDOW points hunters to Petersen Mountain, the north side of Seven Lakes Mountain and the Sand Hills.
Where to Find Mule Deer in Unit 021: Petersen Mountain, Seven Lakes Mountain and the Sand Hills
Petersen Mountain, Seven Lakes Mountain and the Sand Hills
NDOW wants hunters on the traditional concentration areas: Petersen Mountain, the north side of Seven Lakes Mountain and the Sand Hills. Those are the first places to glass. Fort Sage and Dogskin Mountains should also hold deer, the sheet says, but densities there may be lower, so treat them as second choices rather than starting points.
Mahogany, bitterbrush and twenty years of burns
Upper-elevation deer habitat in Unit 021 is mountain mahogany, bitterbrush, big sagebrush and other mountain brush. Much of it has burned in wildfires over the past 20 years. On those burns you'll find crested wheatgrass, rabbitbrush, Mormon tea, big sagebrush and a mix of perennial and annual forbs and grasses, and NDOW says deer may be feeding there.
The upside of all that fire is visibility. NDOW describes the area as open country that lends itself to spotting deer, so this is a unit for sitting behind good optics rather than pushing brush. Glass the burned slopes and the remaining mahogany and bitterbrush patches on the three main areas, then move to Fort Sage or Dogskin if they're quiet.
The ground NDOW draws for this tag
A mule deer tag for this group is good in unit 021, about 436 square miles measured on NDOW's own boundary, in Washoe County. The named ranges inside the line are Sand Hills, French Mountains, Junction House Range, Hungry Range and Fort Sage Mountains. The highest named points are State Line Peak (7,981 ft), Petersen Mountain (7,842 ft) and Dogskin Mountain (7,464 ft), and the lowest named ground sits near 4,528 feet. We don't print a land-status split for Nevada groups, because the figures we held didn't come from BLM's surface-management data; check BLM's current map for private parcels before you cross a fence or a cattle guard. GNIS names 48 springs inside it, Miller Spring, Bull Spring, Settlemeyer Spring and Willow Spring among them.
Unit 021 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
The lay of it
- 4,508–6,280 ft on a terrain sample , averaging 5,230 ft ; peaks can run higher.
- 436.2 sq mi inside the boundary.
Water on the ground
- 106 tanks
- 38 springs
- 1,218 stream segments
- 17 lakes
Counts from mapping data, so this is how many exist, not how many hold water in a dry year. Sitting water only pays where you find fresh tracks.
Named features inside the unit
Glass from: Fort Sage Mountains (7,981 ft), Petersen Mountain (7,842 ft), Dogskin Mountain (7,464 ft), Freds Mountain (7,175 ft)
Holding ground: Little Valley (5,959 ft), Tick Canyon (5,076 ft), Bedell Flat (5,032 ft), Steele Springs, Gooseberry Spring
Every one of these was tested against the unit polygon before it went on the map. They are starting points, not agency recommendations.
How to Hunt Mule Deer in Unit 021: Highway 395, Winnemucca Ranch Road and the state line
Mule Deer Success Rates
Antlered, any legal weapon: 20 of 27 hunters afield (74%); Antlered, archery: 1 of 18 hunters afield (6%); Junior, seasonal weapon restriction: 6 of 6 hunters afield (100%); Antlered, muzzleloader: 3 of 6 hunters afield (50%). Figures are NDOW's own, from its 2025 Big Game Hunt Data.
Mule Deer Draw Odds
| Season | Tags | Applicants | Draw % | Pts (n/p) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rifle — Late Season bull/buck only (resident) | 25 | 747 | 3.3% | — |
| Rifle — Late Season bull/buck only (nonresident) | 2 | 199 | 1.0% | — |
| Rifle — Limited Entry either sex (resident) | 9 | 57 | 15.8% | — |
| Rifle — Limited Entry antlerless (resident) | 15 | 100 | 15.0% | — |
| Rifle — Late Season either sex (resident) | 9 | 55 | 16.4% | — |
| Archery — Late Season bull/buck only (resident) | 20 | 53 | 37.7% | — |
| Archery — Late Season bull/buck only (nonresident) | 2 | 16 | 12.5% | — |
| Muzzleloader — Late Season bull/buck only (resident) | 5 | 26 | 19.2% | — |
| Muzzleloader — Late Season bull/buck only (nonresident) | 1 | 17 | 5.9% | — |
Data from 2025 draw results. Each row is one residency pool — read the label before the number. This agency publishes no point thresholds, so the Pts column stays blank and these are pool odds, not what a point total draws.
Open in Draw Odds EngineFrom NDOW's 2025 Big Game Hunt Data. Demand is NDOW's count of tags awarded plus first-choice applicants who did not draw; its draw rate is tags over demand.
- Antlered, any legal weapon — Residents: 747 demand for 25 tags, a 3.3% draw rate; Nonresidents: 199 demand for 2 tags, a 1.0% draw rate.
- Antlered, archery — Residents: 53 demand for 20 tags, a 37.7% draw rate; Nonresidents: 16 demand for 2 tags, a 12.5% draw rate.
- Junior, seasonal weapon restriction — Residents: 55 demand for 9 tags, a 16.4% draw rate.
- Antlered, muzzleloader — Residents: 26 demand for 5 tags, a 19.2% draw rate; Nonresidents: 17 demand for 1 tag, a 5.9% draw rate.
- Guided antlered, any legal weapon — Nonresidents: 16 demand for 1 tag, a 6.3% draw rate.
NDOW's hunt data publishes no points-required figure, so none is given here.
Unit Logistics & Expectations
Frequently Asked Questions
Which units does a Nevada mule deer tag for 021 cover?
What was hunter success for mule deer on units 021 in 2025?
How hard is the mule deer draw for units 021?
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Upgrade to Pro — $49/yrSources & Verification
Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-10-25.
- Hunt Information Sheet — Mule deer, 021 — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Access, Recommended hunting areas, Biologist comments · accessed 2026-10-25
- 2025 Nevada Big Game Hunt Data — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Seasons, quotas and tags issued, Demand and draw rate by residency, Hunters afield, successful hunters and hunter success, Days hunted · accessed 2026-10-25
- NDOW Hunt Unit Boundaries — unit groups (ArcGIS) — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Units 021, 436 square miles · accessed 2026-10-25
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the group — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Sand Hills, French Mountains, Junction House Range, State Line Peak 7,981 ft, Petersen Mountain 7,842 ft · accessed 2026-10-25