Nevada Antelope Mule Deer

Unit 181 - 184 (Dixie Valley, Smith Creek Valley and Edwards Creek Valley)

Nevada Hunting Guide — Antelope, Mule Deer

Units 181 - 184 cover about 5,719 square miles across Churchill, Lander, Pershing, Mineral, Nye and Lyon counties, reached east from Fallon on Highway 50. NDOW's sheet lists the valleys that hold pronghorn, from Edwards Creek and Smith Creek valleys to Dixie Valley and the Carson Sink. It describes the herd as well dispersed and usually close to water.

View Draw Odds Nevada Hunting Guide

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Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 181 - 184

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Antelope guide Mule Deer guide

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Antelope Hunting in Unit 181 - 184

Where to Find Pronghorn in Units 181 - 184: Edwards Creek, Smith Creek and Dixie valleys

Eight places from Edwards Creek Valley to the Carson Sink

NDOW's sheet answers the where question with a plain list of places that hold pronghorn:

Edwards Creek Valley
Smith Creek Valley
Dixie Valley
Broken Hills
Gabbs Wash
Antelope Valley
The Reese River valleys
The Carson Sink

It doesn't rank them or name particular springs or benches inside them, so choosing among the eight is up to you and your scouting.

Water and broken ground between 5,500 and 7,500 feet

In season most pronghorn here live between about 5,500 and 7,500 feet, in habitat that runs from benches to fairly steep mountain terrain. This group has more mountainous ground, broken by hills and draws, than most antelope areas in Nevada. NDOW describes the Area 18 herd as well spread out across the group, and the animals are typically concentrated near whatever water is available. In practice, that means finding the water in the valley you choose first, then glassing the benches and draws around it.

The ground NDOW draws for this tag

A pronghorn tag for this group is good in units 181, 182, 183 and 184, about 5,719 square miles measured on NDOW's own boundary, in Churchill County, Lander County, Pershing County, Mineral County, Nye County and Lyon County. The named ranges inside the line are Louderback Mountains, Clan Alpine Mountains, White Throne Mountains, Bunejug Mountains, New Pass Range and Sinkavata Hills. The highest named points are Desatoya North Twin (9,964 ft), Desatoya Peak (9,958 ft) and Mount Augusta (9,949 ft), and the lowest named ground sits near 3,392 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 132 springs inside it, White Rock Springs, Straight Canyon Spring, Mud Springs and Side Spring among them.

Unit 181 - 184 terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Desatoya North Twin (9,964 ft), Mount Augusta (9,949 ft), New Pass Peak (8,994 ft), Bald Mountain (8,964 ft)

Holding ground: Freeman Basin (7,699 ft), Grayback (7,504 ft), Big Den (7,497 ft)

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 Pronghorn in Units 181 - 184: Highway 50 from Fallon and Highway 722

Highway 50 east from Fallon and Highway 722

NDOW rates hunter access as excellent, with a few exceptions in isolated areas. Driving east from Fallon on Highway 50 gets you to the whole group, and Highway 722 is the main route off it. Dixie Valley Road, East County Road and NV 361 are among the other named roads in the group, and Fallon is the closest town.

Covering ground from the Carson Sink to the Reese River

The herd is spread over a very large area rather than packed into one valley, and that shapes the hunt. Pick a valley from NDOW's list, find its water, and be ready to move to the next one if it comes up empty. Expect to spend time driving between them.

NDOW's sheet for these units says nothing about camping, services or land ownership, so plan those yourself. Check with the land management agencies for the ground you'll hunt about camping rules and fire restrictions, and bring your own water, since the pronghorn will be the ones using what little the valleys have. Fallon is the obvious place for fuel and supplies before you head east.

The 2025 season in NDOW's own numbers

NDOW's 2025 Big Game Hunt Data is the hunter survey behind these figures: who drew, who went, who filled a tag. Success there is NDOW's own figure, successful hunters over hunters afield.

Horns longer than ears, any legal weapon, Aug 22 - Sep 07: 70 resident and 7 nonresident tags. 73 hunters went afield and 68 filled their tag (93%). Hunters reported 1.9 days afield on average. 30% of the resident bucks had horns of 15 inches or longer.
Horns shorter than ears, any legal weapon, Sep 08 - Sep 24: 35 resident tags. 31 hunters went afield and 28 filled their tag (90%). Hunters reported 1.3 days afield on average.
Horns longer than ears, archery, Aug 01 - Aug 21: 10 resident and 2 nonresident tags. 12 hunters went afield and 9 filled their tag (75%). Hunters reported 2.8 days afield on average. 0% of the resident bucks had horns of 15 inches or longer.
Horns longer than ears, muzzleloader, Sep 25 - Oct 04: 2 resident tags. 2 hunters went afield and 1 filled their tag (50%). Hunters reported 4.0 days afield on average. 0% of the resident bucks had horns of 15 inches or longer.

Roads in and the nearest towns

The longest named roads through the group are US 50, Dixie Valley Road, NV 722 and East County Road. Our road inventory counts roughly 195 miles of pavement, 350 of gravel and 570 of high-clearance or four-wheel-drive track. The nearest towns are Fallon Station (9 mi), Fallon (11 mi) and Kingston (33 mi), measured from the centre of the closest unit in the group.

Nevada rules that decide your day

Summarised from NDOW regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.

Motorized retrieval

Nevada has no general off-road retrieval allowance; travel stays on existing routes.

Tagging

Validate and attach the tag before the animal is moved.

Leaving meat

Wasting edible meat is illegal.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting within 5,000 feet of an occupied dwelling without permission in some counties; no shooting from or across a highway.

Antelope: where to put the shot

Broadside, straight up the front leg, a third of the way into the body. Pronghorn are shallow-chested and the lungs sit forward.

Shots to refuse

Range it, then range it again. Open country makes 400 yards look like 250.
Wait for the buck to stop. Nobody kills a running pronghorn cleanly on purpose.
Mind the backdrop. A miss carries a long way across a flat.

Plan the carry: roughly 30– 45 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — one large cooler with ice already in it. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

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Antelope Success Rates

Horns longer than ears, any legal weapon: 68 of 73 hunters afield (93%); Horns shorter than ears, any legal weapon: 28 of 31 hunters afield (90%); Horns longer than ears, archery: 9 of 12 hunters afield (75%); Horns longer than ears, muzzleloader: 1 of 2 hunters afield (50%). Figures are NDOW's own, from its 2025 Big Game Hunt Data.

Antelope Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — Early Season buck only (resident)	70	926	7.6%	—
Rifle — Early Season buck only (nonresident)	7	434	1.6%	—
Rifle — Early Season doe/fawn (resident)	35	1,257	2.8%	—
Archery — Early Season buck only (resident)	10	26	38.5%	—
Archery — Early Season buck only (nonresident)	2	26	7.7%	—
Muzzleloader — Early Season buck only (resident)	2	10	20.0%	—

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 Engine

From 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.

Horns longer than ears, any legal weapon — Residents: 926 demand for 70 tags, a 7.6% draw rate; Nonresidents: 434 demand for 7 tags, a 1.6% draw rate.
Horns shorter than ears, any legal weapon — Residents: 1,257 demand for 35 tags, a 2.8% draw rate.
Horns longer than ears, archery — Residents: 26 demand for 10 tags, a 38.5% draw rate; Nonresidents: 26 demand for 2 tags, a 7.7% draw rate.
Horns longer than ears, muzzleloader — Residents: 10 demand for 2 tags, a 20.0% draw rate.

NDOW's hunt data publishes no points-required figure, so none is given here.

Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 181 - 184

Units 181 - 184 cover about 5,700 square miles of central Nevada across Churchill, Lander, Pershing, Mineral, Nye and Lyon counties. NDOW's short sheet puts the most deer in the Clan Alpine Range, the high Desatoyas and parts of the New Pass and Stillwater ranges. Horses work well on every range, and success usually improves late in the regular season.

Where to Find Mule Deer in Units 181 - 184: the Clan Alpine Range and the High Desatoyas

The Clan Alpine Range and the upper Desatoyas

NDOW's sheet for Units 181 - 184 says little, but what it says is specific. During the deer season, the highest densities are in the Clan Alpine Range and in the upper elevations of the Desatoya Range. In a group this large, that's the useful part: it cuts thousands of square miles down to two mountain ranges, and in the Desatoyas, to the high country.

Parts of the New Pass Range and the Stillwater Mountains

The New Pass Range and the Stillwater Mountains round out NDOW's list, with a qualifier. The sheet says "parts of" each hold good numbers, without naming which canyons or slopes. That leaves the scouting to you, so put time into those two ranges before the season if you plan to hunt them.

The sheet doesn't describe habitat, burns or water for this group, and it doesn't single out any other range inside the unit lines. Treat the four ranges above as NDOW's whole recommendation. One more clue comes from the biologist: hunter success is usually better during the latter part of the regular season, which argues for keeping some days in hand for the back half of the hunt.

The ground NDOW draws for this tag

A mule deer tag for this group is good in units 181, 182, 183 and 184, about 5,719 square miles measured on NDOW's own boundary, in Churchill County, Lander County, Pershing County, Mineral County, Nye County and Lyon County. The named ranges inside the line are Louderback Mountains, Clan Alpine Mountains, White Throne Mountains, Bunejug Mountains, New Pass Range and Sinkavata Hills. The highest named points are Desatoya North Twin (9,964 ft), Desatoya Peak (9,958 ft) and Mount Augusta (9,949 ft), and the lowest named ground sits near 3,392 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 132 springs inside it, White Rock Springs, Straight Canyon Spring, Mud Springs and Side Spring among them.

Unit 181 - 184 terrain and land status

Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up

Named features inside the unit

Glass from: Desatoya North Twin (9,964 ft), Mount Augusta (9,949 ft), New Pass Peak (8,994 ft), Bald Mountain (8,964 ft)

Holding ground: Freeman Basin (7,699 ft), Grayback (7,504 ft), Big Den (7,497 ft)

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 Units 181 - 184: Smith Creek access and horses on the ranges

Smith Creek in the Desatoyas

NDOW rates access to the primary deer hunting areas as generally good. The exception it names is Smith Creek in the Desatoya Range, where private land restricts access. You don't have to give up on that country, though. The sheet says alternate public access is available around those private lands, so work out a route on a land-status map before you drive in.

Beyond Smith Creek, NDOW doesn't name access roads on this sheet. The roads in the data below come from our own inventory rather than NDOW's advice, so use them to get oriented and a current map to plan the approach into each range.

Horses and a late push

NDOW's biologist makes two points. Horses can be used to a hunter's advantage on all the mountain ranges in the group, which matters in country where the best deer are in the upper Desatoyas and the Clan Alpines. Success is usually better in the latter part of the regular deer season. If you can only hunt part of the season, the sheet suggests the later half is the better bet, and a horse can stretch how much of a range you cover in the days you have.

The 2025 season in NDOW's own numbers

NDOW's 2025 Big Game Hunt Data is the hunter survey behind these figures: who drew, who went, who filled a tag. Success there is NDOW's own figure, successful hunters over hunters afield. NDOW ran 1 more mule deer hunt on this group, smaller ones; the draw panel lists them.

Antlered, any legal weapon, Oct 05 - Nov 05: 140 resident and 9 nonresident tags. 133 hunters went afield and 71 filled their tag (53%). Hunters reported 5.1 days afield on average. 45% of the bucks residents took carried four or more points on a side.
Antlered, archery, Aug 10 - Sep 09: 65 resident and 7 nonresident tags. 63 hunters went afield and 15 filled their tag (24%). Hunters reported 6.9 days afield on average. 58% of the bucks residents took carried four or more points on a side.
Junior, seasonal weapon restriction, Aug 10 - Nov 05: 65 resident tags. 52 hunters went afield and 27 filled their tag (52%). Hunters reported 5.2 days afield on average. 44% of the bucks residents took carried four or more points on a side.
Antlered, muzzleloader, Nov 10 - Nov 30: 15 resident and 1 nonresident tags. 14 hunters went afield and 6 filled their tag (43%). Hunters reported 5.9 days afield on average. 33% of the bucks residents took carried four or more points on a side.

Roads in and the nearest towns

Nevada rules that decide your day

Summarised from NDOW regulations. They change — read the current regulations and your permit-tag before you hunt.

Legal shooting hours

Big game may be taken from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset.

Motorized retrieval

Nevada has no general off-road retrieval allowance; travel stays on existing routes.

Tagging

Validate and attach the tag before the animal is moved.

Leaving meat

Wasting edible meat is illegal.

Where you may not shoot

Occupied structures — No shooting within 5,000 feet of an occupied dwelling without permission in some counties; no shooting from or across a highway.

Mule Deer: where to put the shot

Broadside or quartering away, on the back edge of the front leg about a third of the way up the body.

Shots to refuse

Nothing behind or overlapping the animal you picked.
Your maximum range is the farthest you have shot a three-shot group into a paper plate from the rest you are carrying.
Pass the shot you are talking yourself into.

Plan the carry: roughly 40– 120 lb of boned-out meat, before head and hide — two large coolers. ProHunt planning estimate, not an agency figure.

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Mule Deer Success Rates

Antlered, any legal weapon: 71 of 133 hunters afield (53%); Antlered, archery: 15 of 63 hunters afield (24%); Junior, seasonal weapon restriction: 27 of 52 hunters afield (52%); Antlered, muzzleloader: 6 of 14 hunters afield (43%). Figures are NDOW's own, from its 2025 Big Game Hunt Data.

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts (n/p)
Rifle — Mid Season bull/buck only (resident)	140	773	18.1%	—
Rifle — Mid Season bull/buck only (nonresident)	9	105	8.6%	—
Rifle — Limited Entry either sex (resident)	60	94	63.8%	—
Rifle — Limited Entry antlerless (resident)	70	131	53.4%	—
Rifle — Early Season either sex (resident)	65	103	63.1%	—
Archery — Early Season bull/buck only (resident)	65	86	75.6%	—
Archery — Early Season bull/buck only (nonresident)	7	11	63.6%	—
Muzzleloader — Late Season bull/buck only (resident)	15	91	16.5%	—
Muzzleloader — Late Season bull/buck only (nonresident)	1	19	5.3%	—

Open in Draw Odds Engine

From 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: 773 demand for 140 tags, a 18.1% draw rate; Nonresidents: 105 demand for 9 tags, a 8.6% draw rate.
Antlered, archery — Residents: 86 demand for 65 tags, a 75.6% draw rate; Nonresidents: 11 demand for 7 tags, a 63.6% draw rate.
Junior, seasonal weapon restriction — Residents: 103 demand for 65 tags, a 63.1% draw rate.
Antlered, muzzleloader — Residents: 91 demand for 15 tags, a 16.5% draw rate; Nonresidents: 19 demand for 1 tag, a 5.3% draw rate.
Guided antlered, any legal weapon — Nonresidents: 6 demand for 6 tags, a 100.0% draw rate.

NDOW's hunt data publishes no points-required figure, so none is given here.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

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Camp Sites

Developed campgrounds in the group: Middlegate Station RV Park, Fallon RV Park.

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Water

GNIS names 132 springs inside the group. Desert springs go dry; carry water and treat what you find.

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Road Conditions

US 50, Dixie Valley Road and NV 722 are the longest named roads in the group. About 195 mi paved, 350 mi gravel, 570 mi high-clearance or 4WD.

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Terrain Difficulty

Named features run from 3,392 to 9,964 ft across 4 units. More than 4,000 feet of relief, so plan the pack-out before the shot.

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Weather

Season normals from the group's largest unit: Sep 84/47°F, 0.2 in.; Oct 70/36°F, 0.4 in.; Nov 56/26°F, 0.5 in.; Dec 46/20°F, 0.4 in..

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Nearest Town

Fallon Station (9 mi), Fallon (11 mi), Kingston (33 mi)

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Permit Notes

A tag for this group is good only inside units 181 - 184. Check NDOW's current regulations for season dates before you go.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which units does a Nevada pronghorn tag for 181 - 184 cover?

NDOW draws it as one unit group: units 181, 182, 183 and 184, about 5,719 square miles in Churchill County, Lander County, Pershing County, Mineral County, Nye County and Lyon County. The tag is good anywhere inside that line and nowhere outside it.

What was hunter success for pronghorn on units 181 - 184 in 2025?

On NDOW's largest 2025 pronghorn hunt here, the horns longer than ears hunt (any legal weapon), Aug 22 - Sep 07, 68 of 73 hunters afield filled their tag, 93%. That is NDOW's figure from its 2025 Big Game Hunt Data.

How hard is the pronghorn draw for units 181 - 184?

For the horns longer than ears hunt (any legal weapon) NDOW counted 926 resident demand for 70 tags in 2025, a 7.6% draw rate, and 434 nonresident demand for 7, 1.6%. NDOW publishes no points-required figure in that data.

Which units does a Nevada mule deer tag for 181 - 184 cover?

What was hunter success for mule deer on units 181 - 184 in 2025?

On NDOW's largest 2025 mule deer hunt here, the antlered hunt (any legal weapon), Oct 05 - Nov 05, 71 of 133 hunters afield filled their tag, 53%. That is NDOW's figure from its 2025 Big Game Hunt Data.

How hard is the mule deer draw for units 181 - 184?

For the antlered hunt (any legal weapon) NDOW counted 773 resident demand for 140 tags in 2025, a 18.1% draw rate, and 105 nonresident demand for 9, 8.6%. NDOW publishes no points-required figure in that data.

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Sources & Verification

Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-10-25.

Hunt Information Sheet — Pronghorn antelope, 181 182 183 184 — 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 181 - 184, 5,719 square miles · accessed 2026-10-25
Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the group — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Louderback Mountains, Clan Alpine Mountains, White Throne Mountains, Desatoya North Twin 9,964 ft, Desatoya Peak 9,958 ft · accessed 2026-10-25
Hunt Information Sheet — Mule deer, 181,182,183,184 — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Access, Recommended hunting areas, Biologist comments · accessed 2026-10-25

Unit 181 - 184 (Dixie Valley, Smith Creek Valley and Edwards Creek Valley)

Build your own PDF hunt guide for Unit 181 - 184

Antelope Hunting in Unit 181 - 184

Where to Find Pronghorn in Units 181 - 184: Edwards Creek, Smith Creek and Dixie valleys

Eight places from Edwards Creek Valley to the Carson Sink

Water and broken ground between 5,500 and 7,500 feet

The ground NDOW draws for this tag

Unit 181 - 184 terrain and land status

Named features inside the unit

How to Hunt Pronghorn in Units 181 - 184: Highway 50 from Fallon and Highway 722

Antelope Success Rates

Antelope Draw Odds

Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 181 - 184

Where to Find Mule Deer in Units 181 - 184: the Clan Alpine Range and the High Desatoyas

The Clan Alpine Range and the upper Desatoyas

Parts of the New Pass Range and the Stillwater Mountains

The ground NDOW draws for this tag

Unit 181 - 184 terrain and land status

Named features inside the unit

How to Hunt Mule Deer in Units 181 - 184: Smith Creek access and horses on the ranges

Mule Deer Success Rates

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Unit Logistics & Expectations

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Sources & Verification