Unit 194, 196 (Peavine Mountain and the North Carson Range)
Nevada Hunting Guide — Mule Deer
Units 194, 196 cover about 446 square miles next to Reno and Carson City, from Peavine Mountain south along the Carson Range. NDOW's sheet sends early hunters to high meadows and riparian draws, then lower, to the 6,000- to 7,000-foot band, by the rifle season, which falls during the rut. Some of these deer belong to the Loyalton-Truckee herd shared with California.
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Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 194, 196
Units 194, 196 cover about 446 square miles next to Reno and Carson City, from Peavine Mountain south along the Carson Range. NDOW's sheet sends early hunters to high meadows and riparian draws, then lower, to the 6,000- to 7,000-foot band, by the rifle season, which falls during the rut. Some of these deer belong to the Loyalton-Truckee herd shared with California.
Where to Find Mule Deer in Units 194, 196: Peavine Mountain, Hunter Creek and Snow Valley Peak
Bull Ranch Creek and the north Carson Range
Early archers and muzzleloader hunters should key on high meadows and riparian areas. NDOW singles out the Bull Ranch Creek drainage on Peavine Mountain and the north end of the Carson Range between Hunter Creek and the California line, up to 8,000 feet. Snow Valley Peak, at the south end of Unit 194, also offers excellent high-country hunting early. The best way to it is the North Canyon Road from Spooner Lake State Park, which is closed to motor vehicles.
Above the Truckee Meadows, Ash Canyon to Kings Canyon
By the late muzzleloader season, and through the rifle hunt into December, look around the 6,000- to 7,000-foot contour. Deer scatter along the Carson Range's whole eastern flank. Even late, they use mahogany for thermal cover, so glass the shadows over and over. By November, some deer gather on the slopes above Carson City between Ash Canyon and Kings Canyon.
Part of the deer on Peavine and the far north Carson Range belong to the Loyalton-Truckee Interstate Herd, which NDOW manages jointly with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Deer that summer in California start filtering onto Nevada winter range around mid-November, and most have arrived by mid-December.
The ground NDOW draws for this tag
A mule deer tag for this group is good in units 194 and 196, about 446 square miles measured on NDOW's own boundary, in Washoe County, Carson City County and Douglas County. The one named range inside the line is Carson Range. The highest named points are Mount Rose (10,749 ft), Church Peak (10,598 ft) and Mount Houghton (10,476 ft), and the lowest named ground sits near 4,656 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 9 springs inside it, Mount Rose Spring, Moana Hot Springs, Steamboat Springs and Zolezzi Springs among them.
Unit 194, 196 terrain and land status
Measured from the unit boundary, not from the agency write-up
Named features inside the unit
Glass from: Mount Rose (10,749 ft), Relay Peak (10,313 ft), Snowflower Mountain (10,221 ft), Slide Mountain (9,682 ft)
Holding ground: Contact Pass (9,138 ft), Mount Rose Summit (8,950 ft), Davis Meadow (8,770 ft), Folsom Spring, Peavine Springs
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 194, 196: Peavine Road, Garson Road and the Mount Rose Highway
Mule Deer Success Rates
Antlered, any legal weapon: 24 of 27 hunters afield (89%); Antlered, archery: 6 of 16 hunters afield (38%); Junior, any legal weapon: 8 of 8 hunters afield (100%); Junior, SWR-Prmtve: 3 of 4 hunters afield (75%). 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 | 2,312 | 1.1% | — |
| Rifle — Late Season bull/buck only (nonresident) | 2 | 680 | 0.3% | — |
| Rifle — Limited Entry either sex (resident) | 20 | 205 | 9.8% | — |
| Rifle — Limited Entry antlerless (resident) | 20 | 439 | 4.6% | — |
| Rifle — Late Season either sex (resident) | 8 | 155 | 5.2% | — |
| Archery — Early Season bull/buck only (resident) | 4 | 58 | 6.9% | — |
| Archery — Early Season bull/buck only (nonresident) | 1 | 24 | 4.2% | — |
| Archery — Late Season bull/buck only (resident) | 15 | 118 | 12.7% | — |
| Archery — Late Season bull/buck only (nonresident) | 1 | 105 | 1.0% | — |
| Muzzleloader — Early Season bull/buck only (resident) | 3 | 52 | 5.8% | — |
| Muzzleloader — Early Season bull/buck only (nonresident) | 1 | 12 | 8.3% | — |
| Muzzleloader — Limited Entry either sex (resident) | 10 | 15 | 66.7% | — |
| Muzzleloader — Early Season either sex (resident) | 6 | 10 | 60.0% | — |
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 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: 2,312 demand for 25 tags, a 1.1% draw rate; Nonresidents: 680 demand for 2 tags, a 0.3% draw rate.
- Antlered, archery — Residents: 118 demand for 15 tags, a 12.7% draw rate; Nonresidents: 105 demand for 1 tag, a 1.0% draw rate.
- Junior, any legal weapon — Residents: 155 demand for 8 tags, a 5.2% draw rate.
- Junior, SWR-Prmtve — Residents: 10 demand for 6 tags, a 60.0% draw rate.
- Antlered, archery — Residents: 58 demand for 4 tags, a 6.9% draw rate; Nonresidents: 24 demand for 1 tag, a 4.2% draw rate.
- Antlered, muzzleloader — Residents: 52 demand for 3 tags, a 5.8% draw rate; Nonresidents: 12 demand for 1 tag, a 8.3% 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 194, 196 cover?
What was hunter success for mule deer on units 194, 196 in 2025?
How hard is the mule deer draw for units 194, 196?
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Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-10-25.
- Hunt Information Sheet — Mule deer, 194,196 - North Carson Range — 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 194, 196, 446 square miles · accessed 2026-10-25
- Geographic Names Information System — named features inside the group — U.S. Geological Survey · supports: Carson Range, Mount Rose 10,749 ft, Church Peak 10,598 ft · accessed 2026-10-25