Nevada Pronghorn Mule Deer

Unit 015 (Pine Forest Range)

Nevada Hunting Guide — Pronghorn, Mule Deer

Unit 015 wraps the Pine Forest Range and the surrounding Humboldt County sage country. It's a staple pronghorn unit with deep tag quotas and wide-open terrain.

View Draw Odds Nevada Hunting Guide

Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 015

Unit 015 wraps the Pine Forest Range and the surrounding Humboldt County sage country. It's a staple pronghorn unit with deep tag quotas and wide-open terrain.

Where to Find Pronghorn in Unit 015

The flats around Blue Lakes and the benches west of the Pine Forest proper are the typical high-density zones. Pronghorn cycle between water and feed in predictable dawn/midday/dusk bands.

How to Hunt Unit 015

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Pronghorn Success Rates

Unit 015 rifle pronghorn success regularly exceeds 80% in NDOW's post-season reports. The volume of tags keeps the unit on most first-timer shortlists.

Pronghorn Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %
Rifle— Early Season	65	544	11.9%
Archery— Early Season	15	36	41.7%
Archery— Early Season	30	41	73.2%
Muzzleloader— Early Season	10	22	45.5%
Muzzleloader— Early Season	8	11	72.7%

Data from 2025 draw results. Resident odds shown.

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180 tags across three years against 1,902 applicants makes 015 one of the easier Nevada pronghorn draws to pull in a single cycle, especially for archery and muzzleloader.

Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 015

Unit 015 anchors Nevada's far-northwest corner, including the Pine Forest Range, Big Spring Table, and country bordering the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge. This is a remote, low-pressure mule-deer unit with aspen-conifer pockets on the Pine Forest crest giving way to broken rimrock and sage below. NDOW three-year data show ~19 tags per year against 886 applicants, making it a mid-difficulty draw with quality buck genetics in an area seeing minimal hunter saturation.

Where to Find Mule Deer in Unit 015

Unit 015 deer use the full elevation gradient — from aspen-fir pockets on the Pine Forest crest at 8,000+ ft down to sage/rimrock at 5,500 ft.

Pine Forest Range Crest (7,500–8,500 ft)

The core summer and early-fall range is on the aspen benches and spruce-fir pockets of the Pine Forest Range. Blue Lake and Onion Reservoir sit at the heart of this zone — glass the basins and aspen stands radiating off the lakes at first and last light.

Big Spring Table Rimrock

Big Spring Table is a sage-and-juniper plateau east of the Pine Forest Range. Its rimrock edges hold mature bucks that feed on the table top and bed in the lava-rimmed canyons on the flanks. Work the rim edges methodically.

Sheldon Border Transition

Along the Sheldon NWR boundary, sage-covered benches hold transition-range deer as weather pushes them off the Pine Forest high country. Hunters must stay off the refuge itself — know the boundary.

How to Hunt Mule Deer in Unit 015

015 rewards hunters who commit to multi-day, glass-heavy hunts in one of Nevada's most remote deer units.

Base at Onion Valley or Blue Lake

USFS dispersed camping around Onion Valley Reservoir and Blue Lake puts you in the middle of the core deer habitat. Day-hunt from there into the aspen basins and rimrock.

Glass Aspen Pockets

Pine Forest Range aspen stands are the single most productive feature on the unit. Glass aspen edges morning and evening, and plan mid-day still-hunts through the interior stands for bedded bucks.

Cover the Rim on Big Spring Table

After 2–3 days on the Pine Forest crest, shift east to Big Spring Table. Walk or slow-drive the rim edges, glassing into the canyons on the flanks. Mature bucks use these lava-rimmed breaks as daytime refuges.

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Mule Deer Success Rates

Rifle30%

Archery18%

Muzzleloader22%

NDOW three-year data: 57 tags issued against 886 applicants — roughly 19 tags per year. Harvest rates on this remote, low-pressure unit are strong; see the draw-odds chart on this page for the most current trend.

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Season	Tags	Applicants	Draw %	Pts Req
Rifle— Late Season	10	123	8.1%	1
Rifle— Limited Entry	3	5	60.0%	0
Rifle— Limited Entry	5	8	62.5%	1
Rifle— Early Season	4	8	50.0%	0
Archery— Early Season	3	9	33.3%	0
Muzzleloader— Early Season	5	14	35.7%	1

Data from 2025 draw results. Resident odds shown.

Open in Draw Odds Engine

Unit 015 is drawn as a standalone mule-deer tag. Nevada uses a weighted bonus-point draw — more accumulated bonus points mean more entries in the random draw (each point earns one additional entry).

Three-year totals: 886 applicants / 57 tags ~ 6.4% raw-odds success. Residents draw at a better clip than nonresidents because of NDOW's nonresident quota cap.

The live chart on this page reflects the current NDOW dataset.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Unit 015 a good first-time pronghorn hunt?

Yes — 015 combines high tag counts, 80%+ rifle success, and easy access from Winnemucca, making it a common choice for first-time Nevada pronghorn hunters.

Where should I camp for Unit 015?

Dispersed BLM camping around Blue Lakes and the Pine Forest access roads is the standard setup; no developed campground inside the unit.

Can I hunt mule deer on Sheldon NWR with a Unit 015 tag?

No. Sheldon NWR is closed to mule-deer hunting. A Unit 015 tag is valid on the BLM and USFS land surrounding the refuge but not inside the posted refuge boundary.

What is the trophy potential of Unit 015?

Unit 015 produces consistent 150-170 class bucks with occasional 180+ bucks from the Pine Forest Range and Big Spring Table. Low pressure and aspen-rich habitat support older age classes than many Nevada units.

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Sources & Verification

Every fact on this page is tied to a primary source below. Last fact-checked 2026-04-17.

NDOW Hunt Info Sheets — Pronghorn 015 — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: 015 listed as standalone pronghorn hunt · accessed 2026-04-17
NDOW Big Game — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Antelope season framework · accessed 2026-04-17
NDOW Hunt Draw — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Draw process · accessed 2026-04-17
NDOW Mule Deer — Statewide Overview — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Habitat types used by mule deer in northwest Nevada, Migration patterns · accessed 2026-04-17
Humboldt-Toiyabe NF — Santa Rosa Ranger District (Pine Forest Range) — USDA Forest Service · supports: Forest Service timber / aspen on upper Pine Forest Range, Onion Valley and Blue Lake access · accessed 2026-04-17
Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge — hunting regulations — US Fish & Wildlife Service · supports: Sheldon NWR borders Unit 015 but pronghorn/mule-deer hunting is closed on the refuge · accessed 2026-04-17

Unit 015 (Pine Forest Range)

Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 015

Where to Find Pronghorn in Unit 015

How to Hunt Unit 015

Pronghorn Success Rates

Pronghorn Draw Odds

Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 015

Where to Find Mule Deer in Unit 015

Pine Forest Range Crest (7,500–8,500 ft)

Big Spring Table Rimrock

Sheldon Border Transition

How to Hunt Mule Deer in Unit 015

Base at Onion Valley or Blue Lake

Glass Aspen Pockets

Cover the Rim on Big Spring Table

Mule Deer Success Rates

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Unit Logistics & Expectations

Planning Notes

Road Conditions

Cell Service

Nearest Town

Frequently Asked Questions

Plan Your Hunt with ProHunt Pro+AI

Sources & Verification

Unit 015 (Pine Forest Range)

Pronghorn Hunting in Unit 015

Where to Find Pronghorn in Unit 015

How to Hunt Unit 015

Pronghorn Success Rates

Pronghorn Draw Odds

Mule Deer Hunting in Unit 015

Where to Find Mule Deer in Unit 015

Pine Forest Range Crest (7,500–8,500 ft)

Big Spring Table Rimrock

Sheldon Border Transition

How to Hunt Mule Deer in Unit 015

Mule Deer Success Rates

Mule Deer Draw Odds

Unit Logistics & Expectations

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Unit 051 — Jackson / Pine Forest Pronghorn

Frequently Asked Questions

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Sources & Verification