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Nevada Elk

Unit 262 (Spring Mountains North)

Nevada Hunting Guide — Elk

Nevada Unit 262 covers the northern Spring Mountains in Clark County — the high country of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, rising from Mojave desert floors to more than 11,000 ft on Charleston Peak. The elk herd here is transplanted and tags are extremely limited, making it one of the state's toughest draws for a low-elevation southern elk hunt.

View Draw Odds Nevada Hunting Guide

Elk Hunting in Unit 262

Nevada Unit 262 covers the northern Spring Mountains in Clark County — the high country of the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, rising from Mojave desert floors to more than 11,000 ft on Charleston Peak. The elk herd here is transplanted and tags are extremely limited, making it one of the state's toughest draws for a low-elevation southern elk hunt.

Where to Find Elk in Unit 262

Unit 262 elk concentrate in the ponderosa and bristlecone belt from roughly 7,500 ft up — the basins off Lee Canyon, the Mount Charleston area ridges, and the timbered flanks above Kyle Canyon. Water is scarce and concentrates animals at springs and guzzlers. In hot early seasons the herd shifts toward the north-face cirques; by late season they drop onto the pinyon-juniper benches.

How to Hunt Unit 262

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Elk Success Rates

Rifle35%
Archery22%
Muzzleloader28%

Elk success in Unit 262 varies widely because tag numbers are tiny (3 across three years). When the herd is accessible and weather cooperates, rifle tag holders see multiple shootable bulls; in drought or heavy-recreation years success can drop into the 30-50% band. Most tag holders invest significant pre-season scouting time.

Elk Draw Odds

SeasonTagsApplicantsDraw %Pts Req
Rifle— Early Season34830.6% 0
Archery— Early Season1402.5% 1
Muzzleloader— Mid Season11010.0% 1

Data from 2025 draw results. Resident odds shown.

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Unit 262 is one of Nevada's toughest elk draws — roughly 9 tags across three years against 1,200 applicants. NDOW squares bonus points in the draw formula, but even maximum-point applicants face deep single-digit odds most years. Expect this to be a long-term point-building tag for most hunters.

Unit Logistics & Expectations

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Frequently Asked Questions

Are there elk in the Spring Mountains?
Yes — Unit 262 holds a transplanted elk herd in the Spring Mountains NRA of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. NDOW issues a very small number of tags through the big-game draw.
How hard is it to draw Unit 262 elk?
Very hard — roughly 9 tags across three years against 1,200 applicants. Expect multi-year point building before drawing.

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Sources & Verification

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

  1. NDOW Hunt Information Sheets — Elk Unit 262 — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Spring Mountains elk herd context, Season framework · accessed 2026-04-17
  2. Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest — Spring Mountains NRA — USDA Forest Service · supports: Spring Mountains National Recreation Area boundary, Road and trail access · accessed 2026-04-17
  3. BLM Southern Nevada District — Bureau of Land Management · supports: BLM fringe access around the range, Wilderness boundaries · accessed 2026-04-17
  4. NDOW Hunt Draw — Elk Application — Nevada Department of Wildlife · supports: Elk draw application, Bonus weighted bonus point weighting · accessed 2026-04-17