The following are rules and regulations to get started in the sport.
Thinking of getting into hunting? The Nevada Department of Wildlife is your go-to source for information about hunter education, licensing, seasons, drawing tags, and more. Here’s what you need to know to get started:
- Hunter certification If you were born after Jan. 1, 1960, you must take and pass a hunter safety and education course that addresses safety, ethics, laws, and regulations of legal hunting. All courses are currently offered online and can be completed in a few hours.
- Hunting license After passing the class, you may purchase a Nevada hunting license on Ndowlicensing.com. The type of license you get depends on the species you intend to legally hunt.
- What do you want to hunt? Your options in Nevada include big game, small game, and waterfowl hunting. Each has a different season and set of regulations.
- Big game hunting In Nevada, hopeful big game hunters apply for a limited number of tags for a variety of big game species. More people apply for tags than there are tags available due to a supply-demand imbalance, so it may take a number of years to successfully “draw” a big game tag. The application period takes place in the spring, and results come out soon after the closing date. Most big game hunting seasons occur between August and February. Examples of big game species that can be hunted in Nevada are mule deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, and bighorn sheep. If you do have a big game hunting tag, most seasons typically last 10 to 30 days, although some last longer.
- Small game hunting Most small game hunting does not require applying for tags, but as with big game hunting, there are seasons and bag limits associated with different species. Some examples of small game are chukar, rabbit, quail, and various grouse species, and their seasons are in the fall and early winter months.
- Waterfowl hunting Waterfowl are migratory game birds that are managed at both the federal and state level. A federal duck stamp is needed to hunt waterfowl. Waterfowl seasons vary depending on the part of the state you are in but generally are in the fall and early winter months. Migratory game birds include various duck, goose, and other less-pursued species.
- Webinars and YouTube NDOW offers a number of webinars and YouTube videos to help beginning and experienced hunters. Topics include gear and equipment, planning a hunt, taxidermy, applying for tags, cooking with wild game, and more.
- Stay positive Don’t lose confidence when you get started hunting. It is no secret that there is a bit of a learning curve compared to many other forms of outdoor recreation. In Nevada, we are fortunate to have an incredible amount of public land compared to the rest of the country. Our area offers quality experiences in the field that legitimately cannot be found in most other states.
