Nevada Hunting License: Cost, Requirements & How to Buy
A Nevada hunting license costs $38 for a resident adult and $155 for a non-resident adult (fees verified 2026-09-12).
Nevada's hunting license itself is a modest part of the cost of hunting the state: nearly all of its best big game hunting, deer, elk and desert bighorn sheep, runs through a competitive draw, and the license is simply the prerequisite for applying.
- Combination hunt + fish license, resident $75
- Combination hunt + fish license, non-resident $155
Figure shown is the hunting-only license; a combination hunt-and-fish license is available for $75 resident (non-residents pay the same $155 either way). All hunters born on or after Jan 1, 1960 must hold a hunter education certificate to buy a license. Youth ages 12-17 can get a combo hunt/fish license for $15 regardless of residency. Big game tags and application fees for deer, elk and bighorn sheep are separate and mostly issued through Nevada's draw.
Fee last verified 2026-09-12.
Heading out for Nevada hunting? Game wardens require carrying physical or digital license proof and valid tags. Equip yourself with a waterproof license and tag pouch, rechargeable wide-beam LED headlamp, and corrosion-resistant multi-tool pliers before your trip.
What a Nevada hunting license costs
Residents pay $38 for the hunting-only license, or $75 for a combination hunt-and-fish license. Non-residents pay $155 for either option, the combo doesn't cost more for non-residents than the hunting-only version. Youth ages 12-17 can get a combo hunt/fish license for $15 regardless of residency. Big game tags and the associated application fees for deer, elk, pronghorn and bighorn sheep are separate, most issued only through Nevada's draw system.
Hunter education and who needs a license
Anyone born on or after January 1, 1960 must hold a hunter education certificate before buying a Nevada hunting license. There's no minimum age to take the course itself, though children under 11 must attend with an adult, and hunters 18 and older can complete the certification fully online.
License year and the draw
Nevada hunting licenses are valid for one year from the date of purchase rather than a fixed calendar or license-year date. Big game draw applications run on their own separate annual deadlines and require a valid license or license purchased alongside the application, so timing a license purchase around Nevada's draw calendar matters more than the license's own validity window.
How to buy your Nevada hunting license
The Nevada Department of Wildlife's online system handles license sales and draw applications, and licenses are also available at NDOW offices and authorized sporting goods retailers around the state.
Hunting in Nevada: what to expect
Nevada's mule deer hunting concentrates in the mountain ranges of the northern and eastern parts of the state, where elevation gain from sagebrush valley floor to alpine ridge in a single day is a routine part of the hunt. Desert bighorn sheep tags, issued through a lottery so competitive that many hunters apply for decades without drawing, are among the most sought-after in North America and center on the state's isolated desert mountain ranges. Elk, once absent from Nevada, have been reintroduced into several units in the northeast and now support a small but growing limited-entry hunt.
Public land and the reality of Nevada's draw
Nevada is overwhelmingly federal BLM and Forest Service land, more than 80% of the state, so public access is rarely the limiting factor the way it is in Eastern states. The limiting factor is drawing a tag: most quality deer, elk and sheep hunts require building preference points over multiple years, and a first-time Nevada applicant should expect to apply repeatedly before drawing a good unit rather than plan a hunt around a first-year tag.
How to renew a Nevada hunting license
There is no separate renewal process in Nevada. A hunting license is not extended in place; when it expires you buy a new one for the next license year through the same system you used the first time, and your customer profile, hunter or angler ID and any saved payment details carry over so the second purchase takes a couple of minutes. Valid for one year from the date of purchase.
The fastest route is the official Nevada online licensing portal, which also lets you print or download the new license and add any stamps, tags or endorsements in one transaction. In-person license agents (sporting goods stores, bait shops and, in many states, county clerks) sell the same license at the same price, so use whichever is closer. Buying before the old license lapses is not required, but it avoids an accidental gap if a season opens before you get round to it.
Planning more than one? See the Nevada fishing license page too, see how much a hunting license costs in every state, compare non-resident hunting fees across states, browse every state, or use the state license finder.