We here at Hunt Nation really like outfitters with plenty of in field experience and with proven success records. When you deal with hard to draw tags, those are the kind of outfitters you really must have to help produce the quality animal you have been dreaming of. With nearly 30 years under their belts, these outfitters fit that mold. They are licensed and hunt in both Utah and Nevada for virtually all species of big game found in those states.
UTAH: Utah has a history of producing many big mule deer, elk, antelope, sheep, and mountain lions. When it comes to mule deer, Utah has a “general” deer season and a “limited-entry” (LE) deer season. Typically, the LE deer tags are much harder to draw but offer a better chance at harvesting a top-quality buck. The general season tags are much easier to draw which means there is an increase in hunter pressure and generally speaking, bigger bucks are harder to find. However, even on the general season hunts, quality bucks can be found and are killed every year.
Utah is a Preference Points state which means that during the tag drawing process, applicants with the most amount of points will draw the tags. In the Limited-Entry drawing, 50% of the tags do go to random applicants so you do have a chance of drawing a Limited Entry tag every year regardless of how many points you have. Every year you apply for a tag but don’t draw, you will accrue an additional preference point to increase your odds of drawing the following year. Generally speaking, you can have a good idea of whether you will draw a tag or not prior to applying for a tag if you look at the previous year’s drawing statistics.
If you have never applied for Utah before or would like to apply for the units this outfit guides in, please contact us at Hunt Nation prior to or during the application period (typically during April/May) and we can help you out. Because of the short muzzleloader and rifle deer seasons, you have a very limited time window, so do not procrastinate! Also these guided hunts tend to fill up quickly after the draw results come out!
UTAH ELK, SHEEP, MULE DEER
They have been hunting southern Utah for years and have harvested many trophy mule deer, sheep and elk on these tough units. In Utah they offer desert bighorn hunts on the Zion, Pine Valley Beaver Dam, and Pine Valley Virgin River units. The 2023 Utah desert sheep hunts run the following dates:
• Pine Valley, Beaver Dam: October 28 – December 24
• Pine Valley, Virgin River: October 28 – December 24
• Zion: Sept. 16 – November 10
• Mineral Mountains: New unit in 2024!
While Utah general mule deer hunts have a high number of hunters, with hard scouting prior to the season there is a good chance of finding multiple big bucks. They currently offer guided mule deer hunts on the following units: Pine Valley; Southwest Desert; Beaver and Zion. For elk they guide all seasons (archery, muzzleloader, rifle, late archery, and HAMS) in these Units:
• Southwest Desert, South
• Southwest Desert, North
IN 2023, the Utah Wildlife Board approved three handgun-archery-muzzleloader-shot-gun-only (HAMS) hunts for buck deer. These hunts occur November and are considered limited-entry hunts. The limited-entry late muzzleloader tags are difficult to draw and take place during early November, but they offer a great opportunity to harvest the biggest bucks in the unit. They have killed two bucks over 210″ on these late muzzleloader hunts. As to elk, here is a recent client report from Dan L:
“Hunted Elk 2022 (November) with them on the late hunt. Killed a great bull 365″. We had a great hunt, the team of 3 guys worked their ass off every day spotting bulls and working together to get me on the best trophy possible. My friend and I will continue to work with these guys in Nevada and Utah for Elk, Mule Deer and Sheep. They have excellent knowledge of the areas and trophy qualities in them. These guys are hard core trophy hunters that love what they do. They eat, sleep and live this lifestyle everyday I’m sure. I can’t say enough about the passion and dedication for fare chase hunting this group demonstrates before, during and after the hunt.”
Camp accommodations can vary. On hunts close to roads you typically have travel trailers and/or wall-tents and use trucks/ATVs. Although these are “road hunts” we at Hunt Nation recommend being in good shape because a lot of hiking can be needed to avoid other hunters. They also try to utilize the horses to access remote areas whenever it is feasible. When hunting the backcountry, they use horse/mules/llamas to pack-in lightweight tents or wall tents. The backcountry hunts require a lot of hiking in steep terrain, so we recommend being in good physical condition to increase your odds of being successful.
NEVADA ELK, SHEEP, MULE DEER
Nevada is a Bonus Points state. When you apply for a tag, they take your number of bonus points and square them. For example, if you have 4 bonus points, those will be squared and you will then have 16 chances, plus 1, for a total of 17. The actual draw is random, however, so you are never guaranteed a tag regardless of your number of points. Many people get lucky and draw tough-to-draw tags with very few points. Everyone has a chance of drawing a tag regardless of how many points they have.
A great opportunity for drawing a Mule Deer tag in Nevada is the Non-Resident “guide draw”. This draw is only for people who will be using a licensed guide, and it is a rifle-only draw. This draw typically increases your odds 2-4x. This NR guide draw opens up on February 12 and has a deadline of March 11.
This outfitter offers guided Desert and California bighorn sheep hunts in all open units in Nevada. Living in southern Nevada, they are located right in the heart of Nevada and Utah’s best sheep hunting. They have a great group of guides who work hard and have many years of sheep hunting experience.
Nevada offers “any legal weapon” (rifle) hunts to residents and non-residents for Desert and California bighorn sheep. There are also a handful of new archery-only desert bighorn hunts. Depending on the unit, it may have an early rifle hunt during September/October, or a late rifle hunt during November/December. They have guided sheep hunts in most units and we are confident they can find you a trophy ram in any unit. And they do a superb job on big mule deer as well. Plenty of pictures to back it up, too!
They offer trophy bull elk hunts in the premier units in the southern half of the state. Depending on the hunt dates and the client’s needs, camp accommodations may consist of travel trailers, wall tents, or backcountry camps with horses or pack llamas. They guide bull elk in the following units. All of these units have a potential to produce 350″+ bulls: 221-223; 231; 111-115 (BLM land only; 241-242; 104; 108; 121; 131-132.
Nevada and Utah mountain lion hunts:
Most of these hunts are based out of their property in Nevada near the Utah border (30 minutes west of Enterprise, UT). The hunting camp has a small lodge, bunk rooms, shower, internet, TV, etc. Because it gets dark so early and there is a lot of down time, they try to make camp as comfortable as possible. From the camp they are able to hunt any surrounding areas in Nevada and Utah. Occasionally they may use hotels or a mobile camp based out of travel trailers and possibly wall tents. They will also provide all the food and beverages (non-alcoholic) during the hunt. You will hunt both Utah and Nevada. In Utah as of March 2023 a person may harvest a lion as long as they have a valid hunting license. There is no annual limit to the number of lions you may harvest. They are licensed and permitted on the Pine Valley, Zion, Southwest Desert, and parts of the Beaver unit. In Nevada the tag is approximately $110. Hunt conditions may range from 1’ of snow to dusty dry ground. They typically offer a 5- day hunt but will customize the hunt to fit clients wants and needs. Transportation during the hunt may consist of trucks, UTV’s, or horseback.
They also guide cow elk, depredation elk, and spike elk hunts. Contact us for more info on these hunts. If you have any question about what units to apply for, please contact us before or during the application period (April-May) and we can get you their recommended units. Their favorite units vary from year to year based on what rams they are actually finding in each unit. If you have any questions about these Nevada hunts, please give Hunt Nation a call today and let’s talk about your future hunt!
2024-2025 PRICES (subject to change without notice until deposit received)
Nevada (all hunts are at least 1×1, most of the time we have 1-2 additional guides)
Mule Deer
– 7 days: $7,000
– $700 each additional day
Bull Elk
– 5 days: $6,500
– $700 each additional day
Bighorn Sheep
– 5 days: $6,000
– $700 each additional day
Pronghorn
– 3 days: $3,500
– $700 each additional day
Mountain Lion
– 5 days: $5,550
– $700 each additional day
Utah (all hunts are at least 1×1, most of the time we have 1 additional guide)
Mule Deer (General Season)
– 5 days: $5,500
– $500 each additional day
– Each additional hunter is ½ price ($2,750 for 5 days, then $250 each additional day)
Mule Deer (Limited-Entry)
– 5 days: $6,000
– $500 each additional day
Bull Elk
– 5 days: $6,000
– $500 each additional day
Bighorn Sheep
– 5 days: $5,500
– $500 each additional day
Pronghorn
– 3 days: $3,500
– $500 each additional day
Mountain Lion
– 5 days: $5,550
– $700 each additional day
