Nevada Hunting Laws

What makes land legally posted in Nevada?

In Nevada, hunting private land is illegal where the owner has warned against trespass as NRS 207.200 allows, or where signs forbid hunting without permission. Legal warnings include no-trespassing signs no more than 500 feet apart and at every corner, fluorescent orange paint, a fence, cultivated cropland, or a direct oral or written demand.

Signs must be in line of sight of each other. Anyone posting land must show the owner's name and address on each sign and, if not the owner, have written authorization (NRS 207.205). Being on posted or fenced land without lawful business is prima facie evidence of trespass.

Source: NRS 503.240; NRS 207.200(2) · official source

Does Nevada have a purple paint law?

Nevada does not use purple paint. It uses fluorescent orange paint: at least 50 sq in on a structure or natural object, or the top 12 inches of a post. Marks must be within sight of each other and no more than 1,000 feet apart, at every corner and on both sides of gates, cattle guards and openings.

Source: NRS 207.200(2)(a) · official source

Do you need written permission to hunt private land in Nevada?

Nevada law does not require written permission. On land posted against trespass or hunting, you need the owner's or occupant's permission, and verbal permission is enough.

Leave gates as you found them. Failing to close gates is a misdemeanor (NRS 207.220, applied to hunters by 503.240(2)).

Source: NRS 503.240 · official source

What is the penalty for hunting trespass in Nevada?

Hunting posted private land without permission is a misdemeanor under Nevada's wildlife laws. The penalty is a $50-$500 fine, up to 6 months in county jail, or both.

Courts can also refuse new licenses for convicted violators (NRS 501.385/501.376), and general trespass under NRS 207.200 is also a misdemeanor.

Source: NRS 503.240; NRS 501.385 · official source

Can you hunt from or near a road in Nevada?

It is a misdemeanor to fire a gun from, upon, over or across any federal highway, state highway, or main or general county road. Carrying a rifle or shotgun with a round in the chamber in a vehicle on or along a public road is also illegal.

A conviction that results in injury or death leads to license revocation for at least 2 years (NRS 503.185).

Source: NRS 503.175; NRS 503.165 · official source

What are legal shooting hours in Nevada?

Big game hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset unless a hunt says otherwise. Mountain lions may be hunted at any hour.

Where the Commission sets no hours, the default in NRS 503.140 is sunrise to sunset.

Source: NRS 503.140; Commission Regulation 25-07 · official source

What are the blaze orange requirements in Nevada?

Nevada has no hunter orange requirement for any season. Wearing it is still recommended for safety.

No hunter orange provision appears in NRS chapter 503 or NAC chapter 503.

Source: official source

Is night hunting legal in Nevada?

You may not hunt game birds or game mammals with any artificial light. You also may not possess or use night-vision, thermal or infrared devices while hunting or locating game. Mountain lions are the exception to big game hunting hours and may be hunted day or night.

Illuminated sights (battery, fiber optic or tritium) are allowed.

Source: NRS 503.150(1)(f); NAC 503.1455 · official source

Do you need a hunting license to hunt your own land in Nevada?

No. Anyone who hunts wildlife in Nevada needs a license or permit, with no exemption for hunting your own land. Residents under 12 don't need a hunting license, but they cannot hunt big game except through a mentoring program.

Owners, lessees or managers can apply for deer or antelope tags as compensation for damage to their land (NRS 502.145), but these are not a license exemption.

Source: NRS 502.010 · official source

Who needs hunter education in Nevada?

Anyone born after January 1, 1960 must show a hunter education certificate (or a past hunting license marked as proof of completion) to buy a Nevada hunting license. Courses from other states, Canadian provinces and IHEA-standard foreign programs are accepted.

A one-time apprentice hunting license ($15, age 12+, never licensed before) allows hunting without the course under a mentor's direct supervision (NRS 502.066). Anyone convicted of firearm-from-vehicle or highway-shooting violations must retake the course.

Source: NRS 502.330 · official source

Is Sunday hunting legal in Nevada?

Nevada has no Sunday hunting restriction. Hunting is allowed every day of the open season.

Source: official source

Is it legal to bait deer in Nevada?

Baiting big game is illegal. You may not bait big game for hunting or knowingly hunt big game someone else baited. Bait includes salt, minerals, grain or any other natural or manufactured food.

Normal agricultural and livestock feeding, and standing food-plot crops, are not baiting.

Source: NAC 503.149 · official source

Can you use a crossbow during archery season in Nevada?

Crossbows are legal for big game only in any-legal-weapon hunts (125-lb minimum draw, 14-inch power stroke, 18-inch stock, mechanical safety). They are not allowed in archery-only hunts without an archery disability permit, and never in muzzleloader hunts.

Bolts must be at least 16 inches and 300 grains with 7/8-inch broadheads.

Source: NAC 503.143 · official source

Can you use a drone to scout or recover game in Nevada?

From July 1 to the end of February, you may not use an aircraft, drone or satellite imagery to locate or observe big game, game birds or furbearers for hunting. It is also illegal at any time to harass game or shoot from a drone, or to relay game locations spotted from an aircraft within 24 hours of landing.

Source: NAC 503.148; NRS 503.010 · official source

Are trail cameras restricted in Nevada?

Trail cameras are banned from August 1 through December 31. Cameras that can transmit images, video or location data are banned from July 1 through December 31. Cameras that block or change wildlife's access to water sources are banned year-round.

Exemption: cameras on private property with the landowner's permission. Time-lapse devices count as trail cameras.

Source: NAC 503.1485 · official source

Is a landowner liable if someone gets hurt hunting on their land in Nevada?

Yes. Owners, lessees and occupants owe no duty to keep land safe or warn of hazards for people hunting, fishing or doing other recreation there, and granting permission is not an assurance of safety. Protection does not cover willful or malicious failure to warn, or permission granted for a fee.

A landowner's sale of a game tag is not treated as a fee for hunting permission.

Source: NRS 41.510 · official source