Varmint Hunting in Northern Nevada: Coyotes, Jackrabbits, and Ground Squirrels

Varmint & Predator · Yerington, Nevada

Varmint hunting is the shooting most Nevadans actually do. No draw, no eleven-year point accumulation, no two-week season. Just a rifle, a lot of open country, and a reason to be out in it when nothing else is open.

It is also where hunters get complacent, because the rules feel loose. They are looser than big game, absolutely. But "unprotected" is not the same thing as "no rules," and one lookalike mistake out here can cost you a hunting license.

Know exactly what you are shooting at

Nevada sorts wildlife into categories that determine what you can hunt, when, and with what paperwork. For the animals people group together as varmints, those categories are not consistent — and that is the trap.

Coyote

NDOW lists coyote with a state conservation status of Unprotected and a game status of Furbearer, present in every Nevada county including Lyon. There is no big game tag and no draw.

That said, the furbearer classification matters the moment money enters the picture. Selling pelts, trapping rather than hunting, and commercial fur activity all bring in separate licensing under Nevada law. Before your first outing, call NDOW and confirm exactly what license, if any, you need for how you intend to hunt them. That is a five-minute phone call and it settles the question permanently.

Jackrabbits are two different animals legally

This is the one that catches people, and it is worth reading twice.

• Black-tailed jackrabbit. NDOW lists it as state status Unprotected, game status Non-Game. This is the common jack across Lyon County.
• White-tailed jackrabbit. NDOW groups this one with small game, alongside cottontail and pygmy rabbit.

Small game means a hunting license, defined seasons, and bag limits. Non-game unprotected does not. Two hares that a casual glance could confuse, sitting in two different legal categories. Learn to tell them apart before you go, and if you are not certain in the field, treat the animal as small game and be sure your license and season are in order.

Ground squirrels are generally treated as unprotected in Nevada, but as with everything here, confirm the current classification for the specific species and county with NDOW rather than assuming.

The rifle

Varmint shooting is small targets at inconsistent distances in wind that never stops. It is genuinely the discipline where a purpose-built rig earns its money.

• .22 LR — unbeatable for close work on ground squirrels and rabbits, and cheap enough to shoot all afternoon.
• .17 HMR — flatter and faster than .22 LR, excellent out to a couple hundred yards on small stuff.
• .223 Remington, .22-250, .243 — the coyote and long-range end. Enough velocity and energy to be decisive, enough accuracy to be fair to the animal.
• Bullets matter. Use rapid-expanding varmint bullets, not full metal jacket. FMJ punches through, keeps going, and ricochets. That is both an ethical problem and a safety problem.
• Optics and a rest. A magnified scope and a bipod or shooting bags will improve your results more than another cartridge ever will.

Suppressors are legal to own and hunt with in Nevada. If you have been curious, come talk to us — we handle the paperwork side, and a suppressed varmint rifle is genuinely more pleasant to shoot and easier on your neighbors' livestock.

Where the bullet stops

This is the section we would ask you to actually read.

Varmint cartridges are fast and light, and they skip off hardpan, rock and frozen ground in ways that will surprise you. A ricochet off a caliche flat can travel a very long distance in a direction you did not intend. In ranch country, that matters enormously.

• Shoot into a hill. Always. Never take a shot across a flat where the bullet has nothing to stop it.
• Know where the county road is. And the ranch road, and the two-track somebody might be on.
• Account for livestock, water tanks, pivots, outbuildings and homes. All of these are common in the valleys around Yerington and none of them are visible from every angle.
• Get landowner permission in advance. Not on the day. In advance, and preferably in writing.
• Rule four applies here more than anywhere. Know your target and what is beyond it. Our post on the four rules of gun safety in Northern Nevada goes into this in more depth.

Fire season overrides everything

From roughly June through October, a bullet fragment on a rock in dry cheatgrass is a plausible ignition source. Steel-cased and steel-core ammunition makes it more plausible.

Check current Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service fire restrictions before you drive out. Carry a shovel, water and a fire extinguisher. Do not park a hot vehicle in tall grass. If you start a fire out here, you will be responsible for it, and everyone who hunts this country will pay for it in access. We covered this in detail in our post on shooting on public land in Northern Nevada.

Do not waste it

Cottontail is excellent eating and jackrabbit is perfectly good in a slow braise. If you are shooting rabbits, handle them with gloves. Tularemia is present in Nevada, it is transmissible to people through handling, and it is a genuinely unpleasant illness. Wear gloves when you clean them, cook the meat through, and pass on any animal that looked sick, acted strangely or moved wrong.

And pack out what you bring in. Nothing gets shooting and hunting access closed faster than a wash full of brass, shot-up appliances and carcasses. Leave the spot cleaner than you found it, every single time.

Verify with NDOW

• NDOW rules and regulations
• NDOW licenses, tags and permits
• NDOW coyote species page
• NDOW black-tailed jackrabbit species page
• Contact NDOW — for licensing questions on unprotected species

Dark Horse Guns & Ammo LLC is a federally licensed dealer in Yerington, Nevada. This article is general information for hunters, not legal advice and not an official statement of Nevada hunting regulations. Species classifications, license requirements, seasons, county and municipal ordinances, and fire restrictions all change. Always verify current requirements directly with the Nevada Department of Wildlife, your county sheriff's office, the appropriate land management agency, or a qualified attorney before you hunt.