RENO --Nevada wildlife commissioners have approved fewer mule deer hunting tags than in years past because of drought and other habitat conditions that have taken a toll on the state's deer herds.

But hunters this fall will see increased tags for other big game species like elk and pronghorn antelope.

Commissioners authorized 16,626 mule deer tags overall, 354 fewer than last year. For the popular buck rifle hunt, 8,526 resident and 607 non-resident tags were authorized, a 6 percent drop from last year.

For elk, commissioners set a quota of 2,894 tags, 268 more than 2008.

Antelope tags were increased by 275 to 2,703.

The tag application deadline was in April. Now that the number of tags has been set, a lottery will be conducted to allocate them.