This guide will break down the essential bits of information you need to know to give yourself the best chance of putting an elk tag in your pocket this year
Dates and deadlines can be found in several places on GOHUNT. We do that because they are that important!
A view of the Research section on our GOHUNT mobile app.
Hunting draw odds for a unit showing the point break level.
As deer and elk seasons come to a close, we turn our sights to application season — when you plan and apply for hunts for the following season. With a variety of systems, regulations, and strategies differing across states like Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, and Arizona, understanding how to navigate the draw process is key to increasing your chances of hunting elk next year.
Whether you’re a first-time applicant or a seasoned hunter looking for that coveted limited entry tag, this guide will break down the essentials — from point systems and application deadlines to the best practices for planning your hunt.
At its core, each state draw system is a lottery to determine who does — and doesn’t — get a hunting permit. The landscapes simply cannot produce enough animals to support everyone’s desire to hunt, so state game and fish agencies use draw systems to manage tag allocation.
Before applying, it’s important to know these three key pieces of information:
What is the timeframe during which the state accepts applications? January through May are when the bulk of the elk application dates open and close across the West. Missing the application deadline means you won’t be able to apply for that season’s hunts, so it’s critical that you don’t miss a deadline.
You can also see application deadlines in a sortable view if you're an Insider. This view is great because you can narrow the view down by state or species.
The cost to apply can be a factor when deciding which states to apply for. States commonly require applicants to buy a hunting license, pay an application fee, and sometimes even pay the price of the permit while applying. Unsuccessful applicants are issued a partial or full refund, depending on the state.
Which unit or area do you want to apply for? Previously, this was a daunting process; however, GOHUNT’s Filtering and research tools make this process easy. These tools break down each unit by species, state, and weapon choice. From there, you can filter your results by the amount of public land, past hunter success rates, and many more factors.
All of our research tools are available on the web and on the GOHUNT mobile app.
Draw odds refer to the percentage chance you have of drawing a specific permit. GOHUNT calculates these odds by analyzing applicant data from state agencies and simulating the draw tens of thousands of times to produce the most accurate results possible.
Draw odds vary for each person, based upon your bonus/preference points, other applicants and their respective points (sometimes called the “point pool”), tags allocated for each unit, and the percentage of tags the state allocates to residents and nonresidents. If you’re looking for an opportunity to pick up a tag and go hunting, look for units with higher draw odds.
Game is managed at the state level with a variety of factors going into their decision on how many hunters they allow in each unit. Units with higher draw odds provide more hunting opportunity; however, it’s important to dive a level deeper before you apply. GOHUNT's Filtering tool is a Zillow-like interface that allows you to filter your results based on draw odds, percentage of public land in the unit, harvest success of past hunters, and much more.
Units with lower draw odds generally offer less hunting pressure, higher success rates, and a better chance at a mature animal. These can take anywhere from five to 25 (or more) years to draw, so it’s important to start accumulating points for states and species you’re interested in hunting in the future.
Bonus point systems reward hunters by increasing their odds of drawing a tag over time without guaranteeing a successful draw. Each point acts as an extra “entry” into the draw, improving chances while maintaining randomness so even first-time applicants have a shot. States like Montana, Nevada, and Arizona use these systems. Understanding these systems helps hunters strategically improve their opportunities to draw permits.
Preference point systems prioritize applicants with the most points, guaranteeing those who have applied the longest will draw a tag first. Unlike bonus systems, preference points eliminate randomness, meaning new applicants have little to no chance until they accumulate enough points. States like Colorado, Wyoming and Iowa use preference point systems for some hunts, ensuring fairness for long-term applicants. By understanding these systems, hunters can plan ahead and target hunts where their points offer the best chance of success.
Pro tip: Use GOHUNT’s Draw Odds page to view the point break in each unit. Point breaks refer to the number of points it takes to guarantee a successful application.
Hybrid systems combine elements of both bonus and preference point systems, offering a mix of fairness and opportunity. These systems reward long-term applicants by prioritizing those with the most points while still giving all applicants a chance through a random draw component. States like Utah and Montana use hybrid systems for some hunts where a portion of tags are allocated to the highest point holders, and the rest are distributed randomly with bonus point advantages. This approach balances opportunity for new applicants while rewarding persistence, giving hunters multiple ways to plan and improve their odds of success.
Random draw systems offer all applicants an equal chance of drawing a tag, regardless of past applications. States like Alaska, Idaho and New Mexico use this system, ensuring every hunter — whether new or experienced — has the same odds in the draw. While these systems lack the predictability of preference or bonus point structures, they create a level playing field and can be appealing for hunters who don’t want to wait years to draw. Understanding the randomness of these draws allows hunters to apply strategically and focus on states where luck plays the biggest role.
Each state has a different application period and it’s critical that you don’t miss the application deadline. If you miss an application deadline, you must wait until the following year to apply.
Each state varies in cost, fees, and prerequisites before applying. See GOHUNT’s State Draw Pages for a breakdown on state-level information before applying.
Point creep refers to the gradual decline in draw odds over time, meaning it requires more points to draw a permit now than it did in previous years. Point creep can happen for a variety of reasons with the main ones being an increased number of applicants, higher median bonus/preference levels in the applicant pool, and decreased permit numbers based on herd health.
