Real data/Montana
● Real MT FWP data

Montana elk permits — real draw odds

Every elk-permit hunting district in Montana, with the actual nonresident draw odds from FWP's official report. Montana squares bonus points — so odds, not a point threshold, are what tells you your real shot.

SourceMontana FWP · 2026 Elk Permit Drawing Statistics Report
As of 2026 draw.

nrOddsPct = nonresident first-choice success rate for that district permit. Montana squares bonus points, so the published odds (apps vs successful), not a point threshold, are the real signal.

View MT FWP drawing statistics ↗
42
Elk permit districts
14
≥25% NR odds
11
<5% (longshots)

How Montana works

Bonus points (squared)

Montana is a squared bonus-point draw: your points are squared into extra 'raffle tickets,' so odds climb fast as points stack — but nothing is guaranteed, and a 0-point hunter still draws on luck.

Earning points

Earn one bonus point per species each year you're unsuccessful in a drawing. At draw time points are SQUARED and 1 is added — 10 points = (10×10)+1 = 101 tickets.

fwp.mt.gov · verified 2026
How it skews

Points are squared, not linear — each added point compounds your odds rather than adding a fixed step.

fwp.mt.gov · verified 2026
When points reset

Nonresidents are limited to (but not guaranteed) 10% of the overall quota for an opportunity.

fwp.mt.gov · verified 2026
Good to know

Separate from bonus points, nonresidents use a distinct PREFERENCE-point system to improve odds on the combination licenses.

fwp.mt.gov · verified 2026

What you can hunt in Montana

Green = no draw needed (the fast way in).OIL = once-in-a-lifetime.

ElkDraw

Nonresidents go through the combination-license draw.

Mule DeerDraw

Via the nonresident combination/B-license draw.

White-tailed DeerDraw

Strong populations; through the draw for nonresidents.

PronghornDraw

Limited draw.

Black BearOTC

License with spring & fall seasons; no draw.

Mountain LionOTC

License with quota districts; no draw.

MooseOILDraw

Once-in-a-lifetime draw.

Bighorn SheepOILDraw

Once-in-a-lifetime draw.

Mountain GoatOILDraw

Once-in-a-lifetime draw.

BisonOILDraw

Once-in-a-lifetime draw.

Gray WolfOTC

License with a long season; multiple wolves allowed.

TurkeyOTCDraw

General and limited seasons.

CoyoteYear-round

Predator: no license, year-round — for residents AND nonresidents.

fwp.mt.gov
fwp.mt.gov · species roster verified 2026

By nonresident draw odds

Best odds first

DistrictTypeNR successfulNR applicantsNR draw oddsPublic land
101-50Limited permit1414100%79.2%
270-45(First Choice Only)528528100%84.6%
411-21(First and Only) ARCHERY ONLY182182100%21.2%
447-21(First and Only) ARCHERY ONLY7171100%21.3%
595-21(First and Only) ARCHERY ONLY274274100%
620-21ARCHERY ONLY9819052%43.5%
217-11Limited permit1250%29.3%
262-45Limited permit2450%3.5%
455-21ARCHERY ONLY102148%99.3%
410-21ARCHERY ONLY9834129%48.8%
217-10Limited permit114028%29.3%
700-21ARCHERY ONLY7728627%49.7%
630-21ARCHERY ONLY103926%67.8%
702-20Limited permit124626%12.7%
417-21(First and Only) ARCHERY ONLY2812123%37.6%
412-20Limited permit105120%15.7%
590-20Limited permit2312019%10.1%
420-20Limited permit74117%53.1%
417-20(First and Only)1914014%37.6%
799-21(First and Only) ARCHERY ONLY7956214%
250-46Limited permit32711%97.3%
411-20First and Only2422011%21.2%
455-20Limited permit54411%99.3%
426-20(First and Only)55110%20.8%
441-20Limited permit1128%40.5%
555-20Limited permit2258%68.5%
620-20Limited permit4518%43.5%
700-20Limited permit202797%49.7%
313-45Limited permit5806%85.8%
447-20Limited permit4726%21.3%
799-20(First and Only)275235%
401-20Limited permit1264%9.5%
445-20Limited permit1284%12.3%
250-45Limited permit2693%97.3%
339-20Limited permit1383%28.8%
690-20Limited permit51783%19.6%
690-21Limited permit31193%19.6%
410-20Limited permit22331%48.8%
621-20Limited permit1771%77.9%
622-20Limited permit1861%74.3%
380-20Limited permit16150%45.7%
630-20Limited permit0310%67.8%

Leftover / surplus

Surplus permits — sign-up window

Montana doesn't publish a live leftover count — surplus deer & elk permits are sold by a sign-up period, not a first-come list. For 2026 the surplus-list sign-up runs June 15 – July 15, 2026. We'll surface real counts here if and when FWP posts them.

MT FWP surplus licenses →

Draw odds here are real (MT FWP 2026 elk permits). Montana's reports are gated behind a species picker — HuntVibe's ingest engine drives the tool to fetch them. Public-land % is real too: each FWP hunting-district boundary intersected with USGS PAD-US federal public land in an equal-area projection. Harvest success and maps elsewhere remain illustrative.