Utah elk draw odds
Utah sells general-season bull elk over the counter, so the draw is for limited entry: the older-bull hunts. Here is how the 2026 limited-entry draw went across the state, how the points work, and what it costs to apply.
Build your Utah elk application
Three things decide your Utah hunt: which route you take, how the draw is decided, and what you pay and when.
Choose your route
Utah gives you two ways to hunt bull elk, and only one of them is a draw.
- General season. Bought over the counter in July, with no application and no points. You choose between an any-bull permit and a spike-bull permit. In 2026 any-bull permits went on sale July 9, spike July 16, and the archery permit July 7.
- Limited entry. Bull hunts on units managed for older bulls, with far fewer permits. These are drawn, and this is where points matter.
How the draw is decided
- Limited entry is a bonus-point draw. Each time you apply for a limited-entry permit and don't draw, you earn a bonus point for that species. Half of each hunt's permits go to the applicants with the most points. The other half are drawn at random, and each point you hold improves your chances in that half. An applicant with few points can still draw from the random half.
- Residents and nonresidents are drawn separately. Nonresidents draw from their own pool, which holds a small share of each limited-entry hunt's permits. In 2026, nonresidents took 9.3% of the limited-entry elk permits.
- Residents pick one limited-entry species. A Utah resident can apply for only one of limited-entry buck deer, bull elk or buck pronghorn each year. Choose elk and the others are out that year. Residents also get one once-in-a-lifetime species, such as bull moose, bison or bighorn sheep.
- Nonresidents can apply for all of them, but draw only one. A nonresident can put in for deer, elk and pronghorn in the same year. Whoever you are, you can draw only one limited-entry or once-in-a-lifetime permit a year.
- Drawing resets you. Draw a limited-entry bull elk permit and you lose your bonus points for that species and can't apply for it again for five years. General-season permits carry no waiting period.
Up to four hunters, residents and nonresidents mixed, can apply together for general-season deer, limited-entry deer, elk or pronghorn. If a nonresident is in the group, every hunt you pick needs nonresident permits. Once-in-a-lifetime hunts don't take group applications.
Apply, pay, and claim your permit
- License first. You need a valid Utah hunting or combination license to apply. One license covers every species, so you buy it once and pay the application fee for each species.
- Pay for the permit only if you draw. The $21 nonresident ($10 resident) application fee is per species and isn't refunded. You are charged for the permit if you draw it. Results arrive by email on or by May 31, and permits are mailed in July.
- Points without a hunt. You can buy a bonus point on its own for the same application fee, even if you won't hunt that year. If you miss the spring deadline there is a second chance in June.
Example: a resident with 5 bonus points applies for the Manti archery elk hunt
An illustration using 2026 results from Hunt Plan. Your hunt and odds will differ.
Find a hunt on the map
Choose your species, draw type and season, and Hunt Plan shades every limited-entry unit by how hard it has been to draw at your points, going by past draws. Green means you would have drawn this year and red means eleven or more years. It describes history, not when you will draw. Click a unit to open it.
Read the hunt's draw
Here is EB3006, the Manti limited-entry archery bull hunt that runs August 15 to September 15. The panel shows your odds at your points, how many people applied and how many permits there were, plus the unit's public land and harvest rate: 73% of the unit is public land and the hunt's harvest rate is 27.2%.
What it shows
- Half the permits go to the most points. Residents had 146 permits, so 73 went to the highest point holders. Everyone with 9 points or more drew, and 79.4% of the people at 8 points did.
- The other half is a lottery. The other 73 permits were drawn at random from 728 applicants, and each bonus point adds a drawing chance. With 5 bonus points, this applicant had 6 chances and a 7.6% chance of drawing.
- Nonresidents draw from their own pool. 335 nonresidents applied for the hunt's 16 nonresident permits.
These are 2026 results for one hunt. They change every year and aren't a promise about the next draw. Hunt Plan shows the same panel for every limited-entry hunt.
Example: limited entry or over the counter?
The same hunter, two routes, 2026 results from Hunt Plan. Your hunts and odds will differ.
Limited entry: older bulls, years of points
The Manti archery hunt above is a limited-entry hunt. With 5 bonus points the applicant had a 7.6% chance, and every resident at 9 points or more drew. That's a plan measured in years, and the points are only spent if you draw.
Over the counter: hunt this year
Switch the draw type to OTC any bull and every general-season unit lights up green, because there is nothing to draw. The panel for a unit such as Fillmore, Oak Creek South shows the permit goes on sale July 7 on the DWR website or from any license agent. It lists no odds and no point levels.
How to choose
- Over the counter is a hunt this year. You get a season and a permit, with no odds to wait on.
- Limited entry is the long game. Each year you apply costs the application fee and adds a bonus point, and you only buy the permit if you draw.
- The two don't share points. General-season elk earns and uses none, so hunting it doesn't cost you limited-entry points.
You understand the system. Now compare the hunts available at your points. These are 2026 results and change every year.
Utah elk draw odds at a glance
Out of every 100 applicants, how many got a permit. These are statewide averages across many hunts, so your odds on a specific hunt will differ a lot.
| Draw | Who | Got a permit, 2026 | How it works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited entry | Residents | 5.8% | Bonus-point draw, half by points and half random |
| Limited entry | Nonresidents | 1.8% | Their own pool, a small share of each hunt's permits |
| General season | Everyone | No draw | Any-bull and spike permits bought over the counter in July |
Limited entry by year
Every adult limited-entry elk hunt together. A hunt with no nonresident permits has no nonresident draw, so nonresident hunts are fewer than resident ones.
| Year | Resident | Nonresident | Hunts drawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4.9%56,078 applications | 1.4%19,856 applications | 185 resident · 185 nonresident |
| 2022 | 5.1%55,978 applications | 1.4%19,947 applications | 188 resident · 188 nonresident |
| 2023 | 5.6%54,199 applications | 1.7%19,004 applications | 211 resident · 211 nonresident |
| 2024 | 5.8%53,982 applications | 1.6%19,722 applications | 209 resident · 209 nonresident |
| 2025 | 6.3%51,094 applications | 1.7%19,388 applications | 208 resident · 210 nonresident |
| 2026 | 5.8%55,095 applications | 1.8%18,370 applications | 209 resident · 122 nonresident |
Between 2021 and 2026, the share of nonresident applicants who drew went from 1.4% to 1.8%, and residents went from 4.9% to 5.8%. Averages hide a lot: a few hunts draw at low point levels, and the best units take many years of points.
Application dates
Utah takes big game applications once a year, in the spring.
| 2026 season | When |
|---|---|
| Application opens | Mar 19, 2026 |
| Application deadline | Apr 23, 2026 |
| Draw results | May 31, 2026 |
The 2027 application opens Mar 18, 2027. Utah hasn't published the 2027 deadline or results date yet, so check the DWR before you plan around them.
You can edit your application free until the deadline. Limited-entry permits left after the draw go on sale in July, first come, first served. If you buy one, you lose your bonus points for that species and start the waiting period.
General-season elk: over the counter
General-season bull elk isn't drawn. You buy an any-bull or spike-bull permit over the counter in July.
2026 permits and sale dates
| Permit | Season | On sale | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archery, hunter's choice | Aug. 15 – Sept. 4 (spike) or Sept. 16 (any bull) | July 7 | No cap |
| Youth general-season elk | All general seasons | July 7 | No cap; 17 or younger on July 31 |
| Any bull, early | Any legal weapon, Oct. 3–9 | July 9 | 15,000, shared with muzzleloader |
| Any bull, muzzleloader | Oct. 28 – Nov. 5 | July 9 | 15,000, shared with early any bull |
| Any bull, late | Any legal weapon, Oct. 10–16 | July 9 | No cap |
| Spike bull, any legal weapon | Oct. 3–15 | July 16 | 15,000 spike permits in all |
| Spike bull, muzzleloader | Oct. 28 – Nov. 5 | July 16 | 15,000 spike permits in all |
| Spike bull, multiseason | Archery, rifle and muzzleloader | July 16 | Up to 4,500 of the 15,000 |
Permits go on sale at 8 a.m. Mountain time, first come, first served, and you need a hunting or combination license to buy one. Source: Utah DWR remaining and over-the-counter permits.
What changes in 2027
The Utah Wildlife Board approved these elk changes on September 17, 2026, as part of a mid-plan review of the statewide elk plan. They take effect for the 2027 season.
- No more any-bull cap. The 15,000-permit cap on general-season any-bull permits goes away.
- One any-legal-weapon any-bull hunt. The early and late any-legal-weapon hunts combine into a single 14-day hunt.
- Multiseason any-bull returns. A multiseason any-bull permit comes back, capped at 5,000 permits.
- Spike permits. The 4,500 cap on multiseason spike permits is removed. The overall 15,000 cap on spike permits stays.
- Paunsaugunt archery. The Paunsaugunt unit is added to the general archery season.
DWR hasn't published the 2027 season dates or permit sale dates yet. The 2026 dates above show the pattern, but check the DWR before sale day. Source: Utah DWR on the September 2026 Wildlife Board meeting.
- No points. Nothing about these permits earns or uses points. Don't buy elk points to hunt general season.
- Pick your weapon and stay in the right units. An any-bull permit is good in the any-bull units and a spike permit in the spike-only units, for that permit's season dates. Check the unit list for your permit category before you hunt.
What it costs to apply
You need a Utah hunting license before you can apply. You only buy the permit if you draw.
2026 Utah fees for an adult 18 to 64. The application fee isn't refunded, so "to apply" is what you've spent if you're not drawn. A general-season elk permit costs $56 for residents and $849 for nonresidents. Card payments add 2.2%. Travel and gear cost extra. Fee schedule: Utah DWR fees.
FAQs
Quick answers about Utah elk draw odds.
Does Utah use preference points for elk?
Limited-entry bull elk uses bonus points, not preference points. General-season bull elk has no draw and no points at all: you buy the permit over the counter in July. Antlerless elk is a separate draw that uses preference points.
How are the odds on this page figured?
Each number is permits divided by applicants for the 2026 draw, across every adult limited-entry elk hunt together. They are averages, so they describe the state as a whole and not your chance on one hunt. Youth hunts are left out. The odds count applications, not people.
Do I have to apply every year to keep my points?
Utah's 2026 guidebook says you lose your points for a species when you draw or buy a permit for it, and doesn't set a yearly application rule. Applying each year, or buying a point on its own, is still the only way to keep building them. Points are kept by species, not by unit. If you draw a limited-entry permit you wait five years before you can apply for that species again. If you plan to skip a year, check the current rule with DWR first.
Can a nonresident hunt Utah?
Yes. Nonresidents can apply for limited-entry elk and draw from their own pool. They can also buy a general-season elk permit over the counter. You can only draw one limited-entry permit a year, whether you are a resident or not.
Can I apply for deer, elk and pronghorn in the same year?
Not as a resident. A Utah resident can apply for only one limited-entry species a year: buck deer, bull elk or buck pronghorn. Bull moose, bison, bighorn sheep and mountain goat are once-in-a-lifetime permits, a separate pick. A nonresident can apply for all three limited-entry species, but anyone can draw only one limited-entry or once-in-a-lifetime permit a year. General-season buck deer is a separate application.
What do I pay if I don't draw?
The $21 nonresident application fee ($10 for residents) per species, which isn't refunded, plus your hunting license. You are only charged for the permit if you draw it. Applicants also pay a 2.2% card fee.
Sources: draw results through the 2026 draw from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, rules and fees from the 2026 Big Game Application Guidebook. The odds count applications, not people, and leave out youth hunts. Hunting guides for each unit are on the Utah elk hub.