Utah pronghorn draw odds
Utah has no general-season buck pronghorn permit, so the spring draw is the main way in. Here is how the 2026 draw went across the state, how the points work, how long a drawn permit keeps you out, and what it costs to apply.
Build your Utah pronghorn application
Three things decide your Utah hunt: which route you take, how the draw is decided, and what you pay and when.
Know your options
The main route is the spring limited-entry draw. Utah has no general-season buck pronghorn permit.
- Limited entry. Every hunt is its own unit, weapon and season, with a set number of permits. This is drawn, and it is where points matter.
- Sportsman and private permits. Utah usually offers one buck pronghorn sportsman permit a year, and only residents can apply. A private CWMU's operator can also sell you a voucher outside the draw.
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 9.6% of the limited-entry pronghorn 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 pronghorn 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.
- Pronghorn is drawn last. Limited-entry permits are drawn in a set order: buck deer, then bull elk, then buck pronghorn. A nonresident who applies for all three and draws deer or elk is out of the pronghorn draw.
- Drawing resets you. Draw a limited-entry buck pronghorn permit and you lose your bonus points for that species and can't apply for it again for two years. That is shorter than the five-year wait for deer and elk.
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 West Desert, Riverbed pronghorn hunt
An illustration using 2026 results from Hunt Plan. Your hunt and odds will differ.
Find the hunt on the map
Pick buck pronghorn, limited entry and rifle, and the map shades every unit by how many years a hunter has needed at their points in past draws. Most units are yellow, four to seven years, and the central desert units, West Desert, Riverbed among them, are orange, eight to ten.
Read the hunt's draw
Here is PB5050, the West Desert, Riverbed buck pronghorn hunt that runs September 12 to 20 with any legal weapon. Open a unit from the map and you get this panel: your odds at your points, how many people applied and how many permits there were.
What it shows
- Half the permits go to the most points. Residents had 72 permits, so 36 went to the highest point holders. Everyone with 9 points or more drew, and 53.6% of the people at 8 points did.
- The other half is a lottery. The other 36 permits were drawn at random from 638 applicants, and each bonus point adds a drawing chance. With 5 bonus points, this applicant had 6 chances and a 5.2% chance of drawing.
- Nonresidents draw from their own pool. 197 nonresidents applied for the hunt's 8 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.
You understand the system. Now compare the hunts available at your points. These are 2026 results and change every year.
Utah pronghorn 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 | 19% | Bonus-point draw, half by points and half random |
| Limited entry | Nonresidents | 2.8% | Their own pool, a small share of each hunt's permits |
Limited entry by year
Every adult limited-entry pronghorn 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 | 13%8,517 applications | 1.8%6,243 applications | 85 resident · 85 nonresident |
| 2022 | 14%8,468 applications | 1.8%6,602 applications | 87 resident · 87 nonresident |
| 2023 | 15%8,164 applications | 2.2%6,346 applications | 86 resident · 86 nonresident |
| 2024 | 17%8,165 applications | 2.3%6,626 applications | 85 resident · 85 nonresident |
| 2025 | 18%8,698 applications | 2.7%6,724 applications | 88 resident · 88 nonresident |
| 2026 | 19%8,752 applications | 2.8%6,458 applications | 87 resident · 57 nonresident |
Between 2021 and 2026, the share of nonresident applicants who drew went from 1.8% to 2.8%, and residents went from 13% to 19%. 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.
No general season: other routes
Utah has no general-season buck pronghorn permit. Besides the spring draw, these are the ways in.
- Leftover permits. Limited-entry permits that remain after the draw go on sale in July, first come, first served. Buy one and you lose your bonus points for pronghorn and start the two-year wait, the same as if you had drawn it.
- Sportsman permit. Utah usually offers one buck pronghorn sportsman permit a year, drawn separately and open to residents only. In 2026, 6,415 residents applied for the one permit.
- Private CWMU vouchers. You can get a voucher straight from a CWMU's landowner or operator, outside the public draw, and Utah puts no waiting period on a permit bought that way. You still can't hold more than one buck pronghorn permit in a season, so it counts against one you drew.
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. Card payments add 2.2%. Travel and gear cost extra. Fee schedule: Utah DWR fees.
FAQs
Quick answers about Utah pronghorn draw odds.
Does Utah use preference points for pronghorn?
No. Buck pronghorn uses bonus points, and every buck pronghorn permit in the public draw is limited entry. Utah has no general-season buck pronghorn permit, so there is no second route to build points for.
How are the odds on this page figured?
Each number is permits divided by applicants for the 2026 draw, across every adult limited-entry pronghorn 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 two 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 pronghorn and draw from their own pool. There is no general-season pronghorn, so the draw is the way in. 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.
In what order does Utah draw deer, elk and pronghorn?
Limited-entry permits are drawn in a set order: buck deer first, bull elk second, then buck pronghorn. Because anyone can draw only one limited-entry permit a year, a nonresident who applies for all three and draws deer or elk is out of the pronghorn draw.
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.