Many states hand out limited big game tags by lottery-style draws, and some use points to reward hunters who apply year after year. The mechanics differ widely, so this guide explains the general ideas and shows what to look for in your own state's rules.
Demand for some hunts exceeds the number of tags that wildlife managers choose to issue. Agencies set tag numbers to manage animal populations and hunter crowding, and when more people apply than there are tags, a drawing decides who gets one.
Draws are not universal. Some states sell general tags over the counter and use draws only for limited units or species. Others run draws for most big game. Your state wildlife agency explains which applies to each hunt.
Many hunters are surprised to learn that applying is itself part of the strategy. Which unit you list, which season you choose and whether you apply for a hunt or only for a point can all change your long-term position.
You submit an application during a published window, choose the species, unit and season you want, and pay any required fees. After the deadline, the agency runs the drawing and notifies applicants. If you are not drawn, what happens to your fees, and whether you earn a point, depends on the state.
Because each agency designs its own system, deadlines, choices per application and fee structures vary. Read the current application guide each year, since details can change.
Keep copies of your application and any confirmation. If something goes wrong with a payment or an account, those records help the agency help you.
It helps to learn each agency's vocabulary. Terms like limited entry, general season, once-in-a-lifetime, leftover and over-the-counter all appear in different places, and they do not always carry the same meaning across state lines. Read the definitions page before you read the odds.
Points are a way of rewarding persistence. A hunter who applies and is not drawn can earn a point, which improves chances in future drawings. Agencies use different names for the systems, and the names do not always mean the same thing in every state.
Utah offers a clear example of two named systems. Its wildlife division says bonus points apply to limited-entry and once-in-a-lifetime hunts, and preference points apply to general-season buck deer, antlerless deer, antlerless elk and doe pronghorn permits. In Utah, points are tied to a species, you generally earn one when you apply and are not drawn, and you forfeit a species' points if you draw a permit for that species. Other states do things differently, so do not carry those rules to another state.
Utah's division also says that a point can be earned by applying only for a point, which means you can keep building without committing to a hunt that year. Not every state offers this option.
Think of points as a long-term account. You are not guaranteed anything, but you are building a record that the agency uses when it runs the draw. For some hunts that matters a great deal, and for others the effect may be small. The agency's own publications can show you how past drawings turned out.
Before you apply, find the section of your agency's rules that explains how points work and what they do to your chances. Ask whether points are added to a random draw, whether they rank applicants, or whether some tags use a different method.
Then look at what happens when you draw. Some systems wipe your points after a successful draw. Others hold or reduce them. This can change whether applying for a hard-to-get tag is worth your points.
Consider how long a particular tag may take. If the odds are long, a mix of long-shot applications and reachable hunts keeps you in the field while you build points.
Read the fine print about what happens when you draw but cannot hunt. Some agencies allow returns or refunds, and others do not. Know the rules before you apply, since a drawn tag you cannot use may cost you points and fees.
Use this list to organize your first season of applying:
A glossary may help: a unit is a geographic hunt area, a tag is the permit to take an animal, a draw is the lottery process, and a point is a record of past applications that may improve odds.
No amount of planning guarantees a tag. Points improve chances over time, but no system can promise a specific tag in a specific year. Many hunters apply for several species and keep a plan for over-the-counter options or other hunts if they are not drawn.
Our Hunt Planning service helps you build that plan. Use it to organize, but always verify the rules with the agency.
The most common errors are missing a deadline, forgetting to buy a required license, or applying for the wrong unit. Slow down at the review screen and read everything twice.
Think about what you will do with each possible result. If you draw a tag, who will you hunt with, where will you stay and how will you handle the meat? If you do not, what is your backup hunt? Having both answers ready keeps the season from falling apart.
Drawing a tag is the beginning of the work. Learn the unit, understand access and think through meat care before the season. Our guide to private land access covers a part of preparation that often decides whether a tag is used well.
The terms vary by state. In Utah, for example, bonus points apply to limited-entry and once-in-a-lifetime hunts, while preference points apply to certain general-season permits. Check your own state's definitions.
In some systems you do. Utah, for example, says you forfeit a species' points when you draw a permit for that species. Read your state's rules.
Utah says points are non-transferable. Many agencies take the same approach, but confirm with yours.
On your state wildlife agency's website, in its current application guide or regulations. Rules change, so check each year.
Get new guides, gear news and season-prep reminders in your inbox.