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Mule deer buck with wide antlers grazing in grass on the National Elk Refuge, Wyoming

103-50 Deer Permit Draw Odds, Montana

Deer permit, district 103-50 (mule), from FWP's 2023 to 2026 drawing statistics. Jump to resident odds or nonresident odds.

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS Mountain Prairie), public domain. Photo credits

FactValue
DrawingDeer permit, district 103-50 (mule)
2026 total quota13
2026 nonresident cap (FWP's NR quota column)1
2026 landowner preference cap: resident / nonresident2 / 1
2026 first-choice applicants: resident / nonresident1,000 / 32
2026 drawn on first choice: resident / nonresident12 / 0
2026 first-choice odds: resident / nonresident1.2% / 0.0%
2026 total successful (all choices and pools)13

Resident odds by bonus point (2026 drawing)

Share of first-choice resident applicants at each bonus-point level who drew, from FWP's 2026 bonus point report. Each applicant gets one chance plus their points squared, so the draw favors high point holders without a hard cutoff. How Montana bonus points work.

Bonus pointsChances in drawing1st-choice applicantsDrawnOdds at this level
0113200.0%
1215300.0%
2513300.0%
31012010.8%
41712700.0%
5269122.2%
6377000.0%
7504700.0%
8653213.1%
9822414.2%
101011300.0%
111221600.0%
121458225.0%
131709222.2%
14197900.0%
15226400.0%
162574250.0%
172902150.0%
18325400.0%
19362100.0%
21442100.0%

Resident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (+128 applicants a year), about 1,128 residents would apply in 2027; with the same number of first-choice licenses, overall first-choice odds would be about 1%. Average bonus points among first-choice applicants are trending to about 4.1 (+0.27 a year), a measure of point creep in a weighted draw. Confidence: medium.

Landowner preference (residents, 2026): 1 first-choice applicants, 1 drawn.

Nonresident odds by bonus point (2026 drawing)

Share of first-choice nonresident applicants at each bonus-point level who drew, from FWP's 2026 bonus point report. Each applicant gets one chance plus their points squared, so the draw favors high point holders without a hard cutoff. How Montana bonus points work.

Bonus pointsChances in drawing1st-choice applicantsDrawnOdds at this level
01700.0%
12400.0%
25400.0%
310400.0%
417300.0%
526200.0%
637100.0%
750100.0%
865100.0%
982100.0%
10101100.0%
11122100.0%
15226100.0%
23530100.0%

Nonresident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (+4 applicants a year), about 36 nonresidents would apply in 2027; with the same number of first-choice licenses, overall first-choice odds would be about 0%. Average bonus points among first-choice applicants are trending to about 5.0 (+0.74 a year), a measure of point creep in a weighted draw. Confidence: low.

First-choice odds by year

First-choice draws over first-choice applicants in the regular drawing (landowner preference excluded).

Draw yearQuotaRes applicantsRes oddsNR applicantsNR odds
2023136152.1%190.0%
2024137071.7%230.0%
2025138081.5%230.0%
2026131,0001.2%320.0%

Outlook method: see the top of the Montana points explainer and our forecast method. It is a trend line, not a promise.

Notes from TagCanyon

Deadline

Deer and elk permits: FWP's 2026 window ran Mar 1 to Apr 1, 2026 (11:45 p.m. Mountain), with results in mid-April. FWP has not posted 2027 dates yet; the April 1 deadline has held in recent years. FWP application and drawing dates.

Source: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), 2026 Drawing Statistics reports (MyFWP drawing statistics, FWP application and drawing dates). Tables, outlooks and text are TagCanyon's own; FWP does not warrant or endorse them. Not affiliated with FWP. Retrieved Oct 17, 2026.