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

202-50 Deer Permit Draw Odds, Montana

Deer permit, district 202-50 (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 202-50 (mule)
2026 total quota150
2026 nonresident cap (FWP's NR quota column)15
2026 landowner preference cap: resident / nonresident23 / 15
2026 first-choice applicants: resident / nonresident880 / 58
2026 drawn on first choice: resident / nonresident138 / 11
2026 first-choice odds: resident / nonresident15.7% / 19.0%
2026 total successful (all choices and pools)150

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
0114521.4%
1221873.2%
251902714.2%
3101433021.0%
417852124.7%
526401332.5%
63717635.3%
75016850.0%
8658787.5%
98244100.0%
1010122100.0%
111223266.7%
1214533100.0%
1419722100.0%
1522611100.0%
1625711100.0%
1832511100.0%
1936211100.0%

Resident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (+78 applicants a year), about 958 residents would apply in 2027; with the same number of first-choice licenses, overall first-choice odds would be about 14%. Average bonus points among first-choice applicants are trending to about 2.5 (+0.19 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%
121600.0%
251417.1%
3104125.0%
4175120.0%
526400.0%
63711100.0%
75022100.0%
86533100.0%
1010111100.0%
1729011100.0%

Nonresident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (+0 applicants a year), about 58 nonresidents would apply in 2027; with the same number of first-choice licenses, overall first-choice odds would be about 19%. Average bonus points among first-choice applicants are trending to about 3.4 (+0.47 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
202315064521.6%5817.2%
202415072219.5%5616.1%
202515079916.8%7619.7%
202615088015.7%5819.0%

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.