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

270-50 Deer Permit Draw Odds, Montana

Deer permit, district 270-50 (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 270-50 (mule)
2026 total quota45
2026 nonresident cap (FWP's NR quota column)4
2026 landowner preference cap: resident / nonresident7 / 4
2026 first-choice applicants: resident / nonresident10,389 / 721
2026 drawn on first choice: resident / nonresident36 / 2
2026 first-choice odds: resident / nonresident0.3% / 0.3%
2026 total successful (all choices and pools)45

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
0171500.0%
121,30400.0%
251,11710.1%
31091610.1%
41783510.1%
52671510.1%
63764610.2%
75052410.2%
86549410.2%
98241220.5%
1010142500.0%
1112231410.3%
1214526120.8%
1317026210.4%
1419724720.8%
1522619321.0%
1625715831.9%
1729017021.2%
1832512121.7%
1936214932.0%
2040111543.5%
214429800.0%
224858033.8%
235305911.7%
245775311.9%

Resident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (+495 applicants a year), about 10,884 residents 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 6.8 (+0.25 a year), a measure of point creep in a weighted draw. Confidence: medium.

Landowner preference (residents, 2026): 11 first-choice applicants, 5 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
019100.0%
129900.0%
258100.0%
3105900.0%
4177000.0%
5265100.0%
6375200.0%
7503800.0%
8652500.0%
9823600.0%
101012700.0%
111222600.0%
12145700.0%
1317010110.0%
14197700.0%
15226500.0%
16257300.0%
17290800.0%
18325700.0%
19362700.0%
20401200.0%
21442200.0%
22485100.0%
235302150.0%
24577300.0%

Nonresident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (+29 applicants a year), about 750 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 5.4 (+0.32 a year), a measure of point creep in a weighted draw. Confidence: medium.

Landowner preference (nonresidents, 2026): 4 first-choice applicants, 2 drawn.

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
2023458,9030.4%6350.2%
2024459,2170.4%7990.3%
2025459,6660.4%7490.3%
20264510,3890.3%7210.3%

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.