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

300-50 Deer Permit Draw Odds, Montana

Deer permit, district 300-50 (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) via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Credits
FactValue
DrawingDeer permit, district 300-50 (mule)
2026 total quota30
2026 nonresident cap (FWP's NR quota column)3
2026 landowner preference cap: resident / nonresident5 / 3
2026 first-choice applicants: resident / nonresident1,148 / 79
2026 drawn on first choice: resident / nonresident25 / 1
2026 first-choice odds: resident / nonresident2.2% / 1.3%
2026 total successful (all choices and pools)30

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
019500.0%
1213700.0%
2514300.0%
31013310.8%
4179944.0%
5269411.1%
6378500.0%
7506623.0%
8656434.7%
9824824.2%
101014112.4%
111222813.6%
121453300.0%
1317021314.3%
141971300.0%
15226700.0%
162577114.3%
172904125.0%
183257114.3%
193629111.1%
204015240.0%
214424125.0%
22485200.0%
23530300.0%

Resident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (+20 applicants a year), about 1,168 residents would apply in 2027; with the same number of first-choice licenses, overall first-choice odds would be about 2%. Average bonus points among first-choice applicants are trending to about 5.4 (+0.14 a year), a measure of point creep in a weighted draw. Confidence: medium.

Landowner preference (residents, 2026): 4 first-choice applicants, 4 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
01800.0%
12700.0%
251100.0%
3101000.0%
4175120.0%
526800.0%
637700.0%
750500.0%
865400.0%
982500.0%
11122100.0%
12145100.0%
15226100.0%
16257200.0%
18325200.0%
20401100.0%
21442100.0%

Nonresident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (+2 applicants a year), about 81 nonresidents 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 5.5 (+0.17 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
2023301,0882.2%742.7%
2024301,2192.1%983.1%
2025301,1642.1%701.4%
2026301,1482.2%791.3%

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.