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

396-01 Deer B License Draw Odds, Montana

Deer b license, district 396-01 (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 b license, district 396-01 (mule)
2026 total quota25
2026 nonresident cap (FWP's NR quota column)2
2026 landowner preference cap: resident / nonresident4 / 2
2026 first-choice applicants: resident / nonresident248 / 4
2026 drawn on first choice: resident / nonresident25 / 0
2026 first-choice odds: resident / nonresident10.1% / 0.0%
2026 total successful (all choices and pools)25

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
017200.0%
127245.6%
2548612.5%
31033927.3%
41720525.0%
5263133.3%

Resident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (-30 applicants a year), about 218 residents would apply in 2027; with the same number of first-choice licenses, overall first-choice odds would be about 11%. Average bonus points among first-choice applicants are trending to about 1.6 (+0.17 a year), a measure of point creep in a weighted draw. Confidence: medium.

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
01100.0%
12100.0%
25100.0%
310100.0%

Nonresident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (+0 applicants a year), about 4 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 1.8 (+0.28 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
20235033914.5%333.3%
20245029416.7%147.1%
20255030016.7%70.0%
20262524810.1%40.0%

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

Elk B, deer B, antelope and antelope B licenses: FWP's 2026 window ran Mar 1 to Jun 1, 2026 (11:45 p.m. Mountain). FWP has not posted 2027 dates yet; the June 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.