Bull elk with large antlers standing in golden sagebrush

217-01 Elk B License Draw Odds, Montana

Elk b license, district 217-01, from FWP's 2023 to 2026 drawing statistics. Jump to resident odds or nonresident odds.

Photo: National Park Service (GrandTetonNPS), public domain. Photo credits

Fact	Value
Drawing	Elk b license, district 217-01
2026 total quota	160
2026 nonresident cap (FWP's NR quota column)	16
2026 landowner preference cap: resident / nonresident	24 / 16
2026 first-choice applicants: resident / nonresident	193 / 9
2026 drawn on first choice: resident / nonresident	151 / 8
2026 first-choice odds: resident / nonresident	78.2% / 88.9%
2026 total successful (all choices and pools)	160

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 points	Chances in drawing	1st-choice applicants	Drawn	Odds at this level
0	1	62	35	56.5%
1	2	95	80	84.2%
2	5	15	15	100.0%
3	10	12	12	100.0%
4	17	6	6	100.0%
5	26	2	2	100.0%
6	37	1	1	100.0%

Resident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (+14 applicants a year), about 207 residents would apply in 2027; with the same number of first-choice licenses, overall first-choice odds would be about 73%. Average bonus points among first-choice applicants are trending to about 1.1 (+0.07 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 points	Chances in drawing	1st-choice applicants	Drawn	Odds at this level
1	2	7	6	85.7%
2	5	1	1	100.0%
4	17	1	1	100.0%

Nonresident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (+0 applicants a year), about 9 nonresidents would apply in 2027; with the same number of first-choice licenses, overall first-choice odds would be about 86%. Average bonus points among first-choice applicants are trending to about 1.8 (+0.31 a year), a measure of point creep in a weighted draw. Confidence: medium.

First-choice odds by year

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

Draw year	Quota	Res applicants	Res odds	NR applicants	NR odds
2023	160	150	100.0%	8	100.0%
2024	160	168	89.9%	8	100.0%
2025	160	152	98.0%	10	100.0%
2026	160	193	78.2%	9	88.9%

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

In 2026, 193 residents listed this drawing first for a quota of 160, about 1.2 resident applicants per license.
Residents: at 0 bonus points 56% drew; at 4 points (the highest level with at least 5 applicants) 100% drew.

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.