Bull elk with large antlers standing in golden sagebrush

399-00 Elk B License Draw Odds, Montana

Elk b license, district 399-00, 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 399-00
2026 total quota	500
2026 nonresident cap (FWP's NR quota column)	50
2026 landowner preference cap: resident / nonresident	75 / 50
2026 first-choice applicants: resident / nonresident	2,028 / 296
2026 drawn on first choice: resident / nonresident	451 / 47
2026 first-choice odds: resident / nonresident	22.2% / 15.9%
2026 total successful (all choices and pools)	500

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	297	12	4.0%
1	2	636	68	10.7%
2	5	475	95	20.0%
3	10	347	127	36.6%
4	17	176	91	51.7%
5	26	71	41	57.7%
6	37	22	16	72.7%
7	50	3	1	33.3%
8	65	1	0	0.0%

Resident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (-117 applicants a year), about 1,911 residents would apply in 2027; with the same number of first-choice licenses, overall first-choice odds would be about 24%. Average bonus points among first-choice applicants are trending to about 2.1 (+0.15 a year), a measure of point creep in a weighted draw. Confidence: medium.

Landowner preference (residents, 2026): 2 first-choice applicants, 2 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
0	1	74	4	5.4%
1	2	98	8	8.2%
2	5	59	11	18.6%
3	10	35	12	34.3%
4	17	20	8	40.0%
5	26	6	2	33.3%
6	37	3	1	33.3%
7	50	1	1	100.0%

Nonresident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (-66 applicants a year), about 230 nonresidents would apply in 2027; with the same number of first-choice licenses, overall first-choice odds would be about 20%. Average bonus points among first-choice applicants are trending to about 1.7 (+0.11 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	500	2,378	18.8%	495	9.3%
2024	500	2,117	21.3%	373	12.6%
2025	500	2,080	21.5%	349	14.0%
2026	500	2,028	22.2%	296	15.9%

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, 2,028 residents listed this drawing first for a quota of 500, about 4.1 resident applicants per license.
Residents: at 0 bonus points 4% drew; at 6 points (the highest level with at least 5 applicants) 73% drew.
Nonresidents: at 0 bonus points 5% drew; at 5 points (the highest level with at least 5 applicants) 33% 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.