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

Wyoming Deer Area 116 Type 1 Draw Odds

Deer hunt area 116, type 1 (antlered mule deer …, as WGFD labels it). Jump to resident odds or nonresident odds.

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS Mountain Prairie), public domain. Photo credits

Fact	Value
Hunt	Deer, Area 116 Type 1: antlered mule deer …
2026 resident quota / first-choice applicants	52 / 141
2026 resident simple odds (random draw)	36.9%
2026 nonresident regular quota: preference pool / random pool	3 / 0
2026 nonresident special quota: preference pool / random pool	2 / 0
2026 nonresident regular: preference cut	5 pts (all drew at that level)
2026 nonresident special: preference cut	6 pts (all drew at that level)

Resident odds (2026 draw)

Wyoming residents draw deer licenses by random draw; preference points do not apply to residents for this species, so every resident applicant has the same chance. Simple odds are quota divided by first-choice applicants (second and third choices only pick up what is left).

Draw year	Resident quota	1st-choice applicants	Simple odds
2023	52	154	33.8%
2024	53	159	33.3%
2025	52	155	33.5%
2026	52	141	36.9%

Resident outlook for 2027

Resident odds moved +1.0 percentage points a year on average from 2023 to 2026. If quota and demand follow that line, 2027 odds land near 38%.

Nonresident odds by preference point (2026 draw)

For nonresidents WGFD sets aside most licenses for a preference-point draw and the rest for a random draw that also takes everyone who missed in the point draw. The first odds column is WGFD's published first-choice success rate at each level; the second adds our simple random-draw estimate (random quota over first-choice random applicants). Rows marked < are party applications whose averaged points fall between two levels.

Regular license

Your points	1st-choice applicants	Preference draw odds (WGFD)	With random draw added (est.)
7	2	100.0%	100.0%
5	1	100.0%	100.0%
< 5	10	0.0%	0.0%

Forecast for 2027: About 3 preference points is where the draw is likely to cut off next year, so applicants at 4 or more are likely to draw on first choice. Point creep has averaged -1.50 points a year (2023 to 2026). Confidence: low.

Special license (higher fee, separate quota)

Your points	1st-choice applicants	Preference draw odds (WGFD)	With random draw added (est.)
9	1	100.0%	100.0%
6	1	100.0%	100.0%
< 6	3	0.0%	0.0%

Forecast for 2027: About 6 preference points is where the draw is likely to cut off next year, so applicants at 7 or more are likely to draw on first choice. Point creep has averaged +0.33 points a year (2023 to 2026). Confidence: low.

History

Draw year	NR regular cut	NR special cut	NR random odds (regular)
2023	8 pts (all drew at that level)	5 pts (all drew at that level)	3.6%
2024	no preference quota	10 pts (all drew at that level)	0.0%
2025	16 pts (all drew at that level)	14 pts (all drew at that level)	0.0%
2026	5 pts (all drew at that level)	6 pts (all drew at that level)	0.0%

Forecast method: how we forecast point creep. It is a trend line, not a promise.

Notes from TagCanyon

In 2026, 141 residents listed this hunt first for 52 resident licenses. The nonresident regular points-to-draw index went from 8.0 in 2023 to 5.0 in 2026.

Deadline

Applications open Jan 2 and close Jun 1 on WGFD's current dates table (results in mid-June). Confirm the 2027 dates on WGFD's page. WGFD application dates.

Source: Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), 2026 Demand Reports (WGFD draw results and odds). Tables, forecasts and text are TagCanyon's own. Not affiliated with WGFD. Retrieved Oct 17, 2026.