285-01 Elk B License Draw Odds, Montana

Elk b license, district 285-01, from FWP's 2023 to 2026 drawing statistics. Jump to resident odds or nonresident odds.

Fact	Value
Drawing	Elk b license, district 285-01
2026 total quota	30
2026 nonresident cap (FWP's NR quota column)	3
2026 landowner preference cap: resident / nonresident	5 / 3
2026 first-choice applicants: resident / nonresident	221 / 7
2026 drawn on first choice: resident / nonresident	29 / 1
2026 first-choice odds: resident / nonresident	13.1% / 14.3%
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 points	Chances in drawing	1st-choice applicants	Drawn	Odds at this level
0	1	47	0	0.0%
1	2	67	3	4.5%
2	5	61	8	13.1%
3	10	20	6	30.0%
4	17	16	4	25.0%
5	26	5	5	100.0%
6	37	3	2	66.7%
8	65	2	1	50.0%

Resident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (+11 applicants a year), about 232 residents would apply in 2027; with the same number of first-choice licenses, overall first-choice odds would be about 13%. Average bonus points among first-choice applicants are trending to about 1.8 (+0.14 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 points	Chances in drawing	1st-choice applicants	Drawn	Odds at this level
0	1	2	0	0.0%
1	2	3	0	0.0%
3	10	2	1	50.0%

Nonresident outlook for 2027

If first-choice demand keeps its 2023 to 2026 trend (-1 applicants a year), about 6 nonresidents would apply in 2027; with the same number of first-choice licenses, overall first-choice odds would be about 18%. Average bonus points among first-choice applicants are trending to about 1.6 (+0.34 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 year	Quota	Res applicants	Res odds	NR applicants	NR odds
2023	30	189	14.3%	11	27.3%
2024	30	217	13.8%	4	0.0%
2025	30	196	15.3%	6	0.0%
2026	30	221	13.1%	7	14.3%

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

In 2026, 221 residents listed this drawing first for a quota of 30, about 7.4 resident applicants per license.
Residents: at 0 bonus points 0% drew; at 5 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.