Official 2026 Montana Draw Thread

[mountainman406]

Hello again Everyone,

Welcome back for another year of applications here in Montana. Getting this thread going again so that we can all communicate our successes in the Montana draw system and clear up any confusion for non-residents with rules/regulations/general drawing processes. There are numerous changes from the previous license year so be sure to review the regs specific to your region/unit. If you're new to applying in the state, some links are included below with preference/bonus point information and ways that you can search for your results (draw is mid-April historically). Best of luck this year everyone, I'll have a couple polls up over the next few weeks if you care to participate. ***DEADLINE TO APPLY IS APRIL 1st***

Resources:
Bonus/Preference Point Info

Bonus Points | Montana FWP​

Bonus points increase your chances of drawing a permit or license.  Bonus points offer you additional chances in the drawing. Bonus points accumulate until you are successful in the drawing. You can only purchase one bonus point per license year for each type of permit or license. You can...

fwp.mt.gov

(quickest search method) Excel Search: https://myfwp.mt.gov/fwpExtPortal/searchHunters_input.action
(standard search method) Drawing Lookup: https://myfwp.mt.gov/fwpExtPortal/myDrawResult_input.action

 

[MTHunt’r]

Good luck to all hunters. If you’re successful and shoot an elk feel free to reach out. I’m happy to help you eat it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hobbes]

 

[JDZ]

I’m a non-resident and I currently have:
0 preference points for the combo license, and
5 bonus points for a permit.

If I apply for the non-resident combo license and buy a preference point at the time of application, I’ll have a 0% chance of obtaining the license. So, then I’ll have a 0% chance of even entering the draw for a permit.

But, if I choose to not participate in the non-resident preference points, and enter the draw with 0 preference, I’ll have approximately 50% chance of obtaining the license and entering the permit draw.

Is that correct? Can I choose not to buy a preference point, but choose to participate in bonus points? Then, in either scenario, if I don’t draw the permit, at least I’d gain a bonus point?

 

[OlderGobbler]

I’m a non-resident and I currently have:
0 preference points for the combo license, and
5 bonus points for a permit.

If I apply for the non-resident combo license and buy a preference point at the time of application, I’ll have a 0% chance of obtaining the license. So, then I’ll have a 0% chance of even entering the draw for a permit.

But, if I choose to not participate in the non-resident preference points, and enter the draw with 0 preference, I’ll have approximately 50% chance of obtaining the license and entering the permit draw.

Is that correct? Can I choose not to buy a preference point, but choose to participate in bonus points? Then, in either scenario, if I don’t draw the permit, at least I’d gain a bonus point?

Yes