The aptly named “Big Sky State” is on the top of many hunters’ bucket lists, and for good reason. Home to most Western big game species, Montana offers opportunities for both resident and nonresident hunters. 

For elk and deer, Montana issues Big Game “Combo” tags that are valid for large parts of the state and have regional or unit-by-unit regulations that can differ slightly. At present these tags can be drawn by nonresidents every two to three years (at worst), and are over the counter for residents.

The eastern portions of Montana contain a significant amount of private lands. As always, be sure to research public land access before deciding where to hunt/apply. There are significant portions of western Montana that are home to grizzly bears and wolves. In these areas, it is important to be bear aware and to understand what impact wolves might have on local big game habits and tendencies.

Hunters looking to apply for tags in Montana should plan for the following application deadlines:

• Deer and elk: April 1
• Moose, goat, sheep, and bison: May 1
• Antelope: June 1
• Alternate list signup: June 30
• Super Tags: June 30
• Mountain lion: July 24
• Bonus points: September 30
• Preference points: December 31

Hunters may apply for tags with Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks here. 

Huntin’ Fool’s Montana page is an excellent, updated resource for ongoing Montana draw changes.

Read more on Huntin’ Fool’s Montana page.

Montana Draw Process FAQs

Application Dates and Deadlines: Huntin’ Fool lines out Montana dates and deadlines.

Free for onX Elite members, Hunt Reminder’s Montana page is also an excellent resource for timely application season reminders.

Hunting license and species costs for tags usually include:

• Application Fee.
• Hunting License Fee to apply (usually need a qualifying license before you can apply).
• Species Fee (This is what you pay for the animal you want to hunt. Some you pay upfront at application, some you pay for once you get the tag.).
• Points-Only fee (fees for people just buying points and not actually applying for a hunt).

Point System

• For elk and deer, Montana has two primary license types that each use a different point system.
• There are General Deer, General Elk, and General Deer/Elk combo licenses, commonly referred to as General tags.
  • You need a General tag to hunt elk or deer in Montana.
  • For nonresidents, the General tag drawing uses a Preference Point system.
  • Residents can buy a General tag over the counter.
  • The nonresident General tag drawing has some complexity and can be confusing; read this for a full description of how it works.
• There are also Permits. Permits are limited entry tags for a specific unit or units. There are elk and deer permits that you can apply for, as well as permits for all other big game species.
• The drawing for Permits in Montana uses an optional Bonus Point system.
• Bonus Points are like raffle tickets; the more you have, the more “chances” you have in the draw.
• You get one chance for your current application, and then your current Bonus Point total is squared and you get that many more chances in the drawing (so with 4 points, you’d get 17 chances, 1 + [4*4]).
• If you apply for a tag and are unsuccessful, you will be awarded a Bonus Point for that species if you paid the optional Bonus Point fee at the time of your application.
• Or, you can also choose to buy a Bonus Point Only each year during a separate application period to accumulate Bonus Points.
• If you draw your first choice on a limited-entry permit application your Bonus Point total will be purged to zero for that species.

Tag Allocation

• For limited entry elk, deer, and antelope permits, up to 10% of the total tags for each hunt code can be issued to nonresidents.
• For moose, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats, up to 10% of the total tags in each respective region can be issued to nonresidents.
• Residents and nonresidents are all in the same random drawing, where each applicant’s Bonus Point total is applied when determining your total number of “chances.”
• Once the 10% nonresident quota max is hit, no further nonresident tags will be issued for that hunt code or region.

New This Year

General Updates

• All accumulated bonus points, including the one purchased at the time of application, will be used in the current year’s drawing if that person elects to purchase a bonus point.
• Licenses and/or permits issued through a drawing identified as a “first and only choice” opportunity will not be offered as a surplus license/permit opportunity if the Department receives fewer applications than the number of licenses/permits available.

Mule Deer Updates

• Mule deer units 410 and 417 were changed from general units to limited-entry units due to low mule deer numbers.
• All mule deer doe permits will only be valid on private land in regions 6 and 7. Also, adult rifle hunters will no longer be able to harvest a doe mule deer with the general deer tag in most of the units in the state.

Sheep, Moose, Mtn Goat, Bison, and Antelope Updates

• All accumulated bonus points, including the one purchased at the time of application, will be used in the current year’s drawing if that person elects to purchase a bonus point.
• The Region 7 antelope license has been split into two separate hunts. The 007- 20 license is now only valid in any region 7 unit south of the Yellowstone River. The 007-21 license is valid in any region 7 unit north of the Yellowstone River.
• There is a new “Buy Items Again” option when applying online that will allow you to purchase and/or apply exactly the same as you did last year. Be careful if choosing this option as Montana does not allow modifications to your applications once they have been submitted.
• There is a new archery-only season for all moose hunts and any goat hunt with a September 15th general season opening date. The archery-only season dates for both species will be September 7-14, 2024.
• New hunts have been opened in units 381 and 305 for bighorn sheep and in unit 700 for moose. Of these, only 381 sheep is available for non-residents to apply for this year.

Useful Links

• Access the onX Complete Package for Western Application Research.
• Log Into Hunt Research Tools To Start Your 2024 Application Season.
• View Montana Hunting Regulations.
• Apply for Your Montana Hunting Tags.
• Read About Montana Hunting Access.
• Read Montana Hunting News and Updates.

onX Hunt’s Top Three State Application Tips

1. If you’re new to applying in Montana and a nonresident, be aware that 25% of all Big Game combo tags are issued to applicants with no preference points. Participating in the preference point system is optional,  and at present applicants with zero points actually have better drawing odds than those applicants with one point.
2. Montana’s application process can be confusing and easily misunderstood. If you’re new to it, call Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks to make sure you understand the process. And don’t wait; do it early in the application period to avoid the last-minute rush. The application period for elk and deer typically begins in late February and ends April 1st.
3. Bighorn sheep, moose, and mountain goat tags are generally difficult to draw anywhere. Consider steering clear of the hardest-to-draw hunts and focus on the lower two-thirds if you want to increase your chances of drawing in your lifetime. It may not seem like a big difference between .10 % odds and .05% odds, but consider that is actually one in 1000 against one in 2000. If you’re late to the game in accumulating bonus points, you’ll need all the luck you can get to overcome the odds.

Your One-Stop Application Season Stop

To maximize your time spent researching and applying—and to help you build your strategy to successfully draw in 2024 and beyond—we’re providing onX Hunt Elite Members with FREE services in one comprehensive package:

• Hunt Research Tools: In-Depth Draw Odds and Application Tools
• Huntin’ Fool: Boots-on-the-Ground Research and Insight
• HuntReminder: Worry-Free Text and Email Reminder Service
• onX Hunt: Map Your Hunt With Research Layers