California Elk Draw Odds
In the 2025 draw California offered 72 elk hunts to residents and nonresidents in one shared draw, drawn partly by preference points and partly at random. At 0 points an applicant had at least an even chance in 0 hunts open to every hunter.
Open Apr 15 – Jun 2, 2027 (expected)
Kept if you miss. Elk license $1,826 only if drawn
2025 draw · nonresidents capped at 1 tag statewide
2025 draw, first choice
Point only: $8.38 nonresident · on the draw application · apply by Jun 2, 2027 (expected) → Buying Points in California
How the California Draw Works (30-Second Version)
Hybrid: preference + random.
Say a hunt has 100 nonresident tags. 75 go to the applicants with the most preference points; if the last point level that draws has more applicants than tags left, that level is split at random. The other 25 are drawn at random from everyone who missed the points pass, so an applicant with no points still has a chance.
Best Bets at 0 Points
Odds × hunter success × public land, 10 tags or more. Private-land, ranch, landowner and youth hunts left out.
Bull or Either-Sex
384
Zone Siskiyou · Bull archery · Siskiyou · Bull
- Success
- 54%
- Public
- 48%
- Season
- Aug 27–Sep 9
355
Zone Northwestern · Bull · Northwestern · General Methods · Bull
- Success
- 100%
- Public
- 36%
- Season
- Sep 3–25
303
Zone Marble Mountains · Either-sex muzzleloader · Marble Mountains · Muzzleloader/Archery · Either · Sex
- Success
- 64%
- Public
- 67%
- Season
- Oct 25–Nov 2
378
Zone Gabilan · Bull · Gabilan · General Methods · Bull
- Success
- —
- Public
- 14%
- Season
- Nov 8–30
380
Zone Tehachapi · Bull · Tehachapi · General Methods · Bull
- Success
- —
- Public
- 34%
- Season
- Sep 6–Oct 5
411
Zone Northeastern · Either-sex archery · Northeastern · Either · Sex
- Success
- 79%
- Public
- 57%
- Season
- Sep 3–14
Cow
375
Zone Central Coast · Antlerless · Central Coast · General Methods · Antlerless
- Success
- —
- Public
- 33%
- Season
- Oct 4–Dec 2
374
Zone Northwestern · Antlerless · Northwestern · General Methods · Antlerless
- Success
- 100%
- Public
- 36%
- Season
- Sep 3–25
379
Zone Tehachapi · Antlerless · Tehachapi · General Methods · Antlerless
- Success
- —
- Public
- 34%
- Season
- Sep 6–Oct 5
401
Zone Siskiyou · Antlerless · Siskiyou · General Methods · Antlerless
- Success
- 54%
- Public
- 48%
- Season
- Sep 10–21
304
Zone Northeastern · Antlerless · Northeastern · General Methods · Antlerless
- Success
- 79%
- Public
- 57%
- Season
- Nov 12–23
Every Hunt at 0 Points
72 hunt codes drawn in 2025 · 0 at 50% or better · first choice · all residencies
| Hunt | Season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 329 Zone Bear Valley · Antlerless · Bear Valley · General Methods · Antlerless | Antlerless · Bear Valley · General Methods · Antlerless | Bear Valley | Oct 11–19 | 2% (small sample) | — | 1 / 62 | — |
| 330 Zone Bear Valley · Bull · Bear Valley · General Methods · Bull | Bull · Bear Valley · General Methods · Bull | Bear Valley | Oct 11–19 | <1% (small sample) | — | 2 / 352 | — |
| 406 Zone Cache Creek · Bull · Cache Creek Period 1 · General Methods · Bull | Bull · Cache Creek Period 1 · General Methods · Bull | Cache Creek | Oct 11–26 | <1% (small sample) | — | 2 / 799 | — |
| 416 Zone Cache Creek · Antlerless · Cache Creek Period 2 · General Methods · Antlerless | Antlerless · Cache Creek Period 2 · General Methods · Antlerless | Cache Creek | Oct 18–Nov 2 | <1% (small sample) | — | 2 / 176 | — |
| 484 Youth · Zone Cache Creek · Bull · Cache Creek Apprentice · General Methods · Bull | Bull · Cache Creek Apprentice · General Methods · BullYouth | Cache Creek | Oct 11–26 | <1% (small sample) | — | 1 / 186 | — |
| 375 Zone Central Coast · Antlerless · Central Coast · General Methods · Antlerless | Antlerless · Central Coast · General Methods · Antlerless | Central Coast | Oct 4–Dec 2 | 2% | — | 10 / 83 | — |
| 376 Zone Central Coast · Bull · Central Coast · General Methods · Bull | Bull · Central Coast · General Methods · Bull | Central Coast | Oct 4–Dec 2 | <1% | — | 10 / 526 | — |
| 382New 2025 Zone Central Coast · Antlerless archery · Central Coast · Antlerless | Antlerless archery · Central Coast · Antlerless | Central Coast | Sep 1–30 | 3% (small sample) | — | 5 / 30 | — |
| 383New 2025 Zone Central Coast · Bull archery · Central Coast · Bull | Bull archery · Central Coast · Bull | Central Coast | Sep 1–30 | <1% (small sample) | — | 5 / 154 | — |
| 461 Zone East Park Reservoir · Bull · East Park Reservoir · General Methods · Bull | Bull · East Park Reservoir · General Methods · Bull | East Park Reservoir | Sep 6–Oct 2 | <1% (small sample) | — | 2 / 812 | — |
| 463 Zone East Park Reservoir · Antlerless · East Park Reservoir · General Methods · Antlerless | Antlerless · East Park Reservoir · General Methods · Antlerless | East Park Reservoir | Sep 6–Oct 2 | 1% (small sample) | — | 2 / 102 | — |
| 447 Zone Fort Hunter Liggett · Bull · Fort Hunter Liggett Period 3 · General Methods · Bull | Bull · Fort Hunter Liggett Period 3 · General Methods · Bull | Fort Hunter Liggett | Dec 20–Jan 1 | <1% | — | 8 / 1,533 | 82% |
| 448 Zone Fort Hunter Liggett · Antlerless · Fort Hunter Liggett Period 2 · General Methods · Antlerless | Antlerless · Fort Hunter Liggett Period 2 · General Methods · Antlerless | Fort Hunter Liggett | Nov 22–30 | <1% | — | 6 / 288 | 82% |
| 449 Zone Fort Hunter Liggett · Either-sex archery · Fort Hunter Liggett · Either · Sex | Either-sex archery · Fort Hunter Liggett · Either · Sex | Fort Hunter Liggett | Jul 26–Aug 3 | <1% | — | 6 / 538 | 82% |
| 450 Zone Fort Hunter Liggett · Antlerless archery · Fort Hunter Liggett · Antlerless | Antlerless archery · Fort Hunter Liggett · Antlerless | Fort Hunter Liggett | Nov 1–9 | 2% | — | 8 / 103 | 82% |
| 471 Youth · Zone Fort Hunter Liggett · Antlerless · Fort Hunter Liggett Apprentice · General Methods · Antlerless | Antlerless · Fort Hunter Liggett Apprentice · General Methods · AntlerlessYouth | Fort Hunter Liggett | Dec 23–Jan 1 | 1% (small sample) | — | 1 / 82 | 82% |
| 472 Youth · Zone Fort Hunter Liggett · Bull · Fort Hunter Liggett Apprentice · General Methods · Bull | Bull · Fort Hunter Liggett Apprentice · General Methods · BullYouth | Fort Hunter Liggett | Dec 23–Jan 1 | <1% (small sample) | — | 1 / 339 | 82% |
| 377 Zone Gabilan · Antlerless · Gabilan · General Methods · Antlerless | Antlerless · Gabilan · General Methods · Antlerless | Gabilan | Nov 8–30 | 2% | — | 6 / 62 | — |
| 378 Zone Gabilan · Bull · Gabilan · General Methods · Bull | Bull · Gabilan · General Methods · Bull | Gabilan | Nov 8–30 | <1% | — | 10 / 320 | — |
| 365 Zone Goodale · Antlerless · Goodale Period 2 · General Methods · Antlerless | Antlerless · Goodale Period 2 · General Methods · Antlerless | Goodale | Oct 4–12 | 2% (small sample) | — | 1 / 61 | — |
| 366 Zone Goodale · Antlerless · Goodale Period 3 · General Methods · Antlerless | Antlerless · Goodale Period 3 · General Methods · Antlerless | Goodale | Oct 18–26 | 2% (small sample) | — | 1 / 59 | — |
| 373 Zone Goodale · Bull · Goodale Period 1 · General Methods · Bull | Bull · Goodale Period 1 · General Methods · Bull | Goodale | Sep 13–28 | <1% (small sample) | — | 1 / 337 | — |
| 357 Zone Grizzly Island · Spike bull · Grizzly Island Period 8 · General Methods · Spike Bull | Spike bull · Grizzly Island Period 8 · General Methods · Spike Bull | Grizzly Island | Sep 4–7 | <1% | — | 6 / 255 | 100% |
| 358 Zone Grizzly Island · Antlerless · Grizzly Island Period 9 · General Methods · Antlerless | Antlerless · Grizzly Island Period 9 · General Methods · Antlerless | Grizzly Island | Sep 9–12 | <1% (small sample) | — | 4 / 307 | 100% |
| 359 Zone Grizzly Island · Bull · Grizzly Island Period 10 · General Methods · Bull | Bull · Grizzly Island Period 10 · General Methods · Bull | Grizzly Island | Sep 11–14 | 0% (small sample) | — | 4 / 2,402 | 100% |
Showing 1–25 of 72 · sorted by zone · 19 hunts not offered in 2025 hidden — show discontinued hunts
Show all 72 huntsWhat These Columns Mean
- Odds at your points —
- the share of first-choice applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2025 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year. A badge marked * had under five tags, so one applicant either way swings it.
- Pts needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2025 draw; the ▲ or ▼ is how far that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold. A 0 marks a hunt that went Undersubscribed: fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- Tags / apps —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them.
- Success —
- the share of hunters in the zone who killed an animal, from the latest harvest report on file. It is the whole zone's figure, not the hunt's.
- Private land, RFW, ranch, youth —
- tags not every hunter can use: private-land-only hunts need landowner access, ranch hunts (Colorado's Ranching for Wildlife, Utah's CWMUs) come with access to one ranch, youth tags have an age limit. They are never best bets and never colour the map.
All 22 Zones
Each zone has its own page: where it is on the map, how much of it is public land, what the hunters who went there killed last season, and every license type you can apply for inside it.
Report an error on this page
About These Numbers
Every percentage here is the chance an applicant with that many points had in the draw year shown, computed from the agency's published results; quotas, applicant numbers and point levels change every year. A dash means the agency did not publish the number. Under five tags the percentage is flagged: one applicant either way swings it. Check the agency's site and apply there; we don't take applications. How we compute these.