Montana Bighorn Sheep Draw Odds

In the 2026 draw Montana offered 40 bighorn sheep hunts to residents and nonresidents in one shared draw, drawn by a lottery weighted by bonus points. At 0 points a nonresident had at least an even chance in 5 hunts open to every hunter.

Applications Close
196 days
May 1

Open Mar 1 – May 1, 2027 (expected)

Cost to Apply
$138

Kept if you miss

Tags
6

2026 draw · nonresidents capped at 10%

Nonresident Applicants
7,705

2026 draw, first choice

Point only: $75 · Jul 1 – Sep 30 · Closed, reopens Jul 1, 2027 (expected) → Buying Points in Montana

How the Montana Draw Works (30-Second Version)

Bonus points (squared).

Every applicant gets points² + 1 entries in a random draw, so more points mean more chances, but never a guarantee.

Who can apply, fees and deadlines in Montana

Before You Apply

A Waiting Period, Not Once In A Lifetime

Draw one and you wait 7 years before applying again.

Receiving a limited ram licence starts a seven-year wait; an adult-ewe licence is exempt, and in the unlimited districts the seven years start only when you kill a legal ram.

Source: mca.legmt.gov

Limit
7-year wait
Nonresident Share
Up to 10%
Nonresidents may take up to a tenth of a district's licences but are not guaranteed any, and many districts are open to residents only.
Tag Fee
Due only if drawn
You pay the tag only if you draw.
Your Points
Bought, not earned
Missing the draw earns no point unless you buy one.

Every Hunt at 0 Points

40 hunt codes drawn in 2026 · 5 at 50% or better · first choice · nonresident

90–100% 50–89% 10–49% 1–9% under 1% fewer than 5 tags: one applicant swings it
One Line per Hunt Odds at Every Point Level
100-20 Hunting district 100 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
102-20 Hunting district 102 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
121-20 Hunting district 121 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
122-20 Hunting district 122 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
123-20 Hunting district 123 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
124-20 Hunting district 124 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram 0% (small sample) —
124-30 Hunting district 124 · Antlerless rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Adult Ewe — —
203-20 Hunting district 203 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram 0% (small sample) —
210-20 Hunting district 210 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
214-60 Hunting district 214 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
250-20 Hunting district 250 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
261-20 Hunting district 261 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
270-20 Hunting district 270 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
270-30 Hunting district 270 · Antlerless rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Adult Ewe <1% (small sample) —
300-60 Hunting district 300 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Legal Ram (unlimited quota) 100% —
301-20 Hunting district 301 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
302-20 Hunting district 302 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram 0% (small sample) —
303-60 Hunting district 303 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Legal Ram (unlimited quota) 100% —
304-20 Hunting district 304 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License — —
305-10 Hunting district 305 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
330-10 Hunting district 330 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
340-20 Hunting district 340 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
380-10 Hunting district 380 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
381-10 Hunting district 381 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram — —
421-20 Hunting district 421 · Rifle · Bighorn Sheep License · Any Ram 0% (small sample) —

Showing 1–25 of 40 · sorted by hunting district · 67 hunts not offered in 2026 hidden — show discontinued hunts

Show all 40 hunts
What These Columns Mean
Odds at your points
—
the share of first-choice applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 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 2026 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 hunting district who killed an animal, from the latest harvest report on file. It is the whole hunting district's figure, not the hunt's.
All 42 Hunting Districts
Report an error on this page

Every report is checked against the agency source before we change anything.

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.