Montana Bighorn Sheep 503-20 — Hunting District 503
Bighorn Sheep License 503-20 — Any Ram · Pryor Mountains
- What you may take
- Bighorn Sheep License 503-20 — Any Ram (antlered)
- Weapon
- Rifle
- Also open Sep 5–14, 2026 as an archery-only season, which needs a $10 archery license on top.
- Seasons (2026)
- Archery Sep 5–14, 2026 · Sep 15 – Nov 29, 2026
- Tags (2026)
- 3
- for 766 first-choice applicants
- Hunter success here (2025)
- 67%
- of everyone who hunted the area
Showing resident results. Switch to nonresident
Odds by point level — 2026 draw
Prior-draw probability for a first-choice resident applicant. 3 tags, 766 first-choice applicants. Source: 2026 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 1.
| Points | Your chance | Applicants | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 53 | 0 |
| 1 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 89 | 0 |
| 2 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 77 | 0 |
| 3 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 65 | 0 |
| 4 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 49 | 0 |
| 5 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 41 | 0 |
| 6 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 36 | 0 |
| 7 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 36 | 0 |
| 8 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 26 | 0 |
| 9 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 32 | 0 |
| 10 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 38 | 0 |
| 11 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 18 | 0 |
| 12 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 23 | 0 |
| 13 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 19 | 0 |
| 14 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 10 | 1 |
| 15 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 11 | 0 |
| 16 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 14 | 0 |
| 17 | <1% (<1%–1%) | 10 | 0 |
| 18 | 1% (<1%–1%) | 14 | 0 |
| 19 | 1% (1%–1%) | 10 | 0 |
| 20 | 1% (1%–2%) | 10 | 0 |
| 21 | 1% (1%–2%) | 10 | 0 |
| 22 | 2% (2%–2%) | 18 | 1 |
| 23 | 2% (1%–2%) | 10 | 0 |
| 24 | 2% (2%–2%) | 13 | 1 |
| 25 | 2% (2%–2%) | 16 | 0 |
| 26 | 2% (2%–2%) | 18 | 0 |
Monte Carlo over published bonus-point pools. A dash means Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks did not publish a count for that level. How we compute these.
What it costs (2026 resident fees)
Optional, not counted above: Bonus point only (no application) (July 1 - Sept 30, per species) $15.
Not applying this year? A point-only purchase costs $2 (Jul 1 – Sep 30, expected) and adds a point for next year's draw.
Next application window: opens Mar 1, closes May 1, 2027 (expected) · results ~May 15. Last cycle's schedule rolled forward — confirm when the agency publishes.
Point creep & years to draw
Insufficient history (0 of 3 draws) — a creep trend needs at least three draw years with a published drew-out level.
Seasons (2026)
How this tag has hunted
Across every license type in Hunting District 503, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks counted 3 hunters and 2 bighorn sheep taken in 2025 — 67% of them killed something. Full Hunting District 503 profile: maps, public land, five years of harvest →
Montana's figures blend mandatory reporting with a phone and mail survey. FWP does not publish district-level hunter counts for elk or antelope, so success rates are missing for those. Source: FWP Harvest Estimates CSV export - bighorn sheep, all districts, 2005-2025
Year by year
The standard draw for residents, one row per year.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Applicants per tag | Points needed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 766 | 255.3 | — | 2026 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 630 | 210.0 | — | 2025 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 1 |
| 2024 | 3 | 509 | 169.7 | — | 2024 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 1 |
| 2023 | 3 | 431 | 143.7 | — | 2023 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 1 |
| 2022 | 3 | 359 | 119.7 | — | 2022 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 2 |
| 2021 | 3 | 352 | 117.3 | — | 2021 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 1 |
| 2020 | 3 | 326 | 108.7 | — | 2020 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 2 |
| 2019 | 3 | 290 | 96.7 | — | 2019 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 2 |
| 2018 | 3 | 305 | 101.7 | — | 2018 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 3 |
| 2017 | 3 | 296 | 98.7 | — | 2017 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 2 |
| 2016 | 3 | 312 | 104.0 | — | 2016 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 2 |
| 2015 | 3 | 301 | 100.3 | — | 2015 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 2 |
| 2014 | 3 | 311 | 103.7 | — | 2014 Bighorn Sheep Drawing... · p. 2 |
Other licenses valid in Hunting District 503
Legal cartridges for bighorn sheep in Montana
From the Montana hunting laws rules on file for a rifle. "Depends" means the rule turns on your specific load — check the state page.
Spot a data error on this page? Tell us.
How to read these numbers
Every percentage on this page is a prior-draw probability: the chance an applicant with that many points would have drawn in the draw year shown, computed from the agency's published results. It is not a forecast — quotas, applicant numbers, and point creep change every year. Every figure links to the agency document it came from. Where a state does not publish a number, we show a dash, never a zero. Hunts with fewer than five tags show counts instead of percentages. Fees show the fee year used. Read the methodology for the engine details.
Not an application service
This page is informational only. Draw rules, quotas, fees, and deadlines are set by the state agency and change by commission action — confirm everything on the agency's own site before you apply, and apply through the agency, not here. We disclaim all liability for reliance on this page.