No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
Montana Bison Draw Odds
In the 2026 draw Montana offered 3 bison hunts to residents and nonresidents in one shared draw, drawn at random with no points. 0 of them, open to every hunter, gave at least an even chance.
Open Mar 1 – May 1, 2027 (expected)
Kept if you miss
2026 draw
2026 draw, first choice
How the Montana Draw Works (30-Second Version)
Random draw.
Every applicant has the same chance: tags divided by applicants. No points count in this draw.
Before You Apply
Not Once In A Lifetime Here
Montana puts no lifetime limit on bison tags.
There is no waiting period for bison; you may hold one bison licence a year.
Source: mca.legmt.gov
- Limit
- No lifetime limit
- Nonresident Share
- Up to 10%
- Nonresidents may take up to a tenth of the licences but are not guaranteed any.
- Tag Fee
- Due only if drawn
- You pay the tag only if you draw.
Every Hunt
3 hunt codes drawn in 2026 · 0 at 50% or better · first choice · nonresident
| Hunt | Season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 385-20 Hunting district 385 · Either-sex rifle · Bison License · Either Sex | Either-sex rifle · Bison License · Either Sex | 385 | Nov 15–Feb 28 | <1% (small sample) | 4 / 975 | — |
| 385-21 Hunting district 385 · Either-sex rifle · Bison License · Either Sex | Either-sex rifle · Bison License · Either Sex | 385 | Sep 15–Nov 14 | — | 0 / 0 | — |
| 395-20 Hunting district 395 · Either-sex rifle · Bison License · Either Sex | Either-sex rifle · Bison License · Either Sex | 395 | Nov 15–Feb 28 | <1% (small sample) | 2 / 838 | — |
Showing all 3 · sorted by hunting district · 2 hunts not offered in 2026 hidden — show discontinued hunts
What These Columns Mean
- Odds —
- the share of first-choice applicants 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.
- 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 2 Hunting Districts
Each hunting district 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 any applicant had in the draw year shown, computed from the agency's published results; quotas and applicant numbers 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.