Montana Elk 455-21
Elk Permit 455-21 — Either-sex Elk in Hunting District 455, archery only, Sep 5 – Oct 18, 2026. 99% public land, mostly State land.
Your odds at 0 points · 2026 draw
10 tags for 21 first-choice applicants
85 first-choice applicants for 100 tags (all residencies) in 2026, but only 10 of the 21 first-choice applicants drew (nonresidents are capped at 10%).
Years to draw on points: —
- NR Tags
- 10
- Applicants
- 21
- Success
- —
First-choice nonresidents, standard draw; nonresidents capped at 10%.
Points Needed to Draw
No cut was published in enough years to chart one.
Bonus points (squared) — no cut to track: each point adds entries to the draw rather than a place in line.
What It Costs · 2026 NR Fees
Closes Apr 1 · 164 daysThe $5 application fee per species (deer, elk, antelope and mountain lion drawings) is not refunded. Drawing adds the $10 Bow and arrow license (Class A-2; required for archery-only seasons/districts). The $50 base hunting license (annual, assessed with first hunting license or application) is not refunded. The $10 conservation license (prerequisite for all licenses) is not refunded. The $7.50 Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Pass (16 and older) is not refunded. The $1,112 general Elk Combination license (elk tag + fishing + upland bird); alternative to the Big Game Combination is refunded if you miss. A bonus point bought with an application (per species; required for accumulated points to count) is $20. The $4 special elk permit (statutory fee, MCA 87-2-704(4); used with a valid elk license) is not refunded.
Optional, not counted above: Bonus point only (no application) (July 1 - Sept 30, per species) $25.
- Opens
- Mar 1, 2027
- Closes
- Apr 1, 2027
- Results
- about Apr 15
Next application window: Open Mar 1 – Apr 1, 2027 (expected). Dates are last cycle's, rolled forward until Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks publishes 2027.
▸ Every Fee, With Sources
- Application fee per species (deer, elk, antelope and mountain lion drawings) · paid at application $5 Montana Legislature 2026 MCA 87-2-113 Application fees
- Bow and arrow license (Class A-2; required for archery-only seasons/districts) · paid if drawn $10 Montana Legislature 2026 MCA 87-2-708 Class A-2
- Base hunting license (annual, assessed with first hunting license or application) · paid at application $50 Montana Legislature 2026 MCA 87-2-116 Base hunting license…
- Conservation license (prerequisite for all licenses) · paid at application $10 Montana FWP 2026 Hunting Requirements
- Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention Pass (16 and older) · paid at application $7.50 Montana FWP 2026 Nonresident License Fees
- General Elk Combination license (elk tag + fishing + upland bird); alternative to the Big Game Combination · paid at application, refundable $1,112 Montana FWP 2026 Nonresident License Fees
- Bonus point bought with an application (per species; required for accumulated points to count) · paid with the application, drawn or not; skip it and no point is added this year $20 Montana Legislature 2026 MCA 87-2-113 Application fees
- Special elk permit (statutory fee, MCA 87-2-704(4); used with a valid elk license) · paid at application $4 Montana Legislature 2026 MCA 87-2-704 Regulation of special elk…
Details
Odds by Point Level · 2026 Draw
| Points | Chance | Applied | Drew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 ← you | 7% | — | — |
| 1 | 15% | 6 | 2 |
| 2 | 33% | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | 56% | 5 | 2 |
| 4 | 76% | 3 | 3 |
| 5 | 89% | 2 | 1 |
| 6–7 | 100% same at every level | — | — |
| 8 | 79% | — | — |
| 9 | >99% | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | 100% | — | — |
Computed from the agency's published draw results. A dash means Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks did not publish a count for that level. As a lower choice, 455-21 drew no one in 2026, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: Montana FWP 2026 Elk Permit Drawing Statistics Report, p. 1, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
How It Hunted, 2025
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of Hunting District 455 | — | 124 | — |
Across every license type in Hunting District 455, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks counted 124 elk taken in 2025 (hunter counts not published). 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: Montana FWP 2025 Elk Harvest Estimates; Montana FWP 2024 Elk Harvest Estimates.
▸ Year-by-Year Numbers 3 draws
The standard draw for nonresidents, one row per year.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Per Tag | Points Needed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 10 | 21 | 2.1 | — | Montana FWP 2026 Elk Permit Drawing Statistics Report, p. 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 24 | 2.4 | — | Montana FWP 2025 Elk Permit Drawing Statistics Report, p. 1 |
| 2024 | 10 | 23 | 2.3 | — | Montana FWP 2024 Elk Permit Drawing Statistics Report, p. 1 |
Earlier Years, When This Number Was a Different Hunt
Montana reassigns hunt numbers between years. In these years 455-21 stood for another hunting district or weapon, so they are listed here rather than counted as this hunt's history or in its point-creep trend.
| Year · What It Was | Tags | Applicants | Per Tag | Points Needed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 · Hunting District 455, rifle | 10 | 12 | 1.2 | — | Montana FWP 2023 Elk Permit Drawing Statistics Report, p. 1 |
| 2022 · Hunting District 455, rifle | 10 | 19 | 1.9 | — | Montana FWP 2022 Elk Permit Drawing Statistics Report |
Other Licenses Valid in Hunting District 455
- 455-00 Elk B License 455-00 — Antlerless Elk Sep 5 – Dec 20 · 25 tags · 29 applied 11%
- 455-20 Elk Permit 455-20 — Either-sex Elk Sep 5 – Dec 20 · 5 tags · 44 applied <1%
- 455-80 Elk B License 455-80 15 tags · 11 applied 31%
Odds at your points, nonresident, standard class where offered. * fewer than 5 tags.
▸ Sources 17
- Montana FWP 2026 Elk Permit Drawing Statistics Report, p. 1 · draw results, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2025 Elk Permit Drawing Statistics Report, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2024 Elk Permit Drawing Statistics Report, p. 1 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana Legislature 2026 MCA 87-2-117 License bonus point system draw rules, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana Legislature 2026 MCA 87-2-113 Application fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana Legislature 2026 MCA 87-2-708 Class A-2 fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana Legislature 2026 MCA 87-2-116 Base hunting license… fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2026 Hunting Requirements fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2026 Nonresident License Fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana Legislature 2026 MCA 87-2-704 Regulation of special elk… fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2026 Deer, Elk, Antelope Hunting Regulations, p. 102 · seasons, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2025 Elk Harvest Estimates harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2024 Elk Harvest Estimates harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2023 Elk Harvest Estimates harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2022 Elk Harvest Estimates harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2026 Deer and Elk Hunting Districts boundary, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Montana FWP 2026-2027 Deer Elk Lion Hunting District… land ownership, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
About These Numbers
Odds are from the 2026 draw, the latest on file, computed from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' published results (computed from the agency's published draw results). They are what happened in that draw, not a forecast. Under five tags a percentage carries a *, because one applicant either way swings it. A dash means the agency did not publish the number, and a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward.
Report an error on this page
We don't take applications: check Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks's site and apply there.
Prior-draw odds from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' results, not a forecast · All Montana elk hunts