Nebraska Elk — Unit 12

Nebraska Unit 12 covers 2,102,346 acres and lies 17 miles east of Ogallala and 34 miles west of North Platte. 1% of it is public land, mostly state land (1%). In 2025, hunters took 1 elk here. Its biggest hunt, U12-ANTLERLESS, put up 16 resident tags in the 2026 draw.

Resident tags (2026):28 Applicants:101 Public land:1% Size:2,102,346 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every elk license type on offer in Unit 12, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice resident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.

Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice resident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.

Simple view Odds at every point level

U12-ANTLERLESS U12 Antlerless 16 tags · Standard

24% Long shot
U12-ANTLERLESS-LO U12 Antlerless (landowner) 12 tags · Landowner

— Cut level
U12-BULL U12 Bull — · 101 applicants · needed 0 pts · Standard

<1% Point builder
U12-BULL-LO U12 Bull (landowner) — · needed 0 pts · Landowner

100% Likely draw

Hunt	Your odds (0 pts)	Points needed	Tags / applicants	License	Season
U12-ANTLERLESS ↗ U12 Antlerless	24% Long shot	—	16 / —	Standard	Aug 1 – Jan 31, 2027
U12-ANTLERLESS-LO ↗ U12 Antlerless (landowner)	— Cut level	—	12 / —	Landowner	Aug 1 – Jan 31, 2027
U12-BULL ↗ U12 Bull	<1% Point builder	0 −3 since 2023	— / 101	Standard	Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026
U12-BULL-LO ↗ U12 Bull (landowner)	100% Likely draw	0 steady since 2023	— / —	Landowner	Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026

What these columns mean

Your odds: the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
The badge: plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
Points needed: the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
Tags / applicants: tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags the percentage is flagged, because one applicant either way swings it.

What it costs to apply (2026 resident fees)

License	Up front	Gone if you miss	If you draw
Standard license	$11	$11	$232
Landowner license	$11	$11	$77

Application window: opens Jun 1, closes Jun 12, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.

The country

Unit 12 within Nebraska

Unit 12 and its neighbours

Zoomable USGS topo, aerial imagery and shaded relief, with the neighboring areas drawn on.

Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.

Who owns the ground

Private 2,085,369 ac · 99%
State land 12,046 ac · 1%
County or city land 4,931 ac · 0%

Source: NGPC Public Access Atlas land layers: Other Public Recreation Lands, NGPC Properties 2024-2025, Park Areas, Conservation Partner Lands

Nearby areas

How the hunting has gone

What Nebraska Game and Parks Commission publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission publishes these per hunt rather than per unit; the rows below add its own figures together, since a hunter holds one tag for the species in a season.