Nebraska Elk — Unit 6

Nebraska Unit 6 covers 1,461,578 acres and lies 19 miles south-west of Valentine. 10% of it is public land, mostly national forest (8%) and wildlife refuge (1%). In 2025, hunters took 30 elk here. Its biggest hunt, U6-ANTLERLESS-LO, put up 22 tags in the 2026 draw.

Tags (2026):52 Applicants:266 Public land:10% Size:1,461,578 acres

Your chance of drawing here

Every elk license type on offer in Unit 6, 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

U6-ANTLERLESS-LO U6 Antlerless (landowner) 22 tags · Landowner

— Cut level
U6-BULL U6 Bull — · 266 applicants · needed 4 pts · Standard

<1% Point builder
U6-BULL-LO U6 Bull (landowner) — · needed 3 pts · Landowner

0% Point builder
U6-EARLY-ANTLERLESS U6 Early Antlerless 20 tags · Standard

27% Long shot
U6-LATE-ANTLERLESS U6 Late Antlerless 10 tags · Standard

21% Long shot

Hunt	Your odds (0 pts)	Points needed	Tags / applicants	License	Season
U6-ANTLERLESS-LO ↗ U6 Antlerless (landowner)	— Cut level	—	22 / —	Landowner	Aug 1 – Jan 31, 2027
U6-BULL ↗ U6 Bull	<1% Point builder	4 +4 since 2023	— / 266	Standard	Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026
U6-BULL-LO ↗ U6 Bull (landowner)	0% Point builder	3 +2 since 2023	— / —	Landowner	Sep 1 – Dec 31, 2026
U6-EARLY-ANTLERLESS ↗ U6 Early Antlerless	27% Long shot	—	20 / —	Standard	Aug 1 – Oct 31, 2026
U6-LATE-ANTLERLESS ↗ U6 Late Antlerless	21% Long shot	—	10 / —	Standard	Nov 1 – Jan 31, 2027

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 6 within Nebraska

Unit 6 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 1,315,010 ac · 90%
National Forest 114,735 ac · 8%
National Wildlife Refuge 21,273 ac · 1%
State land 10,472 ac · 1%
Bureau of Reclamation 86 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.