No points in this draw. Every applicant has the same chance each year.
North Dakota Elk Draw Odds
In the 2026 draw North Dakota offered 12 elk hunts to residents, drawn at random with no points. 5 of them, open to every hunter, gave at least an even chance.
Closes Mar 31, 2027 (expected)
$7 kept if you miss, the rest refunded. Elk license $35 only if drawn
2026 draw
26,268 resident applicants
How the North Dakota Draw Works (30-Second Version)
Random draw.
Every applicant has the same chance: tags divided by applicants. No points count in this draw.
No nonresident draw results are on file for North Dakota elk — North Dakota Game and Fish Department publishes resident results only, or none by residency. The numbers below are the resident draw.
Best Bets
Odds × hunter success × public land, 10 tags or more. Private-land, ranch, landowner and youth hunts left out.
Bull or Either-Sex
E4-ANY
Unit E4 · Either-sex rifle · Unit E4 any elk
- Success
- 86%
- Public
- 66%
- Season
- Sep 4–Jan 3
E3-ANY
Unit E3 · Either-sex rifle · Unit E3 any elk
- Success
- 67%
- Public
- 29%
- Season
- Sep 4–Jan 3
E7-ANY
Unit E7 · Either-sex rifle · Unit E7 any elk
- Success
- —
- Public
- 6%
- Season
- Oct 2–Jan 3
E1W-ANY
Unit E1W · Either-sex rifle · Unit E1W any elk
- Success
- 55%
- Public
- 4%
- Season
- Oct 2–Jan 3
E2-ANY
Unit E2 · Either-sex rifle · Unit E2 any elk
- Success
- 67%
- Public
- 25%
- Season
- Oct 2–Jan 3
E1E-ANY
Unit E1E · Either-sex rifle · Unit E1E any elk
- Success
- 52%
- Public
- 2%
- Season
- Oct 2–Jan 3
Cow
E3-ANTL
Unit E3 · Antlerless rifle · Unit E3 antlerless elk
- Success
- 67%
- Public
- 29%
- Season
- Sep 4–Jan 3
E2-ANTL
Unit E2 · Antlerless rifle · Unit E2 antlerless elk
- Success
- 67%
- Public
- 25%
- Season
- Oct 2–Jan 3
E1W-ANTL
Unit E1W · Antlerless rifle · Unit E1W antlerless elk
- Success
- 55%
- Public
- 4%
- Season
- Oct 2–Jan 3
E1E-ANTL
Unit E1E · Antlerless rifle · Unit E1E antlerless elk
- Success
- 52%
- Public
- 2%
- Season
- Oct 2–Jan 3
E6-ANTL
Unit E6 · Antlerless rifle · Unit E6 antlerless elk
- Success
- 23%
- Public
- 8%
- Season
- Oct 2–Jan 3
Before You Apply
One Tag Per Lifetime
Draw a tag once and you cannot apply for North Dakota elk again.
One elk lottery licence in a lifetime, triggered by receiving it; landowner-preference and depredation licences are outside the cap.
Source: ndlegis.gov
- Limit
- One per lifetime
- Nonresident Share
- Residents only
- This draw is open to residents only.
Every Hunt
12 hunt codes drawn in 2026 · 5 at 50% or better · first choice · resident
| Hunt | Season | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1E-ANTL Unit E1E · Antlerless rifle · Unit E1E antlerless elk | Antlerless rifle · Unit E1E antlerless elk | E1E | Oct 2–Jan 3 | 64% | 91 / 143 | 52% |
| E1E-ANY Unit E1E · Either-sex rifle · Unit E1E any elk | Either-sex rifle · Unit E1E any elk | E1E | Oct 2–Jan 3 | <1% | 25 / 4,222 | 52% |
| E1W-ANTL Unit E1W · Antlerless rifle · Unit E1W antlerless elk | Antlerless rifle · Unit E1W antlerless elk | E1W | Oct 2–Jan 3 | 100% | 125 / 125 | 55% |
| E1W-ANY Unit E1W · Either-sex rifle · Unit E1W any elk | Either-sex rifle · Unit E1W any elk | E1W | Oct 2–Jan 3 | 1% | 30 / 2,635 | 55% |
| E2-ANTL Unit E2 · Antlerless rifle · Unit E2 antlerless elk | Antlerless rifle · Unit E2 antlerless elk | E2 | Oct 2–Jan 3 | 100% | 148 / 148 | 67% |
| E2-ANY Unit E2 · Either-sex rifle · Unit E2 any elk | Either-sex rifle · Unit E2 any elk | E2 | Oct 2–Jan 3 | <1% | 42 / 6,745 | 67% |
| E3-ANTL Unit E3 · Antlerless rifle · Unit E3 antlerless elk | Antlerless rifle · Unit E3 antlerless elk | E3 | Sep 4–Jan 3 | 100% | 228 / 228 | 67% |
| E3-ANY Unit E3 · Either-sex rifle · Unit E3 any elk | Either-sex rifle · Unit E3 any elk | E3 | Sep 4–Jan 3 | 1% | 91 / 9,304 | 67% |
| E4-ANY Unit E4 · Either-sex rifle · Unit E4 any elk | Either-sex rifle · Unit E4 any elk | E4 | Sep 4–Jan 3 | <1% | 10 / 1,147 | 86% |
| E6-ANTL Unit E6 · Antlerless rifle · Unit E6 antlerless elk | Antlerless rifle · Unit E6 antlerless elk | E6 | Oct 2–Jan 3 | 71% | 10 / 14 | 23% |
| E6-ANY Unit E6 · Either-sex rifle · Unit E6 any elk | Either-sex rifle · Unit E6 any elk | E6 | Oct 2–Jan 3 | <1% (small sample) | 2 / 414 | 23% |
| E7-ANY Unit E7 · Either-sex rifle · Unit E7 any elk | Either-sex rifle · Unit E7 any elk | E7 | Oct 2–Jan 3 | 1% | 12 / 1,143 | — |
Showing all 12 · sorted by unit
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 unit who killed an animal, from the latest harvest report on file. It is the whole unit's figure, not the hunt's.
All 7 Units
Each unit 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.