Pennsylvania Draw Odds
Pennsylvania awards every elk license by a bonus-point lottery in which residents and nonresidents are drawn together - on equal footing through 2025, and with nonresidents capped at 10% of licenses starting in 2026. An application costs $11.97 (through 2025 you bought a separate application for each of the three season drawings; from 2026 it is one application with up to five season/zone/sex choices), your entry goes in once plus once per bonus point, and every unsuccessful year adds a point that never expires.
You pay nothing up front beyond the application fee: the elk license ($25 resident / $250 nonresident) is bought only if drawn, though from 2026 everyone must hold a Pennsylvania general hunting license ($20.97 / $101.97) before applying. Applications run to mid-July (May 1 - July 12 in 2026) with winners announced in late July at the Elk Expo in Benezette; from 2026 an antlered (bull) license is once in a lifetime.
Sources: Pennsylvania Game Commission documents, last verified September 1, 2026. · 9 sources
Odds by Species
The Rules, Side by Side
Nonresident and resident rules for every species. Small numbers are sources.
| Species | Who | System | Choices | Lower Choice Burns Points | Point-Only | Points Expire | Party Averages | NR Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elk | Nonresident | Bonus points (linear) 1 | 5 | No | No | No | No | 10% 1 |
| Resident | Bonus points (linear) 1 | 5 | No | No | No | No | — |
NR Share
- Elk
- 10% A ceiling rather than a set-aside: nonresidents apply in the same pool but take no more than a tenth of the licences, a limit that did not exist before 2026.
How This Draw Works, With an Example
Bonus points (linear): Every applicant gets points + 1 entries in a random draw, so more points mean more chances, but never a guarantee.
Buying Points
Pennsylvania only awards points to applicants; there is no way to buy one without applying.
Fees
| 2026 Fee | Nonres. | Resident | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every Applicant | |||
| Adult general hunting license (required BEFORE applying, from 2026) 3 To apply | $101.97 | $20.97 | To apply |
| Elk | |||
| Elk license application (single application, up to 5 season/zone/sex choices) 3 To apply | $11.97 | $11.97 | To apply |
| Elk license (paid only if drawn) 3 If drawn | $250 | $25 | If drawn |
| Cash to Apply, One Species | $113.94 | $32.94 | Kept if you miss |
Cash to apply adds up every fee due with an application; each extra species adds its own application fee.
Next Application Deadlines
-
May 1 – Jul 12, 2027 268 days expected
Dates marked expected are last cycle's schedule rolled forward by Pennsylvania Game Commission's own rule; confirm them once the new dates are published.
Legal cartridges in Pennsylvania by species and weapon
Sources (9)
Draw Rules, Fees and Deadlines
- 1. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code) · 58 Pa. Code sec. 143.203 - Random drawing elk licenses · 2026
- 2. Pennsylvania Game Commission · 2025-26 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest (elk section pp. 54-57, license fees p. 66)
- 3. Pennsylvania Game Commission · 2026-27 Pennsylvania Hunting & Trapping Digest (elk section pp. 52-55, fees p. 65)
- 4. Pennsylvania Game Commission · PGC Elk Hunting 2025-26 brochure (application, bonus points, seasons)
- 5. Pennsylvania Game Commission · PGC Elk Hunting page (2026-27 changes, application info, bonus points)
- 6. Pennsylvania Game Commission · PGC email bulletin 'Drumroll Please...' (2023 elk application details)
- 7. Pennsylvania Game Commission · PGC news release: FINAL 2024-25 HUNTING & TRAPPING SEASONS ADOPTED (April 2024)
Draw Results, Hunt Lists and Harvest Reports, 2022–2023
2023 · 1 document
- Pennsylvania Game Commission · PGC news release: FINAL 2023-24 HUNTING & TRAPPING SEASONS APPROVED (April 2023)
2022 · 1 document
- Pennsylvania Game Commission · PGC news release: Highlights from today's commissioners meeting (April 9, 2022) - 2022-23 elk allocations
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About These Numbers
Rules, fees and deadlines are copied from Pennsylvania Game Commission documents and change by commission action; a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward. The odds on each species page are last draw's results. Check the agency's site and apply there; we don't take applications. How we compute these.