State of the Western Draw 2017

← 2016 · 2018 → · every year: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

Nonresident view of the 2017 draws across 2 states: 770 hunt codes, 40,175 nonresident tags, 174,275 first-choice applications. Every figure is from the agency's published draw report; odds are prior-draw probabilities.

Demand at a glance

State · speciesCodesNR tags 1st-choice appsApps / tag Drawable at 0 pts UndersubscribedMedian cut Cut shift Odds error
California · White-tailed / Mule Deer 84 32,053 75,661 2.4 18% 8
California · Elk 65 219 30,253 138.1 0% 0
California · Pronghorn 17 185 18,424 99.6 0% 0
California · Bighorn Sheep 7 10 11,124 1112.4 0% 0
Montana · White-tailed / Mule Deer 139 1,471 5,687 3.9 49% 50 4%
Montana · Elk 174 3,660 11,655 3.2 35% 28 3%
Montana · Moose 89 32 3,149 98.4 0% 0 <1%
Montana · Pronghorn 112 2,497 6,771 2.7 24% 11 6%
Montana · Bighorn Sheep 43 28 7,885 281.6 16% 6 <1%
Montana · Mountain Goat 40 20 3,666 183.3 0% 0 <1%

"Drawable at 0 pts" = share of codes where a first-year applicant had at least a 50% chance. "Cut shift" needs the prior draw on file. "Odds error" = applicant-weighted back-test error of the prior year's odds (methodology).

California white-tailed / mule deer

Hardest tags (highest cut)

No drew-out levels published.

Sleepers (undersubscribed, 5+ tags)

  • D6 Zone D6 Archery and General Sea... — 2298 of 9000 tags claimed
  • D9 Zone D9 Archery and General Sea... — 696 of 1800 tags claimed
  • A1 Archery Hunt In C Zones - Buck — 677 of 1751 tags claimed
  • C C Zones General Seasons - Buck — 6687 of 7335 tags claimed
  • A31 Los Angeles Archery Either - sex — 512 of 900 tags claimed

Biggest cut moves vs 2016

Prior draw not on file.

California elk

Hardest tags (highest cut)

No drew-out levels published.

Sleepers (undersubscribed, 5+ tags)

Every code with 5+ tags was oversubscribed.

Biggest cut moves vs 2016

Prior draw not on file.

California pronghorn

Hardest tags (highest cut)

No drew-out levels published.

Sleepers (undersubscribed, 5+ tags)

Every code with 5+ tags was oversubscribed.

Biggest cut moves vs 2016

Prior draw not on file.

California bighorn sheep

Hardest tags (highest cut)

No drew-out levels published.

Sleepers (undersubscribed, 5+ tags)

Every code with 5+ tags was oversubscribed.

Biggest cut moves vs 2016

Prior draw not on file.

Montana white-tailed / mule deer

Hardest tags (highest cut)

No drew-out levels published.

Sleepers (undersubscribed, 5+ tags)

  • 599-00 Deer B License 599-00 — 23 of 200 tags claimed
  • 299-00 Deer B License 299-00 — 1 of 40 tags claimed
  • 597-00 Deer B License 597-00 — 12 of 50 tags claimed
  • 495-00 Deer B License 495-00 — 14 of 50 tags claimed
  • 405-00 Deer B License 405-00 — Antlerl... — 20 of 40 tags claimed

Biggest cut moves vs 2016

Prior draw not on file.

Montana elk

Hardest tags (highest cut)

No drew-out levels published.

Sleepers (undersubscribed, 5+ tags)

  • 004-00 Elk B License 004-00 — Antlerle... — 287 of 480 tags claimed
  • 311-00 Elk B License 311-00 — 5 of 100 tags claimed
  • 398-00 Elk B License 398-00 — Antlerle... — 60 of 100 tags claimed
  • 005-00 Elk B License 005-00 — Only val... — 111 of 150 tags claimed
  • 699-00 Elk B License 699-00 — Antlerle... — 11 of 50 tags claimed

Biggest cut moves vs 2016

Prior draw not on file.

Montana moose

Hardest tags (highest cut)

No drew-out levels published.

Sleepers (undersubscribed, 5+ tags)

Every code with 5+ tags was oversubscribed.

Biggest cut moves vs 2016

Prior draw not on file.

Montana pronghorn

Hardest tags (highest cut)

No drew-out levels published.

Sleepers (undersubscribed, 5+ tags)

  • 550-20 Antelope License 550-20 — Eithe... — 5 of 40 tags claimed
  • 590-30 Antelope B License 590-30 — Doe... — 4 of 25 tags claimed
  • 450-30 Antelope B License 450-30 — Doe... — 9 of 30 tags claimed
  • 540-30 Antelope B License 540-30 — Doe... — 5 of 15 tags claimed
  • 511-20 Antelope License 511-20 — Eithe... — 16 of 25 tags claimed

Biggest cut moves vs 2016

Prior draw not on file.

Montana bighorn sheep

Hardest tags (highest cut)

No drew-out levels published.

Sleepers (undersubscribed, 5+ tags)

Every code with 5+ tags was oversubscribed.

Biggest cut moves vs 2016

Prior draw not on file.

Montana mountain goat

Hardest tags (highest cut)

No drew-out levels published.

Sleepers (undersubscribed, 5+ tags)

Every code with 5+ tags was oversubscribed.

Biggest cut moves vs 2016

Prior draw not on file.

How to read these numbers

Every percentage on this page is a prior-draw probability: the chance an applicant with that many points would have drawn in the draw year shown, computed from the agency's published results. It is not a forecast — quotas, applicant numbers, and point creep change every year. Every figure links to the agency document it came from. Where a state does not publish a number, we show a dash, never a zero. Hunts with fewer than five tags show counts instead of percentages. Fees show the fee year used. Read the methodology for the engine details.

Not an application service

This page is informational only. Draw rules, quotas, fees, and deadlines are set by the state agency and change by commission action — confirm everything on the agency's own site before you apply, and apply through the agency, not here. We disclaim all liability for reliance on this page.