Tennessee Draw Odds
Tennessee's elk drawing is a pure random lottery - no preference or bonus points - and winners sit out the next ten years. Nineteen permits are issued in recent years for the Elk Hunt Zones on North Cumberland WMA: nine archery and eight gun permits by drawing (you rank up to four zone/season choices), one resident-youth permit, and one permit raffled by a conservation nonprofit.
Residents and nonresidents compete in one pool, with nonresidents capped at 25% of drawn permits; nothing is fronted beyond a $12 nonrefundable application fee (no license needed to apply, and no tag fee if drawn - just normal Tennessee license requirements). Applications run in February (Feb 4-25 in 2026), and with roughly 9,600-16,900 applicants for 17 drawn adult permits in recent years, odds run well under 1%.
Sources: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency documents, last verified September 1, 2026. · 11 sources
Odds by Species
The Rules, Side by Side
Nonresident and resident rules for every species. Small numbers are sources.
NR Share
- Elk
- 25% No more than a quarter of the drawn permits may go to nonresidents, which came to four of them in 2024; nonresident lifetime licence holders count as nonresidents.
How This Draw Works, With an Example
Random draw: Every applicant has the same chance: tags divided by applicants. No points count in this draw.
Buying Points
Tennessee has no points to buy: every applicant has the same chance each year.
Fees
| 2026 Fee | Nonres. | Resident | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every Applicant | |||
| 7-Day All Game license 7 If drawn Needed only if you draw; no license is required to apply. There is no separate elk tag fee. | $214 | $33 | If drawn |
| Supplemental Big Game Archery license 7 If drawn | — | $33 | If drawn |
| Supplemental Big Game Gun license 7 If drawn Needed in addition to the combo license. The weapon you hunt with decides which supplemental license you need. | — | $33 | If drawn |
| Supplemental Big Game Muzzleloader license 7 If drawn | — | $33 | If drawn |
| Elk | |||
| Elk quota hunt application fee 6 To apply Plus a vendor fee. | $12 | $12 | To apply |
| Cash to Apply, One Species | $12 | $12 | 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
-
Elk 5
Feb 3–24, 2027 130 days
Legal cartridges in Tennessee by species and weapon
Sources (11)
Draw Rules, Fees and Deadlines
- 1. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · 2024 Elk Quota Draw instructions (TWRA form WR-1223, rev. 02/23)
- 2. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · 2026 Elk Quota Hunt Application Period Open February 4-25
- 3. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · Elk Quota Hunt Application Period February 5-26 (2025)
- 4. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · Elk Quota Hunt Application Period Underway (2023)
- 5. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · Elk and Youth Elk Hunts (TWRA quota hunt page, 2026/2027 hunt choices)
- 6. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · Quota Hunts (TWRA general quota hunt application and draw instructions) · 2026
- 7. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · Tennessee Hunting License Fees (official TWRA Hunting & Trapping Guide, 2026 edition)
Draw Results, Hunt Lists and Harvest Reports, 2022–2027
2027 · 1 document
- Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · Tennessee Elk Season Dates Regulations and Information (current elk page) · 2027
2025 · 1 document
- Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · Tennessee Elk Season Dates · 2025
2022 · 2 documents
- Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · Elk Quota Hunt, Conservation Raffle Winners Announced at August TFWC Meeting (2022)
- Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency · Tennessee Elk Season Dates · 2022
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About These Numbers
Rules, fees and deadlines are copied from Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency 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.