Utah Elk EB3198 — Unit Southwest Desert, South
Limited-entry Bull Elk - Southwest Desert, South
- What you may take
- Limited-entry Bull Elk - Southwest Desert, South (antlered)
- Weapon
- Rifle
- Season (2026)
- Oct 3–15, 2026
- Nonresident tags (2026)
- 4
- for 111 first-choice applicants
- Hunter success here (2025)
- 66%
- of everyone who hunted the area
Showing nonresident results. Switch to resident
Odds by point level — 2026 draw
Prior-draw probability for a first-choice nonresident applicant. 2 tags, 111 first-choice applicants, drew out at 24 points. Source: Utah Draw System DrawOddsData · HuntID=1690.
| Points | Your chance | Applicants | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 5 | 0 |
| 1 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 7 | 0 |
| 2 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | <1% (<1%–<1%) | 8 | 1 |
| 5 | <1% (<1%–1%) | 6 | 0 |
| 6 | 1% (1%–1%) | 9 | 0 |
| 7 | 2% (1%–2%) | 6 | 0 |
| 8 | 2% (1%–2%) | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | 2% (1%–2%) | 9 | 0 |
| 10 | 2% (1%–2%) | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | 2% (2%–2%) | 5 | 0 |
| 12 | 2% (2%–2%) | 7 | 0 |
| 13 | 2% (2%–3%) | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | 3% (3%–3%) | 3 | 0 |
| 15 | 3% (3%–3%) | 5 | 1 |
| 16 | 3% (3%–3%) | 4 | 0 |
| 17 | 3% (3%–3%) | 8 | 0 |
| 18 | 3% (3%–3%) | 4 | 0 |
| 19 | 3% (3%–4%) | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | 3% (3%–4%) | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | 4% | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | 4% (3%–4%) | 3 | 0 |
| 23 | 4% (4%–4%) | 3 | 0 |
| 24 | 68% (68%–68%) | 3 | 2 |
| 25–27 | 100% same chance at every one of these levels | — | — |
Monte Carlo over published bonus-point pools. A dash means Utah Division of Wildlife Resources did not publish a count for that level. How we compute these.
What it costs (2026 nonresident fees)
At the 2026 odds, expected cost per hunt-year ranges from $2,115 (enough points to draw) to $96,235.71 (lowest published odds).
Not applying this year? A point-only purchase costs $21 (Mar 19 – Jun 23, expected) and keeps you moving toward the 24-point cut.
Next application window: opens Mar 19, closes Apr 23, 2027 (expected) · results ~May 31. Last cycle's schedule rolled forward — confirm when the agency publishes.
Point creep & years to draw
Drew out at 24 → 22 → 24 → 24 points (2023–2026): +0.0 points/yr (range +0.0 to +2.0). Projecting that pace forward:
| Your points now | Years until a sure thing |
|---|---|
| 0 | 24 yrs (24–∞) |
| 3 | 21 yrs (21–∞) |
| 6 | 18 yrs (18–∞) |
| 9 | 15 yrs (15–∞) |
| 12 | 12 yrs (12–∞) |
| 15 | 9 yrs (9–∞) |
| 18 | 6 yrs (6–∞) |
A projection of the last five draws' median creep (capped at 2 points/yr), not a forecast. Random-pass odds still apply every year you're below the cut.
Seasons (2026)
How this tag has hunted
Across every license type in Southwest Desert, South, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources counted 182 hunters and 120 elk taken in 2025 — 66% of them killed something. Full Southwest Desert, South profile: maps, public land, five years of harvest →
Hunters holding this license type (2025) — the rest of the area's hunters held something else:
| What they hunted | Hunters | Harvest | Success | Days per animal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type Limited Entry | 43 | 19 | 44% | — |
| Type Limited Entry | 18 | 15 | 83% | — |
| Type Limited Entry | 30 | 27 | 90% | — |
| Type Limited Entry | 27 | 18 | 67% | — |
| Type Limited Entry | 7 | 6 | 86% | — |
| Type Limited Entry | 8 | 1 | 13% | — |
| Type Limited Entry | 49 | 34 | 69% | — |
Post-season survey, not draw statistics. Source: 2025 Utah Big Game Harvest (preliminary) — single combined report, all species and hunt types 2024 Utah Big Game Harvest — General Season Buck Deer + Limited Entry/Once-in-a-Lifetime (all species)
Year by year
The standard draw for nonresidents, one row per year. Utah runs a second, random pass after the points pass; it is shown beside the year it belongs to.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Applicants per tag | Points needed | Random pass | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | 111 | 27.8 | 24 | 2 tags | Utah Draw System DrawOddsData · HuntID=1690 |
| 2025 | — | 128 | — | 24 | 0 tags | 2025 Draw 5, Big Game Bonus... · p. 376 |
| 2024 | — | 111 | — | 22 | 0 tags | 2024 Draw 5, Big Game Bonus... · p. 362 |
| 2023 | — | 91 | — | 24 | 0 tags | 2023 Draw 5, Big Game Bonus... · p. 364 |
Other licenses valid in Southwest Desert, South
Legal cartridges for elk in Utah
From the Utah hunting laws rules on file for a rifle. "Depends" means the rule turns on your specific load — check the state page.
Spot a data error on this page? Tell us.
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.