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APPLICATION STRATEGY 2021: Oregon Elk and Antelope

OREGON'S 2021 ELK & ANTELOPE APPLICATION STRATEGY

Jump to: NEW FOR 2021 State Information Draw System Elk Breakdown Antelope Breakdown

Note: The application deadline in Oregon for all species is May 15 at 11:59 p.m. PST and all applications must be submitted online or at a license sales agent.


New for 2021

  • West Cascade elk general season has been moved to the second week of November.
  • Two hunts in Starkey Experimental Forest this fall will be reduced from what is currently printed. Instead of 25 tags, there will be 12 tags for each of those hunts.
  • Going into 2022, it's likely that the over-the-counter (OTC) archery tags in the northeastern portion of the state will become limited entry draw tags.

Antlerless draw odds

Remember that goHUNT has Draw Odds for all female species. 

Cow Rocky Mountain elk draw odds

Find your resident Rocky Mtn. cow elk draw odds here

Find your nonresident Rocky Mtn. cow elk draw odds here

Cow Roosevelt elk draw odds

Find your resident cow Roosevelt elk draw odds here

Find your nonresident cow Roosevelt elk draw odds here

Doe antelope draw odds

Find your resident doe antelope draw odds here

Find your nonresident doe antelope draw odds here


State information

To view more important information, including a state overview of Oregon’s rules/regulations, the draw system, draw odds and license fees, go to the Oregon state profile. It also includes an interactive map where you can research unit boundaries and data on a unit by unit basis.

Note: Like other preference point states, there is point creep in the more popular units of the state. What this means is if you see a unit that was drawn last year at five points, it's possible that it may require six points this year due to the fact that there are more applicants than permits available. Be aware of that as you evaluate the draw odds. It helps to review the detailed draw odds pages where you can see five years worth of draw data to help evaluate the likelihood of point creep.

Oregon State Profile Rocky Mtn Elk Profile Roosevelt Elk Profile Antelope Profile Draw Odds Filtering 2.0 goHUNT MAPS

Important dates and information

  • You can apply online here.
  • The deadline to apply is May 15, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PST. 
  • Results will be available by June 20, 2021.
  • If you made an error on your application, corrections can be made up to June 1.
  • You are required to purchase a hunting license prior to applying.
  • Applicants do not have to front the cost of the permits they apply for.
  • If you are successful, you will receive a notification to purchase your tag.
  • Hunters 17 years old or younger need to have a hunter’s education certificate unless they are ages nine to 15 and enrolled in the youth mentor program.
  • Oregon elk and antelope draw tags are allocated on a modified preference point system. 
  • 75% of the tags are allocated to maximum point holders; 25% are randomly allocated with no regard to points.
  • Point only codes are as follows:
    • 299: elk point saver
    • 499: antelope point saver
  • You cannot apply for a second through fifth choice if you choose to apply for a point saver as your first choice. (If the goal is to draw on a second choice and retain your points, always apply for a hard to draw hunt in the state so if you do happen to get lucky it will be in a top-shelf unit with excellent dates.)
  • Points can also be purchased during a separate timeframe from July 1 to Nov. 30.

Oregon cost to apply and tag fees

Unit

Resident

Nonresident

Hunting license$34.50$172
Juvenile hunting license$10$10
Application fee/per species$8$8
*Elk (controlled or general)$49.50$588
*Antelope$51.50$393.50

Tag fees only required if you are successful in the draw. You have the option to purchase the tag if successful in the draw

Drought and snowpack in Oregon

2021

Oregon 2021 NRCS

Oregon current snowpack as of April 26, 2021. Source: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

In 2021, Oregon has fared better than many other western states in terms of snowpack, but the drought lingers and continues to worsen with the winter months behind us. In terms of the current snowpack, every portion of the state is having a better year when compared to 2020 except for Lake County/Goose Lake, Malheur and Owyhee. The northern portion of the state is at 100% of annual average and several areas are over 120%. The southern half of the state has not done nearly as well and the southeastern portion is really struggling, sitting in the 60% range. 

2020

Oregon NRCS snowpack 2020

Oregon current snowpack as of April 22, 2020. Source: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Drought status

2021

Oregon 2021 Drought Monitor

Oregon drought status as of April 20, 2021. Source: US Drought Monitor

The drought outlook is not good with the bulk of the state in some stages of drought from abnormally dry to severely dry. The south central part of the state is experiencing extreme and exceptional drought conditions. Overall, the central part of the state is very dry. Going into the hunting seasons of 2021, it will likely be an average to below average antler and horn growth year.

2020

Oregon drought monitor 2020

Oregon drought status as of April 14, 2020. Source: US Drought Monitor

The Oregon draw system

Understanding the draw

Oregon’s draw for elk and antelope is a preference point hybrid system. There is both a preference point and a random draw portion. Out of the total tags, 75% are allocated to the highest point holders who apply for any given hunt and the other 25% are randomly allocated with no weight given to the number of points that you have. On the random side of that draw, every applicant is on a level playing field for those tags.

Note: if there are only three or less for any particular hunt, those will be given to the highest point applicants. 

Is Oregon a good state to apply in for nonresidents and what are the tag splits? This is where Oregon is tricky as nonresidents are only allocated a maximum of 3% of the antelope tags and a maximum of 5% of the elk tags. It gets even worse: out of those tag percentages, 2.5% of these are allocated prior to the main draw in the guides and outfitters program. At best, there are only 2% of the elk tags and .5% of the antelope tags that can be allocated to nonresidents in the main draw and, for the good hunts, there are so few tags that NO tags are randomly allocated. If you are not a high point holder, the good tags in Oregon are essentially off limits for nonresidents. 

Oregon is also relatively expensive for a nonresident adult to apply in. As previously stated, you have to buy the $172 hunting license and then pay the $8 application fee per species. In our opinion, the juice may not be worth the squeeze unless you live in an adjacent state and are willing to research the odds and hunts available and know what you are getting into before starting down the road of the Oregon application process.

Preference point only

If applicants wish to build points only, then they can apply with the point only code as their first choice. In this scenario, applicants will use the point saver code 299 for elk and 499 for antelope as their first choice. Applicants can also apply for points only in the summer months from July 1 to Nov. 30. 

Choices

Oregon will allow applicants to enter five hunt choices. Every applicant's first choice is considered before moving to an applicant's second choice, so on and so forth. Preference points are only purged if an applicant draws their first choice. There is no waiting period for reapplying for elk or antelope if you drew a tag the previous year. 

Group applications

Oregon will allow group applications for elk and antelope of any size. A group application will have their points averaged and will round up to the next whole number if the average is .51 or above and down to the whole number if the average is .50 or below. A group application is treated as a single application where, if selected, all applicants will receive a tag provided there are enough tags to satisfy the size of the group. If there are not enough tags, no one on that application will receive a tag. 

Purchasing tags and tag return

If you are successful in drawing a tag, you have up until the day before the earliest hunt starts to purchase the tag. Once you have purchased the tag, you cannot return the tag for refund. If you draw your first choice, your preference points will be purged so make sure you actually want the permit you apply for.

Oregon's premium hunts 

In addition to the regular controlled hunt drawing, Oregon offers a separate draw for hunts that they call premium hunts. This is a completely separate hunt drawing that allows tag holders to hunt extended season dates with any weapon. These hunts are 100% randomly drawn each year and there are no preference or bonus points attached to the application. There is no resident or nonresident quota. The season dates for the lucky tag holders are Aug. 1 to Nov. 30 each year. Standard application fees exist and the applicant can apply for five different choices on their application. They are only allowed to apply once per species (hunt code).


Oregon's 2021 elk breakdown

Oregon has both Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain elk hunting opportunities with the Roosevelt units located along the Coastal and Cascade ranges in the western part of the state and Rocky Mountain elk units in the central and eastern portion of the state. When researching elk hunts in Oregon within your INSIDER account, to look at Roosevelt elk hunts, you will need to select “Roosevelt Elk” from the species list. If you select “Elk” you will see the Rocky Mountain elk hunts only that are located in the central and eastern portions. 

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) manages most of the state for opportunity rather than trophy potential. There are a few units/hunts for both Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain elk that are managed for a trophy caliber bull, but the odds of drawing a Rocky Mountain bull tag for those is very low and, in some cases, nonexistent for the bulk of nonresidents. The Roosevelt trophy caliber hunts are somewhat easier to draw, but will still require a good number of points to guarantee a tag. 

There are good opportunity OTC hunts throughout the state for both species. There has been a recent proposal to move some OTC archery elk hunts to the draw system. Under the proposal, archery elk hunting would remain a general season hunting opportunity in western Oregon and much of eastern Oregon. However, several northeast Oregon units would move from general season hunting to some form of controlled archery hunting. If you have wanted to hunt the OTC northeastern portion of the state on the OTC tag, 2021 is the year to do so. 

Rocky Mountain elk populations are generally healthy throughout the state. Roosevelt populations are steady to slightly declining. In the table below, you can see the most current population and bull:cow ratios.

OREGON ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK POPULATION - updated 2021

Oregon Rocky Mountain elk population (2019)*

UnitPopulation estimateBull:cow
ratio
Paulina/E. Fort Rock1,4004:100
Maury70018:100
Ochoco4,20031:100
Grizzly1,30011:100
Maupin/Biggs/Col. Basin1,50018:100
White River1,40010:100
Hood400-
Fossil-13:100
N. Fossil560-
S. Fossil1,700-
Murderers Creek1,900-
Northside2,70012:100
Heppner5,0009:100
Ukiah5,00011:100
Desolation1,1006:100
Sumpter2,39414:100
Starkey3,7506:100
Catherine Creek1,3509:100
Mt Emily3,2009:100
Walla Walla1,7009:100
Wenaha2,70010:100
Sled Springs2,80015:100
Chesnimnus4,00017:100
Snake River4,1006:100
Minam2,50010:100
Imnaha2,00012:100
Pine Creek7739:100
Keating7489:100
Lookout Mt1,20221:100
East Beulah1,200-
West Beulah400-
Malheur River1,55021:100
Silvies2,50012:100
Warner20040:100
High Desert1,70037:100
South Central1,50023:100
Total/Average71,12713:100

*No updated 2020 data

OREGON ROOSEVELT ELK POPULATION - updated 2021

Oregon Roosevelt elk population (2019)*

UnitPopulation estimateBull:cow ratio
Scappoose1,8178:100
Saddle Mountain6,300-
Wilson4,45016:100
Trask4,55014:100
Stott Mt1,264-
Alsea4,86911:100
Siuslaw3,41726:100
Willamette-28:100
Tioga7,00015:100
Sixes3,50019:100
Powers1,500-
Chetco1,2005:100
Applegate400-
Melrose--
Keno/W. Sprague550-
Upper Deschutes8007:100
Metolius7009:100
Santiam3,000-
Mckenzie1,4414:100
Indigo/W. Ft. Rock2,86115:100
Dixon2,60011:100
Evans Creek800-
Rogue/S. Ft. Rock2,5008:100
Total/Average55,51913:100

*No updated 2020 data

Hit list units for Rocky Mountain elk in Oregon

Oregon offers very little to the nonresident Rocky Mountain elk applicant who is just getting started in the point game. The best hunts in the state offer very few permits and the point creep is so significant that you may never catch up. Be aware of that as you review the hit list and associated odds.

On the flip side, Oregon might be the most underrated over-the-counter (OTC) elk hunting state in the West. The state offers really good OTC hunting for both species and we will cover the better opportunities for those hunts below and in an opportunity section.

Top hit list units to consider for 320" or better Rocky Mountain elk
(not in order of quality)

UnitTrophy
potential
Harvest successResident points
to draw
Nonresident points
to draw
56 - Wenaha360"+Archery: 44%
Rifle: 67%
32% with 20
63% with 19
No tag
33% with 24
54 - Mt Emily350"+Archery: 53%
Rifle: 79%
88% with 17
19% with 19
100% with 22
100% with 23
55 - Walla Walla340"+Archery: 63%
RIfle: 72%
Rifle: 74%
31% with 16
50% with 17
47% with 13
100% with 22
100% with 21
100% with 19
37 - Ochoco340"+Archery: 11%
Rifle: 24%
RIfle: 26%
21% with 0
54% with 6
94% with 7
29% with 1
53% with 6
33% with 8
57 - Sled Spring330"+Archery: 26%
Rifle: 37%
27% with 6
43% with 4
33% with 12
23% with 5
58 - Chesnimnus320"+Archery: 17%
Rifle: 29%
RIfle: 28%
46% with 2
63% with 3
49% with 2
19% with 3
100% with 4
38% with 2
48 - Heppner320"+Archery: 30%
Muzzleloader: 27%
Rifle: 20%
32% with 1
76% with 10
100% with 4
54% with 2
100% with 20
100% with 4

 

Top hit list units to consider for Roosevelt elk (not in order of quality)

UnitTrophy
potential
Harvest successResident points
to draw
Nonresident points
to draw
10 - Saddle Mt300"+Archery (gen): 14%
Rifle: 18%
RIfle: 22%
--
100% with 0
100% with 0
100% with 0
100% with 0
14 - Trask290"+Archery (gen): 11%
Muzzleloader: 29%
Rifle (gen): 10%
--
73% with 2
--
--
NA
--
25 - Sixes290"+Archery (gen): 33%
Rifle: 36%
Rifle: 55%
--
69% with 1
48% with 0
--
20% with 5
33% with 4
26 - Powers290"+Archery: 17%
Rifle: 43%
81% with 3
33% with 3
100% with 15
100% with 13
24 - Tioga280"+Archery (gen): 12%
Archery: 7%
Muzzleloader: 22%
Rifle: 13%
Rifle: 14%
100% with 0
67% with 1
100% with 0
100% with 0
100% with 0
67% with 1
100% with 0
100% with 0
27 - Chetco280"+Archery (gen): 13%
Rifle: 24%
Rifle: 23%
34% with 1
70% with 1
24% with 1
100% with 4
18 - Alsea280"+Archery (gen): 12%
Rifle (gen): 8%
Rifle (gen): 9%
Rifle: 100%
55% with 352% with 3

 

Good general OTC season elk hunting opportunities

UnitTrophy
potential
Harvest successBull:Cow
ratio
% bulls
6 pt. +
Public land
%
60 - Minam320”+Archery: 18%10:10049%74%
47 - Northside310”+Archery: 15%12:10038%41%
51 - Sumpter310”+Archery: 15%14:10037%46%
61 - Imnaha310”+Archery: 15%12:10035%75%
62 - Pine Creek300”+Archery: 20%9:10028%76%
63 - Keating300”+Archery: 16%9:10033%57%
64 - Lookout Mt300”+Archery: 35%21:10041%38%
10 - Saddle Mt300”+Archery: 14%23:10012%27%
11 - Scappoose300”+Archery: 18%
Rifle: 18%
Rifle: 16%
8:10012%10%
25 - Sixes290”+Archery: 33%19:10019%33%
27 - Chetco280”+Archery: 13%5:10029%83%
17 - Stott Mt280”+Rifle: 17%7:10012%15%

Managing points and expectations

I have 0 elk preference points. What can I expect?

Residents

Rocky Mountain elk

Residents with no points could have drawn 42 different hunts. Out of those, seven were archery (one traditional archery only) and 35 were rifle hunts. Out of the six archery hunts, three were valid for spike bull only. The options for branch antlered bulls were in Unit 36, 39 and 74. Unit 36 and 39 archery has had historically very low harvest success and were only 3% in 2019. Unit 74 archery was a bit better at 7% harvest although the public land (70%), bull:cow ratio (30:100) and percentage of 6 point plus bulls (33%) is quite good. 

Rifle hunters with no points have many more options. A quick search within the INSIDER research platform yields eight units that have harvest success of 20% or greater that also have 100% odds with no points. Out of those units, three also were composed of 50% or greater public land. Some units/hunts worth exploring are Unit 54, 60, 59, 51 and 65.

Applicants interested in hunting Roosevelt bulls might research Unit 10, 24, 25 and 26. Out of those, Unit 10 and 25 had controlled rifle success greater than 20%. The other areas had success at or greater than 10%. Before applying for these, make sure you do a review of the land ownership and find possible places to hunt.

Nonresidents

When considering getting started with an elk application in Oregon, it’s worth looking at the odds and doing some research into the potential Oregon has to offer. If your goal is to hunt a trophy caliber bull, Oregon is probably not the state to pursue. The units that can produce that caliber of bull are few and the odds of drawing one of those is slim to none due to the extremely low number of tags allocated to nonresidents. We would advise applicants to consider their objectives, draw system, odds and the cost before they decide to apply. We do not consider Oregon a must apply state for Rocky Mountain elk. 

There are some options if you just want to give Oregon elk hunting a try. Applicants looking at Rocky Mountain elk hunting opportunities with no points might research Unit 74 archery and Unit 48, 60 and, perhaps, 65. All three had rifle hunts that were drawn with no points and harvest success rates approaching or greater than 20%. Unit 60 encompasses the famed Eagle Cap Wilderness; however, be prepared if you plan on taking on this remote terrain. 

There were a couple other rifle hunts for spike bulls only that were drawn with no points in Unit 54 and 55 that had 23% and 26% harvest success. If you live in a border state, those may be of interest, but there are likely better opportunities in other states like Colorado or even Utah. 

Nonresidents who are interested in hunting Roosevelt bulls might consider Unit 24 archery. Rifle hunters should consider Unit 10, 24 and 26. Harvest success is good for those and the public land percentages are 27%, 35% and 50% respectively. Applicants will want to do some research into public land options and access before applying.

Find your resident Rocky Mtn. elk controlled hunt draw odds with 0 points here

Find your nonresident Rocky Mtn. elk controlled hunt draw odds with 0 points here

What can I expect with 5 to 6 elk preference points?

Residents

Residents with five to six points have many options to draw a tag and go hunting. There are 16 archery hunts and 11 could have been drawn with five points. Out of those, the more interesting options are Unit 58, 48, 37. It’s worth noting that all of those could have been drawn with two to three points. The best muzzleloader hunts within this range are 34/39/77 and 35/77. Both of those could have been drawn with two points. 

Out of the 79 rifle hunts, 70 had 100% odds at five points. Within those, the best options are rifle hunts in Unit 49, 48, 57, 38, 65, 61, 58 and 46

The best Roosevelt hunt options with five to six points would be archery in Unit 26, muzzleloader in Unit 14 and the rifle hunts in 26 and, possibly, 15/18.

Nonresidents

Nonresident bowhunters have many options, but will be giving up several points to draw them. The best option is likely Unit 58, which required four points last year. All of the other hunts that could have been drawn were drawn with two points. Unit 52 had 100% odds with nine points. If you have five or six points, it might be worth waiting, but even that hunt jumped two points to draw last year. 

The best muzzleloader hunts for this point range are 34/38/39/77, 35/77, 66/67/68 and 60. Those hunts were all drawn with fewer points last year. Rifle hunters should consider Unit 36, 38, 41, 46, 48, 49, 57, 58, 61 and 65.

Roosevelt elk

If you are interested in burning your points on a Roosevelt elk hunt, there are only a few hunts you cannot draw. Those that can’t be drawn are the archery hunt in Unit 26 and the rifle hunt in Unit 23 and 26. Some of the better options for your points are rifle hunts in 15/18 and the two hunts in 25 and 27.

Find your resident Rocky Mtn. elk controlled hunt draw odds with 6 points here

Find your nonresident Rocky Mtn. elk controlled hunt draw odds with 6 points here

What can I expect with 10 plus elk preference points?

Residents

Every archery hunt could be drawn except for the big three: 54, 55 and 56. Those required 18, 17 and 21 points to draw in 2019. If you have 10 points and decide you do not want to continue to play the point game, Unit 57 was drawn with seven points. Unit 52 was drawn with eight, but will be cut from 25 to 12 total permits, which will undoubtedly cause point creep. 

All muzzleloader hunts were available with 10 points except Unit 48, which took 11 points. Rifle hunters might consider Unit 37. Unit 59 required seven points. The Unit 52 Starkey Experimental Forest tag required 13, but once again those 25 tags will be cut to 12. 

Rifle hunts in Unit 54 required 19 points. Unit 55 has two rifle seasons that require 14 and 18 points. Unit 56 took 19 to 20 points.

Nonresidents

Archery elk hunters considering Unit 54, 56 and 57 would be interested that those took 22 and 13 points. If you have 10 points, it might be worth chasing Unit 57 archery.

Rifle hunters should consider Unit 37, which was drawn with nine points. The Unit 48 muzzleloader hunt required 20 points. Rifle hunts in 54, 55 and 56 had hunts that took 23, 19 and 24 points. One of the better options is Unit 59, which had a late rifle hunt that required 12 points.

Find your resident Rocky Mtn. elk controlled hunt draw odds with 10 points here

Find your nonresident Rocky Mtn. elk controlled hunt draw odds with 10 points here


Oregon's 2021 antelope breakdown

Oregon has done a great job of managing their antelope herds. In the early 2000s, populations were as low as 5,000. However, populations seemed to have peaked around 2016 at approximately 22,337 and the most recent statewide population is estimated at 18,744.

Trophy potential is generally really good in most units with a few standing out almost every year. The most highly sought after units are the Whitehorse, Beatys Butte, Steens Mt, Juniper, Wagontire and Warner. All of those units produce 80”+ bucks most years, but almost every unit in the state can produce a trophy caliber buck with decent moisture. The moisture outlook for many of the areas that hold the bulk of Oregon's antelope is not good. It’s not likely to be a banner year for horn growth, but there should still be some nice bucks available in 2021. 

There is some bad news for antelope hunting in Oregon: only 3% of the tags can be drawn by nonresidents and good tags will take 15 to 25 years to draw. If you are a nonresident who is buying the nonrefundable hunting license to apply for other species, it’s a good idea to also apply for antelope for the minimal application fee.

OREGON ANTELOPE POPULATION SIZE - Updated 2021

Hit list units for antelope in Oregon

Top hit list units to consider for 75" or better antelope
(not in order of quality)

UnitTrophy
potential
Harvest
success
Resident points
to draw
Nonresident points
to draw
70 - Beatys Butte80"+Archery (HM): 79%
Archery (WB): 35%
Muzzleloader (EB): 44%
Rifle (EB): 74%
Rifle (WB):- 92%
Rifle (WB): N/A
Rifle (HM): 97%
87% with 15
65% with 9
19% with 8
42% with 15
79% with 19
15% with 15
42% with 23
100% with 19
100% with 11
50% with 15
100% with 22
100% with 24
100% with 22
100% with 26
74 - Warner80"+Archery: 43%
Rifle: 97%
Rifle: 87%
49% with 10
56% with 17
25% with 15
100% with 20
33% with 21
100% with 22
68 - Whitehorse80"+Rifle: 92%100% with 1531% with 20
71 - Juniper80"+Archery: 79%
Rifle: 80%
Rifle: 100%
87% with 15
100% with 18
42% with 23
100% with 19
25% with 22
100% with 26
69 - Steens Mt80"+Rifle: 82%93% with 15100% with 20
73 - Wagontire80"+Archery: 50%
Muzzleloader: 31%
Rifle (NW): 90%
Rifle (SW): 85%
100% with 9
26% with 10
93% with 16
70% with 18
100% with 10
100% with 13
100% with 20
100% with 19
72 - Silvies75"+Rifle: 62%
Rifle: 84%
66% with 14
29% with 12
100% with 18
50% with 13
36 - Maury75"+Archery: 28%
Rifle: 82%
39% with 3
41% with 13
100% with 6
100% with 14
76 - Silver Lake75"+Muzzleloader: 40%
Rifle: 79%
44% with 4
47% with 10
100% with 9
100% with 13
75 - Interstate75"+Archery: 13%
Archery: 33%
Muzzleloader: 12%
Rifle: 62%
80% with 1
100% with 0
100% with 5
44% with 11
100% with 2
50% with 1
100% with 11
44% with 11
66 - Malheur River75”+Archery: 15%
Rifle: 69%
Rifle: 62%
53% with 2
53% with 12
65% with 11
44% with 2
100% with 17
100% with 14

Managing points and expectations

I have 0 antelope preference points. What can I expect?

Residents

There are two archery antelope hunts that had 100% odds with no points: Unit 75 and 77. There were four other units that had double digit odds, including Unit 64, 66 and 67. Applicants can consider applying for the top trophy units and hope to get lucky in the draw or explore the hunts listed above.

Muzzleloader and rifle hunters have no guarantee to draw. The muzzleloader hunt on 32/33/75/77 had random odds of 6.3%. Unit 76/77 also had 6.9% random odds. No rifle hunt had random odds greater than 3% with no points.

Nonresidents

Unit 77 archery had 100% with no points and harvest success has been decent; however, in 2019, the harvest success for that hunt was 0%. No other archery hunt had odds greater than 3% with no points. In fact, there was only one hunt that had random archery odds with no points: Unit 73.

There were no hunts that offered a random chance to nonresident muzzleloader hunters. Only eight of the total rifle hunts offered a random chance at a tag. The Unit 45 rifle hunt had the best random odds at .83%

Find your resident antelope controlled hunt draw odds with 0 points here

Find your nonresident antelope controlled hunt draw odds with 0 points here

What can I expect with 5 to 6 antelope preference points?

Residents

Archery hunts in Unit 35, 36, and 67 are all good options. Muzzleloader hunters should consider the 32/33/75 and 76/77 hunts. Rifle hunters still have a very hard time trying to draw a tag. The best odds are in Unit 45 and 66 and are 2.6%. 

Nonresidents

Six archery antelope hunts could be drawn, including Unit 36, 67 and 66, which are the best options for bowhunters in that range.

No muzzleloader hunts were available. Rifle hunters can consider applying for one of the eight units that had a random tag available to nonresidents. Those are Unit 36, 38, 45, 51, 62/63, 64, 65 and 75. None of those had odds greater than 1%.

Find your resident antelope controlled hunt draw odds with 6 points here

Find your nonresident antelope controlled hunt draw odds with 6 points here

What can I expect with 10 plus antelope preference points?

Residents

The best options for residents who have waited a decade to possibly draw are the archery hunts in Unit 70 (WB), 73 and, possibly, Unit 74 although it’s likely to take 11 or 12 points this year. There are also some good muzzleloader hunts, including Unit 35, 70 (EB) and, possibly, 73 although it’s likely to require 11 or 12 points. Rifle hunters finally have a hunt they can draw with 10 points: Unit 45. At 11 to 14 points, applicants can consider Unit 36, 37, 40/43/44, 46, 47/48, 51, 66, 67, 72, 75 and 76/77. Applicants with 15 to 20 points should research Unit 35, 62/63, 64, 65, 68, 69, 70, 73, 72 and 74. Review the hit list above for a more detailed review of the possible options.

Nonresidents

With 10 points, the best archery hunt available is in Unit 73. The Unit 70 (WB) required 11 points last year. Both offer good hunts if you do not want to continue to chase the best of the best.

Muzzleloader hunters might consider Unit 76/77, which was available at nine points. The other muzzleloader hunts were drawn at the 11 to 15 point levels. Rifle hunters had options with 11 points, including hunts in Unit 45 and 75. There are a few more options available in the 12 to 15-point level. Review the draw odds to see your best bets. The best hunts in the state will require 20 to 26 points.

Find your resident antelope controlled hunt draw odds with 10 points here

Find your nonresident antelope controlled hunt draw odds with 10 points here

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