Wyoming Draw OddsHow the Wyoming draw works: regular vs special licenses and the random draw
Last checked 2026-10-23. Unofficial guide — the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD) is the authority; always confirm on WGFD before you apply.
Wyoming’s nonresident draw for elk, deer and antelope runs as a few separate drawings. Knowing the order helps you pick between a regular and a special application.
The order of the nonresident draw
- Landowner licenses are drawn first.
- What’s left is split 40% to the special draw and 60% to the regular draw (WGFD: Understanding the Draw; also in WGFD license-issuance regulation).
- Inside each of those, licenses are split 75% to the preference-point draw and 25% to the random draw. Anyone who misses in the point draw goes into the random draw.
Any licenses left after the special draw are added to the regular draw (WGFD).
Regular vs special: what’s the difference?
A special license is the same hunt for a higher fee, drawn in its own separate preference-point and random draw. Because the two pools have different applicants, their odds differ — sometimes a lot. Compare both pools for your hunt on our odds pages.
| Nonresident license | Regular | Special |
|---|---|---|
| Elk (includes fishing) | $692.00 | $1,950.00 |
| Deer | $374.00 | $1,200.00 |
| Antelope | $326.00 | $1,200.00 |
Prices from the WGFD License Fee List (checked 2026-10-23; the list shows no effective year). Nonresidents also pay the application fee shown there.
Parties
You can apply as a party (maximum size six (6)) for most big game, but everyone gets the same random number, so it doesn’t improve your odds. Moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goat and bison don’t allow parties, and residents and nonresidents can’t apply together (WGFD: Application process).
Residents
Resident elk, deer and antelope licenses also start with landowner licenses; the rest go to the resident drawing, which doesn’t use points (WGFD license-issuance regulation).