Arizona’s elk draw comes early. While most western states take applications in spring, Arizona’s elk and pronghorn deadline falls in early February. Miss it and you wait a full year. Here’s how the draw works and how to apply.
Key dates
These are AZGFD’s dates for the 2026 elk and pronghorn draw. The 2027 regulations will come out in January, but the timing has followed the same pattern for years.
| Step | 2026 date |
|---|---|
| Regulations published, applications open | Early to mid-January |
| Application deadline | Tuesday, February 3, 11:59 p.m. Arizona time |
| Results | Posted to your AZGFD portal account (2026 results were released February 23) |
| Tags mailed | By April 1 |
| Leftover (first-come) applications by mail | On or after March 16 |
| Leftover tags sold at AZGFD offices | From 8 a.m. March 23 |
Step 1: Buy a hunting license
You must hold a valid Arizona hunting license (or combination hunt and fish license) when you apply and on the deadline day. A short-term license won’t work.
| License (2026) | Resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|
| General hunting | $37 | Not offered |
| Combination hunt and fish | $57 | $160 |
| Youth combination (ages 10–17) | $5 | $5 |
Licenses are valid for 365 days from purchase, so one license can cover more than one draw if you time it right.
Step 2: Get your customer ID and portal account
For 2026, every application needs your AZGFD customer ID. Draw results and bonus points are posted only in your free AZGFD portal account, so set one up before you apply.
Step 3: Choose your hunts
Every Arizona elk hunt has a four-digit hunt number for the unit, dates, weapon, and bag limit. Under state rules, you can list up to five choices. Only your first and second choices are eligible for the bonus pass (below), so put your best hunts there.
You can apply only once per genus per year. A group of two to four hunters can apply together; if anyone in the group is rejected, the whole group is rejected.
Step 4: Understand bonus points
Arizona’s system mixes random luck with rewards for patience.
- Bonus points. You earn one every year you submit a valid application and don’t draw. You can also buy a point without hunting using a bonus-point-only application.
- Extra chances. Each bonus point gives you one more random number in the draw. Your best number is used.
- The bonus pass. Up to 20% of the tags in each hunt are set aside for applicants with the most bonus points who listed the hunt as their first or second choice.
- Loyalty point. Apply at least once a year for five years in a row and you earn a loyalty bonus point, which you keep as long as you keep applying.
- Hunter education point. Completing an approved Arizona hunter education course earns a permanent bonus point. AZGFD’s online Ethically Hunting Arizona course is one way to get it.
- Reset. When you draw an elk tag, your elk bonus points go back to zero. Loyalty and hunter education points stay.
Step 5: Know the nonresident cap
For bull elk, nonresidents can get no more than 10% of the tags in any hunt. In hunts with 10 or fewer tags, nonresidents can get no more than one, and a hunt with a single tag is resident-only. In the bonus pass, no more than half of the nonresident tags can go out. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission can raise nonresident numbers in some hunts.
Step 6: Consider PointGuard
PointGuard lets you surrender a drawn tag for any reason and get your bonus points back, plus the point you would have earned. It’s cheap insurance if your plans might change.
| Option (2026) | Cost |
|---|---|
| PointGuard | $10 per species, per applicant |
| PointGuard Plus | $25, covers three consecutive draws |
Step 7: Pay and confirm
The elk tag fee includes the application fee. You pay the application fee when you apply, and the rest of the tag fee is charged to your card if you draw. Keep your card information current: a declined payment at draw time means you don’t get the tag.
What it costs to apply (nonresident example, 2026)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Combination hunt and fish license | $160 |
| Application fee | $15 |
| PointGuard (optional) | $10 |
| Due when you apply | $175–$185 |
| Elk tag total if drawn (includes the $15 already paid) | $665 |
Residents pay $13 to apply and $148 for the elk tag.
Point rules at a glance
- System: Bonus points. Each point (including loyalty and hunter education points) adds one random number, and your lowest number is used. Up to 20% of each hunt’s tags go first to the highest point holders.
- Loyalty point: Apply for elk every year and you earn an extra loyalty point. Miss a single year and you lose it.
- You lose your points if: you draw an elk tag, buy a surrendered or reissued tag, or go 5 straight years without applying for elk. Your hunter education point stays.
- Nonresident share: At most 10% of bull elk tags per hunt (1 tag in hunts with 10 or fewer, none in single-tag hunts), and no more than half of those in the bonus pass.
- Waiting period: None.
- Point only: List hunt number 3000 as your only choice.
Full breakdown: how the draw works, with examples · check last year’s odds for every hunt
Didn’t draw?
- You earn a bonus point for next year.
- Leftover tags go on sale first come, first served in March. See how it works.
- Nonpermit elk tags are sold over the counter for a few units north of the Grand Canyon.
Let an outfitter help
Arizona outfitters know draw odds unit by unit, and many help clients plan multi-year point strategies. Call them before the February deadline.
Find an Arizona elk outfitter
Browse Arizona elk guides
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Related: How Arizona draw points work · Draw odds by unit · Arizona Elk Hunting Guide · Season dates · Leftover and nonpermit elk tags · Cost of an Arizona elk hunt
Fees and dates are from the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s 2026 Pronghorn and Elk Draw regulations. Always confirm in the current regulations before you apply.