California runs a preference point system with a random slice on top. For premium deer hunts, 90% of each hunt’s tags go to the applicants with the most points and 10% are drawn at random. For elk (and pronghorn and bighorn sheep), 75% go by points and the rest at random once a hunt has four or more tags, and small hunts lean even harder on the random draw. In practice, if you want a top X zone deer tag or a bull elk tag, you either build points for many years or you put in every year and hope to hit the random pool.

California’s deer system is also unusual in one helpful way: many deer zones don’t need a draw at all. A, B and most D zone tags are sold until they run out, so you can build points and still hunt every year.

How you get points

You earn one point per species each year you apply in the Big Game Drawing and don’t draw.

• Deer: you earn a point when you don’t draw your first-choice premium hunt, even if you draw your second or third choice.
• Elk: you earn a point when you apply and don’t draw an elk tag.
• Point only, deer: buy a hunting license and a First Deer Tag Drawing Application and enter hunt code PD as your first choice. You can still list second and third choices to get a tag.
• Point only, elk: buy the license and an elk drawing application and choose the elk preference-point-only code (listed as hunt 499 in CDFW’s 2025 drawing statistics; confirm the current code in the digest before you apply).
• Window: April 15 to midnight June 2 in 2026. No late applications.
• License first: you need a current annual California hunting license. CDFW says the two-day nonresident license can’t be used to apply for elk (or pronghorn), so nonresidents should plan on the annual license.
• Age: at least 12 by July 1 (16 for bighorn sheep).

How points are used in the draw

Deer (premium hunts). 90% of each hunt’s quota goes to first-choice applicants in order of points. The other 10% is a “draw-by-choice” random draw. A hunt with fewer than 10 tags gives one tag at random. Apprentice (junior) deer hunts split 50/50. You can list three choices; your points only count on the first. Second and third choices are filled in later rounds from whatever is left.

Elk. The split depends on the hunt’s quota:

Elk hunt quota	By points	Random
1 tag	0	1
2 tags	1	1
3 tags	2	1
4 or more	75%	the rest

Many California elk hunts have only a handful of tags, so a big share of the state’s elk tags go out at random.

Parties. A party’s points are the plain average of its members’ points, not rounded (8 points and 0 points = 4). Every member must list the same hunts in the same order. Deer parties aren’t split when the party is bigger than the remaining tags; they’re skipped. Elk parties can be split. Elk parties are limited to two, and nonresidents can’t apply as a party for elk.

Residents vs. nonresidents

2026–27	Resident	Nonresident
Annual hunting license (required)	$64.54	$225.46
Deer point or application (First Deer Tag Drawing Application)	$42.38	$377.35
Elk drawing application	$8.38	$8.38
Elk tag, if drawn	$610.20	$1,871.80
Deer quota	No separate quota	No separate quota
Elk quota	Open	Only one nonresident drawn per year, statewide
Elk party	Up to 2	Not allowed

For deer, residents and nonresidents compete on equal terms. The deer application doubles as your tag purchase, so if you don’t draw a premium hunt you can use it for an unrestricted zone. Nonresident refunds are limited, so read the digest’s return rules.

For elk, the nonresident limit is the whole story. CDFW draws no more than one nonresident per license year for elk. A nonresident can build elk points, but the odds of drawing are tiny.

Keeping and losing points

• Deer: you lose all deer points when you draw your first-choice premium hunt.
• Elk: you lose all elk points when you receive an elk tag.
• Five-year rule: you lose all points for a species if you don’t take part in that species’ drawing for five consecutive years. Moving out of state doesn’t erase points.
• Missed a year? You keep what you have but don’t earn a point that year.
• Point cap: 24 points is the most anyone can hold for any species in the 2026 drawing.
• Returns: return an elk tag by mail before the season and you get a refund minus a $39.40 processing fee, and CDFW awards a point if the return is approved. Premium deer tags returned before the season can have points reinstated. Party members have extra limits.
• Separate by species: deer and elk points never mix, and they can’t be transferred.
• Limits: one elk tag per license year; up to two deer tags but only one premium.

Point creep and what “points to draw” means

“Points to draw” is the lowest point level where a hunt’s preference tags ran out last year. Each year more hunters stack up behind that line, so the number creeps up. With a 24-point cap, the top hunts have many applicants bunched near the maximum.

Deer example (based on 2025 statistics, our reading). In 2025, the X5B hunt had 45 preference tags, and by our count of CDFW’s applicant table that quota ran out at about 19 points. CDFW doesn’t publish a cutoff, so treat this as an estimate. Hunts like X12 cut off lower, and less popular premium hunts take far fewer points. Check CDFW’s drawing statistics for your hunt. Hypothetically, if you have 6 points and want a hunt that took 19, the preference side is years away, so your real chance is the 10% random pool.

Elk example. 2025 bull hunts like Marble Mountains (34 tags, about 2,700 applicants) and Northeastern (15 tags, about 3,500 applicants) each had dozens of applicants at 16 points alone. Premium bull hunts are effectively a max-points game, with the random tags as the wildcard. Antlerless and either-sex hunts usually take far fewer points.

Strategy

• Hunt deer every year while you build points. Put PD (or a long-shot premium hunt) first and an A, B or D zone second.
• Apply for elk every year if you’re a resident. Even if you never climb the point ladder, the random tags on small hunts are a real chance, and applying keeps the five-year clock from running out.
• Nonresidents: elk is a lottery ticket. One nonresident a year. Spend your effort on deer, or on private-land elk.
• Don’t let points lapse. Apply at least once every five years for each species.
• Private land changes the math. Ranches in CDFW’s Private Lands Management (PLM) program issue their own deer and elk tags, and SHARE offers access hunts. Outfitters and hunting leases are the usual way in; check discount guided hunts too.

Key numbers for 2026

Item	2026
Application window	April 15 – June 2, midnight
Results	About 10 business days after the deadline
Premium deer split	90% points / 10% random
Apprentice deer split	50 / 50
Elk split (4+ tags)	75% points / 25% random
Deer point-only code	PD
Max points	24
Lose points after	5 years without applying
Nonresident elk	1 tag per year statewide
Leftover premium deer tags	July 2, 8 a.m.

FAQ

Do second and third deer choices cost me my point? No. You still earn a point if you miss your first choice, even when you draw a later choice.

Can I apply for elk as a nonresident? Yes, but only one nonresident is drawn each year for elk, and you can’t apply in a party.

How do I lose points? Draw your first-choice premium deer hunt (deer) or receive a tag (elk), or skip the drawing for that species five years in a row.

Is there a nonresident deer quota? No. Nonresidents compete equally for deer tags.

Can I hunt deer without the draw? Yes. Unrestricted A, B and many D zone tags are sold until they fill.

Related: California Deer Hunting · How to apply for the California deer draw · California deer zone tags · Preference points by state

Rules and fees are from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for the 2026 draw (2026–27 license year where noted). Confirm in the current regulations before you apply.