Washington runs a squared bonus point lottery. Every special permit you apply for earns one point in that permit category, and in the drawing your points are squared to set how many “names in the hat” you get. Three points means nine chances; ten points means 100. There is no slice of permits reserved for the top point holders, so a first-year applicant can draw a hunt that someone else has waited a decade for. More points help a lot, but nothing is ever guaranteed.

The other thing to know up front: special permits are extras. Every resident and nonresident can buy a general season deer or elk tag over the counter. The drawing is for hunts on top of that, like quality bull and buck hunts, antlerless hunts and second deer tags.

How you get points

You earn a point by buying a special permit application in a category. That’s it. There is no separate “preference point” product.

• Apply and don’t draw: one point in that category.
• Point Saver: you can buy the application and choose the points-only option instead of listing hunts. If you buy an application and never submit hunt choices, WDFW still assigns you a points-option entry and you get the point.
• Cost: a points-only application costs the same as a regular one ($9.61 resident, $152.30 nonresident in 2026; quality categories are $18.72 for residents).
• License first: for deer and elk, you must buy your hunting license and choose your general season transport tag (weapon and area) before WDFW will sell you an application. For a nonresident, that means paying for the full deer or elk license just to build a point.
• Age: youth categories are for hunters under 16 when they buy the application and license. The 65-and-over categories require you to turn 65 during the license year.

How points are used in the draw

WDFW’s drawing is a weighted random draw. WDFW describes each hunter’s points as squared to set their number of “names in the hat.” As WDFW staff demonstrated the 2025 draw (reported by Northwest Sportsman), the computer gives each hunter that many random numbers, and the best (lowest) one sets their rank. Hunters are then processed in rank order through their hunt choices, in the priority order they listed.

What that means in practice:

• One weighted pool. WDFW’s rules describe a single weighted point selection system. They don’t set aside a top-points pool or a separate random pool.
• No nonresident quota in the rules. WDFW’s special permit rules don’t set a nonresident quota, so residents and nonresidents go into the same drawing. The difference is cost.
• Choices: list up to four hunts on a regular application and up to two on a Quality application. A hunter who misses on the first choice can still land the second, third or fourth if permits remain when their rank comes up.
• Groups: up to eight hunters for deer or elk (two for multi-season). All members’ points are averaged, everyone must be eligible for the hunts listed, and if the group draws, everyone gets a permit. A group can’t be larger than the number of permits in a hunt.

Points are per category, not per species

This is the part that trips people up. Washington tracks points separately for each permit category. You can apply in each category you qualify for, once per year, and each one builds its own point total.

Elk categories	Deer categories
Quality Elk	Quality Deer
Bull Elk	Buck Deer
Antlerless Elk	Antlerless Deer
Elk – Youth	Second Deer
Elk – 65 and Over	Deer – Youth
Elk – Disabled Hunters	Deer – 65 and Over
Elk – Master Hunters	Deer – Disabled Hunters
	Deer – Master Hunters

Multi-season deer and elk tags are drawn separately, through their own application that runs from December through March 31. A Second Deer permit also needs a second deer tag using the same weapon as your first.

Points can’t be moved between categories or given to another hunter.

Residents vs. nonresidents

2026	Resident	Nonresident
Points-only cost	Same as an application	Same as an application
Special permit application	$9.61	$152.30
Quality application	$18.72	$152.30
Youth (under 16) application	$5.05	$5.05
Required license: elk	$69.29	$685.60
Required license: deer	$61.70	$599.07
Required license: deer and elk	$116.85	$1,020.06
Nonresident quota	None	None
Draw odds	Same	Same

For a nonresident, a single elk application really costs $685.60 plus $152.30, or $837.90, before any processing fee. Two categories (say, Quality Elk and Bull Elk) add another $152.30. The good news is that the license also lets you hunt the general season with the tag you picked.

Keeping and losing points

• Drawing resets to zero. Your points in that category go to zero when you’re drawn, whether or not you fill the tag.
• Returning a permit: if you can’t hunt, return the permit at least two weeks before the season opens and WDFW restores your points to where they were. Call (360) 902-2515.
• Lapses: WDFW’s current rules don’t spell out a point expiration for skipped years. Apply every year anyway; a year off is a year of points you don’t earn.
• Waiting periods: none for deer and elk categories. (Moose, bighorn ram and mountain goat are once-in-a-lifetime harvests.)
• Elk and deer are separate, and so is every category within them.

Point creep and what “points to draw” means

In a squared system there’s no hard number of points that guarantees a permit. Instead, the more points the hunters around you hold, the less each of your entries is worth. Popular categories fill with hunters sitting on high point totals, and their squared entries swamp the field. That’s point creep, Washington style.

Real 2025 numbers from WDFW’s draw, as reported by Northwest Sportsman: about 12,500 hunters submitted Second Deer applications for 2,272 antlerless permits, so on paper a bit better than one in six overall. Some of those hunts didn’t even fill; on Orcas Island, only 80 of 135 permits were awarded, and most winners had one point.

Elk example (hypothetical): a hunter with 9 points has 81 entries; a hunter with 3 points has 9. In a Quality Elk hunt with thousands of applicants and a handful of permits, both are long shots, but the 9-point hunter is nine times as likely to rank high.

Deer example (hypothetical): in an antlerless or Second Deer hunt with more permits than serious applicants, a 1-point hunter can draw on the first try. Those hunts don’t reward patience as much as reading the hunt list.

Strategy

• Hunt the general season every year. Your license is already paid for. Treat special permits as bonuses.
• Apply in more than one category. Bull Elk, Antlerless Elk and Quality Elk are separate draws with separate points. Residents pay little to apply in several.
• Nonresidents: decide if you’re coming. Since you must buy the full license to apply, Washington points make the most sense if you plan to hunt the general season anyway.
• Look for undersubscribed hunts. Antlerless, Second Deer and some youth and senior hunts sometimes go unfilled.
• Check access. Some permit hunts are on private timberland where owners limit access or charge fees.
• Raffles and auctions run outside the point system.
• Private ground and guides. An outfitter with access can turn a general season tag into a solid hunt. See hunting leases and discount guided hunts.

Key numbers for 2026

Item	2026
Application period	April 20 – May 27 (extended from May 20)
Results	By the end of June
Point system	Squared points, single weighted random draw
Points per year	One per category applied in
Choices	4 (2 for Quality)
Max group	8 deer or elk
Resident application	$9.61 ($18.72 Quality)
Nonresident application	$152.30
Nonresident quota	None set in WDFW rules
Return permit to restore points	2 weeks before season

FAQ

Can I build points without buying a license? Not for deer or elk. The license and transport tag come first.

Do my Bull Elk points count toward Quality Elk? No. Each category has its own points.

Can a first-time applicant draw? Yes. Buying the application earns your first point, so you go into the ranking with at least one entry, and new hunters draw every year, especially in antlerless and Second Deer hunts.

Are nonresidents capped? WDFW’s special permit rules don’t set a nonresident quota; the barrier is price.

What if I draw and can’t go? Return the permit at least two weeks before the opener to get your points back.

Related: Washington Elk Hunting · Washington Deer Hunting · How to apply for elk special permits · How to apply for deer special permits · Preference points by state

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