Arizona uses a bonus point system. Every application gets a random number, and each bonus point you hold gives you one more random number. The computer uses your best (lowest) number. On top of that, up to 20% of the tags in each hunt are set aside for the applicants with the most points. So points help a lot, but they never guarantee a tag, and a lucky applicant with zero points can still draw a premium hunt. That’s very different from a pure preference point state, where the top point holders always draw first.

Points are tracked by genus: you build elk points and deer points separately. Deer points cover both mule deer and Coues whitetail.

How you get bonus points

• Apply and miss. Submit a valid application for elk or deer and don’t draw, and you earn one point for that genus. Rejected applications don’t count.
• Buy a point only. Use the bonus-point-only hunt number as your only choice: 3000 for elk (February draw) or 1000 for deer (June draw). It costs just the application fee, $13 resident or $15 nonresident, plus a hunting license if you don’t already have one.
• License first. You must hold an Arizona hunting or combination license valid through the deadline day. Nonresidents pay $160 for the combination hunt and fish license; residents pay $37 (hunting) or $57 (combination). Youth 10–17 pay $5. Licenses are valid for one year from purchase.
• Age: You must be 10 by the application deadline.
• Limit: One point per genus per draw. Leftover first-come tags neither use nor earn points.

Two extra points

• Loyalty point. Apply for a genus (for a tag or a point) at least once a year for five years in a row and you earn one loyalty point for that genus. You keep it as long as you keep applying every year. Miss one year and it’s gone.
• Hunter education point. Graduating from an Arizona hunter education course, or the department’s online conservation education course, earns one permanent point for each genus. The online course, Ethically Hunting Arizona, is for hunters 18 and older and costs $150 for residents or $300 for nonresidents. You must pass it at least 30 days before a draw deadline for the point to count in that draw. You can only earn this point once.

How points are used in the draw

You can list up to five hunt choices. The draw runs in three passes, with fresh random numbers each time:

1. Bonus pass. Up to 20% of each hunt’s tags (one tag in hunts with 2–4 tags) go to applicants who listed that hunt as their first or second choice, starting with the highest point total. If more applicants at the top point level want the hunt than there are tags, random numbers decide. Then the next point level, and so on.
2. First and second choice pass. The rest of the tags are drawn by random number among first- and second-choice applicants.
3. Third, fourth and fifth choice pass. Any tags still left go to applicants who listed them lower.

In every pass, your application gets one random number plus one more for each point, including loyalty and hunter education points. Only your lowest number is used.

Groups: Two to four hunters can apply together. The group’s points are the average of everyone’s points, rounded to the nearest whole number (.5 rounds up). A group draws only if there are enough tags for everyone, and if one member is rejected, the whole group is rejected.

The nonresident cap

For bull elk and antlered deer, nonresidents can draw no more than 10% of a hunt’s tags, rounded down. In hunts with 10 or fewer tags, nonresidents can get one at most, and a hunt with a single tag is resident-only. No more than half of the nonresident tags can be issued in the bonus pass. The Game and Fish Commission can raise nonresident numbers in a hunt to meet management goals.

Residents vs. nonresidents

	Resident	Nonresident
License to apply	$37 hunting or $57 combo	$160 combo
Application / point-only fee	$13	$15
Elk tag (includes app fee)	$148	$665
Deer tag (includes app fee)	$58	$315
PointGuard	$10 per species; Plus $25	$10 per species; Plus $25
Quota (bull elk, antlered deer)	No cap	Max 10% per hunt; max half of those in bonus pass
Points earned	Same rules	Same rules

Keeping and losing points

• Drawing resets that genus to zero. Draw an elk tag and your elk points are used up. Your loyalty point (if you keep applying) and hunter education point stay.
• Five years without applying for a genus wipes out its bonus points.
• Skipping any year costs you the loyalty point for that genus.
• Buying a surrendered tag that the department reissues also uses up your points.
• No waiting period. You can apply again the year after you draw.

PointGuard

PointGuard ($10 per species, per applicant) lets you surrender a drawn tag before the hunt for any reason. Your points are restored, plus the point you would have earned. PointGuard Plus ($25) covers all eligible big game species for three straight draw cycles. Neither is refundable, and you don’t get the tag fee back.

Point creep and what “points to draw” means

Because of the bonus pass, the top hunts drift toward max-point holders. As more hunters buy points every year, the point total needed to draw in the bonus pass rises. That’s point creep. Hunting media (not AZGFD) reported in 2025 that Kaibab late rifle mule deer took more than 27 points to draw; treat that as a rough estimate. The other 80% of tags still go by weighted random draw, so a low-point applicant always has some chance.

Worked example, elk (hypothetical numbers): A bull elk hunt has 50 tags. Up to 10 go in the bonus pass. Nonresidents can draw at most 5, and no more than 2 of those in the bonus pass. Say you’re a nonresident with 6 elk points, a loyalty point and a hunter education point. That’s 8 points, so you get 9 random numbers in each pass. If max-point holders sit well above you, you’re counting on the random passes, where your 9 numbers beat a first-year applicant’s 1 but still face long odds in a premium hunt.

Worked example, deer (hypothetical numbers): A Coues whitetail hunt has 300 tags. Nonresidents can draw up to 30, and up to 60 tags go in the bonus pass. With that many tags, many hunters draw with few or no points as a first or second choice. Remember that drawing resets your deer points, so don’t burn a big point total on an easy hunt.

Strategy

• Buying points for a premium hunt? Use the point-only number, or list only hunts you’d trade your points for.
• Want to hunt now? List high-tag-count hunts first or second. Every point still adds a random number.
• Keep applying every year to hold your loyalty point.
• Get the hunter education point if you don’t have it. For many nonresidents, Ethically Hunting Arizona is the way to earn it.
• Hunt while you wait: Over-the-counter archery deer tags, nonpermit elk tags north of the Grand Canyon, and leftover tags in March (elk) and July (deer). Leftover tags don’t touch your points.
• Copper State Draw: In summer 2026 AZGFD added a separate Copper State Draw for a few extra deer, elk and turkey hunts. AZGFD says it doesn’t affect your bonus points or your eligibility for the regular draws. Check whether it runs again.
• Guided or private-land options: Arizona outfitters know unit-by-unit odds. Also see discount guided hunts and hunting leases.

Key numbers for 2026

Item	Number
Elk draw deadline	February 3, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Arizona time
Deer (fall) draw deadline	June 2, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Arizona time
Bonus pass	Up to 20% of tags per hunt, 1st and 2nd choices
Nonresident cap (bull elk, antlered deer)	10% per hunt; max half in bonus pass
Point-only hunt numbers	Elk 3000; deer 1000
Point-only cost	$13 resident / $15 nonresident + license
Points lost if	You don’t apply for 5 straight years
Loyalty point	5 straight years of applying
PointGuard	$10 per species; Plus $25

FAQ

Are Arizona bonus points the same as preference points? No. Points add random numbers and decide the 20% bonus pass, but the other tags are drawn randomly, so top point holders aren’t guaranteed a tag.

Do my deer points work for both mule deer and Coues? Yes. Points are by genus, and both are deer.

Do I lose points if I draw my third choice? Yes. Any drawn elk or deer tag resets that genus to zero, whatever choice it was.

Can I build points without hunting? Yes. Use hunt number 3000 (elk) or 1000 (deer) and pay only the application fee plus a license.

Related: Arizona Elk Hunting · Arizona Deer Hunting · How to apply for the Arizona elk draw · How to apply for the Arizona deer draw · Preference points by state

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