Utah runs two point systems side by side. Bonus points cover limited-entry hunts (including premium limited-entry deer and limited-entry bull elk) and once-in-a-lifetime species. Half of each hunt’s permits go to the applicants with the most bonus points, and the other half are drawn at random, with extra chances for every point you hold. Preference points cover general-season buck deer, and that draw is straight seniority: the most points draw first. In practice, a bonus point never guarantees a limited-entry permit, but it always helps. A preference point is a place in line for a general deer tag.

How you get points

You earn a point when you apply for a permit and don’t draw, or when you apply for a point only. You can’t apply for a permit and a point for the same species in the same draw.

• License first. You need a valid Utah hunting or combination license to apply for a permit or a point. For ages 18–64, a hunting license is $40 for residents and $144 for nonresidents.
• Point-only codes. On the application you pick the species’ bonus point code (for limited-entry deer it’s DEE) or the general-season deer preference point code (GDR).
• Cost. A point costs the same as an application: $10 for residents and $21 for nonresidents, plus a 2.2% card transaction fee.
• Two windows. The main window ran March 19 to April 23, 2026. If you missed it, you could buy a point during the antlerless application period, June 9–23, 2026.
• Age. You must be 12 to hunt big game. An 11-year-old can apply if they turn 12 by December 31 of the hunt year.

Points are tracked by species, not by unit. A bull elk bonus point works for any future limited-entry bull elk hunt, and a general deer preference point works for any general-season deer hunt choice.

How bonus points work in the draw (elk and limited-entry deer)

Utah’s rule (R657-62-8) sets the mechanics:

1. Half to the top point holders. 50% of the permits for each hunt are reserved for applicants with the most bonus points. The draw fills them starting at the highest point level and works down. Within a point level, random numbers break ties.
2. Half at random, weighted by points. Every applicant gets one random number for the application plus one more for each bonus point. Someone with 6 points holds 7 numbers. Your best number is the one that counts. Unused reserved permits roll into this random half.
3. Residents and nonresidents are drawn separately. Choices are evaluated separately for residents and nonresidents first. Leftover permits can then cross over between the two pools.

The draw order runs limited-entry buck deer, then bull elk, then pronghorn, then once-in-a-lifetime species, then general-season buck deer. You can only get one buck deer and one bull elk permit a year. If you draw limited-entry deer, you’re dropped from the general deer draw and get a general deer preference point instead.

Groups: Up to four hunters can apply together for limited-entry deer or elk. Bonus points are averaged and rounded down, so a 12-point hunter with a 0-point friend applies at 6. Groups aren’t allowed for once-in-a-lifetime or management bull elk hunts.

How preference points work (general-season buck deer)

General deer is a pure preference draw. You list up to five hunt choices. The draw looks at every first choice at the highest point level, then the next level down, and so on, before it moves to second choices. Drawing any general deer permit, from any choice, resets your preference points to zero. Buying a leftover general buck permit after the draw also costs you your points (youth over-the-counter archery is an exception).

Twenty percent of general-season buck deer permits are set aside for youth (17 and under on July 31). Groups of up to four can apply, with points averaged and rounded down.

Residents vs. nonresidents

2026	Resident	Nonresident
Hunting license (18–64), required	$40	$144
Application or point-only fee	$10 + 2.2%	$21 + 2.2%
Limited-entry bull elk permit (if drawn)	$314	$1,950
General-season buck deer permit (if drawn)	$46	$599
Limited-entry buck deer permit (if drawn)	$94	$1,070
Share of limited-entry bull elk permits	About 90%	About 10% (set hunt by hunt)
What you can apply for	One species per hunt type	All limited-entry and once-in-a-lifetime species, plus one general-season species
CWMU permits in the draw	Yes	No (voucher from the operator)

Nonresident permit numbers are set for each hunt. In the 2026 bull elk tables, for example, the Manti unit had 593 resident and 67 nonresident permits. On small hunts, that can mean one or two nonresident permits, so the max-point half might be a single tag.

Keeping and losing points

• You lose points when you draw. Drawing a permit for a species, in or after the draw, wipes your points for that species. Conservation, expo, sportsman and landowner/CWMU-voucher permits don’t cost you points.
• Surrendering late. If you surrender a permit less than 30 days before the season, you lose your points for that species. In a group, everyone loses them.
• No use-it-or-lose-it rule today. Current Utah rules don’t take points for skipping years. An older rule that forfeited bonus points after three years without applying was repealed in 2012. You can sit out a year without losing anything. Applying or buying a point each year is still the only way to add points.
• Waiting periods. After you draw a limited-entry, CWMU or management buck deer or bull elk permit, you wait five years before you can apply again for that species. Once-in-a-lifetime means exactly that. General-season permits have no waiting period.
• Separate species. Elk bonus points, limited-entry deer bonus points and general deer preference points are all separate.

Point creep and “points to draw”

“Points to draw” is the point level where the max-point half of a hunt ran out last year. In Utah’s bonus system, that number creeps up when more people build points than there are permits. Below that level, you are playing the random half.

Elk example: Say a limited-entry rifle bull hunt has 20 resident permits. Ten go to max points. If 40 residents sit at the top point level, a lucky 10 of them draw, and everyone else falls into the random half for the other 10. A 4-point hunter in that random half holds five numbers. That’s better than one, but still a long shot. DWR’s 2022 figures showed resident odds as good as about 1 in 2 on some units and worse than 1 in 60 on the hardest.

Deer example: In the 2025 general-season draw, nearly every resident with 4 points drew. Some archery units drew with 0 points, and some popular rifle units took 3–4. Nonresidents with 10 or more points all drew.

Strategy

• If you want a trophy elk unit, buy a bonus point every year. At $10 or $21 plus a license, it’s the cheapest part of a Utah plan. Use the random half as your lottery ticket while you climb.
• Hunt while you wait. General-season any-bull and spike elk permits are sold over the counter. See general-season elk permits.
• Use your five general deer choices. Put the unit you want first and a low-demand archery hunt lower down.
• CWMUs and outfitters. Nonresidents can’t draw CWMU permits, but CWMU operators sell vouchers, usually as guided hunts, and those don’t use or cost points. See hunting leases and discount guided hunts.

Key numbers for 2026

Item	Number
Application period	March 19 – April 23, 2026
Point-only second window	June 9–23, 2026
Results	By May 31, 2026
Bonus permits reserved for max points	50%
Random entries per bonus point	1 extra
Youth share of general buck deer	20%
Waiting period, limited-entry deer or elk	5 years
Application / point fee	$10 resident, $21 nonresident (+2.2%)
Group size, limited-entry or general deer	Up to 4 (points rounded down)

FAQ

Do I lose my Utah points if I skip a year? No. Current rules only take points when you draw (or surrender a permit late). Skipping just means you don’t add one.

Can I apply for limited-entry deer and general deer in the same year? Yes. If you draw limited-entry deer, you’re left out of the general deer draw and get a general deer preference point.

Does a group help my odds? No. Points are averaged and rounded down, so a group usually hurts the high-point member.

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

Rules and fees are from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for the 2026 draw. Confirm in the current regulations before you apply.