Oregon’s controlled hunts are where you’ll find most eastern Oregon rifle bull tags, the northeast Oregon archery units, muzzleloader hunts, and antlerless hunts. The system is simple once you know the rules, but one detail matters more than any other: preference points only work on your first choice. Here’s how it works.

Key dates

Step	2026 date
Application deadline (elk, deer and most big game)	May 15
Results available	By June 12
Leftover controlled tags go on sale	July 1, 10 a.m. PT, online only
Point saver available	July 1 – Nov 30 and Dec 1 – May 15
Deadline to buy a drawn tag	The day before the hunt begins

The 2027 dates will be in next year’s regulations, but May 15 has been the deadline for years.

Step 1: Buy an annual hunting license

You have to own an Oregon annual hunting license before you apply. You can buy it in the same online checkout as your application.

Item (2026)	Resident	Nonresident
Annual hunting license	$39	$193
Controlled hunt application (big game)	$10	$10
Elk tag, if drawn	$56	$660

ODFW’s 2026 fee schedule lists a single $10 controlled hunt application fee, not split by residency.

You don’t pay for the elk tag unless you draw and decide to buy it.

Step 2: Choose up to five hunts

Every controlled elk hunt has a number in the 200 series, such as 248R2 (Heppner bow) or 260Y (Minam second season). You can submit one elk application with up to five choices.

How to use your five choices:

• 1st choice: The hunt you want most. This is the only choice where your points count.
• 2nd to 5th choices: These are drawn at random among applicants who listed them, after first-choice tags are handed out. Use them for hunts that usually have tags left.
• Point saver: If you want to build a point without hunting a controlled elk hunt, buy a point saver (sold July 1 – Nov 30 and Dec 1 – May 15 and December 1 – May 15). You can still hunt a general season with it.

Past controlled hunt draw reports are available in your MyODFW account, and the regulations list each hunt’s tag numbers and first-choice applicants. Check them before you apply.

Step 3: Understand preference points

• You earn one elk point each year you apply and don’t draw your first choice.
• About 75% of the tags in each hunt go to first-choice applicants with the most points.
• The other 25% are drawn at random among all first-choice applicants, whatever their points. So a long shot is possible.
• When you draw your first choice, your points drop to zero.
• You keep your points until you draw your first choice in that series. ODFW rules don’t take points away for skipping years, but you forfeit them if your hunting license is suspended or revoked.

Nonresident limit: Nonresidents can receive up to 5% of the tags in each controlled deer, elk and bear hunt. In small hunts, that can mean zero or one tag for nonresidents.

What changed for 2026?

For elk, nothing major. ODFW didn’t change the preference point system for 2026, and points carried over as usual. The big 2026 change was for deer: eastern Oregon deer hunts moved from wildlife management units to new deer hunt areas with new names and numbers. If you hunt both, read our Oregon deer controlled hunt guide.

Step 4: Apply alone or as a party

Party applications are allowed for most elk hunts. Points are averaged across the party, and the leader’s choices apply to everyone. A party draws together or not at all. Premium hunts don’t allow parties.

Step 5: Check results and buy your tag

Results are posted by June 12. If you draw, decide whether you want the tag and buy it before the hunt’s first day. Drawing your first choice resets your points even if you don’t buy the tag, so think it through before you apply.

Point rules at a glance

• System: Modified preference points: 75% of each controlled hunt’s tags go to first-choice applicants by points and 25% are drawn at random among first-choice applicants. Points only count for your first choice.
• Nonresident share: No more than 5% of the tags in each controlled elk hunt, though one nonresident tag can be issued when a hunt has fewer than 35 tags.
• You lose your points if: you draw your first choice (even if you don’t buy the tag), or your hunting license is suspended or revoked. Skipping a year never costs you points.
• Waiting period: None.
• Parties: Points are averaged; .51 and above rounds up. Premium hunts don’t allow parties.
• Point only: Point Saver for the 200 series, December 1 – May 15 and July 1 – November 30.

Full breakdown: how the draw works, with examples · check last year’s odds for every hunt

Didn’t draw? You still have options

• Leftover tags (July 1). Unclaimed controlled tags go on sale first-come, first-served online at 10 a.m. on July 1.
• General season tags. Archery and western Oregon rifle tags are over the counter. See general season tags.
• Outfitter and landowner tags. ODFW sets aside some nonresident tags for registered outfitters’ clients, and some outfitters hunt private ranches with landowner preference tags. Ask how tags are allocated before you book.
• Build a point. Buy a point saver if you won’t hunt elk this year.

Let an outfitter help

Many Oregon outfitters will tell you which controlled hunts they guide, how many points those hunts take, and what your odds look like. Talk to them before the May 15 deadline.

Related: How Oregon draw points work · Draw odds by unit · Oregon Elk Hunting Guide · Season dates · General season elk tags · Cost of an Oregon elk hunt

Fees and dates are from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for 2026. Always confirm in the current Oregon Big Game Regulations before you apply.