North Dakota

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDGF) manages big-game hunting through lotteries. Deer gun, muzzleloader deer, and pronghorn use a weighted lottery that rewards persistence with bonus points, while moose, elk, and bighorn sheep are awarded through separate random drawings.

Residents are the clear priority: elk and moose licenses are resident-only, and those premier species draw only a small number of tags each year. A limited (and expensive) nonresident bighorn license exists, and nonresidents can draw deer gun and archery licenses, but out-of-state opportunity is capped. Always confirm details in the current NDGF proclamations before applying.

Beyond the species license, big-game hunters generally need two prerequisites: a Fishing, Hunting, Furbearer Certificate and a General Game and Habitat License. You buy only one of each per year.

Bonus points apply to the weighted-lottery species (including deer gun and pronghorn). Miss your first-choice license in the first lottery and you earn a bonus point toward next year. Points add extra chances: for the first few points your entries roughly double per point, and at four or more points the chances grow sharply (points are effectively cubed). Points apply only to your first choice in the first lottery, and you keep them as long as you apply in the first drawing at least once every two years. Residents may also purchase a bonus point instead of a license. Moose, elk, and bighorn draws use no bonus points.

Applications are submitted online through NDGF Online Services (linked from the department's Buy and Apply page). You choose your species, license type (for deer, the deer type — species plus antlered or antlerless), and hunting unit(s).

The deer lottery runs as a sequence of choices, working through your first and second unit/deer-type preferences in order. You submit a payment method with the application, but the license fee is charged only if you draw. State law requires a Social Security number on the application.

These approximate windows are for the 2026 cycle; exact dates change each year, so always check the current proclamation and lottery schedule. Moose, elk, and bighorn: applications open around early March with a late-March deadline (the 2026 deadline was March 25) and results about mid-April — though the bighorn drawing is held later, in the fall, after population surveys.

Deer: applications open around early May, deadline in early June, results in late June. Pronghorn: applications mid-July, deadline early August, results mid-August. Spring turkey runs in late January/February and fall turkey in August/September. See the current proclamation for exact dates.

In plain terms: for deer gun and other weighted-lottery species, every eligible application goes into a random drawing, but bonus points add entries so persistent applicants have better odds — with no hard guarantee. Even hunters with many points can face heavy competition for scarce tags such as antlered mule deer. Moose, elk, and bighorn are straight random draws.

This is only a general description; TAGZ calculates its own draw-odds estimates using a separate methodology and historical data.

Figures below are approximate; see the official fee schedule for current amounts. For residents, most big-game licenses (deer gun, pronghorn, moose, elk, bighorn) run about $35 for adults ($10 for youth), plus the roughly $2 certificate and $20 General Game and Habitat License. Moose, elk, and bighorn also carry a small nonrefundable application fee (about $5).

Nonresidents pay considerably more: a deer gun license is roughly $355 (including a $5 application fee) and a nonresident white-tailed deer bow license about $350, each on top of the ~$5 certificate and ~$20 habitat license. Nonresident bighorn sheep is far higher — around $600 including a $100 nonrefundable application fee, with an added $500 due if drawn.