Best Western States for Your First NR Elk Tag

You want to hunt elk. You live outside the West. You don’t know where to start.

Here’s the honest breakdown. Every state has trade-offs, and the right answer depends entirely on what you want — a hunt this fall, or the best possible hunt in five years. Let’s sort that out.

The OTC Option: Montana and Idaho

If you need a tag this fall, two states make it possible without a lottery.

Montana General Elk

Montana sells over-the-counter general elk tags to nonresidents. You don’t draw, you don’t wait, you buy a tag and go hunt. See Montana draw odds by district to find limited-entry units worth building bonus points toward while you hunt general.

The NR tag costs roughly $900–$1,000 depending on the year and package. Montana has enormous amounts of public land — the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Beartooths, the Bitterroots. You can put together a legitimate DIY backcountry hunt without a guide.

The trade-off is pressure and access. Montana general elk hunting is popular. Public land near roads gets hit hard. To hunt elk with reasonable success, you need to put in scouting time or go deep. That’s not a disqualifier — it just means the tag is the easy part.

Montana OTC vs. Limited Entry

Montana also has limited-entry districts that hold larger bulls and see less pressure. If you’re willing to wait a year or two, apply for a limited-entry district while buying a general tag as your backup. You can hunt general elk the same year you apply.

Idaho General Elk

Idaho is consistently underrated by nonresident hunters. General archery and general rifle zones cover a huge portion of the state, and NR tag costs are lower than Montana. Check Idaho elk draw odds by zone for limited-entry units worth adding bonus points toward while you hunt general zones.

Idaho’s public land access is excellent in many areas — national forests and BLM ground make up the majority of the state’s backcountry. The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness are some of the most remote elk country in the lower 48.

The NR hunting community focuses heavily on Montana and Colorado, which means Idaho often has less competition and less hunting pressure in quality units. It’s worth a closer look if you haven’t considered it.

The Easy Draw: Wyoming

Wyoming sits in an interesting middle ground. It’s not fully OTC like Montana, but the draw is more accessible than most hunters expect.

Wyoming General Tags

Wyoming sells general elk tags to nonresidents for many units — these don’t require a draw at all. You apply, pay the fee, and you’re in. Availability is limited each year, so you need to act when applications open, but it’s not a competitive lottery situation for general tags.

These are real elk hunts on real elk country. Don’t dismiss them because they’re “general” tags.

Wyoming Limited Entry

For premium units, Wyoming uses a preference point system. The good news for NR hunters: Wyoming allocates roughly 16% of limited-entry tags to nonresidents, which is far more generous than most states.

Quality NR limited-entry elk units in Wyoming typically draw in two to five years. That’s not a lifetime commitment — it’s a medium-term investment. Buy points now, draw in a few years, hunt some of the best elk country in the West. The Wyoming draw odds tool shows exactly which units clear in the two-to-five-year window so you can target accordingly.

Wyoming's NR Allocation Is Generous

At ~16% NR allocation, Wyoming gives nonresident hunters a real seat at the table. If you’re willing to build two to five years of points, limited-entry Wyoming elk is genuinely achievable — not a fantasy.

The Waiting Game: Colorado

Colorado is the data-driven elk hunter’s state. They publish more draw odds information than any state in the West, and the database is extensive.

What Colorado Offers

Colorado has units across the spectrum — high-demand trophy country with steep point requirements, and lower-pressure units that draw in one to three years even for NR applicants. The state has good public land access, strong elk populations, and well-established hunting infrastructure.

For a first-time NR elk hunter with patience and a multi-year horizon, Colorado is often the best long-term investment. The point system rewards consistency, the odds data is transparent, and you can target a specific unit and timeline rather than just buying into a lottery.

Point Creep Is Real, But Not Universal

The most-coveted Colorado units require 15–20+ points for NR applicants. Those units are effectively out of reach for most hunters.

But many quality Colorado units draw in three to seven years. Some draw in one or two. The key is using actual draw odds data to find units that match your timeline, not chasing the famous ones that everyone posts about in forums. Start with the Colorado draw odds overview to see where current point requirements actually stand.

Colorado's 2028 Rule Change

Colorado is implementing draw system changes that will affect NR point values and allocation. The details are still evolving, but if you’re planning a Colorado elk hunt and haven’t started accumulating points, start now. Points you build before 2028 will have value under the new system — waiting costs you nothing except the annual fee.

The Long Shots Worth Taking: New Mexico and Arizona

Neither of these states should anchor your first elk hunt plan. Both have low NR caps and competitive draws.

But both are worth a few dollars a year in application fees.

New Mexico

New Mexico uses a pure random lottery with no preference points. A first-year applicant has identical odds to someone who’s applied for 20 years. NR tags are capped at roughly 6% of the total — it’s a small pool.

Apply anyway. The application cost is modest, the elk country is outstanding, and a New Mexico Gila bull is the kind of hunt worth a long wait.

Arizona

Arizona runs a points-based draw with some of the most prestigious elk hunting in North America. Premium Arizona bull elk units require decades of point accumulation for NR hunters — realistically, these are lifetime-goal hunts.

But Arizona’s point structure means your annual investment compounds. Apply every year, build points, and treat a premium AZ bull as a 20-year plan rather than something you expect to draw soon.

Apply NM and AZ Every Year

Use New Mexico and Arizona as background applications while hunting elsewhere. Even if you never draw the top units, you might draw a good one in a lucky year — and you spent relatively little to stay in the game.

The Recommendation Framework

Stop trying to find the “best” state in the abstract. The right state depends on what you’re actually trying to accomplish.

”I Want to Hunt Elk This Fall”

Buy a Montana or Idaho general tag. Stop overthinking it. Montana has the bigger NR hunting community and more infrastructure for out-of-state hunters. Idaho has lower pressure and potentially better value.

Neither guarantees a trophy bull. Both give you a legitimate elk hunt with solid public land access if you’re willing to put in the legwork.

”I Want Quality Elk in One to Five Years”

Wyoming limited entry is your best bet. Start buying preference points immediately — points cost around $50–$75 per year — and target two-to-five-year draw units. Meanwhile, buy a Wyoming general tag if you want to hunt while you wait.

Colorado lower-demand units are a parallel option. Use the draw odds data to find units where NR applicants draw within your target timeline.

”I’m Building a 20-Year Elk Hunting Plan”

Start accumulating Colorado and Wyoming points now. Apply to Arizona and New Mexico every year as background lottery entries. Hunt Montana or Idaho OTC in the near term while your points accumulate.

In year eight or ten, you’ll have options. A solid Wyoming limited-entry unit. A Colorado mid-tier draw. Maybe an Arizona tag if you got lucky with early points. The hunters who plan this way end up hunting incredible country. The hunters who wait until they’re “ready” to start building points end up behind.

Compare Actual Draw Odds Before You Apply

Don’t guess at your odds. The ProHunt Draw Odds Engine shows actual historical NR draw odds by state, species, and unit — so you can find the units that match your timeline instead of applying blind.

One More Thing: Don’t Wait to Start

The most common mistake NR elk hunters make is waiting until they’re “serious” to start building points. Points are cheap. The window to buy them is now. Every year you wait is a year of compound value you don’t get back.

Buy Colorado and Wyoming points this year. Apply to Arizona and New Mexico while you’re at it. Hunt Montana or Idaho in the meantime.

Five years from now, you’ll have options. That’s the game.

Track Your Points Across States

Use the ProHunt Preference Point Tracker to log your points in Colorado, Wyoming, and other states in one place. It’s easy to lose track of where you stand across multiple state systems — especially when you’re just starting out.