Nonresident Hunting Licenses: Real Costs and What You Get

Every year we hear some version of this: a hunter researches an elk tag, sees the nonresident price, and assumes that’s what the hunt will cost from a licensing standpoint. Then the application season arrives and the bills start stacking up — a license here, an application fee there, maybe a habitat stamp on top. By the time the draw closes, they’ve spent twice what they expected just to enter the lottery.

Understanding the structure of nonresident hunting costs before you apply saves real money and eliminates the sticker shock that catches first-timers off guard. Here’s how it all works.

License vs. Tag: Two Separate Purchases

The most important distinction in western hunting is that a license and a tag are not the same thing — and most states require both before you can legally hunt.

The license is your base authority to hunt in a state. It’s a general permit tied to your identity that authorizes you to pursue game within that state’s jurisdiction for the license year. Without it, you can’t hold a tag. Think of it as the foundation everything else sits on.

The tag is the species-specific permit. It authorizes you to harvest one animal of a given species, often in a specific management unit and during a specific season. For most high-demand species — elk, mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep — tags are issued through a limited draw, meaning you apply and hope the odds fall your way.

Some states bundle these together into a “combination license” that covers the base authorization for multiple species. Others sell them separately. A few states issue a single “hunting license” that covers everything except the tag itself.

Application Fees: The Cost of Just Trying

This is where most nonresident hunters get surprised. When you apply for a limited draw tag, most states charge a non-refundable application fee just to enter the draw — regardless of whether you get the tag.

These fees aren’t trivial, and they’re per species, per year:

• Colorado: $13 per species application fee (elk, deer, pronghorn each charged separately)
• Arizona: $13 per species application fee
• Wyoming: $15–$31 depending on species (elk applications run on the higher end)
• Utah: Application fees baked into the draw system at varying rates
• New Mexico: Application fees typically $7–$15 per species

If you’re applying in three states for elk and also throwing in deer applications, you can easily spend $80–$120 in application fees alone — money that’s gone whether you draw or not.

Over a five-year application run across four states, a hunter building preference points for elk, deer, and pronghorn might pay $400–$700 in application fees before they ever receive a single tag. Most hunters never account for this when budgeting a western hunt.

Preference Point Fees: Paying to Wait

Some states charge a separate fee just to purchase and hold a preference point without actively applying for a tag that year. This matters when hunters want to accumulate points in a state without committing to a full application in seasons when the odds aren’t in their favor.

Colorado is the primary example: they charge $5 per species per year for a preference point-only purchase. It’s a modest fee, but it means you’re paying $15/year to maintain points in elk, deer, and pronghorn simultaneously — even in years you have no intention of hunting.

Most other western states don’t charge a point-only fee, but their application fees effectively serve the same function since the “apply for a point only” option still costs the standard application fee.

State-by-State Cost Breakdown

Here’s what nonresident licensing costs look like at the species level across the major western draw states. These figures represent typical tag prices — unit-specific tags can vary significantly above these baselines.

State	NR License	Elk Tag	Deer Tag	Pronghorn Tag	App Fee
Colorado	$58 combo	$679 limited	$422 limited	$298 limited	$13/species
Wyoming	$109 combo	$597	$340	$220	$15–$31
Montana	~$189 combo (elk+deer)	Included in some combos	Included	$152 separate	$0–$15
Arizona	$160 license	$400–$800 (unit dependent)	$300–$500	$195	$13/species
Idaho	$157 combo	$572	$186	$154	Minimal
New Mexico	$65 license	$150–$560 (unit dependent)	$65–$250	$65–$185	$7–$15
Utah	$65 license	$460 limited	$290 limited	$165 limited	Variable

For a Colorado elk hunt, the minimum licensing cost before you even book a flight breaks down like this: $58 (combo license) + $679 (limited tag) + $13 (app fee) = roughly $750 just in state fees. That’s the floor. Draw-odds reality means most hunters pay $13/year for several years before drawing.

The Costs Nobody Lists on the Application Portal

License fees are only a fraction of what a western hunt actually costs. The real budget line items look like this:

Fuel and transportation: A round-trip drive to Colorado elk country from the Midwest can run 1,800 miles. At current fuel prices, that’s $250–$400 before you account for a truck capable of handling mountain roads.

Lodging: Seven to ten days in or near elk country costs $600–$1,200 unless you’re camping (which requires its own gear investment). Backcountry trips with pack stock or guided outfitters can easily run $3,000–$8,000 on top of the tag.

Gear: First-time western hunters typically spend $1,000–$3,000 equipping for a backcountry or high-country hunt — boots, layering systems, optics, pack, trekking poles, sleep system if camping.

Meat processing: If you’re packing out an elk yourself, processing at a local facility runs $350–$600. If you’re flying home, dry ice, checked bags, and meat shipment can add another $200–$400.

Time off work: For most nonresident hunters, this is the single largest cost. A dedicated western elk hunt requires 7–14 days. At median income levels, the opportunity cost of unpaid leave can exceed the tag price itself.

Conservation Value: Why NR Fees Are High

Nonresident hunters pay substantially more than residents for the same tags — sometimes 5–10x more for limited draw species. This isn’t arbitrary pricing. Nonresident license revenue is a critical funding mechanism for state wildlife agencies.

In Colorado alone, nonresident hunting license revenue contributes tens of millions of dollars annually to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife budget. This money funds habitat acquisition, herd management, predator monitoring, law enforcement, and the biologists who run the draw systems in the first place.

The preference point structure and limited tag system exist because western big game populations can only support so many hunters per unit. The fee structure — while painful for NR hunters — is what sustains the populations that make western hunting worth pursuing.

Planning a Multi-Year Application Budget

If you’re serious about western hunting, application fees are an annual line item in your budget even in years you have no intention of hunting. Here’s a realistic framework:

Year 1–3 (point building phase): Budget $50–$150/year in application fees across 3–5 states. In this phase you’re not hunting, just accumulating. Some hunters apply in 4–5 states simultaneously.

Year 4–6 (draw window): You now have enough points in 1–2 states to have competitive draw odds. Budget $600–$900 for the license + tag in the state where you draw, plus ongoing fees in states where you’re still building.

Year 7+ (prime draw years): In high-demand states like Colorado or Wyoming, 7–10+ points may be required for top elk units. Multi-year point building is unavoidable in these systems.

A realistic 5-year application budget across three states (CO elk, WY elk, AZ elk) comes to approximately $300–$450 in application fees before factoring in the license and tag costs when you draw.

License Reciprocity and Reduced-Fee Options

No western state has a reciprocal license agreement with any other state — meaning your Colorado hunting license gives you no standing in Wyoming or Arizona. Each state requires its own nonresident license purchased independently.

That said, a few reduced-fee structures are worth knowing:

Youth hunters in most western states pay significantly reduced nonresident tag prices — often 50–70% less than adult nonresident rates. If you’re introducing a young hunter to western big game, the cost structure is considerably more accessible.

Military and veteran discounts vary by state. Some states offer resident or near-resident pricing for active duty military stationed in-state. Wyoming, for example, has historically offered reduced-rate tags for active duty military. Check each state’s regulation book for current eligibility.

Agent tags and outfitter allocations exist in some states, where licensed outfitters receive a portion of limited tags to sell directly to clients. These tags often carry outfitter markup but bypass the draw system entirely — useful for hunters who want a guaranteed tag without the point-building investment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a nonresident hunting license if I already have a preference point?

Yes. Preference points and hunting licenses are separate purchases. You can hold points in most states without an active license, but you must purchase a valid nonresident hunting license for the year in which you want to apply for or hold a draw tag.

Can I get a refund on my application fee if I don’t draw?

No. Application fees are non-refundable in every major western draw state. They compensate the state for processing costs and are not tied to draw outcomes.

Is it cheaper to go through an outfitter to get a nonresident elk tag?

For over-the-counter states like Montana, outfitter pricing is simply their service fee on top of the standard tag. For limited draw states, outfitters with a tag allocation allow you to bypass the draw — but you’ll pay outfitter rates for the hunt, which typically run $3,000–$8,000+ for a guided elk hunt. The tag itself is still at full nonresident price.

What happens to my preference points if I move out of a state?

Points are tied to your hunter ID in each state’s system, not your residency. If you move from Colorado to Wyoming, your Colorado preference points remain in your Colorado account as a nonresident. However, your Wyoming residency may change what price tier you pay for Wyoming tags. Points generally don’t expire as long as you maintain activity in the draw system (rules vary by state).

Do application fees go toward conservation like tag fees do?

Application fees primarily cover administrative costs of running the draw system. The conservation funding comes primarily from the tag price itself, plus the federal Pittman-Robertson Act excise taxes on firearms and ammunition sold nationwide.

Which state has the lowest total nonresident cost for a first elk hunt?

Montana’s OTC nonresident combination license at approximately $189 is the lowest barrier-to-entry for a legal elk hunt. You don’t need to draw, there are no application fees, and the license covers both elk and deer. The tradeoff is hunting over-the-counter units rather than limited, trophy-quality units.

Is there any way to reduce nonresident license costs legally?

The most legitimate strategy is establishing residency — which requires physical domicile and compliance with each state’s residency requirements (typically 6–12 months of primary residence). Gaming residency rules is a federal crime under the Lacey Act. For hunters committed to a specific state long-term, establishing genuine residency is the only legal path to resident pricing.