Wyoming Game and Fish Department

Big Game Preference Points

The preference point system is designed to improve an applicant’s odds of eventually drawing a license in a hard-to-draw hunt area. Preference points are utilized in conducting the resident and nonresident moose, resident and nonresident full price bighorn sheep, nonresident elk, nonresident deer and nonresident antelope drawings. Seventy-five percent (75%) of available licenses in each hunt area and license type will be allocated to the preference point drawing. Applicants with the highest preference point totals will receive priority in the preference point drawing. The remaining twenty-five percent (25%) of available licenses will be allocated in a random drawing.  The random drawing is intended to provide everyone who applies a chance of drawing a license, regardless of their preference point total.

All applicants will participate in the preference point drawing even if they have no preference points. After the preference point drawing is completed, all unsuccessful applicants will then participate in the random drawing.

In both the preference point and random drawings, applicants who are successful with their first choice of hunt area and type will have their preference point totals reset to zero (0).

A youth applicant wanting to be awarded preference points must be at least eleven (11) years old at the time of submitting an application for a big game limited quota license in the initial drawing provided they will turn twelve (12) years old by the end of that calendar year. 

A youth applicant wanting to purchase preference points only must be at least eleven (11) years old at the time of submitting a preference point only application and must be at least twelve (12) years old by December 31 of that year.

Preference points are assigned to the person’s sportsperson identification number and are tied to a species, but not to a specific hunt area.  You are free to apply for different hunt areas from one year to the next. 

Preference points shall not be restored when an applicant causes more than one customer record to be generated due to using a different last name, first name, date of birth or last four of their social security number.  Such circumstances cause preference points to be accumulated under different sportsperson identification numbers and ultimately deleted for failure to apply under the same sportsperson identification number.  Exceptions may be made for a name change because of marriage or divorce.

Any preference points awarded during one hunt year’s application period will be available for use during the initial application period for the following hunt year. (For example, preference points awarded in 2024 would be available for the 2025 limited quota draw.)

Any leftover drawings are entirely random and will not use or take in to account any accumulated preference points.

No person may apply for, or be awarded, more than one (1) preference point per species in the same calendar year. 

If you were successful in drawing your first choice in the initial draw, you are not eligible to purchase a preference point during the preference point application period.

Please refer to the Department’s website for the application period to apply online for the purchase of a preference point.  There is no application fee to purchase a preference point only.

If a person fails to accumulate a preference point either through unsuccessful application (moose and big horn sheep) or purchase a preference point during the preference point application period for two (2) consecutive years, all accumulated points for affected species will be lost.

Moose and Full Price Bighorn Sheep Preference Points (Residents and Nonresidents)

For moose and full price bighorn sheep, preference points can be accumulated either by submitting an application for the limited quota drawings or by purchasing a preference point during the preference point application period.

Applicants must elect to be awarded a preference point when submitting their moose or full price bighorn sheep application.  Applicants who are unsuccessful drawing a moose or full price bighorn sheep license and elected the preference point option will be awarded the preference point at the conclusion of the draw.  Nonresidents will have the applicable moose ($150) and/or full price bighorn sheep ($150) preference point fees deducted from their license refund.   Residents will receive a full refund of their license fee. 

If you do not participate in the limited quota drawing for moose or full price bighorn sheep or did not elect to be awarded a preference point if unsuccessful, you may purchase a preference point during the preference point application period using the online system.  The resident fee to purchase a moose or full price bighorn sheep preference point is $7. The nonresident fee to purchase a moose preference point is $150 and the nonresident fee to purchase a full price bighorn sheep preference point is $150.

A successful applicant for Type 4 moose must wait five (5) years before they will become eligible to participate in either the limited quota drawing or purchase preference points.

Full Price Elk, Full Price Deer and Full Price Antelope Preference Points (Nonresidents Only)

For nonresident full price elk, full price deer and full price antelope, preference points can be accumulated by purchasing a preference point during the preference point application period. 

For nonresident full price elk, full price deer and full price antelope, an individual’s accumulated preference points are only considered in the initial drawing for the applicant’s first choice in the preference point drawing.

Drawing a license for your second or third choice does not cause preference points to be deleted and the applicant may still purchase a preference point for that hunt year during the preference point application period. 

For nonresident full price elk, full price deer and full price antelope, an applicant will lose all accumulated preference points if they draw their first choice license in the initial limited quota drawing or if they fail to purchase a preference point during the appropriate application period for two (2) consecutive years.

For party applications, all of the applicants’ preference point totals will be averaged to the 4^th decimal point to determine the preference point ranking used in the initial preference point drawing.

There are no preference points for reduced price cow/calf or reduced price doe/fawn licenses.  Applicants for reduced price licenses do not lose their preference points if successful in the reduced price license drawing, nor do they accumulate preference points if they are unsuccessful drawing these license types.

Some suggestions when applying for licenses:  to maintain your preference points, do not apply for an easy-to-draw area as your first choice.  If you do and are successful, then all of your accumulated points will be deleted and the odds of drawing a license in a hard-to-draw area will be diminished for several years until you build up preference points again.  If you desire to hunt more often without sacrificing your preference points, continue to apply for your preferred (hard-to-draw) hunt area as a first choice and apply for easy-to-draw hunt areas as your second choice. By reviewing the random drawing odds from previous years, you can find hunt areas with good odds of drawing a license as a second and possibly a third choice. On the other hand, it is nearly certain you will draw a license in a hunt area with 100% odds listed for the second choice drawing.  However, be advised that drawing odds can and do change from year to year as applicants shift their preferences for specific hunt areas. The prior year’s drawing odds are a useful indicator of relative odds, but provide no absolute guarantees.