In a lot of states, you walk into a store and buy a deer tag. Arizona doesn’t work that way for most big game. For elk, pronghorn, and most deer hunts, you apply months ahead and hope your name gets drawn.
The first time you look at it, the draw can feel like a puzzle. It isn’t that bad once someone lays it out. Here’s the simple version.
Before you apply, always check the current rules and dates at azgfd.com. Deadlines and details can change from year to year.
Why Arizona uses a draw
There are more hunters who want tags than there are tags to give. So Arizona Game and Fish sets a number of permits for each hunt, and a computer picks who gets them. It’s fair, and it protects the herds.
The three draws each year
Arizona splits big game into three draws. Roughly:
- Pronghorn and elk. Applications are due in February.
- Deer, fall turkey, fall javelina, bighorn sheep, fall bison, and sandhill crane. Due in June.
- Spring javelina, spring bear, spring turkey, and spring bison. Due in October.
The rules booklet for each draw usually comes out a few months before the deadline. Read it before you apply.
What you need to apply
- A free AZGFD portal account. This is where you apply, see your results, and check your bonus points. Arizona Game and Fish says the portal is the only place to find your draw results.
- An Arizona hunting license. Anyone 10 or older needs one to hunt.
- Your hunt choices. Each hunt has its own number. You can pick up to five.
Your five choices
When you apply, you list hunt numbers in order. First choice is the hunt you want most. You can add up to five.
Think of them in two groups:
- Choices 1 and 2 are your “dream” hunts.
- Choices 3, 4, and 5 are your backups.
This matters because of how the computer reads them, which is next.
The three passes
The draw runs in three rounds, called passes. Each time, every application gets a random number. Low numbers go first.
Pass 1: The bonus point pass. For most species, up to 20 percent of the tags in each hunt go to people with the most bonus points. The computer looks at your first and second choices only. If you have zero bonus points, you skip this pass.
Pass 2: First and second choices. Everyone who didn’t draw in pass 1 gets a new random number. The computer checks first choice, then second choice.
Pass 3: Third, fourth, and fifth choices. Anyone still left gets another new random number. Now the computer checks your backup hunts.
Arizona also limits how many tags can go to nonresidents, so most tags stay with Arizona residents.
How bonus points work
Every time you apply for a species and don’t get drawn, you earn a bonus point for that species. Each bonus point gives you one more random number in the draw. The computer uses your lowest one. More points means more chances at a low number.
A few things to know:
- Points are by species. Elk points only help with elk.
- If you draw a tag, your points for that species go back to zero.
- You can earn a loyalty bonus point by applying for the same species at least once a year, five years in a row. You keep it as long as you keep applying every year.
- You can earn a hunter education bonus point too. Arizona Game and Fish lists its “Ethically Hunting Arizona” course as one way to get it.
This is a bonus point system, not a preference point system. Even with zero points, you still have a chance. It’s just a smaller one.
Applying as a group
Up to four people can apply on one application. The computer averages everyone’s points and rounds to the nearest whole number. There has to be a tag for every person in the group, or the group gets passed over for that hunt.
So if your buddy has lots of points and you have none, applying together pulls the group’s points down.
If you don’t draw
It happens a lot, especially for elk. You still get your bonus point. Then you have a few options:
- Leftover tags. Tags that don’t get drawn are offered after the draw. Watch the Arizona Game and Fish site for dates.
- Over-the-counter tags. Arizona sells some tags without a draw, including some for deer, elk, bear, javelina, turkey, and mountain lion. Check what’s open for your area and season.
- Apply again next year, now with one more point.
Quick tips
- Apply every year for the species you care about, even if you just want the point.
- Use your first two choices on hunts you’d really be happy with.
- Look at past draw reports on the Arizona Game and Fish site to see how hard each hunt is to draw.
- Mark the deadlines on your calendar. They come fast.
Next step: New to all of this? Start with how to start hunting as a total beginner.