Guide to Hunting Lotteries
North Dakota Hunting Lotteries
| Species | Residency | Status | License Availability | Past Lottery Statistics | Season Information and Regulations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring Turkey | Resident Only | Applications for the 2025 season will be available in late January, 2025. | |||
| Moose | Resident Only | View 2024 Lottery Results | |||
| Elk | Resident Only | View 2024 Lottery Results | |||
| Bighorn Sheep | Resident and Nonresident | The 2024 application period has passed. The lottery will be held in September after summer population surveys are completed and total licenses are determined. | |||
| Deer | Resident and Nonresident | Purchase a FCFS license. | |||
| Pronghorn | Resident Only | Application deadline: August 7. Apply now. | |||
| Swan | Resident and Nonresident | Application deadline: August 21. Apply now. | |||
| Fall Turkey | Resident Only (FCFS license may be purchased by both residents and nonresidents when available) | Applications will be available mid-August. | |||
| Special Allocation | Big Game | Nonprofit organizations eligible to receive big game hunting licenses may apply online between October 1 and January 1. | See species regulations |
Note: If licenses remain after lotteries have been run, they will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Application Process Steps and Strategies
01
REQUIREMENTS
BEFORE APPLYING
Hunter Education Requirements
If you were born after 1961, to hunt in North Dakota you must have a:
Residency Requirements
Moose, elk, pronghorn, spring turkey, and the first fall turkey lottery are all open only to North Dakota residents.
02
STRATEGY
UNIT SELECTION
Unit Selection
1) Review the appropriate license availability page for the number of licenses available in each unit.
2) Review last year’s lottery success statistics to assess the difficulty of getting your first choice in a particular unit.
Bonus Points
First lotteries for deer gun, muzzleloader deer, pronghorn, swan, and wild turkey are “weighted” lotteries. You accrue bonus points each time you apply are not drawn for your first choice. These points give you a better chance of getting drawn the next year.
More information on bonus points can be found here.
03
PROCESS
APPLYING
When to Apply: Approximate dates for lotteries can be found here.
How to Apply: You can apply for lotteries online. For help using the online licensing and lottery system please see our TUTORIALS here.
Application Fees and License Prices: North Dakota Resident | Nonresident
Deadlines: Applications must be in by midnight on the day of the deadline. Deadlines can be found on the species hunting pages.
04
COMMUNICATION
LOTTERY RESULTS
Lotteries are run and results available anywhere from about 2 weeks to a month after the application deadline depending on the lottery.
After a lottery has been run, applicants will be notified that results are available. This will be done via:
- Email (if the applicant provided an email when applying)
- GovDelivery – text and/or email service that you can sign up for here
- Department website
05
THE HUNT
HUNTING INFORMATION
Where to Hunt
The Department has several resources for finding a place to hunt:
- Where to Hunt webpage
- Map Index
- ArcGIS Explorer Mobile App (works with your smartphone's GPS)
- Geospatial PDF Viewer Avenza Mobile App (for areas with spotty or no cellular coverage)
Tagging: You must tag a harvested animal immediately. Tag it BEFORE you take photos with it. Instructions for properly affixing tags are printed on the back of each tag. (How to Tag a Deer - video)
Regulations: can be found here.