Written by Justin Park| 12/31/2025
HLRBO is loaded with great properties where you can try to fill your big game tags, but they won’t do you any good if you don’t have a valid tag in your pocket come hunting season. In the West and some midwestern states, hunting deer, elk, and other big game often requires applying in winter or spring for a fall tag through a point-based draw system.
New Year's is a popular time of year for goal-setting and dreaming about the 365 days ahead and, for hunters, it’s no different. If you intend on chasing deer, elk, or other big game species out West in 2026, now is the time to start planning before important application deadlines pass you by.
(Use GoHunt’s calendar of application deadlines to find key dates.)
If you’re planning to leverage HLRBO to find a quality hunting lease on which to use your tag, it’s also a good time to start browsing properties and talking to landowners. Listings may provide some insight into the tag process or you can confirm with landowners which unit their property is in and if they have any landowner tags available.
Where to Start
If you don’t already have an application strategy and have begun accumulating points in specific states, you’ll want to identify one or a few states that you know you want to target for big game. The best state for you will depend on the species you want to hunt, your budget, and how long you’re willing to wait to accumulate points (and often luck) to score a tag.
Utah, for example, gives out precious few big game tags, especially for non-residents, giving the draw lottery-like odds for high-quality hunts. Colorado, on the other hand, provides more opportunity with non-residents able to find tags for elk and deer each year without having to accumulate double-digit points.
Get Hunting Sooner
Planning an out-of-state hunt can quickly turn into a multi-year investment of time, research, and thousands of dollars, all for a hunting opportunity that may take years, if not decades, to come to fruition. Thankfully, there are ways to get your feet wet without waiting. These options let you get boots on the ground to better understand the terrain, animals, and logistics before you lock into a state for your long-term application strategy:
- Hunt a Low-Demand Tag: Most states have tags you can get without a lifetime of point accumulation to get you on the ground exploring the terrain, talking to locals, and judging the hunt quality potential. A higher-demand elk area, for example, may have low-demand deer tags or vice versa. You can even just go after small game while scouting the unit for your big game target species.
- Hire an Outfitter: If you don’t have the time to DIY everything, consider paying the premium to get started hunting right away. An outfitter will usually either have tags included in their guiding price, or be able to help you understand the process to get a license to hunt with them. Going with a guide is great if you're new to Western hunting, as you'll learn how to hunt, not just where.
- Hunt Private Land: Use HLRBO to get hunting now. Many leasing landowners have special landowner tags that can be purchased directly instead of navigating the draw process to get a tag for hunting public land. A private lease can also be a great jumping off point even if you’re hunting public land as well. Contact landowners on HLRBO to ask about the process for acquiring licenses in their area.
Resources for Application Season
Applying for Western big game tags is potentially one of the Internet’s deepest research rabbit holes, but the good news is there are great free and paid resources that help simplify the process.
Fresh Tracks YouTube: Randy Newberg lives in Montana and is deeply knowledgeable about the application process and strategy for applying in all Western states. Each year, he breaks down each state, noting important changes to the process and sharing his personal opinions and strategies for hunting the state.
GoHunt: GoHunt is arguably the biggest and best repository of free and subscription content on big game applications. States publish estimated draw odds after each season, but GoHunt’s Insider subscription puts it in easy-to-browse tools, all in one place. There are also plenty of free guides as well as videos via their YouTube channel.
Huntin’ Fool: If this all sounds like a headache of a project you’ll never undertake, consider paying Huntin’ Fool for their application service. For $55 per state and $10 per species applied for, their experts will guide you through the process and recommend applications that fit your budget, preferences, and timeline.
If you do nothing else after reading this article, visit GoHunt’s calendar of application deadlines and mark the ones you care about in your calendar.
Justin Park is a Colorado-based writer, editor, and avid hunter with a passion for the outdoors. He contributes to leading publications such as GearJunkie, Popular Mechanics, Powder, and Men's Journal, and serves as Editor of Wild Snow. Park is deeply involved in conservation and recreation advocacy, serving as Chapter Chair of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) in Summit County. He also represents RMEF on a state recreation committee focused on proactively addressing land use conflicts.