Nonresident Western Hunting License Costs: What You'll Actually Pay in 2025

Every western state advertises a tag price. None of them advertise the total cost.

A Colorado nonresident elk combo tag lists at $671. But you’re also paying a $34 habitat stamp, an $8 application fee, and — if you’ve been building points — the accumulated cost of annual point purchases. Do that across multiple states and species, and you’re looking at a real annual budget that most hunters haven’t calculated before they start applying.

This guide breaks down the true cost structure for nonresident hunters applying across the West’s 10 primary elk states. Use these numbers as a planning baseline, then verify with each state’s current fee schedule before you submit your application — fees adjust annually.

How Western States Structure Nonresident License Fees

The sticker price on a western elk tag rarely tells the full story. Most states layer three to five cost components on top of each other:

Base hunting license: A general nonresident hunting license, required before any tag purchase. Usually $50–$150 depending on the state.

Species-specific tag: The tag for the animal you’re hunting — elk, deer, pronghorn, sheep. This is typically the biggest single line item.

Habitat/conservation stamp: Most states require a wildlife habitat or conservation stamp for nonresidents. Usually $10–$40. Easy to miss, never optional.

Application fee: A per-species fee to submit a draw application. Usually $6–$10. Applies even if you don’t draw.

Annual point fee: If you’re buying preference or bonus points without drawing, you pay a fee each year to keep your point total alive. This ranges from $6 to $50+ per species per year depending on the state.

The real budget number is the sum of all five. Below is a state-by-state breakdown of what nonresident elk hunters actually spend in 2025.

State-by-State Nonresident Elk Tag Costs

State	Base License	Elk Tag	Stamps/Fees	Annual Point Fee	Total (Tag Year)
Colorado	~$100 (combo w/ deer)	~$571 (elk only)	~$34 habitat stamp	~$40/species	~$671–$705
Wyoming	~$15	~$611	~$12.50 conservation	~$15	~$638–$693
Montana	~$70	~$782 (combo w/ deer)	~$10	~$15	~$862–$900
Idaho	~$154	~$503	~$34	~$15	~$691–$706
Utah	~$65	~$372 (draw tag)	~$10	~$10	~$447–$502
Nevada	~$75	~$142	~$10	~$10	~$227–$237
Oregon	~$42	~$406	~$18	~$8	~$466–$474
Washington	~$41	~$360	~$21	~$10	~$422–$431
New Mexico	~$65	~$480	~$25	~$7	~$570–$577
Arizona	~$26	$160–$650 (unit-dependent)	~$20	~$15	~$206–$711

Figures are approximate nonresident costs for general/rifle elk seasons. Archery and muzzleloader tags may differ. Arizona’s wide range reflects substantial variation between general and limited-entry unit tags.

Colorado: The Most Accessible Draw System

Colorado runs a weighted preference point draw with an 80/20 split — 80% of tags go to the highest-point applicants, 20% go into a random draw open to everyone. That random pool is what makes Colorado the best state for newer hunters to start: a zero-point applicant has a small but real shot every year.

The nonresident elk combo license (which includes a deer tag) runs approximately $707 with stamps. Preference points cost roughly $40 per species per year. A hunter building points toward a limited-entry bull unit while hunting OTC cow tags will spend $40–$80 per year in point fees, then $707 when they finally draw.

OTC elk tags exist in Colorado — many units are available over the counter for both archery and rifle seasons. These are the most accessible entry point to western elk hunting without any draw wait.

Wyoming: Consistent Quality at a Consistent Price

Wyoming offers some of the most transparent fee structures in the West. The nonresident elk license sits around $611, plus a $12.50 conservation stamp and a nominal application fee — total around $638–$693. Point fees run $15 per species annually.

Wyoming’s bonus point system uses a squared-drawing formula: a hunter with 5 points has 36 chances in the draw versus 1 for a zero-point applicant. Points stack fast in terms of draw probability. Many nonresident hunters find Wyoming’s elk draw achievable within 3–5 years in most units, compared to Colorado’s longer point curves for premium country.

Montana: High Costs, High Returns

Montana’s nonresident hunting fees are the steepest in the West by most measures. A combination deer and elk license runs approximately $862–$900 total with conservation licenses and stamps. The trade-off is that Montana’s general license areas include vast blocks of national forest and BLM ground with minimal draw competition — you can hunt elk and deer every year in Montana without accumulating a single point, as long as you’re targeting general license country.

Limited-entry units — including some of Montana’s famous trophy districts along the Rocky Mountain Front and in the Bob Marshall Wilderness region — require drawing, with separate point fees. But for a hunter who wants a no-draw western hunt each fall, Montana’s combination license, despite its cost, gets you into the field immediately.

Idaho: Consistent Costs, Lots of Public Land

Idaho’s nonresident elk package runs approximately $691–$706 with all fees, positioning it solidly in the mid-range for western states. Controlled hunt tags (limited entry) cost more and require drawing. The general elk season in Idaho covers large portions of the state’s seven million acres of national forest and BLM ground on a first-purchase basis, similar to Montana’s approach.

Point accumulation in Idaho costs around $15 per year. Draw requirements vary significantly by zone — some of Idaho’s best elk country draws at minimal point requirements, while premium controlled hunts can take a decade of applications.

Utah: Draw-Only but Worth the Wait

Utah doesn’t have a general elk season available without drawing. Every elk tag in Utah is limited-entry, which means every hunter is in the draw system from day one. The tag itself runs around $372, with a base license around $65, for a total in the $447–$502 range.

What Utah offers in return is exceptional trophy quality. The state’s managed herd in units like the Henry Mountains and Book Cliffs produces mature bulls that rival anything in North America. Draw odds are competitive — most nonresident elk units take 5–15 years to draw at median probability — but the hunting once you draw is elite.

Utah’s bonus point system uses a pure preference format: draw odds improve each year you accumulate points. A $10 annual point fee is about as cheap as it gets in the western draw system.

Nevada: Cheap Tag, Almost Impossible Draw

Nevada’s elk tag looks like a bargain at $142. Total nonresident cost with base license and stamps is $227–$237. The catch is that Nevada elk tags are among the most difficult to draw in the country — most units issue fewer than 20 tags total, and many of those go to residents. A nonresident may wait 15–25 years for a Nevada elk tag in a quality unit with no guarantee of ever drawing.

If you’re going to start Nevada bonus point accumulation, start early and accept that it’s a long-term play. The $10–$15 annual investment is low, and the hunt — if you ever draw — is world class.

Oregon and Washington: Underrated Mid-Tier Options

Oregon’s nonresident elk package runs around $466–$474 total. The draw system is bonus-point based, with most general units drawing in 1–5 years for nonresidents. Oregon has a general elk season in designated units, and the state’s national forest land in the Blue Mountains and Cascades provides quality public-land hunting. For a nonresident who wants a realistic draw timeline at a mid-range price, Oregon often gets overlooked.

Washington’s total runs approximately $422–$431. Similar to Oregon, Washington’s general elk areas don’t require drawing in most zones. Eastern Washington’s ponderosa pine country and Blue Mountain units carry solid elk populations with lower hunting pressure than comparable Idaho or Montana country.

New Mexico and Arizona: The Southwest Premium

New Mexico’s nonresident elk total sits around $570–$577. The state uses a preference point system, and some of its best units — including the Gila Wilderness and White Mountain country — draw at 5–12 years for nonresidents. The hunting quality in New Mexico’s top units is exceptional, and the state offers both rut-timed archery and late-October rifle seasons that catch elk in predictable patterns.

Arizona’s fee structure is the most variable. The base nonresident license runs only $26, but elk tags range from $160 for some general units up to $650 or more for premium limited-entry draws. Arizona runs a point system with preference and bonus point components. Total nonresident cost depending on unit and season runs $206–$711. Point accumulation costs $15 per species annually.

Arizona’s best elk units — the White Mountains, Coconino Plateau, and Kaibab — produce bulls that rival anything in the West. Draw timelines for the top units can reach 20 years for nonresidents, making early point accumulation critical.

The Hidden Costs: What the Tag Price Doesn’t Cover

Beyond the license fees, nonresident western hunters carry costs that don’t show up in any state fee schedule:

Annual point fees across states: A hunter building points in five states (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico) for elk plus deer pays $150–$200 in point fees every year before hunting a single animal. Over ten years, that’s $1,500–$2,000 just in application infrastructure.

Application fees for unsuccessful draws: Most states charge $6–$10 per species per year regardless of whether you draw. Over a 10-year point build across three states, this adds $180–$300 in application fees before a tag is ever issued.

Preference point opportunity cost: Points purchased but not yet used represent years of investment. A hunter who draws a 15-point Colorado elk unit has spent roughly $600 in point fees before ever purchasing that tag.

Building Your Real Application Budget

A realistic nonresident hunter applying seriously for western elk should budget:

• Tag-year purchase: $450–$900 depending on state and tag type
• Annual point maintenance (3–4 states): $100–$200 per year
• Application fees (unsuccessful draws): $30–$60 per year
• Total annual spend (non-tag year): $130–$260
• Total in a tag year: $580–$1,160

That’s the honest picture before travel, camp, gear, and processing enter the equation. Use the Trip Budget Planner to build a complete hunt cost estimate once you’ve identified your target state and season.

The good news is that the western draw system rewards patience. A hunter who starts building points at 25 and hunts general-season tags in the meantime will have access to genuinely elite hunting by their mid-30s — paid for one $40 point fee at a time.