Taking A Look At The Deer Lottery

I’ve long appreciated the fact that in North Dakota we can talk about deer and deer hunting any time of year. While fall discussions typically revolve around the deer numbers and the coming hunt, this time of year there’s plenty to discuss about the state’s deer lottery.

Of note, there’s no real preference to the points given to each applicant. A point is a point is a point. Whether it’s one or 125. The point is your number in the lottery. The more points you have the better your odds “weigh.” At no point is there a guarantee.

How the Lottery Works

Using deer as the example, though turkey works the same way, this is how it works:

• If you fail to draw your first license choice in any given year, you receive a bonus point.
• You do not have to apply in the same unit, or for the same deer type each year, to qualify.
• You get an additional bonus point each year you apply and do not receive your first license choice.
• You maintain your accumulated bonus points as long as you apply in the first drawing at least once every two years.
• You receive additional chances in the drawing for each bonus point accumulated.
• For points one through three, you are entered in the drawing two times the number of points you have. So, if you have two points you get four additional chances to be drawn, compared to a person who got their first choice the previous year.
• When you accumulate four or more points, your chances are calculated by cubing your points: four points = 64 entries, five points = 125 entries, and so on.
• Bonus points are only earned when you apply in the first drawing and do not receive your first license choice. They are not earned in years you don’t apply.
• Each drawing is still random, but the more points you have, the better your odds.
• When you draw your first license choice, you lose your bonus points and start over. Points are only used in the first drawing for each species per year.

The license lottery consists of four separate drawings, one for each choice on the application:

• First unit / First deer choice
• First unit / Second deer choice
• Second unit / First deer choice
• Second unit / Second deer choice

While more than 3,000 fewer licenses were made available for the 2024 deer gun season, the drawing process stayed the same. The results format has remained consistent over the past four years.

In unit 2J1 for any antlered deer, here’s how the odds broke down:

• 668 hunters with 0 points applied — 158 were successful (158/668)
• 480 hunters with 1 point — 273 successful (273/480)
• 162 hunters with 2 points — 114 successful (114/162)
• … and so on

Note: the 2024 results only reflect hunters who entered the drawing, not those who bought points without intending to hunt.

The 2025 deer gun season application window opens mid-May. Deadline is midnight, Wednesday, June 4.

And if you’re feeling lucky, put in your vacation request now — opening day is Friday, November 7.

2024 Lottery Stats Summary

• 75,874 – Applicants (not including 12,170 gratis applicants)
• 39.04% – Success rate for deer gun and muzzleloader applicants (excluding gratis and nonresidents)
• 21 – Maximum bonus points (nonresident mule deer buck applicants)
• 13,947 – Applicants with four or more bonus points
• 12.10% – Percent of applicants with four or more bonus points
• 54.54% – Percent of high-point applicants who applied for a muzzleloader buck license

2024 Lottery Notes

Deer gun licenses made available by year:

• 2016 – 49,000
• 2017 – 54,500
• 2018 – 55,150
• 2019 – 65,500
• 2020 – 69,050
• 2021 – 72,200
• 2022 – 64,200
• 2023 – 53,400
• 2024 – 50,100

Drawing a buck license in 2024 was not easy. After subtracting 11,919 resident gratis and 501 nonresident licenses, only 19,927 buck licenses were left for the 62,471 hunters who selected one as their first choice.