The Game Commission approved a package of changes to the random-draw elk license program that will change who can apply and how preference points are used. Key changes include: requiring applicants to already possess a base hunting license before submitting a random-draw elk application; removing a former orientation-program requirement; establishing a 10% cap on the number of random-draw antlered elk licenses available to nonresident applicants; and adopting an amendment that limits successful antlered-elk draws to once per lifetime for applicants drawn after Jan. 1, 2026.

Commissioner Sankey introduced and supported the lifetime-antlered-tag amendment discussed on the floor. Staff explained the mechanics: beginning Jan. 1, 2026, any applicant successfully drawn for a random-draw antlered elk tag would become ineligible to submit future applications for antlered elk; previously earned preference points for those drawing after the date would be applied to cow elk applications rather than bull elk. Commissioners debated the equity of changing the rules for future draws while preserving status for prior successful applicants; the amendment passed on a voice vote.

Staff also explained that requiring a base hunting license up front reflects updated capabilities in the commission’s PALs licensing system and the electronic drawing process; the change replaces a prior workflow that allowed drawing first and purchasing a base license after a successful draw. The proposed removal of redundant personal identification text (social security number or hunter ID) depends on the base-license requirement and the updated electronic system.

The commission also approved a 10% cap on the share of random-draw antlered elk tags awarded to nonresident applicants. Staff noted the overall numbers involved are small (staff cited a five-year average of about 17 elk that could be reallocated by the change) but that the cap is meaningful given the total number of tags is fewer than 200 in recent years.

Commissioners approved the full set of amendments, including the lifetime-antlered-tag amendment, by voice vote.

Why it matters: commissioners framed the package as a modernization of administrative procedures and a way to prioritize resident applicants and preserve opportunity. The lifetime restriction on future antlered tags for those drawn after Jan. 1, 2026 is the most substantive policy change affecting hunter opportunity in the long term; staff said the commission’s bull-tag success rate is high, meaning those drawn have a high probability of harvest and thus few future chances would be available under the new rule.

Next steps: staff will incorporate the approved amendments into the regulatory text and adjust the PALs system to enforce the base-license requirement, the preference-point handling, the nonresident cap and the lifetime restriction for antlered tags drawn after Jan. 1, 2026.