Every year, after draw results go out, each western state publishes a post-draw report. Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada: all five. These reports show exactly how many people applied for every hunt code, how many tags were available, what point level it took to draw, and often a full breakdown of how many hunters drew at each point level.
This is free public information. It is the most accurate picture of draw competition that exists. And the vast majority of hunters have never looked at one.
If you're applying blind, picking units based on gut feel or forum posts without checking the actual post-draw data, you are working without a map in country where the map is available and free. This guide fixes that.
The short answer: a post-draw report is the official data each state publishes after the draw, showing how many people applied for each hunt code, how many tags were issued, and the minimum points it took to draw. The single most important number is the draw floor: the lowest point total that drew a tag in the preference pool. Read your own resident or nonresident row, treat last year's floor as a trend rather than a guarantee, and you can plan next season's applications with real data instead of guesswork.
What's in a State Post-Draw Report?
The format varies by state, but every post-draw report includes some version of these core fields. Understanding what each one means is the foundation of everything else.
The unique identifier for each draw. Species, weapon type, unit, season, and resident/nonresident status are all encoded in this string. Always verify you're reading the right hunt code for your situation.
Total number of licenses issued for that hunt. This is the denominator everything else is measured against. A high applicant count with a high quota is different from a high applicant count with two tags available.
Everyone who put this hunt as a choice. On most reports this is first-choice applicants. The ratio of applicants to quota is your first read on competition pressure.
The lowest point total held by anyone who drew a tag in the preference pool. This is the draw floor, the number you need to reach for a near-certain draw. Everything below it is competing for random or overflow tags.
A row-by-row count of how many applicants held each point total and how many drew. This column is the most valuable data in the report. It shows exactly where the competition is concentrated.
Resident and nonresident data reported separately. Always read your category. NR draw floors are typically much higher than resident floors on the same hunt code, and the quotas are separate pools.
The post-draw report is the assay. It tells you what the ground is actually worth after someone ran the numbers. A man who won't read the assay before he stakes his next claim is working on faith and not much else.
How Do You Read a Post-Draw Report by State?
Each state's system produces a different report structure. Here's what to look for in each one.
Wyoming's report shows applicants and draws broken out by preference point level for both the preference pool (75% of NR tags) and the random pool (25%). The key number is the preference pool draw floor, the minimum points that drew in the preference pool. Below that floor, your odds come entirely from the random pool, where everyone has equal weight regardless of points.
A zero-point hunter's realistic odds come from dividing the random pool tags by the total number of unsuccessful preference pool applicants. Wyoming sometimes publishes this directly; other times you calculate it from the report data.
Utah runs two separate draws: the preference point draw (50% of limited-entry tags, awarded top-down) and the random draw (remaining 50%, open to everyone). The report shows the minimum bonus points held by anyone who drew in the preference half, and separately shows how many drew in the random half at each point level.
The random half is the number most hunters underweight. At any bonus point level below the preference floor, you're competing in the random draw, and having more bonus points still improves your random odds since extra points give you additional entries in that pool too.
Colorado's post-draw data shows the minimum preference points required to draw each hunt code in the primary draw. Because Colorado's current system is pure preference (no random component for most hunts through 2027), the minimum points field is the draw floor. If you're below it, you didn't draw. Period.
CPW also publishes cumulative columns showing how many applicants drew "at or below" each point level. This lets you read the entire draw curve, not just the floor.
Arizona's draw runs three passes. The post-draw report shows the minimum bonus points it took to draw in Pass 1, which is that hunt's bonus pass floor, and whether Pass 2 and Pass 3 exhausted the remaining quota. If tags remain after all three passes, leftover licenses may be available.
The most important number in Arizona's report is how low that Pass 1 floor fell. Pass 1 is capped at 20% of each hunt's tags, so the other 80% always runs through the weighted random passes. A high floor plus heavy applicant pressure in Pass 2 means low-point hunters had little realistic chance; a low floor and a quota that stretched deep into Pass 2 or 3 means they had real odds.
Nevada's fully random weighted draw means there is no hard draw floor the way preference states have one. The report shows the minimum bonus points held by any hunter who drew, but because the draw is random (weighted by squared points), that minimum can fluctuate year to year. A low-point hunter can draw in any given year simply by luck of the weighted draw.
The most useful read from Nevada's report is the point distribution of everyone who drew. This tells you where the competition is actually concentrated and how your point total compares to the field. For more on the squared entry mechanic, see How Nevada's Bonus Point System Actually Works.
Don't want to dig through five state reports yourself? The Tag Report does the analysis for you: your point totals, your states, your realistic draw picture.
Get the Free Hunter's Guide FirstWhat Are the Most Common Post-Draw Report Mistakes?
1. Treating last year's floor as this year's floor. Draw floors shift every year as the applicant pool grows or shrinks and quotas change. Last year's 12-point floor could be 14 this year or 10. The report is a snapshot, not a guarantee. Use it as a trend signal, not a prediction.
2. Reading the resident draw floor as your NR floor. On most hunt codes, resident and nonresident draw floors are completely different numbers. A unit where residents draw at 5 points might require 15+ NR points. Always find your row in the report.
3. Ignoring the random pool. In Wyoming and Utah especially, the random draw produces real tags every year. Hunters below the preference floor often dismiss their odds entirely, but the random pool is real, and it draws hunters to zero-point tags annually. The report shows how many random tags were issued. Read that section.
4. Confusing draw floor with average draw points. The minimum points to draw is the bottom of the preference pool, the last tag issued before the random draw. The average successful applicant often has significantly more. If you're sitting exactly at the floor, you're drawing in the narrowest part of the funnel.
How Do You Use Post-Draw Data to Plan Next Year?
Post-draw reports are most valuable as a planning tool for the following application season. Here's the workflow that turns the data into a strategy.
First, pull the report for every hunt code you applied for, or considered applying for, and note the draw floor and your point total relative to it. If you're 5 points below the floor and accumulating one point per year, you know roughly when you enter the preference window. If the floor moved up 2 points from the prior year, factor that trend in.
Second, look at the applicant-to-quota ratio for hunt codes you haven't applied for but are targeting. A unit where 400 hunters applied for 10 tags is a different risk than one where 50 applied for 8. The ratio tells you how competitive the approach angle is before you commit points to it.
Third, compare NR floors across similar hunt codes in the same state. Sometimes adjacent units or slightly different season dates carry dramatically lower point requirements for equivalent hunting quality. The report surfaces those gaps. Pair this with our Best Units by Success Rate data and you can find units that are both accessible and productive.
Finally, cross-reference your point accumulation against the What Can I Draw With X Points guide to calibrate your realistic draw window. The post-draw report tells you where the bar is. Your point total tells you how close you are to clearing it.
Where Do You Find Each State's Post-Draw Report?
| State | Agency | When Published | Where to Find It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | WY Game & Fish (WGFD) | Summer, after draw results | wgfd.wyo.gov: Hunting → Apply for Licenses |
| Utah | UT Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) | After June draw results | wildlife.utah.gov: Hunting → Draw Results |
| Colorado | CO Parks & Wildlife (CPW) | After draw results, typically July | cpw.state.co.us: Hunting → Big Game → Draw Statistics |
| Arizona | AZ Game & Fish (AZGFD) | After draw results | azgfd.com: Hunting → Draw Results & Statistics |
| Nevada | NV Dept. of Wildlife (NDOW) | After draw results | ndow.org: Hunting → Draw Results |
Bookmark all five. Set a calendar reminder each summer to download the reports when they drop. The data is only useful if you actually look at it before the following application season opens, not after you've already submitted your choices.
And if you want the full context on how each state's system works before you dig into the numbers, the Western Big Game Draw Odds 2026 guide and the Western Draw Strategy Guide are the right starting points.
Post-Draw Report Questions, Answered
What is a post-draw report?
It is the official report each western state publishes after draw results, showing how many people applied for every hunt code, how many tags were available, the minimum points it took to draw, and often a full point-by-point breakdown. It is free public data.
What is a draw floor?
The lowest point total held by anyone who drew a tag in the preference pool. Reach the floor and you have a near-certain draw; below it, you are competing for random or overflow tags.
Why shouldn't I use the resident draw floor?
Resident and nonresident draws are separate pools with different floors. NR floors are usually much higher on the same hunt code, so a unit where residents draw at 5 points may require 15-plus NR points. Always read your own category.
Where do I find each state's post-draw report?
On each agency's website: Wyoming (wgfd.wyo.gov), Utah (wildlife.utah.gov), Colorado (cpw.state.co.us), Arizona (azgfd.com), and Nevada (ndow.org), each under its hunting or draw-results section. Most publish in summer after results.
Does last year's draw floor predict this year's?
Not exactly. Floors shift each year as applicant pools and quotas change, so treat the report as a trend signal rather than a guarantee. A floor can move up or down a point or two from year to year.
Skip the Spreadsheet
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