Minnesota elk license applications open, deadline nears for Otter Tail hunters
Only 12 elk licenses are available statewide, and Otter Tail County hunters have until July 7 to enter Minnesota’s once-in-a-lifetime elk lottery.
Otter Tail County hunters who want a rare shot at a Minnesota elk tag have less than three weeks left to apply. The deadline is Tuesday, July 7, and the state is offering only 12 elk licenses in 2026, making the draw one of the most limited hunting opportunities in Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said the hunt opened June 12 and is structured as a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Minnesota residents only. Applicants may enter individually or as a party of two, but a two-person application receives just one elk tag to share, and both hunters count as having used their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Hunters must choose a season, zone and license type when they apply, and the DNR will hold separate lotteries for each season.
This year’s allocation includes three either-sex licenses in Seasons A, C and E, along with nine antlerless licenses across the remaining seasons. Seasons A through F run Sept. 12-20, and Season G runs Sept. 26-Oct. 4. The DNR said it increased elk harvest opportunities this year after higher elk counts showed up in 2026 aerial surveys compared with last year.
The tag shortage is especially stark because the Grygla herd is open to hunting for the first time since 2012. Three herds are recognized in northwest Minnesota: Grygla, Kittson Central and Kittson Northeast, also known as Caribou-Vita. For hunters in Otter Tail County, the draw reaches well beyond recreation. A limited elk season sends money into travel, lodging, fuel, meals and outfitting in northwest Minnesota, where successful applicants often base trips around the hunt.
Two of the 12 licenses are reserved for applicants with 10 years or more of elk license application history. Hunters who are successful but decide not to buy the permit will keep their future eligibility and still receive an application point toward the preference system.
Landowners have a separate path. One landowner license is available in 2026 in Zone 30, and the deadline is also Tuesday, July 7. Eligible applicants include owners or tenants of at least 160 acres of agricultural or grazing land in the zone, plus certain family members involved in the farming operation. They must create a land profile in the state’s electronic licensing system before applying and attest that they meet the acreage requirement. That license costs $288, plus a $5 nonrefundable application fee.
State law requires an elk license to take elk, and it also allows licensed hunters to be called in for elk damage or nuisance hunts from Aug. 15 to March 1 under commissioner rules. The DNR says it works with tribal governments, agricultural producers, local governments and conservation groups to balance elk expansion with landowner concerns. For hunters watching a once-a-year deadline, the window closes fast.
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