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Five Free Big Game Tags a Year, Once in a Lifetime, Apply in January

Five special big game tags are issued each year to disabled veterans — the veterans division sponsors two of them. The tag is free, the holder is exempt from licensing requirements altogether, and it can be won only once in a lifetime. Applications run 2 to 31 January.

Verified August 27, 2026

What this benefit is

Five special big game tags are issued each year to disabled veterans — the veterans division sponsors two of them. The tag is free, the holder is exempt from licensing requirements altogether, and it can be won only once in a lifetime. Applications run 2 to 31 January.

What it's worth: A free big game tag with the licensing requirement waived — five in the state each year

  • The division states participants are exempt from licensing requirements and that the tag is free.
  • Species named are deer, elk, pronghorn, black bear and mountain lion, excluding controlled hunts with fewer than TEN tags. The division’s state benefits page also names moose.
  • Five tags are available annually. The veterans division sponsors two of them; the rest are sponsored by qualified 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4) or 501(c)(19) nonprofit organisations, or by government agencies.
  • The division screens applicants and submits them to the fish and game department. A committee of past participants, veteran representatives and division staff makes the final choice.
  • The application window published for the most recent cycle was 2 to 31 January.

Who is entitled to it

  • A VA disability rating is the eligibility the division states.
  • Your home is in this state.

Not sure whether that describes you?

Answer a few questions about this benefit specifically — we only ask what this one actually depends on, and we stop as soon as we know.

How to claim it

Deadline: Applications 2 to 31 January
  1. 1Diary the January window. The application period published for the most recent cycle ran 2 to 31 January and there is no second chance in the year.
  2. 2Apply through the veterans division, not the fish and game department — the division screens and submits.
  3. 3Treat it as a lottery, not an entitlement. Five tags exist for the whole state and a committee chooses.
  4. 4Understand the once-in-a-lifetime rule before applying: winning closes the door on ever winning again, so think about which species you actually want.
  5. 5Note that the tag comes with an exemption from licensing requirements, so a winner does not also need to buy the ordinary licence for that hunt.
Form
Special big game hunt application, through the Division of Veterans Services
File with
Division of Veterans Services, which submits to the Department of Fish and Game
Documents you will need
va benefit summary letter
No renewal
Once granted it does not need renewing.
CorrectionThis is not the cheap licence. Anyone rated 40% or more can buy the $5 disabled veteran licence every year; this tag is a five-a-year lottery decided by a committee, and winning it once ends eligibility permanently.
Worth knowingThe division’s two pages differ slightly on the species list and on how sponsorship works — the announcement describes a rating and a divisional screening, the state benefits page describes sponsorship by qualified non-profit or government bodies. Ask the division which route applies to you before applying.
Known gapNo minimum rating percentage is published. The announcement says a disability rating from the VA, without a figure, so the rule used here is simply that a rating exists.

Sources

This finder provides an informational match, not a government eligibility determination. The responsible agency decides your application.