Colorado Elk Hunting by Unit

Colorado holds the largest elk herd in North America, spread across roughly 180 Game Management Units that range from sage flats at 6,000 feet to alpine basins above timberline. Which unit you apply for decides almost everything about the hunt — how many people you share it with, how much of the ground you can legally set foot on, and whether elk are even there in the season you drew.

How the Colorado elk draw works

Colorado's primary draw generally awards limited licenses by preference-point priority: every year you apply and miss your first choice you bank a point, and points stack toward a guaranteed draw rather than buying extra lottery tickets. That makes Colorado unusually predictable — for most units you can look at the point level that drew last year and know roughly where you stand. Certain high-demand hunt codes also run a hybrid draw, which gives applicants with fewer points a second-chance shot at the most sought-after tags.

Most eligible licenses left after the primary draw go into the secondary draw in June. Preference points are neither used nor awarded there, though youth applicants receive priority. Licenses still available after that round appear on the Leftover List. They remain limited licenses and are sold first-come, first-served — a different thing from Colorado's unlimited over-the-counter elk licenses. A hunter with zero points is not shut out of Colorado; they simply hunt different units and seasons than a hunter with ten.

Elk seasons are split by weapon and by timing: an archery season and a muzzleloader season in September, then four numbered rifle seasons running from October into November. Some units also carry early and late rifle hunts, private-land-only codes, and Ranching for Wildlife licenses. The same GMU can be an easy tag in one season and a decade-long wait in another, which is why the unit pages below list the seasons each unit actually offers.

Drawing the tag is only half of it. Elk move a long way between September and November, and a unit that holds elk all summer can be nearly empty by the fourth rifle season if it is mostly summer range. Each unit page shows how much of that unit Colorado Parks & Wildlife maps as summer range, winter range, migration corridor or year-round resident range — and how much of the ground a public-land hunter can actually set foot on, which is not the same as how much of it is publicly owned.

Hunting a different animal in the same country? See the Colorado mule deer unit guides.

Every Colorado elk unit (132 published)

Northwest Colorado

Big public-land units, high sage and oak basins rising into dark timber.

GMU 1Moffat CountyPremium — 10–19 pointsGMU 2Moffat CountyElite — 20+ pointsGMU 3Moffat CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 4Moffat and Routt countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 5Moffat and Routt countiesModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 6Jackson CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 7Larimer CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 8Larimer CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 10Moffat and Rio Blanco countiesElite — 20+ pointsGMU 11Moffat and Rio Blanco countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 12Moffat, Routt and Rio Blanco countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 13Moffat and Routt countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 14Routt and Grand countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 15Routt, Grand and Eagle countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 16Jackson CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 17Jackson CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 18Grand CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 21Rio Blanco and Garfield countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 22Rio Blanco and Garfield countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 23Rio Blanco and Garfield countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 24Rio Blanco and Garfield countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 25Garfield and Eagle countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 26Eagle, Garfield and Routt countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 27Grand and Routt countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 28Grand CountyModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 30Garfield and Mesa countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 31Mesa, Garfield and Rio Blanco countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 32Garfield CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 33Garfield and Rio Blanco countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 34Garfield and Eagle countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 35Eagle CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 36Eagle and Grand countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 37Summit and Grand countiesModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 39Jefferson, Clear Creek and Park countiesModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 41Mesa and Delta countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 42Mesa and Garfield countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 43Garfield, Pitkin, Eagle and Gunnison countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 44Eagle CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 47Eagle and Pitkin countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 131Routt and Rio Blanco countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 161Jackson CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 171Jackson CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 181Grand CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 201Moffat CountyElite — 20+ pointsGMU 211Moffat and Rio Blanco countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 214Routt CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 231Routt, Rio Blanco and Garfield countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 301Moffat CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 361Eagle and Grand countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 371Summit CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 421Mesa and Garfield countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 431Pitkin CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 441Moffat and Routt countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 444Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 471Pitkin CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 521Delta and Gunnison countiesEasy — often 0 points

Southwest Colorado

The San Juans and the mesa country: steep, high, and heavily forested, with long migrations off the peaks.

GMU 40Mesa CountyPremium — 10–19 pointsGMU 52Delta and Gunnison countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 53Delta and Gunnison countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 54Gunnison CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 55Gunnison CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 60Mesa and Montrose countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 61Mesa, Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel countiesPremium — 10–19 pointsGMU 62Delta, Mesa, Montrose and Ouray countiesModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 63Delta, Gunnison and Montrose countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 64Delta and Montrose countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 65Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose and Ouray countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 66Gunnison, Hinsdale and Saguache countiesModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 67Gunnison, Hinsdale and Saguache countiesModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 68Saguache CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 70Dolores, Montrose and San Miguel countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 71Dolores and Montezuma countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 72Montezuma CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 73Montezuma CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 74La Plata and San Juan countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 75La Plata and San Juan countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 76Hinsdale, Mineral and Rio Grande countiesVery hard — 6–9 pointsGMU 77Archuleta, Hinsdale, La Plata and Mineral countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 78Archuleta, Conejos, Mineral and Rio Grande countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 79Alamosa, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 80Alamosa, Conejos, Mineral and Rio Grande countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 81Alamosa, Archuleta, Conejos and Rio Grande countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 82Alamosa and Saguache countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 86Fremont, Custer and Chaffee countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 411Mesa and Delta countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 681Saguache CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 682Saguache CountyAntlerless onlyGMU 711Dolores, Montezuma and San Miguel countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 741La Plata CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 751Archuleta, Hinsdale, La Plata and San Juan countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 771Archuleta CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 791Alamosa, Mineral, Rio Grande and Saguache countiesAntlerless only

Central Colorado and the Front Range

Front Range foothills falling away into the plains, plus high country along the Continental Divide.

GMU 45Eagle and Pitkin countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 46Jefferson, Clear Creek and Park countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 48Lake and Chaffee countiesModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 49Lake, Park and Chaffee countiesHard — 3–5 pointsGMU 50Park CountyModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 51Douglas CountyModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 56Chaffee CountyEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 57Chaffee, Park and Fremont countiesModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 58Fremont and Park countiesModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 59Pueblo, Fremont, El Paso and Teller countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 104Denver, Adams, Arapahoe, Douglas and Elbert countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 461Jefferson and Park countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 481Chaffee CountyModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 500Park CountyModerate — 1–2 pointsGMU 501Park and Jefferson countiesHard — 3–5 pointsGMU 511Teller, El Paso and Park countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 551Gunnison and Saguache countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 561Chaffee and Saguache countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 581Park, Teller and Fremont countiesEasy — often 0 pointsGMU 591Pueblo, Fremont and El Paso countiesModerate — 1–2 points

Northeast Colorado

Front Range and foothills units — closer to the cities, more private ground, more pressure.

Southeast Colorado

Southeastern mountains and canyon country, where public land comes in smaller, scattered blocks.

Data sources & methodology

Draw difficulty on the unit pages is a qualitative band describing the easiest unit-wide bull or either-sex hunt code for an adult Colorado resident — not published odds. Land shares are separate, non-overlapping categories: publicly owned is not the same as open to hunting, and State Trust Land is huntable only where CPW has enrolled it. Unit data last updated August 31, 2026.

Plan the whole application season

Hunt Plan carries draw odds by point level for every Colorado hunt code, point creep by year, harvest and hunter-pressure history, land-ownership and terrain map layers, and deadline tracking across Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Idaho.

Create a free account