Unit 4 buck deer, 3rd rifle season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
180 adult residents put this hunt first; 109 drew (61%). Drawn out at 0 preference points: 22 of 90 applicants with 0 drew. 97% of applicants with more points drew.
Any points drew
197 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 39 drew (20%). Drawn out at 3 preference points: 9 of 48 applicants with 3 drew. 88% of applicants with more points drew.
Drawn out at 3 points
Compare every Colorado deer hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 10 | 9 | 1 in 1.1 | |
| 2 | 22 | 21 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 1 | 55 | 54 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 0 | 90 | 22 | 1 in 4.1 | |
| All | 180 | 109 | 1 in 1.7 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 8 | 8 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 24 | 20 | 1 in 1.2 | |
| 3 | 48 | 9 | 1 in 5.3 | |
| 2 | 35 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 36 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 44 | 0 | — | |
| All | 197 | 39 | 1 in 5.1 |
Trends, 2024–2026
"Cutoff" is the preference point level where licenses ran out that year (CPW's "drawn out at" level).
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 167 | 69 | 1 in 2.4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 142 | 100 | 1 in 1.4 | 0 |
| 2026 | 180 | 109 | 1 in 1.7 | 0 |
Drawn out at: 1 in 2024, 0 in 2025, 0 in 2026. The bar has been falling. Applicants rose 8% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 154 | 24 | 1 in 6.4 | 3 |
| 2025 | 164 | 33 | 1 in 5.0 | 3 |
| 2026 | 197 | 39 | 1 in 5.1 | 3 |
Drawn out at: 3 in 2024, 3 in 2025, 3 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 3 points. Applicants rose 28% since 2024.
How this draw works
Colorado draws limited licenses by preference points, and only your first choice uses them. Licenses go to the applicants with the most points first; at the level where they run out (the "drawn out at" level) applicants are drawn at random. If you don't draw your first choice, you gain a point. Nonresidents could get at most 25% of this hunt's licenses. CPW big game hunting.
About the numbers. These are adult first-choice applicants, straight from CPW's 2026 draw recap. Youth and landowner licenses are drawn separately. The estimated chance is the share who actually drew at each point level, filled in from the cutoff where nobody held that many points. Applicant pools change every year. How we check and estimate.
Other hunts in Unit 4
- Buck deer, 2nd rifle season DM004O2R · 316 applicants
- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM004O4R · 92 applicants
- Doe deer, 2nd rifle season DF004O2R · 90 applicants
- Doe deer, 3rd rifle season DF004O3R · 34 applicants
- Doe deer, split season 4, rifle DF004S4R · 12 applicants
- Doe deer, Ranching for Wildlife, season 1, rifle DF004W1R · 12 applicants
- Doe deer, Ranching for Wildlife, season 2, rifle DF004W2R · 10 applicants
- Doe deer, Ranching for Wildlife, season 3, rifle DF004W3R · 13 applicants
- Either-sex deer, private land only, season 4, rifle DE004P4R · 57 applicants
- Either-sex deer, Ranching for Wildlife, season 1, rifle DE004W1R · 36 applicants
- Either-sex deer, Ranching for Wildlife, season 2, rifle DE004W2R · 20 applicants
- Either-sex deer, Ranching for Wildlife, season 3, rifle DE004W3R · 25 applicants