Unit 18 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.
579 adult residents put this hunt first; 495 drew (85%). Drawn out at 0 preference points: 347 of 430 applicants with 0 drew. 99% of applicants with more points drew.
Any points drew
346 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 175 drew (51%). Drawn out at 0 preference points: 77 of 234 applicants with 0 drew. 88% of applicants with more points drew.
Any points drew
Compare every Colorado deer hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 10 | 10 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 2 | 60 | 59 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 1 | 64 | 64 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 0 | 430 | 347 | 1 in 1.2 | |
| All | 579 | 495 | 1 in 1.2 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 7 | 7 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 14 | 14 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 2 | 37 | 33 | 1 in 1.1 | |
| 1 | 53 | 44 | 1 in 1.2 | |
| 0 | 234 | 77 | 1 in 3.0 | |
| All | 346 | 175 | 1 in 2.0 |
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 | 439 | 245 | 1 in 1.8 | 0 |
| 2025 | 477 | 472 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 579 | 495 | 1 in 1.2 | 0 |
Drawn out at: 0 in 2024, 0 in 2025, 0 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 0 points. Applicants rose 32% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 192 | 84 | 1 in 2.3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 248 | 230 | 1 in 1.1 | 0 |
| 2026 | 346 | 175 | 1 in 2.0 | 0 |
Drawn out at: 0 in 2024, 0 in 2025, 0 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 0 points. Applicants rose 80% 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 18
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- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM018O4R · 244 applicants
- Doe deer, muzzleloader season DF018O1M · 89 applicants
- Doe deer, 2nd rifle season DF018O2R · 232 applicants
- Doe deer, 3rd rifle season DF018O3R · 142 applicants
- Either-sex deer, archery season DE018O1A · 493 applicants
- Either-sex deer, private land only, season 2, rifle DE018P2R · 59 applicants
- Either-sex deer, private land only, season 3, rifle DE018P3R · 35 applicants
- Cow elk, late season, rifle EF018L1R · 44 applicants
- Cow elk, muzzleloader season EF018O1M · 17 applicants
- Cow elk, 1st rifle season EF018O1R · 65 applicants