Unit 43 buck deer, early season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
91 adult residents put this hunt first; 23 drew (25%). Drawn out at 4 preference points: 13 of 13 applicants with 4 drew.
Drawn out at 4 points
46 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 7 drew (15%). Drawn out at 13 preference points: 1 of 2 applicants with 13 drew. 4 drew below the cutoff, through the hybrid random draw (about 17% of eligible applicants with 5+ points).
Drawn out at 13 points
Compare every Colorado deer hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 13 | 13 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 15 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 10 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 22 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 21 | 0 | — | |
| All | 91 | 23 | 1 in 4.0 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 13 | 2 | 1 | 1 in 2.0 | |
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 10 | 3 | 2 | 1 in 1.5 | |
| 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 in 2.0 | |
| 8 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| All | 46 | 7 | 1 in 6.6 |
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 | 122 | 23 | 1 in 5.3 | 4 |
| 2025 | 92 | 23 | 1 in 4.0 | 3 |
| 2026 | 91 | 23 | 1 in 4.0 | 4 |
Drawn out at: 4 in 2024, 3 in 2025, 4 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 4 points. Applicants fell 25% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 61 | 7 | 1 in 8.7 | 7 |
| 2025 | 52 | 7 | 1 in 7.4 | 7 |
| 2026 | 46 | 7 | 1 in 6.6 | 13 |
Drawn out at: 7 in 2024, 7 in 2025, 13 in 2026. The bar is rising at least one point a year, as fast as applicants earn points. Applicants fell 25% 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 43
- Buck deer, muzzleloader season DM043O1M · 50 applicants
- Buck deer, 2nd rifle season DM043O2R · 208 applicants
- Buck deer, 3rd rifle season DM043O3R · 197 applicants
- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM043O4R · 70 applicants
- Doe deer, muzzleloader season DF043O1M · 10 applicants
- Doe deer, 2nd rifle season DF043O2R · 30 applicants
- Doe deer, 3rd rifle season DF043O3R · 24 applicants
- Either-sex deer, archery season DE043O1A · 141 applicants
- Either-sex deer, private land only, season 2, rifle DE043P2R · 7 applicants
- Either-sex deer, private land only, season 3, rifle DE043P3R · 8 applicants
- Bull elk, muzzleloader season EM043O1M · 37 applicants
- Cow elk, muzzleloader season EF043O1M · 20 applicants