Unit 61 either-sex elk, early season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
778 adult residents put this hunt first; 26 drew (3.3%). Drawn out at 23 preference points: 11 of 24 applicants with 23 drew. 6 drew below the cutoff, through the hybrid random draw (about 1.1% of eligible applicants with 5+ points).
Drawn out at 23 points
293 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 6 drew (2.0%). Drawn out at 32 preference points: 4 of 5 applicants with 32 drew.
Drawn out at 32 points
Compare every Colorado elk hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 25 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 24 | 6 | 6 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 23 | 24 | 11 | 1 in 2.2 | |
| 22 | 20 | 0 | — | |
| 21 | 22 | 1 | 1 in 22.0 | |
| 20 | 20 | 0 | — | |
| 19 | 14 | 0 | — | |
| 18 | 17 | 0 | — | |
| 17 | 22 | 0 | — | |
| 16 | 16 | 0 | — | |
| 15 | 19 | 0 | — | |
| 14 | 25 | 1 | 1 in 25.0 | |
| 13 | 32 | 0 | — | |
| 12 | 31 | 0 | — | |
| 11 | 22 | 1 | 1 in 22.0 | |
| 10 | 38 | 0 | — | |
| 9 | 42 | 0 | — | |
| 8 | 60 | 2 | 1 in 30.0 | |
| 7 | 56 | 1 | 1 in 56.0 | |
| 6 | 46 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | 40 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 32 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 34 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 36 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 40 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 61 | 0 | — | |
| All | 778 | 26 | 1 in 29.9 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 32 | 5 | 4 | 1 in 1.3 | |
| 31 | 22 | 0 | — | |
| 30 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 29 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 28 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 27 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 26 | 12 | 0 | — | |
| 25 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 24 | 10 | 0 | — | |
| 23 | 4 | 0 | — | |
| 22 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 21 | 4 | 0 | — | |
| 20 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 19 | 13 | 0 | — | |
| 18 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 17 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 16 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 15 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 14 | 11 | 0 | — | |
| 13 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 12 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 11 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 10 | 12 | 0 | — | |
| 9 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 8 | 12 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | 10 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 15 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 15 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 14 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 25 | 0 | — | |
| All | 293 | 6 | 1 in 48.8 |
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 | 836 | 20 | 1 in 41.8 | 22 |
| 2025 | 844 | 20 | 1 in 42.2 | 22 |
| 2026 | 778 | 26 | 1 in 29.9 | 23 |
Drawn out at: 22 in 2024, 22 in 2025, 23 in 2026. If that trend holds, expect about 24 points to be needed in 2027. Applicants fell 7% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 275 | 4 | 1 in 68.8 | 29 |
| 2025 | 292 | 4 | 1 in 73.0 | 31 |
| 2026 | 293 | 6 | 1 in 48.8 | 32 |
Drawn out at: 29 in 2024, 31 in 2025, 32 in 2026. The bar is rising at least one point a year, as fast as applicants earn points. Applicants rose 7% 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. This hunt also has a hybrid draw: up to 20% of licenses go at random to applicants with 5 or more points who fall below the cutoff. Nonresidents could get at most 20% 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 61
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- Bull elk, 2nd rifle season EM061O2R · 531 applicants
- Bull elk, 3rd rifle season EM061O3R · 290 applicants
- Bull elk, 4th rifle season EM061O4R · 119 applicants
- Cow elk, muzzleloader season EF061O1M · 57 applicants
- Cow elk, 1st rifle season EF061O1R · 123 applicants
- Cow elk, 2nd rifle season EF061O2R · 228 applicants
- Cow elk, 3rd rifle season EF061O3R · 222 applicants
- Cow elk, 4th rifle season EF061O4R · 193 applicants
- Cow elk, private land only, season 5, rifle EF061P5R · 87 applicants
- Either-sex elk, archery season EE061O1A · 760 applicants