Unit 2 cow elk, 1st rifle season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
54 adult residents put this hunt first; 17 drew (31%). Drawn out at 2 preference points: 9 of 14 applicants with 2 drew.
Drawn out at 2 points
13 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 6 drew (46%). Drawn out at 2 preference points: 1 of 2 applicants with 2 drew.
Drawn out at 2 points
Compare every Colorado elk 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 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 6 | 6 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 2 | 14 | 9 | 1 in 1.6 | |
| 1 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 24 | 0 | — | |
| All | 54 | 17 | 1 in 3.2 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 in 2.0 | |
| 1 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| All | 13 | 6 | 1 in 2.2 |
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 | 47 | 17 | 1 in 2.8 | 2 |
| 2025 | 57 | 17 | 1 in 3.4 | 2 |
| 2026 | 54 | 17 | 1 in 3.2 | 2 |
Drawn out at: 2 in 2024, 2 in 2025, 2 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 2 points. Applicants rose 15% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 13 | 6 | 1 in 2.2 | 10 |
| 2025 | 23 | 6 | 1 in 3.8 | 3 |
| 2026 | 13 | 6 | 1 in 2.2 | 2 |
Drawn out at: 10 in 2024, 3 in 2025, 2 in 2026. The bar has been falling.
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 2
- Bull elk, muzzleloader season EM002O1M · 154 applicants
- Cow elk, late season, rifle EF002L1R · 60 applicants
- Cow elk, muzzleloader season EF002O1M · 7 applicants
- Cow elk, 2nd rifle season EF002O2R · 40 applicants
- Cow elk, 3rd rifle season EF002O3R · 58 applicants
- Cow elk, 4th rifle season EF002O4R · 19 applicants
- Either-sex elk, early season, rifle EE002E1R · 1,201 applicants
- Either-sex elk, archery season EE002O1A · 275 applicants
- Buck deer, archery season DM002O1A · 26 applicants
- Buck deer, muzzleloader season DM002O1M · 29 applicants
- Buck deer, 2nd rifle season DM002O2R · 131 applicants
- Buck deer, 3rd rifle season DM002O3R · 150 applicants