Unit 3 cow elk, late season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
420 adult residents put this hunt first; 81 drew (19%). Drawn out at 5 preference points: 14 of 49 applicants with 5 drew. 99% of applicants with more points drew.
Drawn out at 5 points
60 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 4 drew (6.7%). Drawn out at 5 preference points: 1 of 8 applicants with 5 drew.
Drawn out at 5 points
Compare every Colorado elk hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 65 | 64 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 49 | 14 | 1 in 3.5 | |
| 4 | 66 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 65 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 44 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 51 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 77 | 0 | — | |
| All | 420 | 81 | 1 in 5.2 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 8 | 1 | 1 in 8.0 | |
| 4 | 4 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 10 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 25 | 0 | — | |
| All | 60 | 4 | 1 in 15.0 |
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 | 405 | 7 | 1 in 57.9 | 4 |
| 2025 | 423 | 7 | 1 in 60.4 | 5 |
| 2026 | 420 | 81 | 1 in 5.2 | 5 |
Drawn out at: 4 in 2024, 5 in 2025, 5 in 2026. If that trend holds, expect about 6 points to be needed in 2027.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 53 | 1 | 1 in 53.0 | 14 |
| 2025 | 47 | 1 | 1 in 47.0 | 5 |
| 2026 | 60 | 4 | 1 in 15.0 | 5 |
Drawn out at: 14 in 2024, 5 in 2025, 5 in 2026. The bar has been falling. Applicants rose 13% 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 3
- Cow elk, 1st rifle season EF003O1R · 115 applicants
- Cow elk, 2nd rifle season EF003O2R · 55 applicants
- Cow elk, 3rd rifle season EF003O3R · 188 applicants
- Cow elk, 4th rifle season EF003O4R · 24 applicants
- Cow elk, private land only, season 5, rifle EF003P5R · 235 applicants
- Cow elk, Ranching for Wildlife, season 1, rifle EF003W1R · 39 applicants
- Cow elk, Ranching for Wildlife, season 3, rifle EF003W3R · 9 applicants
- Cow elk, Ranching for Wildlife, season 5, rifle EF003W5R · 26 applicants
- Either-sex elk, muzzleloader season EE003O1M · 18 applicants
- Either-sex elk, 1st rifle season EE003O1R · 1,075 applicants
- Either-sex elk, 4th rifle season EE003O4R · 134 applicants
- Either-sex elk, private land only, season 1, archery EE003P1A · 15 applicants