Unit 85 cow elk, late season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
44 adult residents put this hunt first; 33 drew (75%). Drawn out at 0 preference points: 27 of 37 applicants with 0 drew. 86% of applicants with more points drew.
Any points drew
2 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 1 drew (50%). Drawn out at 1 preference point: 1 of 1 applicants with 1 drew.
Drawn out at 1 points
Compare every Colorado elk hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 in 1.5 | |
| 0 | 37 | 27 | 1 in 1.4 | |
| All | 44 | 33 | 1 in 1.3 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| All | 2 | 1 | 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 | 28 | 28 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 41 | 36 | 1 in 1.1 | 0 |
| 2026 | 44 | 33 | 1 in 1.3 | 0 |
Drawn out at: 0 in 2024, 0 in 2025, 0 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 0 points. Applicants rose 57% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | 1 |
| 2026 | 2 | 1 | 1 in 2.0 | 1 |
Drawn out at: 1 in 2024, 1 in 2025, 1 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 1 points. Applicants rose 100% 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 85
- Cow elk, muzzleloader season EF085O1M · 21 applicants
- Cow elk, 2nd rifle season EF085O2R · 73 applicants
- Cow elk, 3rd rifle season EF085O3R · 35 applicants
- Cow elk, 4th rifle season EF085O4R · 5 applicants
- Cow elk, private land only, season 5, rifle EF085P5R · 205 applicants
- Cow elk, private land only, season 6, rifle EF085P6R · 175 applicants
- Cow elk, Ranching for Wildlife, season 1, rifle EF085W1R · 10 applicants
- Either-sex elk, muzzleloader season EE085O1M · 103 applicants
- Either-sex elk, 1st rifle season EE085O1R · 176 applicants
- Either-sex elk, 4th rifle season EE085O4R · 64 applicants
- Either-sex elk, private land only, season 1, rifle EE085P1R · 90 applicants
- Either-sex elk, nonresident archery season EE085V1A · 0 applicants