Unit 70 bull elk, 1st rifle season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
133 adult residents put this hunt first; 109 drew (82%). Drawn out at 0 preference points: 66 of 89 applicants with 0 drew. 98% of applicants with more points drew.
Any points drew
169 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 37 drew (22%). Drawn out at 3 preference points: 6 of 21 applicants with 3 drew. 89% of applicants with more points drew.
Drawn out at 3 points
Compare every Colorado elk hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 2 | 7 | 7 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 1 | 32 | 32 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 0 | 89 | 66 | 1 in 1.3 | |
| All | 133 | 109 | 1 in 1.2 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 6 | 6 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 22 | 19 | 1 in 1.2 | |
| 3 | 21 | 6 | 1 in 3.5 | |
| 2 | 33 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 25 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 55 | 0 | — | |
| All | 169 | 37 | 1 in 4.6 |
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 | 105 | 93 | 1 in 1.1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 130 | 107 | 1 in 1.2 | 0 |
| 2026 | 133 | 109 | 1 in 1.2 | 0 |
Drawn out at: 0 in 2024, 0 in 2025, 0 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 0 points. Applicants rose 27% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 159 | 42 | 1 in 3.8 | 2 |
| 2025 | 151 | 36 | 1 in 4.2 | 2 |
| 2026 | 169 | 37 | 1 in 4.6 | 3 |
Drawn out at: 2 in 2024, 2 in 2025, 3 in 2026. If that trend holds, expect about 4 points to be needed in 2027. Applicants rose 6% 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 70
- Bull elk, archery season EM070O1A · 96 applicants
- Bull elk, muzzleloader season EM070O1M · 70 applicants
- Bull elk, 4th rifle season EM070O4R · 43 applicants
- Cow elk, archery season EF070O1A · 21 applicants
- Cow elk, muzzleloader season EF070O1M · 27 applicants
- Cow elk, 1st rifle season EF070O1R · 92 applicants
- Cow elk, 2nd rifle season EF070O2R · 100 applicants
- Cow elk, 3rd rifle season EF070O3R · 119 applicants
- Cow elk, 4th rifle season EF070O4R · 53 applicants
- Cow elk, private land only, season 2, rifle EF070P2R · 9 applicants
- Cow elk, private land only, season 3, rifle EF070P3R · 13 applicants
- Cow elk, private land only, season 4, rifle EF070P4R · 7 applicants