Unit 81 buck pronghorn, 1st rifle season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
538 adult residents put this hunt first; 32 drew (5.9%). Drawn out at 16 preference points: 4 of 16 applicants with 16 drew. 95% of applicants with more points drew. 8 drew below the cutoff, through the hybrid random draw (about 2.7% of eligible applicants with 5+ points).
Drawn out at 16 points
105 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 8 drew (7.6%). Drawn out at 19 preference points: 1 of 4 applicants with 19 drew. 70% of applicants with more points drew.
Drawn out at 19 points
Compare every Colorado pronghorn 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 | |
| 22 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 21 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 20 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 19 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 18 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 17 | 10 | 9 | 1 in 1.1 | |
| 16 | 16 | 4 | 1 in 4.0 | |
| 15 | 16 | 0 | — | |
| 14 | 11 | 0 | — | |
| 13 | 17 | 1 | 1 in 17.0 | |
| 12 | 19 | 0 | — | |
| 11 | 20 | 1 | 1 in 20.0 | |
| 10 | 21 | 0 | — | |
| 9 | 23 | 0 | — | |
| 8 | 40 | 2 | 1 in 20.0 | |
| 7 | 37 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | 47 | 2 | 1 in 23.5 | |
| 5 | 50 | 2 | 1 in 25.0 | |
| 4 | 41 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 42 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 41 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 34 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 42 | 0 | — | |
| All | 538 | 32 | 1 in 16.8 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 3 | 1 | 1 in 3.0 | |
| 24 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 22 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 21 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 20 | 4 | 3 | 1 in 1.3 | |
| 19 | 4 | 1 | 1 in 4.0 | |
| 18 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 17 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 16 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 15 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 14 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 12 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 9 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 8 | 10 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | 9 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 9 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 12 | 0 | — | |
| All | 105 | 8 | 1 in 13.1 |
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 | 447 | 26 | 1 in 17.2 | 16 |
| 2025 | 527 | 26 | 1 in 20.3 | 16 |
| 2026 | 538 | 32 | 1 in 16.8 | 16 |
Drawn out at: 16 in 2024, 16 in 2025, 16 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 16 points. Applicants rose 20% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 96 | 6 | 1 in 16.0 | 19 |
| 2025 | 112 | 6 | 1 in 18.7 | 18 |
| 2026 | 105 | 8 | 1 in 13.1 | 19 |
Drawn out at: 19 in 2024, 18 in 2025, 19 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 19 points. Applicants rose 9% 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 81
- Buck pronghorn, archery season AM081O1A · 84 applicants
- Cow elk, 2nd rifle season EF081O2R · 302 applicants
- Cow elk, 3rd rifle season EF081O3R · 192 applicants
- Cow elk, 4th rifle season EF081O4R · 57 applicants
- Cow elk, private land only, season 5, rifle EF081P5R · 16 applicants