Unit 3 buck deer, muzzleloader season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
169 adult residents put this hunt first; 56 drew (33%). Drawn out at 1 preference point: 20 of 58 applicants with 1 drew. 97% of applicants with more points drew.
Drawn out at 1 points
92 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 20 drew (22%). Drawn out at 4 preference points: 5 of 11 applicants with 4 drew. 88% of applicants with more points drew.
Drawn out at 4 points
Compare every Colorado deer hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 13 | 13 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 2 | 20 | 19 | 1 in 1.1 | |
| 1 | 58 | 20 | 1 in 2.9 | |
| 0 | 74 | 0 | — | |
| All | 169 | 56 | 1 in 3.0 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 in 2.0 | |
| 5 | 6 | 5 | 1 in 1.2 | |
| 4 | 11 | 5 | 1 in 2.2 | |
| 3 | 14 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 9 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 14 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 27 | 0 | — | |
| All | 92 | 20 | 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 | 122 | 57 | 1 in 2.1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 156 | 58 | 1 in 2.7 | 1 |
| 2026 | 169 | 56 | 1 in 3.0 | 1 |
Drawn out at: 1 in 2024, 1 in 2025, 1 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 1 points. Applicants rose 39% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 59 | 18 | 1 in 3.3 | 3 |
| 2025 | 83 | 20 | 1 in 4.2 | 3 |
| 2026 | 92 | 20 | 1 in 4.6 | 4 |
Drawn out at: 3 in 2024, 3 in 2025, 4 in 2026. If that trend holds, expect about 4 points to be needed in 2027. Applicants rose 56% 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
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- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM003O4R · 195 applicants
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- Doe deer, muzzleloader season DF003O1M · 50 applicants
- Doe deer, 2nd rifle season DF003O2R · 105 applicants
- Doe deer, 3rd rifle season DF003O3R · 140 applicants
- Doe deer, Ranching for Wildlife, season 1, rifle DF003W1R · 14 applicants
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- Either-sex deer, private land only, season 2, rifle DE003P2R · 168 applicants
- Either-sex deer, private land only, season 3, rifle DE003P3R · 132 applicants
- Either-sex deer, private land only, season 4, rifle DE003P4R · 43 applicants