Unit 6 buck deer, early season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
50 adult residents put this hunt first; 15 drew (30%). Drawn out at 3 preference points: 5 of 7 applicants with 3 drew.
Drawn out at 3 points
16 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 4 drew (25%). Drawn out at 5 preference points: 2 of 2 applicants with 5 drew. 2 drew below the cutoff, through the hybrid random draw.
Drawn out at 5 points
Compare every Colorado deer hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 7 | 5 | 1 in 1.4 | |
| 2 | 10 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 10 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 13 | 0 | — | |
| All | 50 | 15 | 1 in 3.3 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| All | 16 | 4 | 1 in 4.0 |
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 | 74 | 17 | 1 in 4.4 | 3 |
| 2025 | 66 | 18 | 1 in 3.7 | 3 |
| 2026 | 50 | 15 | 1 in 3.3 | 3 |
Drawn out at: 3 in 2024, 3 in 2025, 3 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 3 points. Applicants fell 32% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12 | 3 | 1 in 4.0 | 4 |
| 2025 | 7 | 2 | 1 in 3.5 | 3 |
| 2026 | 16 | 4 | 1 in 4.0 | 5 |
Drawn out at: 4 in 2024, 3 in 2025, 5 in 2026. If that trend holds, expect about 6 points to be needed in 2027. Applicants rose 33% 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 6
- Buck deer, early season, rifle DM006E2R · 72 applicants
- Buck deer, muzzleloader season DM006O1M · 157 applicants
- Buck deer, 1st rifle season DM006O1R · 95 applicants
- Buck deer, 2nd rifle season DM006O2R · 91 applicants
- Buck deer, 3rd rifle season DM006O3R · 107 applicants
- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM006O4R · 132 applicants
- Buck deer, Ranching for Wildlife, season 1, rifle DM006W1R · 40 applicants
- Doe deer, early season, rifle DF006E1R · 71 applicants
- Doe deer, muzzleloader season DF006O1M · 38 applicants
- Either-sex deer, archery season DE006O1A · 268 applicants
- Cow elk, muzzleloader season EF006O1M · 36 applicants
- Cow elk, 1st rifle season EF006O1R · 63 applicants