Unit 12 buck deer, early season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
72 adult residents put this hunt first; 8 drew (11%). Drawn out at 5 preference points: 1 of 2 applicants with 5 drew.
Drawn out at 5 points
34 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 2 drew (5.9%). Drawn out at 9 preference points: 1 of 1 applicants with 9 drew. 33% of applicants with more points drew.
Drawn out at 9 points
Compare every Colorado deer hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 in 2.0 | |
| 4 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 4 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 13 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 32 | 0 | — | |
| All | 72 | 8 | 1 in 9.0 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 in 3.0 | |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 8 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | 4 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 12 | 0 | — | |
| All | 34 | 2 | 1 in 17.0 |
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 | 78 | 7 | 1 in 11.1 | 5 |
| 2025 | 71 | 8 | 1 in 8.9 | 7 |
| 2026 | 72 | 8 | 1 in 9.0 | 5 |
Drawn out at: 5 in 2024, 7 in 2025, 5 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 5 points. Applicants fell 8% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 34 | 2 | 1 in 17.0 | 15 |
| 2025 | 33 | 2 | 1 in 16.5 | 13 |
| 2026 | 34 | 2 | 1 in 17.0 | 9 |
Drawn out at: 15 in 2024, 13 in 2025, 9 in 2026. The bar has been falling.
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 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 12
- Buck deer, muzzleloader season DM012O1M · 35 applicants
- Buck deer, 2nd rifle season DM012O2R · 269 applicants
- Buck deer, 3rd rifle season DM012O3R · 213 applicants
- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM012O4R · 65 applicants
- Doe deer, muzzleloader season DF012O1M · 19 applicants
- Doe deer, 2nd rifle season DF012O2R · 76 applicants
- Doe deer, 3rd rifle season DF012O3R · 49 applicants
- Either-sex deer, archery season DE012O1A · 121 applicants
- Either-sex deer, private land only, season 4, rifle DE012P4R · 20 applicants
- Bull elk, 4th rifle season EM012O4R · 25 applicants
- Cow elk, muzzleloader season EF012O1M · 33 applicants
- Cow elk, 2nd rifle season EF012O2R · 284 applicants