Unit 44 buck deer, early season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
83 adult residents put this hunt first; 12 drew (14%). Drawn out at 7 preference points: 3 of 4 applicants with 7 drew.
Drawn out at 7 points
32 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 3 drew (9.4%). Drawn out at 15 preference points: 1 of 1 applicants with 15 drew. 2 drew below the cutoff, through the hybrid random draw (about 29% of eligible applicants with 5+ points).
Drawn out at 15 points
Compare every Colorado deer hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 in 1.3 | |
| 6 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 10 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 20 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 27 | 0 | — | |
| All | 83 | 12 | 1 in 6.9 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 4 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| All | 32 | 3 | 1 in 10.7 |
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 | 99 | 12 | 1 in 8.3 | 7 |
| 2025 | 102 | 12 | 1 in 8.5 | 8 |
| 2026 | 83 | 12 | 1 in 6.9 | 7 |
Drawn out at: 7 in 2024, 8 in 2025, 7 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 7 points. Applicants fell 16% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 57 | 3 | 1 in 19.0 | 8 |
| 2025 | 46 | 3 | 1 in 15.3 | 15 |
| 2026 | 32 | 3 | 1 in 10.7 | 15 |
Drawn out at: 8 in 2024, 15 in 2025, 15 in 2026. The bar is rising at least one point a year, as fast as applicants earn points. Applicants fell 44% 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 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 44
- Buck deer, muzzleloader season DM044O1M · 89 applicants
- Buck deer, 2nd rifle season DM044O2R · 255 applicants
- Buck deer, 3rd rifle season DM044O3R · 311 applicants
- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM044O4R · 492 applicants
- Doe deer, muzzleloader season DF044O1M · 21 applicants
- Doe deer, 2nd rifle season DF044O2R · 44 applicants
- Doe deer, 3rd rifle season DF044O3R · 24 applicants
- Either-sex deer, archery season DE044O1A · 127 applicants
- Either-sex deer, private land only, season 2, rifle DE044P2R · 9 applicants
- Either-sex deer, private land only, season 3, rifle DE044P3R · 13 applicants
- Bull elk, muzzleloader season EM044O1M · 119 applicants
- Bull elk, 1st rifle season EM044O1R · 215 applicants