Unit 54 buck deer, 3rd rifle season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
206 adult residents put this hunt first; 50 drew (24%). Drawn out at 5 preference points: 30 of 34 applicants with 5 drew. 95% of applicants with more points drew.
Drawn out at 5 points
159 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 17 drew (11%). Drawn out at 17 preference points: 3 of 5 applicants with 17 drew. 93% of applicants with more points drew.
Drawn out at 17 points
Compare every Colorado deer hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 6 | 6 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 9 | 9 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 34 | 30 | 1 in 1.1 | |
| 4 | 31 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 12 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 25 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 37 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 46 | 0 | — | |
| All | 206 | 50 | 1 in 4.1 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 21 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 20 | 4 | 3 | 1 in 1.3 | |
| 19 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 18 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 17 | 5 | 3 | 1 in 1.7 | |
| 16 | 13 | 0 | — | |
| 15 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 14 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 13 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 12 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 11 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 9 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 8 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | 4 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | 10 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | 11 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 9 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 16 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 14 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 21 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 19 | 0 | — | |
| All | 159 | 17 | 1 in 9.4 |
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 | 170 | 52 | 1 in 3.3 | 5 |
| 2025 | 163 | 44 | 1 in 3.7 | 4 |
| 2026 | 206 | 50 | 1 in 4.1 | 5 |
Drawn out at: 5 in 2024, 4 in 2025, 5 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 5 points. Applicants rose 21% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 114 | 17 | 1 in 6.7 | 14 |
| 2025 | 122 | 15 | 1 in 8.1 | 15 |
| 2026 | 159 | 17 | 1 in 9.4 | 17 |
Drawn out at: 14 in 2024, 15 in 2025, 17 in 2026. The bar is rising at least one point a year, as fast as applicants earn points. Applicants rose 39% 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 54
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- Buck deer, 2nd rifle season DM054O2R · 318 applicants
- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM054O4R · 110 applicants
- Doe deer, archery season DF054O1A · 18 applicants
- Doe deer, muzzleloader season DF054O1M · 14 applicants
- Doe deer, 1st rifle season DF054O1R · 48 applicants
- Doe deer, 2nd rifle season DF054O2R · 49 applicants
- Doe deer, 3rd rifle season DF054O3R · 29 applicants
- Doe deer, private land only, season 5, rifle DF054P5R · 10 applicants
- Bull elk, muzzleloader season EM054O1M · 76 applicants
- Bull elk, 1st rifle season EM054O1R · 166 applicants