Unit 71 buck deer, muzzleloader season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
80 adult residents put this hunt first; 48 drew (60%). Drawn out at 0 preference points: 15 of 47 applicants with 0 drew.
Any points drew
71 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 16 drew (23%). Drawn out at 4 preference points: 4 of 4 applicants with 4 drew. 92% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 1 | 29 | 29 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 0 | 47 | 15 | 1 in 3.1 | |
| All | 80 | 48 | 1 in 1.7 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 in 2.0 | |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 7 | 7 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 14 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 11 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 21 | 0 | — | |
| All | 71 | 16 | 1 in 4.4 |
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 | 79 | 39 | 1 in 2.0 | 1 |
| 2025 | 89 | 46 | 1 in 1.9 | 0 |
| 2026 | 80 | 48 | 1 in 1.7 | 0 |
Drawn out at: 1 in 2024, 0 in 2025, 0 in 2026. The bar has been falling.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 72 | 14 | 1 in 5.1 | 3 |
| 2025 | 68 | 17 | 1 in 4.0 | 3 |
| 2026 | 71 | 16 | 1 in 4.4 | 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.
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 71
- Buck deer, archery season DM071O1A · 111 applicants
- Buck deer, 2nd rifle season DM071O2R · 375 applicants
- Buck deer, 3rd rifle season DM071O3R · 418 applicants
- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM071O4R · 152 applicants
- Buck deer, private land only, season 2, rifle DM071P2R · 23 applicants
- Buck deer, private land only, season 3, rifle DM071P3R · 29 applicants
- Doe deer, private land only, season 2, rifle DF071P2R · 18 applicants
- Doe deer, private land only, season 3, rifle DF071P3R · 16 applicants
- Bull elk, archery season EM071O1A · 321 applicants
- Bull elk, muzzleloader season EM071O1M · 203 applicants
- Bull elk, 1st rifle season EM071O1R · 309 applicants
- Bull elk, 4th rifle season EM071O4R · 59 applicants