Unit 79 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.
283 adult residents put this hunt first; 60 drew (21%). Drawn out at 4 preference points: 30 of 53 applicants with 4 drew.
Drawn out at 4 points
117 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 22 drew (19%). Drawn out at 9 preference points: 9 of 10 applicants with 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 21 | 21 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 53 | 30 | 1 in 1.8 | |
| 3 | 47 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 53 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 55 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 45 | 0 | — | |
| All | 283 | 60 | 1 in 4.7 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 13 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 10 | 7 | 7 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 9 | 10 | 9 | 1 in 1.1 | |
| 8 | 24 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 12 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 17 | 0 | — | |
| All | 117 | 22 | 1 in 5.3 |
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 | 275 | 57 | 1 in 4.8 | 3 |
| 2025 | 298 | 62 | 1 in 4.8 | 4 |
| 2026 | 283 | 60 | 1 in 4.7 | 4 |
Drawn out at: 3 in 2024, 4 in 2025, 4 in 2026. If that trend holds, expect about 4 points to be needed in 2027.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 94 | 20 | 1 in 4.7 | 8 |
| 2025 | 112 | 22 | 1 in 5.1 | 8 |
| 2026 | 117 | 22 | 1 in 5.3 | 9 |
Drawn out at: 8 in 2024, 8 in 2025, 9 in 2026. If that trend holds, expect about 10 points to be needed in 2027. Applicants rose 24% 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 79
- Buck deer, archery season DM079O1A · 14 applicants
- Buck deer, muzzleloader season DM079O1M · 38 applicants
- Buck deer, 2nd rifle season DM079O2R · 238 applicants
- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM079O4R · 134 applicants
- Doe deer, private land only, season 5, rifle DF079P5R · 25 applicants
- Bull elk, muzzleloader season EM079O1M · 10 applicants
- Bull elk, 1st rifle season EM079O1R · 40 applicants
- Bull elk, 2nd rifle season EM079O2R · 45 applicants
- Bull elk, 3rd rifle season EM079O3R · 88 applicants
- Cow elk, muzzleloader season EF079O1M · 8 applicants
- Cow elk, 1st rifle season EF079O1R · 12 applicants
- Cow elk, 2nd rifle season EF079O2R · 21 applicants