Unit 161 buck deer, early season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
81 adult residents put this hunt first; 34 drew (42%). Drawn out at 2 preference points: 19 of 23 applicants with 2 drew.
Drawn out at 2 points
37 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 11 drew (30%). Drawn out at 4 preference points: 3 of 12 applicants with 4 drew. 89% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 9 | 9 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 2 | 23 | 19 | 1 in 1.2 | |
| 1 | 20 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 23 | 0 | — | |
| All | 81 | 34 | 1 in 2.4 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 in 1.3 | |
| 4 | 12 | 3 | 1 in 4.0 | |
| 3 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 4 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 4 | 0 | — | |
| All | 37 | 11 | 1 in 3.4 |
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 | 118 | 33 | 1 in 3.6 | 2 |
| 2025 | 86 | 32 | 1 in 2.7 | 2 |
| 2026 | 81 | 34 | 1 in 2.4 | 2 |
Drawn out at: 2 in 2024, 2 in 2025, 2 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 2 points. Applicants fell 31% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 52 | 11 | 1 in 4.7 | 5 |
| 2025 | 52 | 11 | 1 in 4.7 | 6 |
| 2026 | 37 | 11 | 1 in 3.4 | 4 |
Drawn out at: 5 in 2024, 6 in 2025, 4 in 2026. The bar has been falling. Applicants fell 29% 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 161
- Buck deer, 1st rifle season DM161O1R · 31 applicants
- Buck deer, 2nd rifle season DM161O2R · 59 applicants
- Buck deer, 3rd rifle season DM161O3R · 64 applicants
- Cow elk, 3rd rifle season EF161O3R · 69 applicants
- Cow elk, 4th rifle season EF161O4R · 8 applicants
- Either-sex elk, 4th rifle season EE161O4R · 57 applicants
- Buck pronghorn, 1st rifle season AM161O1R · 444 applicants
- Doe pronghorn, 1st rifle season AF161O1R · 136 applicants