Unit 551 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.
125 adult residents put this hunt first; 32 drew (26%). Drawn out at 3 preference points: 13 of 17 applicants with 3 drew.
Drawn out at 3 points
62 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 11 drew (18%). Drawn out at 12 preference points: 3 of 5 applicants with 12 drew.
Drawn out at 12 points
Compare every Colorado deer hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 11 | 11 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 17 | 13 | 1 in 1.3 | |
| 2 | 19 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 40 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 30 | 0 | — | |
| All | 125 | 32 | 1 in 3.9 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 18 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 16 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 15 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 12 | 5 | 3 | 1 in 1.7 | |
| 11 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 10 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 9 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 8 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | 4 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| All | 62 | 11 | 1 in 5.6 |
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 | 100 | 30 | 1 in 3.3 | 3 |
| 2025 | 123 | 28 | 1 in 4.4 | 3 |
| 2026 | 125 | 32 | 1 in 3.9 | 3 |
Drawn out at: 3 in 2024, 3 in 2025, 3 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 3 points. Applicants rose 25% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 68 | 10 | 1 in 6.8 | 8 |
| 2025 | 61 | 10 | 1 in 6.1 | 8 |
| 2026 | 62 | 11 | 1 in 5.6 | 12 |
Drawn out at: 8 in 2024, 8 in 2025, 12 in 2026. The bar is rising at least one point a year, as fast as applicants earn points. Applicants fell 9% 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 551
- Buck deer, archery season DM551O1A · 77 applicants
- Buck deer, muzzleloader season DM551O1M · 55 applicants
- Buck deer, 2nd rifle season DM551O2R · 241 applicants
- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM551O4R · 59 applicants
- Doe deer, archery season DF551O1A · 8 applicants
- Doe deer, muzzleloader season DF551O1M · 13 applicants
- Doe deer, 1st rifle season DF551O1R · 50 applicants
- Doe deer, 2nd rifle season DF551O2R · 47 applicants
- Doe deer, 3rd rifle season DF551O3R · 51 applicants
- Bull elk, muzzleloader season EM551O1M · 49 applicants
- Bull elk, 1st rifle season EM551O1R · 94 applicants
- Bull elk, 2nd rifle season EM551O2R · 75 applicants