Unit 61 cow elk, private land only, season 5
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
87 adult residents put this hunt first; 87 drew (100%). Every first-choice applicant drew, and licenses were left for 2nd-choice applicants, so any point level was enough.
Any points drew
2 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 2 drew (100%). Drawn out at 1 preference point: 1 of 1 applicants with 1 drew. 1 drew below the cutoff, through the hybrid random draw.
Drawn out at 1 points
Compare every Colorado elk 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 | 5 | 5 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 1 | 8 | 8 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 0 | 73 | 73 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| All | 87 | 87 | 1 in 1.0 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| All | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 |
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 | 69 | 69 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 70 | 70 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 87 | 87 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
Drawn out at: 0 in 2024, 0 in 2025, 0 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 0 points. Applicants rose 26% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | — | — |
| 2026 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | 1 |
Drawn out at: 0 in 2024, 1 in 2026. If that trend holds, expect about 2 points to be needed in 2027. Applicants fell 50% 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. 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 61
- Bull elk, muzzleloader season EM061O1M · 284 applicants
- Bull elk, 1st rifle season EM061O1R · 812 applicants
- Bull elk, 2nd rifle season EM061O2R · 531 applicants
- Bull elk, 3rd rifle season EM061O3R · 290 applicants
- Bull elk, 4th rifle season EM061O4R · 119 applicants
- Cow elk, muzzleloader season EF061O1M · 57 applicants
- Cow elk, 1st rifle season EF061O1R · 123 applicants
- Cow elk, 2nd rifle season EF061O2R · 228 applicants
- Cow elk, 3rd rifle season EF061O3R · 222 applicants
- Cow elk, 4th rifle season EF061O4R · 193 applicants
- Either-sex elk, early season, rifle EE061E1R · 778 applicants
- Either-sex elk, archery season EE061O1A · 760 applicants