Unit 511 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.
58 adult residents put this hunt first; 58 drew (100%). Every first-choice applicant drew, and licenses were left for 2nd-choice applicants, so any point level was enough.
Any points drew
1 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 1 drew (100%). Drawn out at 1 preference point: 1 of 1 applicants with 1 drew.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 1 | 9 | 9 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 0 | 45 | 45 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| All | 58 | 58 | 1 in 1.0 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| All | 1 | 1 | 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 | 52 | 52 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 59 | 59 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 58 | 58 | 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 12% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | 1 |
Drawn out at: 0 in 2024, 0 in 2025, 1 in 2026. If that trend holds, expect about 2 points to be needed in 2027. Applicants fell 75% 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 511
- Bull elk, 1st rifle season EM511O1R · 75 applicants
- Bull elk, 4th rifle season EM511O4R · 15 applicants
- Cow elk, 1st rifle season EF511O1R · 40 applicants
- Cow elk, 2nd rifle season EF511O2R · 100 applicants
- Cow elk, 3rd rifle season EF511O3R · 51 applicants
- Cow elk, 4th rifle season EF511O4R · 8 applicants
- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM511O4R · 132 applicants
- Buck deer, private land only, season 4, rifle DM511P4R · 34 applicants
- Doe deer, 2nd rifle season DF511O2R · 95 applicants
- Doe deer, 3rd rifle season DF511O3R · 63 applicants
- Doe deer, private land only, season 2, rifle DF511P2R · 9 applicants
- Doe deer, private land only, season 3, rifle DF511P3R · 15 applicants