Unit 9 bull elk, 3rd rifle season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
7 adult residents put this hunt first; 7 drew (100%). Every first-choice applicant drew, so any point level was enough.
Any points drew
2 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 2 drew (100%). Every first-choice applicant drew, so any point level was enough.
Any points drew
Compare every Colorado elk hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 0 | 6 | 6 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| All | 7 | 7 | 1 in 1.0 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 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 | 5 | 5 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 8 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 7 | 7 | 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 40% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | 0 |
| 2026 | 2 | 2 | 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 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. 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 9
- Bull elk, 1st rifle season EM009O1R · 7 applicants
- Bull elk, 2nd rifle season EM009O2R · 6 applicants
- Bull elk, 4th rifle season EM009O4R · 4 applicants
- Cow elk, private land only, season 5, rifle EF009P5R · 22 applicants
- Buck deer, late season, rifle DM009L1R · 62 applicants
- Doe deer, late season, rifle DF009L1R · 204 applicants
- Doe deer, 2nd rifle season DF009O2R · 250 applicants
- Doe deer, 3rd rifle season DF009O3R · 178 applicants
- Doe deer, private land only, season 5, rifle DF009P5R · 18 applicants
- Buck pronghorn, muzzleloader season AM009O1M · 10 applicants
- Buck pronghorn, private land only, season 1, rifle AM009P1R · 100 applicants
- Doe pronghorn, late season, rifle AF009L1R · 117 applicants