Unit 20 bull elk, 1st rifle season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
134 adult residents put this hunt first; 16 drew (12%). Drawn out at 6 preference points: 5 of 7 applicants with 6 drew.
Drawn out at 6 points
50 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 5 drew (10%). Drawn out at 18 preference points: 1 of 3 applicants with 18 drew.
Drawn out at 18 points
Compare every Colorado elk hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 8 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 in 1.4 | |
| 5 | 11 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 22 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 24 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 44 | 0 | — | |
| All | 134 | 16 | 1 in 8.4 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 20 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 18 | 3 | 1 | 1 in 3.0 | |
| 16 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 10 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 9 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 8 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 10 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 10 | 0 | — | |
| All | 50 | 5 | 1 in 10.0 |
Trends, 2025–2026
"Cutoff" is the preference point level where licenses ran out that year (CPW's "drawn out at" level).
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 132 | 16 | 1 in 8.3 | 5 |
| 2026 | 134 | 16 | 1 in 8.4 | 6 |
Drawn out at: 5 in 2025, 6 in 2026. The bar is rising at least one point a year, as fast as applicants earn points.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 60 | 5 | 1 in 12.0 | 21 |
| 2026 | 50 | 5 | 1 in 10.0 | 18 |
Drawn out at: 21 in 2025, 18 in 2026. The bar has been falling. Applicants fell 17% since 2025.
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 20
- Bull elk, late season, rifle EM020L1R · 172 applicants
- Bull elk, late season 2, rifle EM020L2R · 204 applicants
- Bull elk, archery season EM020O1A · 61 applicants
- Bull elk, muzzleloader season EM020O1M · 78 applicants
- Bull elk, 2nd rifle season EM020O2R · 127 applicants
- Bull elk, 3rd rifle season EM020O3R · 97 applicants
- Bull elk, 4th rifle season EM020O4R · 75 applicants
- Cow elk, late season, rifle EF020L1R · 18 applicants
- Cow elk, late season 3, rifle EF020L3R · 37 applicants
- Cow elk, archery season EF020O1A · 15 applicants
- Cow elk, muzzleloader season EF020O1M · 18 applicants
- Cow elk, 2nd rifle season EF020O2R · 20 applicants