Unit 57 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.
227 adult residents put this hunt first; 46 drew (20%). Drawn out at 3 preference points: 7 of 27 applicants with 3 drew. 95% of applicants with more points drew.
Drawn out at 3 points
110 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 16 drew (15%). Drawn out at 9 preference points: 5 of 8 applicants with 9 drew.
Drawn out at 9 points
Compare every Colorado elk hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 6 | 8 | 6 | 1 in 1.3 | |
| 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 4 | 25 | 25 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 3 | 27 | 7 | 1 in 3.9 | |
| 2 | 50 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 41 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 68 | 0 | — | |
| All | 227 | 46 | 1 in 4.9 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 16 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 13 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 12 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 9 | 8 | 5 | 1 in 1.6 | |
| 8 | 4 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | 9 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | 16 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | 10 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 6 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 8 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 9 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 21 | 0 | — | |
| All | 110 | 16 | 1 in 6.9 |
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 | 212 | 46 | 1 in 4.6 | 3 |
| 2025 | 241 | 47 | 1 in 5.1 | 3 |
| 2026 | 227 | 46 | 1 in 4.9 | 3 |
Drawn out at: 3 in 2024, 3 in 2025, 3 in 2026. The bar has held steady at about 3 points. Applicants rose 7% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 110 | 16 | 1 in 6.9 | 5 |
| 2025 | 92 | 15 | 1 in 6.1 | 6 |
| 2026 | 110 | 16 | 1 in 6.9 | 9 |
Drawn out at: 5 in 2024, 6 in 2025, 9 in 2026. The bar is rising at least one point a year, as fast as applicants earn points.
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 57
- Bull elk, muzzleloader season EM057O1M · 146 applicants
- Bull elk, 2nd rifle season EM057O2R · 198 applicants
- Bull elk, 3rd rifle season EM057O3R · 238 applicants
- Bull elk, 4th rifle season EM057O4R · 191 applicants
- Cow elk, muzzleloader season EF057O1M · 45 applicants
- Cow elk, 1st rifle season EF057O1R · 89 applicants
- Cow elk, 2nd rifle season EF057O2R · 111 applicants
- Cow elk, 3rd rifle season EF057O3R · 175 applicants
- Cow elk, 4th rifle season EF057O4R · 119 applicants
- Cow elk, private land only, season 5, rifle EF057P5R · 150 applicants
- Either-sex elk, archery season EE057O1A · 255 applicants
- Buck pronghorn, archery season AM057O1A · 65 applicants