Unit 3 buck pronghorn, 1st rifle season
How many preference points it took to draw this hunt in 2026, and your estimated chance at every point level.
1,374 adult residents put this hunt first; 32 drew (2.3%). Drawn out at 16 preference points: 1 of 2 applicants with 16 drew. 92% of applicants with more points drew. 8 drew below the cutoff, through the hybrid random draw (about 1.0% of eligible applicants with 5+ points).
Drawn out at 16 points
297 adult nonresidents put this hunt first; 8 drew (2.7%). Drawn out at 17 preference points: 2 of 4 applicants with 17 drew. 86% of applicants with more points drew.
Drawn out at 17 points
Compare every Colorado pronghorn hunt at your point level →
Odds by preference points
Residents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1 | 0 | — | |
| 24 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 23 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 22 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 21 | 3 | 3 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 20 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 19 | 4 | 3 | 1 in 1.3 | |
| 18 | 4 | 4 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 17 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 16 | 2 | 1 | 1 in 2.0 | |
| 15 | 9 | 0 | — | |
| 14 | 9 | 0 | — | |
| 13 | 21 | 0 | — | |
| 12 | 31 | 1 | 1 in 31.0 | |
| 11 | 36 | 1 | 1 in 36.0 | |
| 10 | 70 | 1 | 1 in 70.0 | |
| 9 | 66 | 0 | — | |
| 8 | 119 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | 146 | 1 | 1 in 146.0 | |
| 6 | 153 | 2 | 1 in 76.5 | |
| 5 | 135 | 2 | 1 in 67.5 | |
| 4 | 117 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 166 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 81 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 85 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 103 | 0 | — | |
| All | 1,374 | 32 | 1 in 42.9 |
Nonresidents
| Preference points | Applicants | Drew | Actual odds | Estimated chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 21 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 20 | 2 | 2 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 in 1.0 | |
| 18 | 2 | 1 | 1 in 2.0 | |
| 17 | 4 | 2 | 1 in 2.0 | |
| 16 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 15 | 2 | 0 | — | |
| 14 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 13 | 3 | 0 | — | |
| 12 | 7 | 0 | — | |
| 11 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 10 | 5 | 0 | — | |
| 9 | 9 | 0 | — | |
| 8 | 27 | 0 | — | |
| 7 | 26 | 0 | — | |
| 6 | 23 | 0 | — | |
| 5 | 22 | 0 | — | |
| 4 | 34 | 0 | — | |
| 3 | 26 | 0 | — | |
| 2 | 31 | 0 | — | |
| 1 | 27 | 0 | — | |
| 0 | 33 | 0 | — | |
| All | 297 | 8 | 1 in 37.1 |
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 | 1,062 | 27 | 1 in 39.3 | 11 |
| 2025 | 1,300 | 32 | 1 in 40.6 | 13 |
| 2026 | 1,374 | 32 | 1 in 42.9 | 16 |
Drawn out at: 11 in 2024, 13 in 2025, 16 in 2026. The bar is rising at least one point a year, as fast as applicants earn points. Applicants rose 29% since 2024.
| Year | Applicants | Drew | Odds | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 188 | 5 | 1 in 37.6 | 12 |
| 2025 | 254 | 8 | 1 in 31.8 | 23 |
| 2026 | 297 | 8 | 1 in 37.1 | 17 |
Drawn out at: 12 in 2024, 23 in 2025, 17 in 2026. The bar is rising at least one point a year, as fast as applicants earn points. Applicants rose 58% 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. This hunt also has a hybrid draw: up to 20% of licenses go at random to applicants with 5 or more points who fall below the cutoff. Nonresidents could get at most 20% 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 3
- Buck pronghorn, archery season AM003O1A · 183 applicants
- Buck pronghorn, muzzleloader season AM003O1M · 70 applicants
- Buck pronghorn, private land only, season 5, rifle AM003P5R · 224 applicants
- Buck pronghorn, Ranching for Wildlife, season 1, rifle AM003W1R · 64 applicants
- Buck deer, muzzleloader season DM003O1M · 169 applicants
- Buck deer, 2nd rifle season DM003O2R · 331 applicants
- Buck deer, 3rd rifle season DM003O3R · 547 applicants
- Buck deer, 4th rifle season DM003O4R · 195 applicants
- Buck deer, Ranching for Wildlife, season 1, rifle DM003W1R · 36 applicants
- Doe deer, muzzleloader season DF003O1M · 50 applicants
- Doe deer, 2nd rifle season DF003O2R · 105 applicants
- Doe deer, 3rd rifle season DF003O3R · 140 applicants