Colorado Deer DM053O3R
Deer male rifle season 3 GMU 53 in GMU 53, rifle only, Nov 7–15, 2026. 77% public land, mostly National Forest.
Your odds at 0 points · 2026 draw
no one below 19 points drew in 2026
You're 19 points below the 2026 cut of 19, which has risen from 15 to 19 points since 2021.
Years to draw on points: never at this creep
- NR Tags
- 90
- Applicants
- 131
- Success
- 72%
First-choice nonresidents, standard draw; nonresidents capped at 25%. Success: all hunters in GMU 53, 2024.
Points Needed to Draw, 2021–2026
The cut has risen from 15 to 19 points since 2021. Applicants per tag: 7.2:1 in 2021, 1.5:1 in 2026.
Point creep: drew out at 15 → 16 → 18 → 20 → 19 points (2022–2026), +1.5 points/yr (range +0.0 to +2.0). Years to draw project that pace (the median of the last five draws, capped at 2 points/yr); the agency sets quotas and demand sets the cut.
What It Costs · 2026 NR Fees
Closes Apr 6 · 170 daysThe $11.49 nonresident limited-license application-processing fee (per species, per draw) is not refunded. The $104.86 nonresident annual small game license (cheapest qualifying license to enter the draws; base $102.11 + surcharges) is not refunded. The $12.76 Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp (ages 18-64, once per license year, added automatically) is not refunded. A preference point fee, deer/elk/pronghorn (none until the 2028 draw) is $0, bought separately. Drawing adds the $506.92 nonresident deer license (adult, includes fishing combo; base $504.17 + surcharges) - charged only if drawn.
Optional, not counted above: Hunt-code exchange fee (same species, quota remaining, before season starts) $5 and License refund processing fee (most refunds) $15.
- Opens
- Mar 1, 2027
- Closes
- Apr 6, 2027
- Results
- about May 25
- Point Only
- $0, Mar 1 – Apr 6
Next application window: Open Mar 1 – Apr 6, 2027 (expected). Dates are last cycle's, rolled forward until Colorado Parks and Wildlife publishes 2027.
▸ Every Fee, With Sources
- Nonresident limited-license application-processing fee (per species, per draw) · paid at application $11.49 CPW 2026 2 CCR 406-0 Chapter W-0 General…
- Nonresident annual small game license (cheapest qualifying license to enter the draws; base $102.11 + surcharges) · paid at application $104.86 or $194.21 CPW 2026 Big Game Hunting brochure
- Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp (ages 18-64, once per license year, added automatically) · paid at application $12.76 CPW 2026 2 CCR 406-0 Chapter W-0 General…
- Preference point fee, deer/elk/pronghorn (none until the 2028 draw) · only for a point bought without applying — an unsuccessful applicant gets the point free $0 CPW 2026 web page
- Nonresident deer license (adult, includes fishing combo; base $504.17 + surcharges) - charged only if drawn · paid if drawn, refundable $506.92 CPW 2026 Big Game Hunting brochure
Details
Odds by Point Level · 2026 Draw
| Points | Chance | Applied | Drew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–18 ← you | 0% same at every level | — | — |
| 19 | 7% the cut | 15 | 1 |
| 20–25 | 100% same at every level | 22 | 17 |
Preference points, computed from published point-level pools. A dash means Colorado Parks and Wildlife did not publish a count for that level. Colorado runs a second, random pass after the points pass. As a lower choice, DM053O3R drew no one in 2026, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: CPW 2026 Primary DEER Post Draw Report, p. 788, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
How It Hunted, 2024
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of GMU 53 | 387 | 280 | 72% |
Across every license type in GMU 53, Colorado Parks and Wildlife counted 387 hunters and 280 deer taken in 2024, and 72% of them took a deer. Colorado's figures come from CPW's post-season hunter survey. CPW's 2025 report dropped the per-GMU table in favour of hunt-code rows, so the newest year shown here is 2024. Source: CPW 2024 Statewide Deer Harvest; CPW 2023 Statewide Deer Hunting Harvest….
▸ Year-by-Year Numbers 6 draws
The standard draw for nonresidents, one row per year. Colorado runs a second, random pass after the points pass; it is shown beside the year it belongs to.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Per Tag | Points Needed | Random Pass | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 90 | 131 | 1.5 | 19 | 1 tag of 33 | CPW 2026 Primary DEER Post Draw Report, p. 788 |
| 2025 | 90 | 171 | 1.9 | 20 | 2 tags of 65 | CPW 2025 Primary DEER Post Draw Report, p. 708 |
| 2024 | 75 | 194 | 2.6 | 18 | 2 tags of 57 | CPW 2024 Primary DEER Post Draw Report, p. 702 |
| 2023 | 75 | 143 | 1.9 | 16 | 5 tags of 132 | CPW 2023 Primary DEER Post Draw Report, p. 691 |
| 2022 | 75 | 122 | 1.6 | 15 | 2 tags of 28 | CPW 2022 Primary DEER Post Draw Report, p. 687 |
| 2021 | 21 | 152 | 7.2 | 15 | — | CPW 2021 Primary Deer Post Draw Report, p. 699 |
Other Licenses Valid in GMU 53
- DF053P5R Deer female rifle private-land-only GMU 53Private land only — you need landowner access Sep 1 – Oct 31 · 60 tags · 0 applied 100%
- DM053O1A Deer male archery season 1 GMU 53 Sep 2–30 · 55 tags · cut 4 0%
- DM053O1M Deer male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 53 Sep 12–20 · 5 tags · cut 5 0%
- DM053O2R Deer male rifle season 2 GMU 53 Oct 24 – Nov 1 · 26 tags · cut 9 0%
- DM053O4R Deer male rifle season 4 GMU 53 Nov 18–22 · 2 tags · cut 28 0% (small sample)
- DM053P2R Deer male rifle private-land-only GMU 53Private land only — you need landowner access Oct 24 – Nov 1 · 75 tags · 11 applied 100%
- DM053P3R Deer male rifle private-land-only GMU 53Private land only — you need landowner access Nov 7–15 · 45 tags · cut 0 79%
Odds at your points, nonresident, standard class where offered. * fewer than 5 tags.
▸ Legal Cartridges 21 on file for Colorado deer
21 cartridges on file are legal for deer with a rifle in Colorado, 1 of them depending on the load. Rules and sources: Colorado hunting laws.
▸ Sources 16
- CPW 2026 Primary DEER Post Draw Report, p. 788 · draw results, seasons, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2025 Primary DEER Post Draw Report, p. 708 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2024 Primary DEER Post Draw Report, p. 702 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2023 Primary DEER Post Draw Report, p. 691 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2022 Primary DEER Post Draw Report, p. 687 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2021 Primary Deer Post Draw Report, p. 699 · earlier draws, retrieved Sep 1, 2026
- CPW 2026 2 CCR 406-2 Chapter W-2 Big Game… draw rules, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2026 2 CCR 406-0 Chapter W-0 General… fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2026 Big Game Hunting brochure fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2026 web page fees, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2024 Statewide Deer Harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2023 Statewide Deer Hunting Harvest… harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2022 Statewide Deer Harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2021 Statewide Deer Harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2026 GMU Boundary, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State Office 2026 BLM Surface Management Agency land ownership, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
About These Numbers
Odds are from the 2026 draw, the latest on file, computed from Colorado Parks and Wildlife's published results (preference points, computed from published point-level pools). They are what happened in that draw, not a forecast. Under five tags a percentage carries a *, because one applicant either way swings it. A dash means the agency did not publish the number, and a date marked expected is last cycle's schedule rolled forward. How we compute these.
Report an error on this page
We don't take applications: check Colorado Parks and Wildlife's site and apply there.
Prior-draw odds from Colorado Parks and Wildlife's results, not a forecast · Methodology · All Colorado deer hunts