Colorado Elk EE018O1M — EE018O1M

elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 18 [18, 181]

What you may take
elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 18 [18, 181]
Weapon
Muzzleloader
Where
18, 181
Season (2026)
Sep 12–20, 2026
Tags (2026)
109
for 117 first-choice applicants · nonresidents capped at 25%

Showing nonresident results (Standard class). Switch to resident · Standard Youth

Odds by point level — 2026 draw

Prior-draw probability for a first-choice nonresident applicant. 104 tags, 117 first-choice applicants, drew out at 0 points. Source: 2026 Primary ELK Post Draw... · p. 83.

Points Your chance Applicants Drawn
0 80% 86 69
1 100% 15 15
2 100% 3 3
3 100% 6 6
4 100% 3 3
5 100% 3 3
6 100% 1 1
7–10 100% same chance at every one of these levels

Preference points, computed from published point-level pools. A dash means Colorado Parks and Wildlife did not publish a count for that level. How we compute these.

What it costs (2026 nonresident fees)

Cash to apply
$129.11
Out of pocket if unsuccessful
$129.11
Total if drawn
$974.27
Refunded if unsuccessful
$0

At the 2026 odds, expected cost per hunt-year ranges from $974.27 (enough points to draw) to $1,006.08 (lowest published odds).

Nonresident limited-license application-processing fee (per species, per draw) · paid at application $11.49 source
Nonresident annual small game license (cheapest qualifying license to enter the draws; base $102.11 + surcharges) · paid at application $104.86 or $194.21 source
Colorado Wildlife Habitat Stamp (ages 18-64, once per license year, added automatically) · paid at application $12.76 source
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 source
Nonresident elk license (bull, either-sex or cow; includes annual fishing combo; base $842.41 + surcharges) - charged only if drawn · paid if drawn, refundable $845.16 source

Optional, not counted above: Hunt-code exchange fee (same species, quota remaining, before season starts) $5 and License refund processing fee (most refunds) $15.

Not applying this year? A point-only purchase costs $0 (Mar 1 – Apr 7, expected) and keeps you moving toward the 0-point cut.

Next application window: opens Mar 1, closes Apr 7, 2027 (expected) · results ~May 26. Last cycle's schedule rolled forward — confirm when the agency publishes.

Point creep & years to draw

Insufficient history (1 of 3 draws) — a creep trend needs at least three draw years.

Seasons (2026)

Split 1: Sep 12–20, 2026 p. 83

As a lower choice

2nd choice
0%

Tags issued to lower choices ÷ lower-choice applicants, as published. Points do not help a lower choice.

Year by year

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 Applicants per tag Points needed Random pass Source
2026 109 117 1.1 0 5 tagsfrom 35 applications 2026 Primary ELK Post Draw... · p. 83
2025 128 117 0.9 8 tagsfrom 40 applications 2025 Primary ELK Post Draw... · p. 66
2024 137 128 0.9 7 tagsfrom 20 applications 2024 Primary ELK Post Draw... · p. 58
2023 146 128 0.9 14 tagsfrom 32 applications 2023 Primary ELK Post Draw... · p. 63
2022 202 115 0.6 81 tagsfrom 41 applications 2022 Primary ELK Post Draw... · p. 65
2021 167 90 0.5 69 tagsfrom 52 applications 2021 Primary Elk Post Draw... · p. 63
Spot a data error on this page? Tell us.

Every report is checked against the agency source before we change anything.

How to read these numbers

Every percentage on this page is a prior-draw probability: the chance an applicant with that many points would have drawn in the draw year shown, computed from the agency's published results. It is not a forecast — quotas, applicant numbers, and point creep change every year. Every figure links to the agency document it came from. Where a state does not publish a number, we show a dash, never a zero. Hunts with fewer than five tags show counts instead of percentages. Fees show the fee year used. Read the methodology for the engine details.

Not an application service

This page is informational only. Draw rules, quotas, fees, and deadlines are set by the state agency and change by commission action — confirm everything on the agency's own site before you apply, and apply through the agency, not here. We disclaim all liability for reliance on this page.