Colorado Elk EM049O1R
Elk male rifle season 1 GMU 49 in GMU 49, rifle only, Oct 14–18, 2026. 72% public land, mostly Forest Service.
Your odds at 0 points · 2026 draw
no one below 23 points drew in 2026
You're 23 points below the 2026 cut of 23, which has risen from 13 to 23 points since 2021.
Years to draw on points: never at this creep
- NR Tags
- 12
- Applicants
- 175
- Success
- 39%
First-choice nonresidents, standard draw; nonresidents capped at 25%. Success: all hunters in GMU 49, 2024.
Points Needed to Draw, 2021–2026
The cut has risen from 13 to 23 points since 2021. Applicants per tag: 5.7:1 in 2021, 15:1 in 2026.
Point creep: drew out at 14 → 15 → 17 → 19 → 23 points (2022–2026), +2.0 points/yr (range +1.0 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 · 169 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 $845.16 nonresident elk license (bull, either-sex or cow; includes annual fishing combo; base $842.41 + 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 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 CPW 2026 Big Game Hunting brochure
Details
Odds by Point Level · 2026 Draw
| Points | Chance | Applied | Drew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–22 ← you | 0% same at every level | — | — |
| 23 | 50% the cut | 4 | 2 |
| 24–29 | 100% same at every level | — | — |
Preference points, computed from published point-level pools. A dash means Colorado Parks and Wildlife did not publish a count for that level. As a lower choice, EM049O1R drew no one in 2026, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: CPW 2026 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 1041, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
How It Hunted, 2024
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of GMU 49 | 971 | 378 | 39% |
Across every license type in GMU 49, Colorado Parks and Wildlife counted 971 hunters and 378 elk taken in 2024, and 39% of them took an elk. 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 Elk Harvest; CPW 2023 Statewide Elk Hunting Harvest Estimates.
▸ Year-by-Year Numbers 6 draws
The standard draw for nonresidents, one row per year.
| Year | Tags | Applicants | Per Tag | Points Needed | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12 | 175 | 14.6 | 23 | CPW 2026 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 1041 |
| 2025 | 12 | 192 | 16 | 19 | CPW 2025 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 931 |
| 2024 | 14 | 175 | 12.5 | 17 | CPW 2024 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 892 |
| 2023 | 13 | 186 | 14.3 | 15 | CPW 2023 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 892 |
| 2022 | 22 | 148 | 6.7 | 14 | CPW 2022 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 782 |
| 2021 | 22 | 126 | 5.7 | 13 | CPW 2021 Primary Elk Post Draw Report, p. 807 |
Other Licenses Valid in GMU 49
- EE049O1A Elk either-sex archery season 1 GMU 49 Sep 2–30 · 29 tags · cut 13 0%
- EF049O1M Elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 49 Sep 12–20 · 70 tags · cut 1 0%
- EF049O2R Elk female rifle season 2 GMU 49 Oct 24 – Nov 1 · 18 tags · cut 2 0%
- EF049O3R Elk female rifle season 3 GMU 49 Nov 7–15 · 130 tags · cut 1 0%
- EF049O4R Elk female rifle season 4 GMU 49 Nov 18–22 · 130 tags · cut 0 50%
- EF049S2R Elk female rifle special/split season GMU 49 Oct 24 – Nov 1 · 50 tags · cut 0 100% (small sample)
- EF049S3R Elk female rifle special/split season GMU 49 Nov 7–15 · 0 tags · not open to nonresidents in 2026 —
- EF049S4R Elk female rifle special/split season GMU 49 Nov 18–22 · 40 tags · 0 applied —
- EM049O1M Elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 49 Sep 12–20 · 11 tags · cut 20 0%
- EM049O2R Elk male rifle season 2 GMU 49 Oct 24 – Nov 1 · 16 tags · cut 14 0%
- EM049O3R Elk male rifle season 3 GMU 49 Nov 7–15 · 8 tags · cut 8 0%
- EM049O4R Elk male rifle season 4 GMU 49 Nov 18–22 · 4 tags · cut 7 0% (small sample)
Odds at your points, nonresident, standard class where offered. * fewer than 5 tags.
▸ Legal Cartridges 21 on file for Colorado elk
21 cartridges on file are legal for elk with a rifle in Colorado, 1 of them depending on the load. Rules and sources: Colorado hunting laws.
▸ Sources 16
- CPW 2026 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 1041 · draw results, seasons, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2025 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 931 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2024 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 892 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2023 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 892 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2022 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 782 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2021 Primary Elk Post Draw Report, p. 807 · 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 Elk Harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2023 Statewide Elk Hunting Harvest Estimates harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2022 Statewide Elk Harvest, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2021 Statewide Elk 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
- co_blm_sma_2026 map shading
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.
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 · All Colorado elk hunts