Colorado Elk EM551O1M — GMU 551
elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 551 [551]
- What you may take
- elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 551 [551]
- Weapon
- Muzzleloader
- Season (2026)
- Sep 12–20, 2026
- Tags (2026)
- 7
- for 48 first-choice applicants · nonresidents capped at 25%
- Hunter success here (2024)
- 16%
- of everyone who hunted the area
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. 6 tags, 48 first-choice applicants, drew out at 7 points. Source: 2026 Primary ELK Post Draw... · p. 1259.
| Points | Your chance | Applicants | Drawn |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0% | 3 | 0 |
| 1 | 0% | 11 | 0 |
| 2 | 0% | 5 | 0 |
| 3 | 0% | 2 | 0 |
| 4 | 0% | 12 | 0 |
| 5 | 0% | 3 | 0 |
| 6 | 0% | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | 100% | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | 100% | 3 | 3 |
| 9 | 100% | 2 | 2 |
| 10 | 100% | — | — |
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)
At the 2026 odds, expected cost per hunt-year ranges from $974.27 (enough points to draw) .
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 7-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
Drew out at 5 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 points (2022–2026): +1.0 points/yr (range +0.0 to +1.0). Projecting that pace forward:
| Your points now | Years until a sure thing |
|---|---|
| 0 | creep ≥ 1/yr |
| 1 | creep ≥ 1/yr |
| 2 | creep ≥ 1/yr |
| 3 | creep ≥ 1/yr |
| 4 | creep ≥ 1/yr |
| 5 | creep ≥ 1/yr |
| 6 | creep ≥ 1/yr |
| 7 | now |
A projection of the last five draws' median creep (capped at 2 points/yr), not a forecast. Random-pass odds still apply every year you're below the cut.
Seasons (2026)
How this tag has hunted
Across every license type in GMU 551, Colorado Parks and Wildlife counted 1,574 hunters and 260 elk taken in 2024 — 16% of them killed something. Full GMU 551 profile: maps, public land, five years of harvest →
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: 2024 Statewide Elk Harvest 2023 Statewide Elk Hunting Harvest Estimates
As a lower choice
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 | 7 | 48 | 6.9 | 7 | 1 tagfrom 17 applications | 2026 Primary ELK Post Draw... · p. 1259 |
| 2025 | 8 | 62 | 7.8 | 6 | 1 tagfrom 24 applications | 2025 Primary ELK Post Draw... · p. 1104 |
| 2024 | 8 | 51 | 6.4 | 5 | 1 tagfrom 29 applications | 2024 Primary ELK Post Draw... · p. 1064 |
| 2023 | 10 | 48 | 4.8 | 4 | — | 2023 Primary ELK Post Draw... · p. 1057 |
| 2022 | 13 | 62 | 4.8 | 5 | 3 tagsfrom 26 applications | 2022 Primary ELK Post Draw... · p. 926 |
| 2021 | 10 | 48 | 4.8 | 3 | — | 2021 Primary Elk Post Draw... · p. 944 |
Other licenses valid in GMU 551
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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.