Colorado Elk EM851O1M
Elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 851 in GMU 851, muzzleloader only, Sep 12–20, 2026. 13% public land, mostly State.
Your odds at 0 points · 2026 draw
no one below 15 points drew in 2026
You're 15 points below the 2026 cut of 15, which has risen from 13 to 15 points since 2021.
Years to draw on points: never at this creep
- NR Tags
- 1
- Applicants
- 2
- Success
- 30%
First-choice nonresidents, standard draw; nonresidents capped at 25%. Success: all hunters in GMU 851, 2024.
Points Needed to Draw, 2021–2026
The cut has risen from 13 to 15 points since 2021. Applicants per tag: 3:1 in 2021, 2:1 in 2026.
Point creep: drew out at 11 → 13 → 14 → 22 → 15 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 $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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–14 ← you | 0% (small sample) same at every level | — | — |
| 15–18 | 100% (small sample) 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. Colorado runs a second, random pass after the points pass. As a lower choice, EM851O1M drew no one in 2026, so lower-choice odds are left out.
Draw results: CPW 2026 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 1271, retrieved Aug 31, 2026.
How It Hunted, 2024
| Who | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| All of GMU 851 | 579 | 175 | 30% |
Across every license type in GMU 851, Colorado Parks and Wildlife counted 579 hunters and 175 elk taken in 2024, and 30% 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. 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 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 15 | — | CPW 2026 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 1271 |
| 2025 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 22 | — | CPW 2025 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 1112 |
| 2024 | 5 | 6 | 1.2 | 14 | 1 tag of 16 | CPW 2024 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 1072 |
| 2023 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 13 | — | CPW 2023 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 1065 |
| 2022 | 5 | 3 | 0.6 | 11 | 1 tag of 10 | CPW 2022 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 934 |
| 2021 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 13 | — | CPW 2021 Primary Elk Post Draw Report, p. 953 |
Other Licenses Valid in GMU 851
- EE085O1M Elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 85 Sep 12–20 · 120 tags · cut 2 0%
- EE085O1R Elk either-sex rifle season 1 GMU 85 Oct 14–18 · 85 tags · cut 1 0%
- EE085O4R Elk either-sex rifle season 4 GMU 85 Nov 18–22 · 125 tags · cut 0 70%
- EE085P1R Elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 85Private land only — you need landowner access Oct 14–18 · 225 tags · cut 0 100%
- EE085V1A Elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 85 Sep 2–30 · 600 tags · 441 applied 100%
- EE851J2R Elk either-sex rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 851Private ranch — access comes with the tag Oct 13–17 · 2 tags · 0 applied 100% (small sample)
- EE851K2R Elk either-sex rifle youth-only GMU 851Youth only Oct 24 – Nov 1 · 0 tags · not open to nonresidents in 2026 —
- EE851K3R Elk either-sex rifle youth-only GMU 851Youth only Nov 7–15 · 0 tags · not open to nonresidents in 2026 —
- EE851O1A Elk either-sex archery season 1 GMU 851 Sep 2–30 · 1 tag · cut 8 0% (small sample)
- EE851W1R Elk either-sex rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 851Private ranch — access comes with the tag Nov 23 – Dec 2 · 2 tags · 0 applied 100% (small sample)
- EE851W2R Elk either-sex rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 851Private ranch — access comes with the tag Oct 29 – Nov 7 · 3 tags · 0 applied 100% (small sample)
- EE851W4R Elk either-sex rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 851Private ranch — access comes with the tag Oct 12–16 · 1 tag · no first-choice applicants 100% (small sample)
- EF085L1R Elk female rifle late season GMU 85 Dec 15–31 · 40 tags · cut 1 0% (small sample)
- EF085O1M Elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 85 Sep 12–20 · 115 tags · 2 applied 100% (small sample)
- EF085O2R Elk female rifle season 2 GMU 85 Oct 24 – Nov 1 · 50 tags · cut 0 8%
- EF085O3R Elk female rifle season 3 GMU 85 Nov 7–15 · 50 tags · 4 applied 100% (small sample)
- EF085O4R Elk female rifle season 4 GMU 85 Nov 18–22 · 50 tags · 5 applied 100%
- EF085P5R Elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 85Private land only — you need landowner access Oct 14 – Nov 30 · 200 tags · cut 0 79%
- EF085P6R Elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 85Private land only — you need landowner access Dec 1–31 · 225 tags · 11 applied 100%
- EF085V1A Elk female archery nonresident-only GMU 85 Sep 2–30 · 10 tags · 0 applied —
- EF851L1R Elk female rifle late season GMU 851 Nov 28 – Dec 6 · 2 tags · 2 applied 0% (small sample)
- EF851L2R Elk female rifle late season GMU 851 Dec 12–20 · 15 tags · cut 0 100% (small sample)
- EF851L3R Elk female rifle late season GMU 851 Dec 26 – Jan 3 · 25 tags · cut 0 100%
- EF851O1M Elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 851 Sep 9–17 · 0 tags · 0 applied —
- EF851O3R Elk female rifle season 3 GMU 851 Nov 11–17 · 0 tags · not open to nonresidents in 2023 —
- EF851W1R Elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 851Private ranch — access comes with the tag Nov 23 – Dec 2 · 12 tags · 0 applied 100%
- EF851W2R Elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 851Private ranch — access comes with the tag Oct 17–21 · 5 tags · 0 applied 100%
- EF851W4R Elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 851Private ranch — access comes with the tag Oct 10–14 · 4 tags · no first-choice applicants 100% (small sample)
- EF851W6R Elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 851Private ranch — access comes with the tag Oct 24–28 · 5 tags · 0 applied 100%
- EM851O1R Elk male rifle season 1 GMU 851 Oct 14–18 · 1 tag · cut 29 0% (small sample)
- EM851O2R Elk male rifle season 2 GMU 851 Oct 24 – Nov 1 · 0 tags · not open to nonresidents in 2026 —
- EM851O3R Elk male rifle season 3 GMU 851 Nov 7–15 · 1 tag · cut 23 0% (small sample)
- EM851O4R Elk male rifle season 4 GMU 851 Nov 18–22 · 1 tag · cut 28 0% (small sample)
Odds at your points, nonresident, standard class where offered. * fewer than 5 tags.
▸ Sources 16
- CPW 2026 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 1271 · draw results, seasons, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2025 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 1112 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2024 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 1072 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2023 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 1065 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2022 Primary ELK Post Draw Report, p. 934 · earlier draws, retrieved Aug 31, 2026
- CPW 2021 Primary Elk Post Draw Report, p. 953 · 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. How we compute these.
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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 elk hunts