Colorado Elk — GMU 16
Colorado GMU 16 covers 204,857 acres and lies 17 miles north-east of Steamboat Springs and 53 miles east of Craig. 52% of it is public land, mostly national forest (34%) and BLM (12%). In 2024, 1,839 people hunted elk here and took 284 — 15% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1,005 tags here for 10 first-choice applicants.
Tags (2026):7,614
Nonresident share:capped at 25%
Applicants:1,053
Hunter success (2024):15%
Public land:52%
Size:204,857 acres
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 16, with the prior-draw chance for a first-choice nonresident applicant. Type your points in to see your own number.
Chances are from the 2026 draw (the most recent) for a first-choice nonresident. "Points needed" = the cut in the last draw.
Simple view Odds at every point level-
EE006O1M elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 111 tags · 217 applicants · needed 1 pts · Standard0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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EE006O1M elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 9 tags · 12 applicants · needed 1 pts · Youth0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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EE006O1R elk either-sex rifle season 1 GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 203 tags · 273 applicants · needed 0 pts · Standard46% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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EE006O1R elk either-sex rifle season 1 GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 16 tags · 16 applicants · needed 0 pts · Youth31% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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EE006P1R elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 73 tags · 32 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 16% as 2nd choice
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EE006P1R elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 70 tags · 7 applicants · Youth100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
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EE006V1A elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 994 tags · 403 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 38% as 2nd choice
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EE006V1A elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 583 tags · 8 applicants · Youth100% Undersubscribed 56% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants
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— Undersubscribed
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EF006O1M elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 12 tags · 8 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 43% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 50% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 40% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 43% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 47% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 67% as 2nd choice
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EF006P5R elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 846 tags · 17 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 42% as 2nd choice
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EF006P5R elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 500 tags · 1 applicants · Youth100% Undersubscribed
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EF006V1A elk female archery nonresident-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 13 tags · 0 applicants · Standard— Undersubscribed
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EF006V1A elk female archery nonresident-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] 15 tags · 0 applicants · Youth100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants
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100% No first-choice applicants
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100% No first-choice applicants
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100% No first-choice applicants
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100% Undersubscribed 80% as 2nd choice
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— Cut level
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EE006O1M ↗ elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Muzzleloader | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 +1 since 2021 | 111 / 217 | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EE006O1M ↗ elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Muzzleloader | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 −2 since 2021 | 9 / 12 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EE006O1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle season 1 GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Rifle | 46% Real chance | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 203 / 273 | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE006O1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle season 1 GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Rifle | 31% Long shot | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 16 / 16 | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE006P1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 16% | — | 73 / 32 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE006P1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 100% | — steady since 2022 | 70 / 7 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE006V1A ↗ elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 38% | — | 994 / 403 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE006V1A ↗ elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 56% | — | 583 / 8 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE006W1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 6 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 5 / 0 | Standard | Sep 2–6, 2026 |
| EE016O4R ↗ elk either-sex rifle season 4 GMU 16 Rifle | — Undersubscribed | — | — | 55 / 0 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF006O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 43% | — | 12 / 8 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF006O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Muzzleloader | 100% No first-choice applicants | 50% | — steady since 2022 | 3 / 0 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF006O1R ↗ elk female rifle season 1 GMU 6 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 40% | — | 1,005 / 10 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EF006O1R ↗ elk female rifle season 1 GMU 6 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 43% | — | 994 / 0 | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EF006O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 6 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 47% | — | 959 / 39 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF006O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 6 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 67% | — | 916 / 3 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF006P5R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 42% | — | 846 / 17 undersubscribed | Standard | Aug 15 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| EF006P5R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 500 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Aug 15 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| EF006V1A ↗ elk female archery nonresident-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Archery | — Undersubscribed | — | — | 13 / 0 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EF006V1A ↗ elk female archery nonresident-only GMU 6 [6, 16, 17, 161, 171] Archery | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 15 / 0 | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EF006W1R ↗ elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 6 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 7 / 0 | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EF006W2R ↗ elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 6 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 5 / 0 | Standard | Oct 28 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF006W3R ↗ elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 6 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 5 / 0 | Standard | Nov 4–8, 2026 |
| EF006W4R ↗ elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 6 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 5 / 0 | Standard | Nov 11–15, 2026 |
| EF016O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 16 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 80% | — | 136 / 7 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF016O4R ↗ elk female rifle season 4 GMU 16 [16] Rifle | — Cut level | — | — | 74 / 0 | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
What these columns mean
- Your odds —
- the share of applicants at your point level who drew this tag in the 2026 draw. Not a forecast: quotas and demand move every year.
- The badge —
- plain language for that number. Likely draw 75% or better · Real chance 40%+ · Long shot 15%+ · Point builder below that, so you are applying mainly to bank a point · Undersubscribed means fewer first-choice applicants than tags, so everyone who applied drew.
- As 2nd choice —
- Colorado lets you name more than one hunt on the application. Miss on your first choice and you go into the pot for whatever tags are left, alongside everyone else's second choices. Points never help a lower choice, so this number is the same whatever you have banked — it is usually worth naming a hunt that goes undersubscribed.
- Points needed —
- the lowest point total that still got a tag in the 2026 draw, and how that cut has moved since the earliest draw we hold.
- Tags / applicants —
- tags on offer and first-choice applicants for them, as the agency published them. Under five tags we print counts instead of a percentage, because one applicant either way swings it.
4 hunts not offered in 2026 are hidden — show discontinued hunts.
What it costs to apply (2026 nonresident fees)
| License | Up front | Gone if you miss | If you draw |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard license | $129.11 | $129.11 | $974.27 |
| Youth license | $129.11 | $129.11 | $974.27 |
Application window: opens Mar 1, closes Apr 7, 2027 (expected). Full fee breakdown.
Other licenses valid in GMU 16
Not in the table above because they had no result in the 2026 draw.
EE006W2R — elk either-sex rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 6
Standard
EF006P2R — elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 6 [161, 171 10/30/2021– 11/07/2021 Antlerless]
Youth
EF016P3R — elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 16 [11/13/2021– 11/19/2021 Antlerless 16]
Standard
EF016P4R — elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 16 [16 11/24/2021– 11/28/2021 Antlerless]
Standard
The country
Zoomable USGS topo, aerial imagery and shaded relief, with the neighboring areas drawn on.
Boundaries are drawn for orientation only — the written boundary description in the regulations governs.
How the hunting has gone
What Colorado Parks and Wildlife publishes for this area after each season — harvest statistics for everyone who hunted it, not draw odds and not a forecast. 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.
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Success |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,839 | 284 | 15% |
| 2023 | 1,838 | 230 | 12% |
| 2022 | 2,035 | 229 | 11% |
| 2021 | 2,224 | 249 | 11% |
What people carried (2024 harvest)
- Rifle 239 · 84% · 1,309 hunters, 18% success
- Archery 33 · 12% · 452 hunters, 7% success
- Muzzleloader 11 · 4% · 77 hunters, 14% success
Boundary: CPW GMU Boundary (Big Game)
Harvest: 2024 Statewide Elk Harvest
Harvest: 2023 Statewide Elk Hunting Harvest Estimates
Harvest: 2022 Statewide Elk Harvest