Colorado Elk — GMU 35
Colorado GMU 35 covers 171,604 acres and lies 12 miles north-east of Gypsum and 30 miles north-east of Glenwood Springs. 71% of it is public land, mostly BLM (70%) and state land (1%). In 2024, 1,008 people hunted elk here and took 168 — 17% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 290 tags here for 8 first-choice applicants.
Tags (2026):1,309
Nonresident share:capped at 25%
Applicants:398
Hunter success (2024):17%
Public land:71%
Size:171,604 acres
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 35, 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-
100% No first-choice applicants
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EE035O1R elk either-sex rifle season 1 GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] 55 tags · 123 applicants · needed 1 pts · Standard0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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EE035O1R elk either-sex rifle season 1 GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] 5 tags · 7 applicants · needed 1 pts · Youth0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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63% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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EE035P1R elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] 47 tags · 10 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed
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EE035V1A elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] 215 tags · 146 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 32% as 2nd choice
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EE035V1A elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] 290 tags · 8 applicants · Youth100% Undersubscribed 29% 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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EF035L1R elk female rifle late season GMU 35 [35, 36] 3 tags · 2 applicants · needed 4 pts · Standard0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 11% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 20% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 47% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 75% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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40% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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75% Likely draw 0% as 2nd choice
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— Not open to nonresidents
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 27% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 33% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EE025W1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 25 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 7 / 0 | Standard | Dec 16–20, 2026 |
| EE035O1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle season 1 GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 +1 since 2021 | 55 / 123 | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE035O1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle season 1 GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 +1 since 2021 | 5 / 7 | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE035O4R ↗ elk either-sex rifle season 4 GMU 35 Rifle | 63% Real chance | 0% | 0 steady since 2025 | 6 / 8 | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EE035O4R ↗ elk either-sex rifle season 4 GMU 35 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — steady since 2022 | 40 / 0 | Youth | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EE035P1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | — | 47 / 10 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE035P1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 30 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE035V1A ↗ elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 32% | — | 215 / 146 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE035V1A ↗ elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 29% | — | 290 / 8 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EF025W1R ↗ elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 25 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 20 / 0 | Standard | Oct 17–21, 2026 |
| EF025W2R ↗ elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 25 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 20 / 0 | Standard | Dec 3–7, 2026 |
| EF035L1R ↗ elk female rifle late season GMU 35 [35, 36] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 4 −1 since 2022 | 3 / 2 | Standard | Nov 28 – Dec 6, 2026 |
| EF035L1R ↗ elk female rifle late season GMU 35 [35, 36] Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 2 / 0 | Youth | Nov 28 – Dec 6, 2026 |
| EF035O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 11% | — | 72 / 4 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF035O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] Muzzleloader | 100% No first-choice applicants | 20% | — | 130 / 0 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF035O1R ↗ elk female rifle season 1 GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 47% | — | 20 / 10 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EF035O1R ↗ elk female rifle season 1 GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 75% | — | 9 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EF035O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 35 [35] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | 0 steady since 2023 | 14 / 12 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF035O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 35 [35] Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 75 / 0 | Youth | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF035O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 35 [35] Rifle | 40% Real chance | 0% | 0 steady since 2024 | 11 / 7 | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF035O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 35 [35] Rifle | 75% Likely draw | 0% | 0 steady since 2024 | 40 / 4 | Youth | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF035O4R ↗ elk female rifle season 4 GMU 35 Rifle | Not open to nonresidents | — | — | 0 / 0 | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF035P5R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 35 [35] Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 129 / 0 | Standard | Aug 15 – Jan 15, 2027 |
| EM035O1M ↗ elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 27% | — | 62 / 54 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EM035O1M ↗ elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 35 [35, 36, 361] Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 33% | — steady since 2021 | 7 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 12–20, 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.
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.
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 | 1,008 | 168 | 17% |
| 2023 | 993 | 132 | 13% |
| 2022 | 954 | 131 | 14% |
| 2021 | 1,031 | 114 | 11% |
What people carried (2024 harvest)
- Rifle 139 · 83% · 703 hunters, 20% success
- Archery 23 · 14% · 208 hunters, 11% success
- Muzzleloader 6 · 4% · 97 hunters, 6% success
Boundary: CPW GMU Boundary (Big Game)
Harvest: 2024 Statewide Elk Harvest
Harvest: 2023 Statewide Elk Hunting Harvest Estimates
Harvest: 2022 Statewide Elk Harvest