Colorado Elk — GMU 50
Colorado GMU 50 covers 320,140 acres and lies 49 miles west of Monument. 44% of it is public land, mostly national forest (23%) and BLM (10%). In 2024, 850 people hunted elk here and took 273 — 32% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 135 tags here for 3 first-choice applicants.
Tags (2026):477
Nonresident share:capped at 25%
Applicants:248
Hunter success (2024):32%
Public land:44%
Size:320,140 acres
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 50, 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-
EE050O1A elk either-sex archery season 1 GMU 50 [50] 19 tags · 42 applicants · needed 0 pts · Standard7% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Undersubscribed
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— Undersubscribed
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100% No first-choice applicants 100% as 2nd choice
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100% Likely draw 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 9% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 33% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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EF050P5R elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 50 [50] 40 tags · 1 applicants · needed 1 pts · Standard0% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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EM050O1M elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 50 [50] 8 tags · 13 applicants · needed 2 pts · Standard0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EE050O1A ↗ elk either-sex archery season 1 GMU 50 [50] Archery | 7% Point builder | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 19 / 42 | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE050O1A ↗ elk either-sex archery season 1 GMU 50 [50] Archery | 0% Point builder | — | — | 3 / 1 | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EF050L1R ↗ elk female rifle late season GMU 50 [50] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | — | 1 / 1 | Standard | Dec 26 – Jan 3, 2027 |
| EF050L1R ↗ elk female rifle late season GMU 50 [50] Rifle | 0% Undersubscribed | — | 1 | 10 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Dec 26 – Jan 3, 2027 |
| EF050O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 50 [50] Muzzleloader | — Undersubscribed | — | — | 2 / 0 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF050O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 50 [50] Muzzleloader | 100% No first-choice applicants | 100% | — | 55 / 0 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF050O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 50 Rifle | 100% Likely draw | 0% | 0 steady since 2023 | 18 / 15 | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF050O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 50 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | 0 steady since 2023 | 2 / 2 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF050O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 50 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 9% | — | 13 / 8 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF050O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 50 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 33% | — | 4 / 0 | Youth | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF050O4R ↗ elk female rifle season 4 GMU 50 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | 0 −1 since 2024 | 18 / 11 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF050O4R ↗ elk female rifle season 4 GMU 50 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | 0 | 135 / 3 undersubscribed | Youth | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF050P5R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 50 [50] Rifle | 0% Undersubscribed | 0% | 1 −1 since 2024 | 40 / 1 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 1 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| EM050O1M ↗ elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 50 [50] Muzzleloader | 0% Point builder | 0% | 2 +2 since 2021 | 8 / 13 | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EM050O1M ↗ elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 50 [50] Muzzleloader | 0% Point builder | — | — | 30 / 1 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EM050O1R ↗ elk male rifle season 1 GMU 50 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 3 +1 since 2021 | 5 / 17 | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EM050O1R ↗ elk male rifle season 1 GMU 50 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | — +1 since 2022 | 25 / 1 | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EM050O2R ↗ elk male rifle season 2 GMU 50 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 3 +2 since 2023 | 18 / 66 | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EM050O2R ↗ elk male rifle season 2 GMU 50 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | — steady since 2024 | 4 / 10 | Youth | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EM050O3R ↗ elk male rifle season 3 GMU 50 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 3 +2 since 2023 | 10 / 32 | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EM050O3R ↗ elk male rifle season 3 GMU 50 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | — | 50 / 1 | Youth | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EM050O4R ↗ elk male rifle season 4 GMU 50 [50] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 2 +1 since 2023 | 7 / 22 | 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.
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 | 850 | 273 | 32% |
| 2023 | 655 | 193 | 29% |
| 2022 | 642 | 156 | 24% |
| 2021 | 641 | 125 | 20% |
What people carried (2024 harvest)
- Rifle 250 · 91% · 704 hunters, 36% success
- Archery 19 · 7% · 73 hunters, 26% success
- Muzzleloader 5 · 2% · 73 hunters, 7% success
Boundary: CPW GMU Boundary (Big Game)
Harvest: 2024 Statewide Elk Harvest
Harvest: 2023 Statewide Elk Hunting Harvest Estimates
Harvest: 2022 Statewide Elk Harvest