Colorado Elk — GMU 53
Colorado GMU 53 covers 253,633 acres and lies 33 miles north-east of Montrose and 51 miles south of Glenwood Springs. 78% of it is public land, mostly national forest (68%) and BLM (9%). In 2024, 2,033 people hunted elk here and took 326 — 16% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 394 tags here for 241 first-choice applicants.
Tags (2026):1,504
Nonresident share:capped at 25%
Applicants:489
Hunter success (2024):16%
Public land:78%
Size:253,633 acres
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 53, 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% Undersubscribed 25% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 50% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed
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100% Undersubscribed 43% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 50% as 2nd choice
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100% Likely draw 24% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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71% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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93% Likely draw 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed
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100% Undersubscribed 50% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 100% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed
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100% Undersubscribed
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EF053P5R elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 53 [53, 63 -Delta County only] 101 tags · 2 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 50% as 2nd choice
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EF053P5R elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 53 [53, 63 -Delta County only] 100 tags · 1 applicants · needed 0 pts · Youth100% Undersubscribed
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EM053O1M elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 53 [53] 61 tags · 67 applicants · needed 0 pts · Standard64% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 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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— Undersubscribed
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EE053P1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 53 [53, 63] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 25% | — | 117 / 20 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE053P1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 53 [53, 63] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 100% | — | 32 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE053P4R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 53 [53, 63] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 50% | — | 114 / 1 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EE053P4R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 53 [53, 63] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 65 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EE053V1A ↗ elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 53 [53] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 43% | — | 394 / 241 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE053V1A ↗ elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 53 [53] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 50% | — | 145 / 8 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EF053O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 53 [53] Muzzleloader | 100% Likely draw | 24% | — steady since 2021 | 14 / 12 | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF053O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 53 [53] Muzzleloader | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — +1 since 2022 | 3 / 0 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF053O1R ↗ elk female rifle season 1 GMU 53 Rifle | 71% Real chance | 0% | 0 −1 since 2021 | 13 / 12 | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EF053O1R ↗ elk female rifle season 1 GMU 53 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | 0 | 40 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EF053O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 53 [53] Rifle | 93% Likely draw | 0% | 0 −1 since 2021 | 33 / 28 | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF053O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 53 [53] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | 0 steady since 2025 | 60 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF053O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 53 [53] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 50% | — steady since 2021 | 25 / 4 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF053O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 53 [53] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 100% | — | 70 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF053O4R ↗ elk female rifle season 4 GMU 53 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 40 / 1 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF053O4R ↗ elk female rifle season 4 GMU 53 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — | 37 / 2 undersubscribed | Youth | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF053P5R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 53 [53, 63 -Delta County only] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 50% | — steady since 2021 | 101 / 2 undersubscribed | Standard | Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| EF053P5R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 53 [53, 63 -Delta County only] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | 0 | 100 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Dec 1 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| EM053O1M ↗ elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 53 [53] Muzzleloader | 64% Real chance | 0% | 0 steady since 2022 | 61 / 67 | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EM053O1M ↗ elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 53 [53] Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 5 / 4 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EM053O1R ↗ elk male rifle season 1 GMU 53 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 3 +3 since 2021 | 23 / 78 | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EM053O1R ↗ elk male rifle season 1 GMU 53 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | — +1 since 2021 | 3 / 3 | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EM053O4R ↗ elk male rifle season 4 GMU 53 Rifle | — Undersubscribed | — | — | 9 / 0 undersubscribed | 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 | 2,033 | 326 | 16% |
| 2023 | 2,067 | 275 | 13% |
| 2022 | 2,133 | 307 | 14% |
| 2021 | 2,370 | 241 | 10% |
What people carried (2024 harvest)
- Rifle 171 · 52% · 917 hunters, 19% success
- Archery 148 · 45% · 1,018 hunters, 15% success
- Muzzleloader 7 · 2% · 98 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