Colorado Elk — GMU 70
Colorado GMU 70 covers 965,795 acres and lies 43 miles south-west of Montrose and 52 miles south-west of Delta. 70% of it is public land, mostly BLM (49%) and national forest (16%). In 2024, 3,448 people hunted elk here and took 1,275 — 37% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 380 tags here for 114 first-choice applicants.
Tags (2026):2,951
Nonresident share:capped at 25%
Applicants:1,416
Hunter success (2024):37%
Public land:70%
Size:965,795 acres
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 70, 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 58% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 67% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 25% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed
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100% Undersubscribed 27% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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96% Likely draw 20% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Likely draw 6% 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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0% Point builder 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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100% Undersubscribed 50% as 2nd choice
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33% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 18% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 13% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 59% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 7% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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87% Likely draw 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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EM070O1M elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 70 [70] 31 tags · 125 applicants · needed 4 pts · Standard0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EE070P1A ↗ elk either-sex archery private-land-only GMU 70 [70] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 58% | — | 380 / 114 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE070P1A ↗ elk either-sex archery private-land-only GMU 70 [70] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 67% | — | 100 / 2 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE070P1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 70 [70] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 25% | — steady since 2021 | 306 / 122 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE070P1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 70 [70] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | — | — steady since 2021 | 56 / 9 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE070P4R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 70 [70] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 27% | — steady since 2021 | 131 / 47 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EE070P4R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 70 [70] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | — steady since 2021 | 6 / 9 undersubscribed | Youth | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF070O1A ↗ elk female archery season 1 GMU 70 [70] Archery | 96% Likely draw | 20% | — | 94 / 26 | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EF070O1A ↗ elk female archery season 1 GMU 70 [70] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | — steady since 2023 | 200 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EF070O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 70 [70] Muzzleloader | 100% Likely draw | 6% | — steady since 2021 | 16 / 12 | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF070O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 70 [70] Muzzleloader | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 1 / 4 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF070O1R ↗ elk female rifle season 1 GMU 70 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 steady since 2021 | 23 / 41 | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EF070O1R ↗ elk female rifle season 1 GMU 70 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | — −1 since 2021 | 2 / 1 | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EF070O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 70 [70] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 2 +1 since 2021 | 38 / 64 | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF070O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 70 [70] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 3 / 13 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF070O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 70 [70] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 +1 since 2021 | 41 / 68 | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF070O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 70 [70] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 50% | — steady since 2021 | 6 / 5 undersubscribed | Youth | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF070O4R ↗ elk female rifle season 4 GMU 70 Rifle | 33% Long shot | 0% | 0 −1 since 2021 | 9 / 9 | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF070O4R ↗ elk female rifle season 4 GMU 70 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 2 / 0 | Youth | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF070P2R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 70 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 18% | — | 347 / 57 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF070P2R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 70 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 13% | — | 127 / 2 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF070P3R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 70 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 59% | — steady since 2023 | 221 / 67 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF070P3R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 70 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 56 / 0 | Youth | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF070P4R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 70 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 7% | — | 193 / 1 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF070P4R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 70 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 83 / 0 | Youth | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF070P5R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 70 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 steady since 2021 | 25 / 3 | Standard | Dec 1–15, 2026 |
| EM070O1A ↗ elk male archery season 1 GMU 70 [70] Archery | 87% Likely draw | 0% | 0 steady since 2025 | 371 / 390 | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EM070O1A ↗ elk male archery season 1 GMU 70 [70] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | 0 −2 since 2024 | 19 / 2 undersubscribed | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EM070O1M ↗ elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 70 [70] Muzzleloader | 0% Point builder | 0% | 4 +2 since 2021 | 31 / 125 | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EM070O1M ↗ elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 70 [70] Muzzleloader | 0% Point builder | 0% | 5 +2 since 2023 | 3 / 5 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EM070O1R ↗ elk male rifle season 1 GMU 70 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 3 +3 since 2021 | 42 / 169 | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EM070O1R ↗ elk male rifle season 1 GMU 70 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | — +1 since 2021 | 5 / 14 | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EM070O4R ↗ elk male rifle season 4 GMU 70 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 steady since 2021 | 12 / 33 | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EM070O4R ↗ elk male rifle season 4 GMU 70 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | — steady since 2021 | 2 / 1 | Youth | 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.
Who owns the ground
- BLM 469,804 ac · 49%
- Private 220,180 ac · 23%
- National Forest 157,828 ac · 16%
- County or city land 26,182 ac · 3%
- State land 19,570 ac · 2%
- Other public 552 ac · 0%
- Bureau of Reclamation 358 ac · 0%
- Private or other non-public land 71,319 ac · 7%
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 | 3,448 | 1,275 | 37% |
| 2023 | 3,346 | 829 | 25% |
| 2022 | 3,068 | 981 | 32% |
| 2021 | 3,165 | 762 | 24% |
What people carried (2024 harvest)
- Rifle 1,054 · 83% · 2,696 hunters, 39% success
- Archery 192 · 15% · 658 hunters, 29% success
- Muzzleloader 29 · 2% · 94 hunters, 31% success
Boundary: CPW GMU Boundary (Big Game)
Harvest: 2024 Statewide Elk Harvest
Harvest: 2023 Statewide Elk Hunting Harvest Estimates
Harvest: 2022 Statewide Elk Harvest