Colorado Elk — GMU 80
Colorado GMU 80 covers 567,707 acres and lies 23 miles west of Alamosa and 87 miles east of Durango. 59% of it is public land, mostly national forest (44%) and BLM (11%). In 2024, 3,213 people hunted elk here and took 673 — 21% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1,574 tags here for 1,706 first-choice applicants.
Tags (2026):2,050
Nonresident share:capped at 25%
Applicants:2,843
Hunter success (2024):21%
Public land:59%
Size:567,707 acres
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 80, 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-
EE080O1A elk either-sex archery season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] 1,574 tags · 1,706 applicants · needed 0 pts · Standard83% Likely draw 0% as 2nd choice
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EE080O1A elk either-sex archery season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] 78 tags · 47 applicants · needed 0 pts · Youth71% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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EF080O1M elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] 17 tags · 50 applicants · needed 1 pts · Standard0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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EF080O1M elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] 70 tags · 5 applicants · needed 0 pts · Youth80% Likely draw 0% as 2nd choice
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36% Long shot 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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67% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 10% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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EF080P5R elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 80 [80] 31 tags · 2 applicants · needed 1 pts · Standard0% Undersubscribed 0% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 100% as 2nd choice
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EM080O1M elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] 29 tags · 221 applicants · needed 6 pts · Standard0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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EM080O1R elk male rifle season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] 122 tags · 663 applicants · needed 3 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
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EE080O1A ↗ elk either-sex archery season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] Archery | 83% Likely draw | 0% | 0 steady since 2025 | 1,574 / 1,706 | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE080O1A ↗ elk either-sex archery season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] Archery | 71% Real chance | 0% | 0 steady since 2025 | 78 / 47 | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EF080O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] Muzzleloader | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 steady since 2021 | 17 / 50 | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF080O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] Muzzleloader | 80% Likely draw | 0% | 0 −1 since 2022 | 70 / 5 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF080O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 80 Rifle | 36% Long shot | 0% | 0 −2 since 2021 | 26 / 25 | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF080O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 80 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | 0 −2 since 2021 | 10 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF080O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 80 [80] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 +1 since 2021 | 15 / 19 | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF080O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 80 [80] Rifle | 67% Real chance | 0% | 0 −1 since 2021 | 3 / 3 | Youth | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF080O4R ↗ elk female rifle season 4 GMU 80 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 10% | — | 18 / 14 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF080O4R ↗ elk female rifle season 4 GMU 80 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 0% | 0 | 2 / 2 undersubscribed | Youth | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF080P5R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 80 [80] Rifle | 0% Undersubscribed | 0% | 1 steady since 2021 | 31 / 2 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 1 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| EF080P5R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 80 [80] Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 100% | — −1 since 2021 | 30 / 0 | Youth | Sep 1 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| EM080O1M ↗ elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] Muzzleloader | 0% Point builder | 0% | 6 +2 since 2021 | 29 / 221 | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EM080O1M ↗ elk male muzzleloader season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] Muzzleloader | 0% Point builder | 0% | — | 1 / 7 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EM080O1R ↗ elk male rifle season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 3 +2 since 2021 | 122 / 663 | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EM080O1R ↗ elk male rifle season 1 GMU 80 [80, 81] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 3 +2 since 2021 | 10 / 39 | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EM080O4R ↗ elk male rifle season 4 GMU 80 [80, 81] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 +1 since 2021 | 12 / 34 | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EM080O4R ↗ elk male rifle season 4 GMU 80 [80, 81] Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 +1 since 2022 | 2 / 5 | 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
- National Forest 250,069 ac · 44%
- Private 231,005 ac · 41%
- BLM 60,353 ac · 11%
- National Wildlife Refuge 16,731 ac · 3%
- County or city land 4,780 ac · 1%
- State land 4,766 ac · 1%
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 | 3,213 | 673 | 21% |
| 2023 | 3,200 | 421 | 13% |
| 2022 | 2,984 | 509 | 17% |
| 2021 | 3,767 | 372 | 10% |
What people carried (2024 harvest)
- Rifle 545 · 81% · 2,232 hunters, 24% success
- Archery 118 · 18% · 899 hunters, 13% success
- Muzzleloader 11 · 2% · 82 hunters, 13% success
Boundary: CPW GMU Boundary (Big Game)
Harvest: 2024 Statewide Elk Harvest
Harvest: 2023 Statewide Elk Hunting Harvest Estimates
Harvest: 2022 Statewide Elk Harvest