Colorado Elk — GMU 861
Colorado GMU 861 covers 132,449 acres and lies 34 miles north-east of Alamosa and 49 miles south of Cañon City. 37% of it is public land, mostly national forest (22%) and BLM (12%). In 2024, 608 people hunted elk here and took 133 — 22% of them killed something. The 2026 draw put up 1,315 tags here for 5 first-choice applicants.
Tags (2026):2,595
Nonresident share:capped at 25%
Applicants:264
Hunter success (2024):22%
Public land:37%
Size:132,449 acres
Your chance of drawing here
Every elk license type on offer in GMU 861, 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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EE086O1M elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] 42 tags · 54 applicants · needed 0 pts · Standard27% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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EE086O1M elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] 115 tags · 4 applicants · needed 0 pts · Youth50% Real chance 0% as 2nd choice
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29% Long shot 0% as 2nd choice
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0% Point builder 0% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 40% as 2nd choice
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100% No first-choice applicants 100% as 2nd choice
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EE086P1R elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] 73 tags · 14 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 50% as 2nd choice
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EE086P1R elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] 18 tags · 0 applicants · Youth100% No first-choice applicants 50% as 2nd choice
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EE086V1A elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] 264 tags · 88 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 45% as 2nd choice
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EE086V1A elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] 330 tags · 0 applicants · Youth100% No first-choice applicants 0% 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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100% No first-choice applicants
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— Undersubscribed
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100% No first-choice applicants 100% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 8% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 50% as 2nd choice
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100% Undersubscribed 6% as 2nd choice
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— Undersubscribed
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EF086P5R elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] 1,315 tags · 5 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 25% as 2nd choice
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EF086V1A elk female archery nonresident-only GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] 10 tags · 1 applicants · Standard100% Undersubscribed 5% as 2nd choice
| Hunt | Your odds (0 pts) | As 2nd choice | Points needed | Tags / applicants | License | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EE084W1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 84 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 1 / 0 | Standard | Oct 10–19, 2026 |
| EE086O1M ↗ elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] Muzzleloader | 27% Long shot | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 42 / 54 | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EE086O1M ↗ elk either-sex muzzleloader season 1 GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] Muzzleloader | 50% Real chance | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 115 / 4 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EE086O1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle season 1 GMU 86 Rifle | 29% Long shot | 0% | 0 steady since 2021 | 43 / 68 | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE086O1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle season 1 GMU 86 Rifle | 0% Point builder | 0% | 1 steady since 2021 | 1 / 5 | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE086O4R ↗ elk either-sex rifle season 4 GMU 86 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 40% | — | 8 / 6 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EE086O4R ↗ elk either-sex rifle season 4 GMU 86 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 100% | — | 90 / 0 | Youth | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EE086P1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 50% | — | 73 / 14 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE086P1R ↗ elk either-sex rifle private-land-only GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | 50% | — | 18 / 0 | Youth | Oct 14–18, 2026 |
| EE086V1A ↗ elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 45% | — | 264 / 88 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EE086V1A ↗ elk either-sex archery nonresident-only GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] Archery | 100% No first-choice applicants | 0% | — | 330 / 0 | Youth | Sep 2–30, 2026 |
| EF084W1R ↗ elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 84 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 5 / 0 | Standard | Dec 11–20, 2026 |
| EF084W3R ↗ elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 84 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 5 / 0 | Standard | Jan 4–13, 2027 |
| EF084W5R ↗ elk female rifle Ranching for Wildlife GMU 84 Rifle | 100% No first-choice applicants | — | — | 5 / 0 | Standard | Jan 17–26, 2027 |
| EF086O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] Muzzleloader | — Undersubscribed | — | — | 49 / 0 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF086O1M ↗ elk female muzzleloader season 1 GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] Muzzleloader | 100% No first-choice applicants | 100% | — | 80 / 0 | Youth | Sep 12–20, 2026 |
| EF086O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 8% | — steady since 2023 | 18 / 11 undersubscribed | Standard | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF086O2R ↗ elk female rifle season 2 GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 50% | — steady since 2023 | 85 / 1 undersubscribed | Youth | Oct 24 – Nov 1, 2026 |
| EF086O3R ↗ elk female rifle season 3 GMU 86 Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 6% | — | 7 / 7 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 7–15, 2026 |
| EF086O4R ↗ elk female rifle season 4 GMU 86 Rifle | — Undersubscribed | — | — | 31 / 0 undersubscribed | Standard | Nov 18–22, 2026 |
| EF086P5R ↗ elk female rifle private-land-only GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] Rifle | 100% Undersubscribed | 25% | — | 1,315 / 5 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 1 – Jan 31, 2027 |
| EF086V1A ↗ elk female archery nonresident-only GMU 86 [86, 691, 861] Archery | 100% Undersubscribed | 5% | — | 10 / 1 undersubscribed | Standard | Sep 2–30, 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 | 608 | 133 | 22% |
| 2023 | 660 | 86 | 13% |
| 2022 | 754 | 126 | 17% |
| 2021 | 638 | 97 | 15% |
What people carried (2024 harvest)
- Rifle 105 · 79% · 309 hunters, 34% success
- Archery 17 · 13% · 260 hunters, 7% success
- Muzzleloader 11 · 8% · 40 hunters, 28% success
Boundary: CPW GMU Boundary (Big Game)
Harvest: 2024 Statewide Elk Harvest
Harvest: 2023 Statewide Elk Hunting Harvest Estimates
Harvest: 2022 Statewide Elk Harvest