GMU 44 Elk Report — 2026 season
9 limited hunt codes valid in this unit. CPW 2026 brochure, 2026 primary draw recap, 2025 harvest survey. Points: resident / nonresident.
Unit harvest trend (2023–2024)
| Year | Harvest | Hunters | Success | Rec. days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 131 (128 bulls / 4 cows) | 917 | 14% | 4,746 |
| 2024 | 163 (107 bulls / 56 cows) | 1,203 | 14% | 5,918 |
| 2023 Archery | 35 | 295 | 12% | 2,241 |
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 15 | 63 | 24% | 307 |
| 2023 Rifle | 81 | 559 | 14% | 2,198 |
| 2024 Archery | 21 | 320 | 7% | 2,134 |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 12 | 107 | 12% | 591 |
| 2024 Rifle | 129 | 776 | 17% | 3,192 |
| Season | Antlered harvest / hunters | Success | Antlerless harvest / hunters | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 14 / 58 | 23% | 2 / 5 | 33% |
| 2023 Rifle | 79 / 519 | 15% | 2 / 39 | 5% |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 7 / 84 | 8% | 5 / 22 | 24% |
| 2024 Rifle | 78 / 454 | 17% | 51 / 321 | 16% |
* CPW's antlered/antlerless tables do not include either-sex hunt codes.
All limited + over-the-counter hunters. CPW published unit-level tables for 2023 and 2024; the 2025 report has hunt-code totals only.
Every hunt code in the unit
| Dates | GMUs | Drew out at (pts) | Points 2023–2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-E-044-O1-A | archery | either | Sept. 2–30 | 44, 45, 47, 444 | A | 1,000 | 841 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | -/-/0/0-/-/0/0 | 16% | 53.7 |
| E-F-044-O1-M | muzzleloader | female | Sept. 12–20 | 44, 45, 47, 444 | B | 125 | 65 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 2/-/0/02/-/0/0 | 19% | 24.9 |
| E-M-044-O1-M | muzzleloader | male | Sept. 12–20 | 44, 45, 47, 444 | A | 250 | 285 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0/00/0/1/0 | 28% | 15.8 |
| E-F-044-O1-R | rifle | female | Oct. 14–18 | 44, 45, 47, 444 | B | 200 | 175 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 2/-/0/04/-/0/0 | 23% | 15.2 |
| E-M-044-O1-R | rifle | male | Oct. 14–18 | 44, 45, 47, 444 | A | 100 | 403 | 1 | 4 | 1/1/1/11/2/3/4 | 42% | 7.8 |
| E-F-044-O2-RLeftover likely | rifle | female | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 44 | B | 182 | 80 | – | – | 2/-/-/-4/-/-/- | 11% | 40.6 |
| E-F-044-O3-RLeftover likely | rifle | female | Nov. 7–15 | 44 | B | 144 | 60 | – | – | 1/-/-/-4/-/-/- | 2% | 212.5 |
| E-F-044-O4-RLeftover likely | rifle | female | Nov. 18–22 | 44 | B | 38 | 19 | – | – | 0/-/-/-– | 10% | 36.0 |
| E-M-044-O4-R | rifle | male | Nov. 18–22 | 44 | A | 40 | 29 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 0% | – |
- either +
- either-sex license; + marks codes where an adult Colorado resident needed on average 6+ preference points to draw over the previous three draws (CPW brochure p.20). Up to 20% of these licenses may go to nonresidents (p.4).
- 0 (2nd)
- the code filled with 2nd-choice applicants: every 1st-choice applicant drew, even with 0 points.
Near-sure draws (0–1 point in 2026)
- E-M-044-O1-R rifle male, Oct. 14–18: 100 tags, 403 first-choice apps, drew at 1 res /4 nonres, success 42%, List A
- E-M-044-O1-M muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20: 250 tags, 285 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 28%, List A
- E-F-044-O1-R rifle female, Oct. 14–18: 200 tags, 175 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 23%, List B
- E-F-044-O1-M muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20: 125 tags, 65 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 19%, List B
- E-E-044-O1-A archery either, Sept. 2–30: 1,000 tags, 841 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 16%, List A
- E-M-044-O4-R rifle male, Nov. 18–22: 40 tags, 29 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 0%, List A
Point creep warnings (resident or nonresident points rose 2+ since 2023)
- E-M-044-O1-Rrifle male:res 1/1/1/1nonres 1/2/3/4
Stackable tags (List B — can be held alongside a List A tag)
No List C hunts in this unit.
- E-F-044-O1-M muzzleloader female Sept. 12–20 — drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res / 0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, 125 tags
- E-F-044-O1-R rifle female Oct. 14–18 — drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res / 0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, 200 tags
- E-F-044-O2-R rifle female Oct. 24–Nov. 1 — drew at – res / – nonres, 182 tags
- E-F-044-O3-R rifle female Nov. 7–15 — drew at – res / – nonres, 144 tags
- E-F-044-O4-R rifle female Nov. 18–22 — drew at – res / – nonres, 38 tags
Leftover likely
These codes had licenses left over after the 2026 primary draw:E-F-044-O2-R, E-F-044-O3-R, E-F-044-O4-R.
With your points
Likely draws (5)
- E-E-044-O1-A 0 pts, 2nd choice
- E-F-044-O1-M 0 pts, 2nd choice
- E-M-044-O1-M needs 0 pts
- E-F-044-O1-R 0 pts, 2nd choice
- E-M-044-O4-R 0 pts, 2nd choice
Coin flips (1)
- E-M-044-O1-R needs 1 pt
Not this year (0)
Numbers are the last draw's drawn-out-at points for the chosen residency: the points held by the last applicant who drew. Codes with no drawn-out-at value for that residency are left out. Point creep can move a code up a bucket.
Drawn-out-at = preference points held by the last successful applicant at that residency. "0 (2nd)" = the code filled with 2nd-choice applicants, so any 1st-choice applicant drew with 0 points. Success % and days/harvest are from CPW's 2025harvest survey, by hunt code.
FAQ
- Which elk hunt codes are valid in GMU 44?
- 9 limited codes in the 2026 brochure: E-E-044-O1-A (archery either, Sept. 2–30); E-F-044-O1-M (muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20); E-M-044-O1-M (muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20); E-F-044-O1-R (rifle female, Oct. 14–18); E-M-044-O1-R (rifle male, Oct. 14–18); E-F-044-O2-R (rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-F-044-O3-R (rifle female, Nov. 7–15); E-F-044-O4-R (rifle female, Nov. 18–22); E-M-044-O4-R (rifle male, Nov. 18–22).
- What is the easiest elk tag to draw in GMU 44?
- E-M-044-O1-R (rifle, male, Oct. 14–18) drew out at 1 for residents and 4 for nonresidents in the 2026 draw, with 100 tags.
- How many points does it take to draw E-M-044-O1-R?
- In the 2026 primary draw the last E-M-044-O1-R tag went at 1 resident points and 4 nonresident points. Resident history 2023–2026: 1/1/1/1; nonresident: 1/2/3/4.
- What is elk hunting success in GMU 44?
- In 2024, 1,203 elk hunters in GMU 44 harvested 163 animals (14% success, all seasons and weapons, CPW harvest survey).
- What does "0 pts (2nd choice)" mean?
- The hunt code filled with second-choice applicants. Every first-choice applicant drew, even with zero preference points, and the remaining licenses went to people who listed it as their second choice.