GMU 46 Elk Report — 2026 season
12 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 | 37 (27 bulls / 10 cows) | 277 | 14% | 1,982 |
| 2024 | 54 (41 bulls / 13 cows) | 241 | 22% | 1,968 |
| 2023 Archery | 8 | 55 | 15% | 597 |
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 5 | 46 | 12% | 236 |
| 2023 Rifle | 24 | 176 | 14% | 1,149 |
| 2024 Archery | 13 | 51 | 26% | 478 |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 8 | 39 | 21% | 227 |
| 2024 Rifle | 33 | 152 | 21% | 1,262 |
| Season | Antlered harvest / hunters | Success | Antlerless harvest / hunters | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 4 / 29 | 14% | 1 / 17 | 8% |
| 2023 Rifle | 17 / 78 | 22% | 7 / 98 | 7% |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 8 / 27 | 30% | 0 / 12 | 0% |
| 2024 Rifle | 22 / 69 | 31% | 11 / 82 | 13% |
* 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-046-O1-A | archery | either | Sept. 2–30 | ■46 | A | 60 | 155 | 1 | 2 | 0/1/1/11/1/1/2 | 15% | 68.9 |
| E-F-046-O1-M | muzzleloader | female | Sept. 12–20 | ■46 | A | 15 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0/00/-/-/0 | 7% | 81.0 |
| E-M-046-O1-M | muzzleloader | male | Sept. 12–20 | ■46 | A | 30 | 75 | 0 | 3 | 1/1/1/02/2/1/3 | 18% | 32.2 |
| E-F-046-O1-R | rifle | female | Oct. 14–18 | ■46 | A | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0/00/-/-/0 | 11%* | 34.0 |
| E-M-046-O1-R | rifle | male | Oct. 14–18 | ■46 | A | 25 | 54 | 1 | 2 | 1/1/1/11/3/1/2 | 36% | 11.1 |
| E-F-046-O2-R | rifle | female | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | ■46 | A | 20 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0/0-/-/-/0 | 0% | – |
| E-M-046-O2-R | rifle | male | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | ■46 | A | 30 | 47 | 0 | 3 | 0/0/0/00/0/1/3 | 20% | 23.6 |
| E-F-046-O3-R | rifle | female | Nov. 7–15 | ■46 | A | 20 | 13 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 0/0/0/00/0/-/0 | 0% | – |
| E-M-046-O3-R | rifle | male | Nov. 7–15 | ■46 | A | 20 | 18 | 0 (2nd) | 0 | 0/0/0/01/0/-/0 | 44% | 10.7 |
| E-F-046-O4-R | rifle | female | Nov. 18–22 | ■46 | A | 10 | 2 | 0 (4th) | 0 (2nd) | 0/-/-/0-/-/-/0 | 0%* | – |
| E-M-046-O4-R | rifle | male | Nov. 18–22 | ■46 | A | 10 | 15 | 0 | – | 0/0/0/0-/0/2/- | 50%* | 6.0 |
| E-F-046-P5-RPLO | rifle | female | Sept. 1–Jan. 31 | 46 | B | 30 | 20 | 0 (2nd) | – | 0/0/-/0– | 33% | 50.6 |
* Low sample: CPW flags these hunt codes "few hunters responded".
- 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-046-O4-R rifle male, Nov. 18–22: 10 tags, 15 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /– nonres, success 50% (low sample), List A
- E-M-046-O3-R rifle male, Nov. 7–15: 20 tags, 18 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 nonres, success 44%, List A
- E-M-046-O1-R rifle male, Oct. 14–18: 25 tags, 54 first-choice apps, drew at 1 res /2 nonres, success 36%, List A
- E-F-046-P5-R rifle female, Sept. 1–Jan. 31: 30 tags, 20 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /– nonres, success 33%, List B (private land only)
- E-M-046-O2-R rifle male, Oct. 24–Nov. 1: 30 tags, 47 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /3 nonres, success 20%, List A
- E-M-046-O1-M muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20: 30 tags, 75 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /3 nonres, success 18%, List A
- E-E-046-O1-A archery either, Sept. 2–30: 60 tags, 155 first-choice apps, drew at 1 res /2 nonres, success 15%, List A
- E-F-046-O1-R rifle female, Oct. 14–18: 10 tags, 10 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 11% (low sample), List A
- E-F-046-O1-M muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20: 15 tags, 18 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 7%, List A
- E-F-046-O2-R rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1: 20 tags, 27 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 0%, List A
- E-F-046-O3-R rifle female, Nov. 7–15: 20 tags, 13 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 0%, List A
- E-F-046-O4-R rifle female, Nov. 18–22: 10 tags, 2 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (4th choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 0% (low sample), List A
Point creep warnings (resident or nonresident points rose 2+ since 2023)
- E-M-046-O2-Rrifle male:res 0/0/0/0nonres 0/0/1/3
- E-M-046-O4-Rrifle male:res 0/0/0/0nonres -/0/2/-
Stackable tags (List B — can be held alongside a List A tag)
No List C hunts in this unit.
- E-F-046-P5-R rifle female Sept. 1–Jan. 31 — drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res / – nonres, 30 tags
With your points
Likely draws (10)
- E-F-046-O1-M needs 0 pts
- E-M-046-O1-M needs 0 pts
- E-F-046-O1-R needs 0 pts
- E-F-046-O2-R needs 0 pts
- E-M-046-O2-R needs 0 pts
- E-F-046-O3-R 0 pts, 2nd choice
- E-M-046-O3-R 0 pts, 2nd choice
- E-F-046-O4-R 0 pts, 4th choice
- E-M-046-O4-R needs 0 pts
- E-F-046-P5-R 0 pts, 2nd choice
Coin flips (2)
- E-E-046-O1-A needs 1 pt
- E-M-046-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 46?
- 12 limited codes in the 2026 brochure: E-E-046-O1-A (archery either, Sept. 2–30); E-F-046-O1-M (muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20); E-M-046-O1-M (muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20); E-F-046-O1-R (rifle female, Oct. 14–18); E-M-046-O1-R (rifle male, Oct. 14–18); E-F-046-O2-R (rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-M-046-O2-R (rifle male, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-F-046-O3-R (rifle female, Nov. 7–15); E-M-046-O3-R (rifle male, Nov. 7–15); E-F-046-O4-R (rifle female, Nov. 18–22); E-M-046-O4-R (rifle male, Nov. 18–22); E-F-046-P5-R (rifle female, Sept. 1–Jan. 31).
- What is the easiest elk tag to draw in GMU 46?
- E-M-046-O4-R (rifle, male, Nov. 18–22) drew out at 0 for residents and – for nonresidents in the 2026 draw, with 10 tags.
- How many points does it take to draw E-E-046-O1-A?
- In the 2026 primary draw the last E-E-046-O1-A tag went at 1 resident points and 2 nonresident points. Resident history 2023–2026: 0/1/1/1; nonresident: 1/1/1/2.
- What is elk hunting success in GMU 46?
- In 2024, 241 elk hunters in GMU 46 harvested 54 animals (22% 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.