GMU 55 Elk Report — 2026 season
11 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 | 356 (211 bulls / 137 cows / 8 calves) | 2,770 | 13% | 14,197 |
| 2024 | 397 (269 bulls / 123 cows / 5 calves) | 2,755 | 14% | 14,160 |
| 2023 Archery | 31 | 312 | 10% | 2,718 |
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 19 | 165 | 11% | 889 |
| 2023 Rifle | 306 | 2,293 | 13% | 10,591 |
| 2024 Archery | 48 | 307 | 16% | 2,692 |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 37 | 180 | 20% | 938 |
| 2024 Rifle | 312 | 2,268 | 14% | 10,530 |
| Season | Antlered harvest / hunters | Success | Antlerless harvest / hunters | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 10 / 53 | 19% | 9 / 111 | 8% |
| 2023 Rifle | 179 / 1,848 | 10% | 122 / 445 | 27% |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 17 / 58 | 29% | 20 / 122 | 16% |
| 2024 Rifle | 220 / 1,834 | 12% | 87 / 434 | 20% |
* 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-055-O1-A | archery | either | Sept. 2–30 | 55 | A | 335 | 615 | 0 | 3 | 0/0/0/01/2/2/3 | 13% | 64.3 |
| E-F-055-O1-M | muzzleloader | female | Sept. 12–20 | 55 | A | 125 | 127 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 19% | 26.8 |
| E-M-055-O1-M | muzzleloader | male | Sept. 12–20 | 55 | A | 60 | 204 | 1 | 7 | 1/1/1/15/6/7/7 | 12% | 48.6 |
| E-F-055-O1-R | rifle | female | Oct. 14–18 | 55 | A | 175 | 249 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 38% | 8.6 |
| E-M-055-O1-R | rifle | male | Oct. 14–18 | 55 | A | 140 | 371 | 1 | 4 | 0/0/0/11/2/3/4 | 39% | 9.8 |
| E-F-055-O2-R | rifle | female | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 55 | A | 200 | 236 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 19% | 26.3 |
| E-M-055-O2-RNEWLeftover likely | rifle | male | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 55 | A | 582 | 322 | – | – | ––– | – | – |
| E-F-055-O3-R | rifle | female | Nov. 7–15 | 55 | A | 100 | 269 | 1 | 1 | 1/1/2/11/1/2/1 | 10% | 61.7 |
| E-M-055-O3-RNEWLeftover likely | rifle | male | Nov. 7–15 | 55 | A | 385 | 152 | – | – | ––– | – | – |
| E-F-055-O4-R | rifle | female | Nov. 18–22 | 55 | A | 35 | 61 | 1 | 1 | 3/2/2/13/2/-/1 | 0%* | – |
| E-M-055-O4-R | rifle | male | Nov. 18–22 | 55 | A | 40 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 5% | 70.5 |
* 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-055-O1-R rifle male, Oct. 14–18: 140 tags, 371 first-choice apps, drew at 1 res /4 nonres, success 39%, List A
- E-F-055-O1-R rifle female, Oct. 14–18: 175 tags, 249 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 38%, List A
- E-F-055-O1-M muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20: 125 tags, 127 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 19%, List A
- E-F-055-O2-R rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1: 200 tags, 236 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 19%, List A
- E-E-055-O1-A archery either, Sept. 2–30: 335 tags, 615 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /3 nonres, success 13%, List A
- E-M-055-O1-M muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20: 60 tags, 204 first-choice apps, drew at 1 res /7 nonres, success 12%, List A
- E-F-055-O3-R rifle female, Nov. 7–15: 100 tags, 269 first-choice apps, drew at 1 res /1 nonres, success 10%, List A
- E-M-055-O4-R rifle male, Nov. 18–22: 40 tags, 64 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 5%, List A
- E-F-055-O4-R rifle female, Nov. 18–22: 35 tags, 61 first-choice apps, drew at 1 res /1 nonres, success 0% (low sample), List A
Point creep warnings (resident or nonresident points rose 2+ since 2023)
- E-E-055-O1-Aarchery either:res 0/0/0/0nonres 1/2/2/3
- E-M-055-O1-Mmuzzleloader male:res 1/1/1/1nonres 5/6/7/7
- E-M-055-O1-Rrifle male:res 0/0/0/1nonres 1/2/3/4
Leftover likely
These codes had licenses left over after the 2026 primary draw:E-M-055-O2-R, E-M-055-O3-R.
With your points
Likely draws (5)
- E-E-055-O1-A needs 0 pts
- E-F-055-O1-M 0 pts, 2nd choice
- E-F-055-O1-R needs 0 pts
- E-F-055-O2-R needs 0 pts
- E-M-055-O4-R needs 0 pts
Coin flips (4)
- E-M-055-O1-M needs 1 pt
- E-M-055-O1-R needs 1 pt
- E-F-055-O3-R needs 1 pt
- E-F-055-O4-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 55?
- 11 limited codes in the 2026 brochure: E-E-055-O1-A (archery either, Sept. 2–30); E-F-055-O1-M (muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20); E-M-055-O1-M (muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20); E-F-055-O1-R (rifle female, Oct. 14–18); E-M-055-O1-R (rifle male, Oct. 14–18); E-F-055-O2-R (rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-M-055-O2-R (rifle male, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-F-055-O3-R (rifle female, Nov. 7–15); E-M-055-O3-R (rifle male, Nov. 7–15); E-F-055-O4-R (rifle female, Nov. 18–22); E-M-055-O4-R (rifle male, Nov. 18–22).
- What is the easiest elk tag to draw in GMU 55?
- E-M-055-O1-R (rifle, male, Oct. 14–18) drew out at 1 for residents and 4 for nonresidents in the 2026 draw, with 140 tags.
- How many points does it take to draw E-M-055-O1-M?
- In the 2026 primary draw the last E-M-055-O1-M tag went at 1 resident points and 7 nonresident points. Resident history 2023–2026: 1/1/1/1; nonresident: 5/6/7/7.
- What is elk hunting success in GMU 55?
- In 2024, 2,755 elk hunters in GMU 55 harvested 397 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.