GMU 551 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 | 157 (95 bulls / 60 cows / 2 calves) | 1,443 | 11% | 7,744 |
| 2024 | 260 (167 bulls / 88 cows / 5 calves) | 1,574 | 16% | 8,094 |
| 2023 Archery | 26 | 176 | 15% | 1,779 |
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 7 | 85 | 8% | 499 |
| 2023 Rifle | 124 | 1,182 | 11% | 5,465 |
| 2024 Archery | 33 | 164 | 20% | 1,591 |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 19 | 85 | 22% | 542 |
| 2024 Rifle | 208 | 1,325 | 16% | 5,961 |
| Season | Antlered harvest / hunters | Success | Antlerless harvest / hunters | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 4 / 29 | 16% | 2 / 56 | 4% |
| 2023 Rifle | 72 / 968 | 7% | 36 / 198 | 18% |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 6 / 26 | 22% | 13 / 59 | 22% |
| 2024 Rifle | 140 / 1,101 | 13% | 54 / 205 | 26% |
* 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-551-O1-A | archery | either | Sept. 2–30 | 551 | A | 190 | 347 | 0 | 4 | 0/0/0/01/2/3/4 | 18% | 55.8 |
| E-F-551-O1-M | muzzleloader | female | Sept. 12–20 | 551 | A | 60 | 54 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 16% | 38.0 |
| E-M-551-O1-M | muzzleloader | male | Sept. 12–20 | 551 | A | 30 | 103 | 1 | 7 | 1/1/1/14/5/6/7 | 30% | 22.7 |
| E-F-551-O1-R | rifle | female | Oct. 14–18 | 551 | A | 80 | 96 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0/00/0/1/0 | 9% | 44.2 |
| E-M-551-O1-R | rifle | male | Oct. 14–18 | 551 | A | 60 | 170 | 1 | 4 | 1/1/1/12/3/4/4 | 13% | 33.4 |
| E-F-551-O2-R | rifle | female | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 551 | A | 100 | 185 | 0 | 1 | 1/1/1/01/1/1/1 | 13% | 38.8 |
| E-M-551-O2-RNEWLeftover likely | rifle | male | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 551 | A | 378 | 164 | – | – | ––– | – | – |
| E-F-551-O3-R | rifle | female | Nov. 7–15 | 551 | A | 90 | 139 | 0 | 1 | 1/1/1/01/1/1/1 | 17% | 36.9 |
| E-M-551-O3-RNEWLeftover likely | rifle | male | Nov. 7–15 | 551 | A | 228 | 83 | – | – | ––– | – | – |
| E-F-551-O4-R | rifle | female | Nov. 18–22 | 551 | A | 35 | 20 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 1/0/1/01/-/2/0 | 30%* | 13.0 |
| E-M-551-O4-R | rifle | male | Nov. 18–22 | 551 | A | 10 | 38 | 2 | 4 | 1/2/1/22/-/2/4 | 29%* | 15.5 |
* 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-551-O1-M muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20: 30 tags, 103 first-choice apps, drew at 1 res /7 nonres, success 30%, List A
- E-F-551-O4-R rifle female, Nov. 18–22: 35 tags, 20 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 30% (low sample), List A
- E-E-551-O1-A archery either, Sept. 2–30: 190 tags, 347 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /4 nonres, success 18%, List A
- E-F-551-O3-R rifle female, Nov. 7–15: 90 tags, 139 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /1 nonres, success 17%, List A
- E-F-551-O1-M muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20: 60 tags, 54 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 16%, List A
- E-F-551-O2-R rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1: 100 tags, 185 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /1 nonres, success 13%, List A
- E-M-551-O1-R rifle male, Oct. 14–18: 60 tags, 170 first-choice apps, drew at 1 res /4 nonres, success 13%, List A
- E-F-551-O1-R rifle female, Oct. 14–18: 80 tags, 96 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 9%, List A
Point creep warnings (resident or nonresident points rose 2+ since 2023)
- E-E-551-O1-Aarchery either:res 0/0/0/0nonres 1/2/3/4
- E-M-551-O1-Mmuzzleloader male:res 1/1/1/1nonres 4/5/6/7
- E-M-551-O1-Rrifle male:res 1/1/1/1nonres 2/3/4/4
- E-M-551-O4-Rrifle male:res 1/2/1/2nonres 2/-/2/4
Leftover likely
These codes had licenses left over after the 2026 primary draw:E-M-551-O2-R, E-M-551-O3-R.
With your points
Likely draws (6)
- E-E-551-O1-A needs 0 pts
- E-F-551-O1-M 0 pts, 2nd choice
- E-F-551-O1-R needs 0 pts
- E-F-551-O2-R needs 0 pts
- E-F-551-O3-R needs 0 pts
- E-F-551-O4-R 0 pts, 2nd choice
Coin flips (2)
- E-M-551-O1-M needs 1 pt
- E-M-551-O1-R needs 1 pt
Not this year (1)
- E-M-551-O4-R needs 2 pts
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 551?
- 11 limited codes in the 2026 brochure: E-E-551-O1-A (archery either, Sept. 2–30); E-F-551-O1-M (muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20); E-M-551-O1-M (muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20); E-F-551-O1-R (rifle female, Oct. 14–18); E-M-551-O1-R (rifle male, Oct. 14–18); E-F-551-O2-R (rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-M-551-O2-R (rifle male, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-F-551-O3-R (rifle female, Nov. 7–15); E-M-551-O3-R (rifle male, Nov. 7–15); E-F-551-O4-R (rifle female, Nov. 18–22); E-M-551-O4-R (rifle male, Nov. 18–22).
- What is the easiest elk tag to draw in GMU 551?
- E-M-551-O1-M (muzzleloader, male, Sept. 12–20) drew out at 1 for residents and 7 for nonresidents in the 2026 draw, with 30 tags.
- How many points does it take to draw E-M-551-O4-R?
- In the 2026 primary draw the last E-M-551-O4-R tag went at 2 resident points and 4 nonresident points. Resident history 2023–2026: 1/2/1/2; nonresident: 2/-/2/4.
- What is elk hunting success in GMU 551?
- In 2024, 1,574 elk hunters in GMU 551 harvested 260 animals (16% 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.