GMU 61 Elk Report — 2026 season
13 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 | 588 (267 bulls / 288 cows / 33 calves) | 1,114 | 53% | 5,333 |
| 2024 | 727 (299 bulls / 398 cows / 30 calves) | 1,296 | 56% | 6,541 |
| 2023 Archery | 46 | 87 | 52% | 1,129 |
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 42 | 84 | 50% | 439 |
| 2023 Rifle | 500 | 943 | 53% | 3,764 |
| 2024 Archery | 61 | 90 | 67% | 1,206 |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 46 | 79 | 58% | 371 |
| 2024 Rifle | 621 | 1,127 | 55% | 4,964 |
| Season | Antlered harvest / hunters | Success | Antlerless harvest / hunters | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 26 / 44 | 60% | 13 / 40 | 32% |
| 2023 Rifle | 173 / 298 | 58% | 271 / 616 | 44% |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 35 / 44 | 79% | 11 / 35 | 31% |
| 2024 Rifle | 184 / 302 | 61% | 381 / 792 | 48% |
* 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-061-O1-A | archery | either + | Sept. 2–30 | 61 | A | 90 | 1,319 | 17 | 28 | 16/16/17/1725/26/27/28 | 49% | 25.8 |
| E-F-061-O1-M | muzzleloader | female | Sept. 12–20 | 61 | A | 50 | 94 | 2 | 5 | 3/3/2/24/3/4/5 | 51% | 9.9 |
| E-M-061-O1-M | muzzleloader | male + | Sept. 12–20 | 61 | A | 45 | 498 | 18 | 30 | 16/17/17/1827/28/28/30 | 66% | 8.0 |
| E-E-061-E1-R | rifle | either + | Oct. 1–7 Early | 61 | A | 40 | 1,190 | 23 | 32 | 21/22/22/2329/29/31/32 | 86% | 4.3 |
| E-F-061-O1-R | rifle | female | Oct. 14–18 | 61 | A | 100 | 190 | 2 | 2 | 4/2/3/24/4/4/2 | 51% | 6.3 |
| E-M-061-O1-R | rifle | male + | Oct. 14–18 | 61 | A | 130 | 1,228 | 15 | 27 | 12/13/14/1524/25/26/27 | 71% | 4.4 |
| E-F-061-O2-R | rifle | female | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 61 | A | 225 | 342 | 1 | 1 | 2/2/1/12/2/2/1 | 49% | 8.2 |
| E-M-061-O2-R | rifle | male + | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 61 | A | 120 | 772 | 11 | 26 | 10/10/10/1124/24/24/26 | 68% | 8.0 |
| E-F-061-O3-R | rifle | female | Nov. 7–15 | 61 | A | 255 | 323 | 0 | 1 | 1/1/0/01/1/0/1 | 34% | 14.4 |
| E-M-061-O3-R | rifle | male + | Nov. 7–15 | 61 | A | 50 | 455 | 10 | 25 | 10/9/10/1024/24/26/25 | 71% | 7.2 |
| E-F-061-O4-R | rifle | female | Nov. 18–22 | 61 | A | 300 | 227 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 29% | 12.8 |
| E-M-061-O4-R | rifle | male + | Nov. 18–22 | 61 | A | 40 | 216 | 9 | 25 | 9/9/10/924/25/26/25 | 75% | 4.5 |
| E-F-061-P5-RPLO | rifle | female | Dec. 15–Jan. 15 | 61 | B | 150 | 101 | 0 (2nd) | 0 | 1/0/0/01/0/-/0 | 68% | 10.2 |
- 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-F-061-P5-R rifle female, Dec. 15–Jan. 15: 150 tags, 101 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 nonres, success 68%, List B (private land only)
- E-F-061-O2-R rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1: 225 tags, 342 first-choice apps, drew at 1 res /1 nonres, success 49%, List A
- E-F-061-O3-R rifle female, Nov. 7–15: 255 tags, 323 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /1 nonres, success 34%, List A
- E-F-061-O4-R rifle female, Nov. 18–22: 300 tags, 227 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 29%, List A
Point creep warnings (resident or nonresident points rose 2+ since 2023)
- E-E-061-O1-Aarchery either:res 16/16/17/17nonres 25/26/27/28
- E-M-061-O1-Mmuzzleloader male:res 16/17/17/18nonres 27/28/28/30
- E-E-061-E1-Rrifle either:res 21/22/22/23nonres 29/29/31/32
- E-M-061-O1-Rrifle male:res 12/13/14/15nonres 24/25/26/27
- E-M-061-O2-Rrifle male:res 10/10/10/11nonres 24/24/24/26
Stackable tags (List B — can be held alongside a List A tag)
No List C hunts in this unit.
- E-F-061-P5-R rifle female Dec. 15–Jan. 15 — drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res / 0 nonres, 150 tags
With your points
Likely draws (3)
- E-F-061-O3-R needs 0 pts
- E-F-061-O4-R 0 pts, 2nd choice
- E-F-061-P5-R 0 pts, 2nd choice
Coin flips (1)
- E-F-061-O2-R needs 1 pt
Not this year (9)
- E-E-061-O1-A needs 17 pts
- E-F-061-O1-M needs 2 pts
- E-M-061-O1-M needs 18 pts
- E-E-061-E1-R needs 23 pts
- E-F-061-O1-R needs 2 pts
- E-M-061-O1-R needs 15 pts
- E-M-061-O2-R needs 11 pts
- E-M-061-O3-R needs 10 pts
- E-M-061-O4-R needs 9 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 61?
- 13 limited codes in the 2026 brochure: E-E-061-O1-A (archery either, Sept. 2–30); E-F-061-O1-M (muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20); E-M-061-O1-M (muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20); E-E-061-E1-R (rifle either, Oct. 1–7 Early); E-F-061-O1-R (rifle female, Oct. 14–18); E-M-061-O1-R (rifle male, Oct. 14–18); E-F-061-O2-R (rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-M-061-O2-R (rifle male, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-F-061-O3-R (rifle female, Nov. 7–15); E-M-061-O3-R (rifle male, Nov. 7–15); E-F-061-O4-R (rifle female, Nov. 18–22); E-M-061-O4-R (rifle male, Nov. 18–22); E-F-061-P5-R (rifle female, Dec. 15–Jan. 15).
- What is the easiest elk tag to draw in GMU 61?
- E-F-061-P5-R (rifle, female, Dec. 15–Jan. 15) drew out at 0 pts (2nd choice) for residents and 0 for nonresidents in the 2026 draw, with 150 tags.
- How many points does it take to draw E-E-061-E1-R?
- In the 2026 primary draw the last E-E-061-E1-R tag went at 23 resident points and 32 nonresident points. Resident history 2023–2026: 21/22/22/23; nonresident: 29/29/31/32.
- What is elk hunting success in GMU 61?
- In 2024, 1,296 elk hunters in GMU 61 harvested 727 animals (56% success, all seasons and weapons, CPW harvest survey).
- What does "either +" mean in a Colorado hunt table?
- "Either" is an either-sex license. A plus (+) in the sex column marks hunt codes for which an adult Colorado resident needed an average of at least six preference points to draw over the previous three limited draws (CPW brochure p.20). For those codes up to 20 percent of the licenses may go to nonresidents (p.4).
- 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.