Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Colorado Elk drawing

Hopefully I can help with at least some of the questions going on here
First, license setting:
Out here, deer classification flights are flown in late December, while elk in mid February. Harvest survey data comes back by early March, bears usually mid to late March. Biologists then work the models based on those inputs and lay out suggestions for the Area meetings with game wardens and supervisors in mid to late March (I go to 3 of these because of how my district lays out, so Gunnison, Grand Junction and Montrose). After the license setting meetings are done at the Area level (state administratively divided into 18 areas, those 18 areas into 4 regions), then the upper level regional staff meet to approve in April before sending on to the Commission meeting in early May. This year that was May 3-4 in Grand Junction. This is a public meeting. After May 4, I'm not entirely certain what happens, but someone has to input 3- 5,000 hunt code changes. I do know that the actual computerized drawing doesn't take very long. But, there's also proofing that occurs so that people with 2 points don't draw a 201 elk tag and things like that. I don't know how much of that occurs in a random sample or if literally every single hunt code is proofed entirely.
The draw itself:
When you apply your application receives a random number ( I believe it is 6 digits). The draw occurs hunt code by hunt code, not by applicant like some states do. So the people with the highest number of points get the license first, then down the line until there are more applicants then licenses available, at which point those are allocated randomly based on your application number or something like that. I assume the random application numbers are the ones still in play for the hybrid draw, but I honestly don't know the details on that part of the draw.

Hope that helps. So, I don't know what all occurs between May 4 and June 4, but as you can imagine with thousands of hunt codes hundreds of thousands of applicants, everything takes a while. But at least under our current system, there's no way the draw could be done and announced by April 5.

Elk preference point for me. Anxious to see if my son drew a deer tag !

Thank you Biologist. Informative post.

Congrats to all successful applicants, including me-

Now for the bad news:
If things don't change drastically between now and elk/deer seasons, CO is going to be a season of closures, fire bans, and tough hunting. Really wish I hadn't burned points on tags this season.

No luck on my impossibly long-shot elk tag. Pref Pt. only for the year. But according to my credit card that just got hit for $396, I expect that my elk VIEWING permit (otherwise known as a Unit 201 2nd Rifle deer tag) will shortly be confirmed!

Ist season bull tag for me with 0 preference points, drew as my second choice so I now have 1 preference point.

Any other draws beside Elk yet ?

Lots of guys on other forums have said their cards have been hit for deer , I haven’t seen anything.

ML bull for me.

And Preference Points.

My card was hit for the $40 for my elk PP last night and then hit this morning for $396 so I assume that's my deer tag.

Sounds like the order is going to be elk,deer, moose, bear, antelope

Preference Point

Well either My wife drew for the third year in a row or i did for deer card hit for $31.00.I Do not think it was me because of unit choice and on hand pp. It was my wife that drew wow 3 years in a row.

I got drawn for a 4th season deer as well.

1st season bull elk and I got a PP, and a 4th season deer. Couldn’t ask for more!

Pref point and didn't draw 2nd thru 4th choice.....my non-resident hunting partner did draw our second choice (cow).....should be leftover opportunities in the unit, as there have been many in the past and I expect some this year. Just means waiting for the leftover draw to finalize our plans. As to the drought.....this coming week doesn't look to help as the forecast is hot and dry.

1st season bull here. Maybe my luck is changing from bad to better.

The whole famdamily drew MZ tags.... bulls for the wife and I, cows for the kids. I guess I better start shopping for a couple more smokepoles.

Nice bud - BH 209 and Barnes!

Cow tag for a partner and myself!