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Reading CPW draw odds
CPW publishes its own draw statistics for every species and hunt code — the most reliable way to estimate your odds before you apply in the draw is to read those reports directly, not a third-party odds calculator. Each species page has a Statistics section with Draw Recap and Drawn-Out-At reports showing how many people applied, how many licenses were issued, and how many preference points it took to draw. CPW · Elk statistics
Where to find the reports
CPW keeps draw statistics on each species' own hunting page rather than one combined hub. Elk's page — as a working example — has a dedicated Statistics section: CPW · Elk statistics. Deer has the equivalent CPW · Deer statistics. Bear, pronghorn, moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat each have their own statistics page under CPW · Big Game — start from your species' main hunting page and look for a "Statistics" link if the exact URL isn't listed here.
The reports that matter
- Draw Recap — the main report. It lays pre-draw application counts by hunt code and preference-point level next to post-draw results, so you can see how many people applied at each point level and how many licenses each level received.
- Drawn Out At — a compressed view: for each hunt code and residency type, the minimum number of preference points that successfully drew in the most recent draw. This is the fastest way to sanity-check "how many points do I need for this unit."
- Secondary Draw Recap — the same format for the June secondary draw, which doesn't use points.
- Harvest and Population reports — separate from draw odds, but worth reading alongside them: a unit that's easy to draw and has a low harvest rate is a different bet than one that's hard to draw with a high harvest rate.
How to read a Draw Recap in practice
Find your species and hunt code, then look at last year's report: how many applicants applied at your current point total (or the point total you'd have by your target year), and how many of them drew. A hunt code where zero-point applicants routinely draw is functionally over-the-counter with extra steps; a hunt code where even 15-plus-point applicants miss some years is a genuine long-term wait. CPW typically keeps several years of reports up, so check more than one year — a single year can be noisy if quotas shifted.
Using odds to plan your points
Once you know roughly how many points a unit has required historically, weigh that against how many years you're willing to spend building points before you apply for a first choice — spending points elsewhere via the point-only code in the meantime. How points accumulate covers the mechanics; the best-elk-units page adds the unit-quality side of the tradeoff so you're not just chasing the easiest draw.
Common questions
Where does CPW publish Colorado draw odds?
On each species' own hunting page, under a Statistics section — CPW does not keep one combined odds page for every species. Elk's is at cpw.state.co.us/activities/hunting/big-game/hunting-elk/elk-statistics; deer, bear, pronghorn, moose, sheep and goat each have their own equivalent page.
What is a "Drawn Out At" report?
A CPW report showing, for each hunt code and residency type, the minimum preference-point level that successfully drew a license in the most recent draw. It's the fastest way to check how many points a specific unit has historically required.
How hard is it to draw a Colorado elk tag?
It depends entirely on the hunt code — many over-the-counter and lightly subscribed limited elk hunt codes draw at zero or low points, while a handful of premier units can take well over a decade of points. Check the specific hunt code's Draw Recap rather than relying on Colorado's reputation as a whole.
Primary sources
- CPW — Elk statistics (Draw Recap, Drawn Out At, harvest, population) verified Jul. 2026
- CPW — Deer statistics verified Jul. 2026
- CPW — Big Game Primary Draw verified Jul. 2026