How the Colorado draw works

The pieces of the draw

Four things sit under every Colorado draw application, and getting any one wrong voids it:

• A hunt code: a single string that encodes species, unit, season, and license type (for example the second-rifle bull-elk code for a particular unit). You apply for specific hunt codes in order of preference.
• Preference points: you earn one point each year you apply and don't draw your first choice. Licenses go to the highest-point applicants first, so a hard-to-draw unit can take years of points. How points work in full.
• A qualifying license: you must hold one (usually the annual small-game license) to even apply. It is a real added cost; the fee tables spell it out.
• The application fee: a non-refundable processing fee per species application ($8.93 resident, $11.49 non-resident). CPW Primary Draw

Primary draw, secondary draw, leftover

The season runs on a fixed cadence. If you don't draw in the primary, you get two more shots at a tag:

• Primary draw: apply March 1 to April 7, 2026; results post late May. This is where the good limited tags are awarded. CPW Primary Draw
• Secondary draw: a real second draw (not a first-come sale) for elk, deer, pronghorn and bear licenses left after the primary, closing June 30, 2026 at 8 p.m. MT. Open to everyone whether or not you applied in the primary; one application per species, up to four choices, no groups. Preference points are not used or awarded here, and youth aged 12–17 get priority for every license. CPW Secondary Draw
• Leftover & over-the-counter: remaining limited licenses go on sale August 4, 2026 at 9 a.m. MDT, the same day OTC tags go on sale. What stays over-the-counter. CPW · leftover licenses

Everything in the Draw & Licenses section

• Draw application deadlines

  The full deadline calendar: primary, secondary, and leftover.

• How preference points work

  How points accumulate, and the res vs non-res pools.

• Over-the-counter (OTC) elk tags

  Which elk tags you can still buy without the draw, and what changed.

• What a Colorado hunting license costs

  Resident and non-resident fee tables for every species.

• Reading CPW draw odds

  How to read CPW's own draw statistics before you apply.

• What your points drew in 2026

  Pick your points: what every 2026 elk, deer and pronghorn hunt code drew at that level.

• Youth hunting in Colorado

  Youth seasons, discounted licenses, and mentor rules.

• Hunter education requirements

  The hunter-education card requirement and how to get it.

Preference points, in one paragraph

You earn a preference point for a species when you apply correctly and miss your first-choice hunt code, or when you apply for a point on purpose using the point-only code P-999-99-P. Points accumulate until you draw a first choice, then reset, and they lapse if you go 10 years without applying for that species. Residents and non-residents are in the same draw, but non-residents can win only up to 20% or 25% of a hunt code's first-choice licenses, so their cutoffs run higher. Elk, deer, pronghorn and bear have no point fee; the once-in-a-lifetime species (moose, Rocky Mountain sheep, goat) charge $50 resident / $100 non-resident for a point, which you opt into on the application. There is also a hybrid draw inside the primary: a random shot at the units that have taken 10+ resident points to draw (a rolling three-year average, per the brochure), open to applicants holding at least five. CPW Primary Draw The preference-points page works through the details.

Common questions

When is the Colorado draw application deadline for 2026?

The 2026 primary draw closes April 7, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. Mountain time. The application window opened March 1. A secondary draw for leftover licenses follows, closing June 30, 2026 at 8 p.m. Mountain time.

Do I need preference points to hunt elk in Colorado?

Not for over-the-counter elk tags. Those need no points and no draw. You need points to draw the limited hunt codes (specific units and seasons), and hard-to-draw units can require many years of points. See OTC tags and preference points.

What happens if I miss the draw deadline?

You can still apply in the secondary draw, which closes June 30, 2026 at 8 p.m. Mountain time, for licenses left after the primary, or buy an over-the-counter tag when leftover and OTC sales open on August 4, 2026 at 9 a.m. MDT. You just lose access to the best limited tags, which are awarded in the primary draw.