Last verified Oct. 2026

Elk in GMU 12

GMU 12's over-the-counter elk in 2026 is the 2nd and 3rd rifle season bull license (E-M-000-U2-R and E-M-000-U3-R), now valid on all land; archery here is limited, not over the counter. CPW 2026 Big Game Brochure

Everything below is 2026: the 2026 hunt codes, the 2026 draw and the 2025 harvest. 2027 hunt codes and quotas are not on this site yet (CPW had not published them as of October 17, 2026, when this site last checked). Codes do change between years, so confirm yours in the 2027 brochure before you apply.

Where GMU 12 is

GMU 12 lies in Moffat, Routt, Rio Blanco and Garfield counties. CPW's boundary description: bounded on N by Colo. 317, Routt CRs 29 & 55, Rio Blanco CRs 10 & 8; on E by Williams Fork-Yampa River divide; on S by Williams Fork-White River divide, USFS 250 and Rio Blanco CRs 48, 15 & 30; on W by Colo. 13. 2026 brochure, unit descriptions p. 69–72 Check the line on the ground and on private land in CPW's own Colorado Hunting Atlas; boundary roads and ridgelines are the legal edge, not a map shading. How GMUs work.

What is different about GMU 12

Like GMU 11, GMU 12 is marked "New" on CPW's 2026 map for the over-the-counter 2nd and 3rd rifle bull licenses with no land restriction; in 2025 those licenses were valid on private land only in GMU 12. 2026 brochure, OTC maps pp. 38–40 2025 brochure, OTC maps pp. 38–41

Ranching for Wildlife codes on Morgan Creek Ranch also include GMU 12; they are for Colorado residents only and good only on that ranch. 2026 brochure, Ranching for Wildlife, p. 41

Archery is different. GMU 12 is not on the 2026 over-the-counter either-sex archery map, so bowhunters draw E-E-012-O1-A, a code shared with two other units. In 2026 it had 550 licenses and 503 resident adult first-choice applicants; it drew out at 0 preference points for resident adults and 4 preference points for nonresidents. No limited elk code is valid in GMU 12 alone, so none of the draw numbers below is a GMU 12 number. CPW 2026 Elk Draw Recap

CPW selected some 2026 rifle elk codes in GMU 12 for mandatory chronic wasting disease testing: if your code is shaded green in the brochure, you must submit the head of any elk you take. Not every code in the unit was selected. 2026 brochure, mandatory CWD testing, p. 41

2026 elk hunt codes

Over-the-counter elk is available here through E-M-000-U2-R, E-M-000-U3-R; how OTC units work. "Statewide framework" dates are the general season windows on the elk seasons page.

2026 elk hunt codes valid in GMU 12 (CPW 2026 Big Game Brochure)
Hunt code	Method / season	2026 dates	Sex	License	Valid in
E-E-011-P1-A	Archery	Sept. 2–30	Either-sex	Limited (draw), private land only	12 GMUs (full list below)
E-E-012-O1-A	Archery	Sept. 2–30	Either-sex	Limited (draw)	3 GMUs: 12, 23, 24
E-E-012-O1-M	Muzzleloader	Sept. 12–20	Either-sex	Limited (draw)	3 GMUs: 12, 23, 24
E-E-012-P1-M	Muzzleloader	Sept. 12–20	Either-sex	Limited (draw), private land only	5 GMUs: 12, 13, 23, 24, 33
E-F-012-O1-M	Muzzleloader	Sept. 12–20	Cow	Limited (draw)	3 GMUs: 12, 23, 24
E-F-012-P1-M	Muzzleloader	Sept. 12–20	Cow	Limited (draw), private land only	5 GMUs: 12, 13, 23, 24, 33
E-E-011-P1-R	Rifle	Oct. 14–18	Either-sex	Limited (draw), private land only	12 GMUs (full list below)
E-E-211-W1-R	Rifle	Nov. 6–10; Nov. 28–Dec. 2	Either-sex	Ranching for Wildlife (limited) Colorado residents only	2 GMUs: 12, 211 (GMU 12: Ranching for Wildlife: Morgan Creek Ranch only)
E-F-011-O1-R	Rifle, 1st season	Oct. 14–18	Cow	Limited (draw)	9 GMUs (full list below)
E-F-011-O4-R	Rifle, 4th season	Nov. 18–22	Cow	Limited (draw)	6 GMUs: 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 211
E-F-011-P5-R	Rifle	Oct. 1–Nov. 30	Cow	Limited (draw), private land only	6 GMUs: 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 211
E-F-012-O2-R	Rifle, 2nd season	Oct. 24–Nov. 1	Cow	Limited (draw)	4 GMUs: 12, 13, 23, 24
E-F-012-O3-R	Rifle, 3rd season	Nov. 7–15	Cow	Limited (draw)	4 GMUs: 12, 13, 23, 24
E-F-211-W1-R	Rifle	Nov. 7–11; Nov. 28–Dec. 2	Cow	Ranching for Wildlife (limited) Colorado residents only	2 GMUs: 12, 211 (GMU 12: Ranching for Wildlife: Morgan Creek Ranch only)
E-M-000-U2-R	Rifle, 2nd season	Oct. 24–Nov. 1	Bull	Over the counter	90 GMUs (full list below)
E-M-000-U3-R	Rifle, 3rd season	Nov. 7–15	Bull	Over the counter	90 GMUs (full list below)
E-M-011-O1-R	Rifle, 1st season	Oct. 14–18	Bull	Limited (draw)	12 GMUs (full list below)
E-M-012-O4-R	Rifle, 4th season	Nov. 18–22	Bull	Limited (draw)	4 GMUs: 12, 13, 23, 24

E-M-000-U2-R is valid in 90 GMUs in 2026

3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 52, 53, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 131, 133, 134, 140, 141, 142, 161, 171, 181, 211, 214, 231, 301, 361, 371, 411, 421, 431, 441, 444, 471, 511, 521, 581, 591, 681, 691, 711, 741, 751, 771, 851, 861

E-M-000-U3-R is valid in 90 GMUs in 2026

E-E-011-P1-A is valid in 12 GMUs in 2026

11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231

E-E-011-P1-R is valid in 12 GMUs in 2026

11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231

E-F-011-O1-R is valid in 9 GMUs in 2026

11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 33, 131, 211, 231

E-M-011-O1-R is valid in 12 GMUs in 2026

11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231

2026 draw results

No limited elk code is valid in GMU 12 alone, so there is no GMU 12 draw statistic to show.

The codes below also include GMU 12, but they cover other units too. Their numbers are for the whole code.

E-E-011-P1-A: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231), not GMU 12 alone, 1,000 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	32	76	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident adult	364	494	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Resident youth	0	2	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident youth	5	11	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)

E-E-011-P1-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231), not GMU 12 alone, 700 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	55	118	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident adult	308	355	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Resident youth	7	12	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident youth	7	7	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)

E-E-012-O1-A: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 12, 23, 24), not GMU 12 alone, 550 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	503	400	0 preference points; 239 of 330 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	607	137	4 preference points; 38 of 158 drawn at that level
Resident youth	16	13	0 preference points; 11 of 14 drawn at that level
Nonresident youth	10	0	None drawn

E-E-012-O1-M: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 12, 23, 24), not GMU 12 alone, 100 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	142	72	1 preference point; 36 of 53 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	148	25	8 preference points; 4 of 5 drawn at that level
Resident youth	12	3	1 preference point; 2 of 5 drawn at that level
Nonresident youth	5	0	None drawn

E-E-012-P1-M: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 12, 13, 23, 24, 33), not GMU 12 alone, 50 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	7	7	0 preference points; 5 of 5 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	54	41	0 preference points; 29 of 42 drawn at that level
Nonresident youth	2	2	0 preference points; 2 of 2 drawn at that level

E-E-211-W1-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 12, 211), not GMU 12 alone, 8 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	87	8	20 preference points; 1 of 4 drawn at that level
Resident youth	6	0	None drawn

E-F-011-O1-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 33, 131, 211, 231), not GMU 12 alone, 1,500 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	444	744	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident adult	230	341	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Resident youth	53	95	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident youth	29	33	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)

E-F-011-O4-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 211), not GMU 12 alone, 2,000 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	91	216	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident adult	70	92	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Resident youth	10	27	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident youth	11	11	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)

E-F-011-P5-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 211), not GMU 12 alone, 1,000 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	202	352	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident adult	237	276	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Resident youth	11	35	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident youth	7	8	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)

E-F-012-O1-M: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 12, 23, 24), not GMU 12 alone, 100 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	33	50	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 17 of 68 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	24	40	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 16 of 37 drawn at that level
Resident youth	3	8	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 5 of 5 drawn at that level
Nonresident youth	1	2	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 1 of 1 drawn at that level

E-F-012-O2-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 12, 13, 23, 24), not GMU 12 alone, 1,500 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	284	460	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident adult	127	186	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Resident youth	19	27	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident youth	12	14	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)

E-F-012-O3-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 12, 13, 23, 24), not GMU 12 alone, 1,500 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	151	259	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident adult	125	167	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Resident youth	8	12	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident youth	7	11	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)

E-F-012-P1-M: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 12, 13, 23, 24, 33), not GMU 12 alone, 100 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	1	1	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident adult	2	4	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Resident youth	0	5	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)

E-F-211-W1-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 12, 211), not GMU 12 alone, 62 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	122	56	3 preference points; 14 of 41 drawn at that level
Resident youth	10	6	3 preference points; 1 of 1 drawn at that level

E-M-011-O1-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231), not GMU 12 alone, 3,000 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	664	966	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 302 of 945 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	1,485	1,866	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 381 of 1034 drawn at that level
Resident youth	56	87	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 31 of 93 drawn at that level
Nonresident youth	70	81	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 11 of 46 drawn at that level

E-M-012-O4-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 12, 13, 23, 24), not GMU 12 alone, 500 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	25	70	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident adult	119	145	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Resident youth	4	9	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident youth	9	13	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)

CPW 2026 Elk Draw Recap CPW 2026 Elk Drawn Out At

2025 harvest, by hunt code

CPW reports harvest by hunt code and by herd area (DAU), not by GMU. A code that covers several units reports one number for all of them, so read those rows as the code, not as GMU 12. Why success rates mislead.

2025 elk harvest by hunt code (CPW 2025 Elk Harvest Estimates). Each row is the whole hunt code, wherever it was valid in 2025 (2025 brochure unit lists).
2025 hunt code	Valid in (2025)	Hunters	Elk harvested	Success
EM000U2R (OTC)	93 GMUs (full list below) (GMU 12: private land only)	23,668	4,558	19.3%
EM000U3R (OTC)	93 GMUs (full list below) (GMU 12: private land only)	17,371	2,096	12.1%
EE011P1A	12 GMUs (full list below)	638	206	32.3%
EE012O1A	3 GMUs: 12, 23, 24	548	137	25%
EE012O1M	3 GMUs: 12, 23, 24	93	35	37.6%
EE012P1M	5 GMUs: 12, 13, 23, 24, 33	44	20	45.5%
EF012O1M	3 GMUs: 12, 23, 24	99	8	8.1%
EF012P1M	5 GMUs: 12, 13, 23, 24, 33	35	4	11.4%
EE011P1R	12 GMUs (full list below)	609	351	57.6%
EF011O1R	9 GMUs (full list below)	736	74	10.1%
EF011O4R	6 GMUs: 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 211	735	80	10.9%
EF011P5R	6 GMUs: 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 211	454	189	41.6%
EF012O2R	4 GMUs: 12, 13, 23, 24	746	99	13.3%
EF012O3R	4 GMUs: 12, 13, 23, 24	520	40	7.7%
EM011O1R	12 GMUs (full list below)	2,974	701	23.6%
EM011O2R	8 GMUs: 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 131, 211, 231	1,627	329	20.2%
EM011O3R	8 GMUs: 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 131, 211, 231	1,141	230	20.2%
EM012O4R	4 GMUs: 12, 13, 23, 24	321	67	20.9%

EM000U2R was valid in 93 GMUs in 2025

3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 52, 53, 54, 55, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 131, 133, 134, 140, 141, 142, 161, 171, 181, 211, 214, 231, 301, 361, 371, 411, 421, 431, 441, 444, 471, 511, 521, 551, 581, 591, 681, 691, 711, 741, 751, 771, 851, 861

EM000U3R was valid in 93 GMUs in 2025

EM011O1R was valid in 12 GMUs in 2025

11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231

EF011O1R was valid in 9 GMUs in 2025

11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 33, 131, 211, 231

EE011P1A was valid in 12 GMUs in 2025

11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231

EE011P1R was valid in 12 GMUs in 2025

11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231

CPW 2025 Elk Harvest Estimates

Outfitters

Majestic Trophy Outfitters, LLC OUT.2198: its own website sells hunts in GMU 12. own site

Listings come only from this site's verified outfitter directory (this unit's region: Northwest), where every record is an Active state registration with guided hunting confirmed on the outfitter's own site. Check any outfitter's registration yourself before you book (how).

Common questions

Is GMU 12 over the counter for elk?

For 2nd and 3rd rifle season bulls, yes: in 2026 E-M-000-U2-R and E-M-000-U3-R are valid in GMU 12 on public and private land. Archery is not over the counter here; it is the limited code E-E-012-O1-A.

How many points for GMU 12 archery elk?

The archery code E-E-012-O1-A drew out at 0 preference points for resident adults and 4 preference points for nonresident adults in 2026. The code also covers two other units, so those numbers are for the whole code.

Why does this page show no GMU 12 draw odds?

Because CPW publishes draw results by hunt code, and every limited elk code that includes GMU 12 also includes other units. Dividing a shared code's numbers among its units would invent a statistic CPW never published.

Where GMU 12 is

What is different about GMU 12

2026 elk hunt codes

2026 draw results

2025 harvest, by hunt code

Outfitters

Common questions

Get the printable 2026 season calendar