Last verified Oct. 2026

Elk in GMU 18

Q: Which GMU 18 codes are for GMU 18 only?

The cow codes E-F-018-L1-R , E-F-018-O2-R , E-F-018-O3-R , E-F-018-O4-R and the private-land code E-F-018-P5-R . Their 2026 draw numbers describe GMU 18. The others also cover a second unit.

GMU 18 has over-the-counter elk in 2026: resident either-sex and cow archery, and 2nd and 3rd rifle season bulls; most limited codes here are shared with one other unit. 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 18 is

GMU 18 lies in Grand County. CPW's boundary description: bounded on N and E by Continental Divide; on S by Arapaho Creek, Lake Granby and Colorado River; on W by main fork of Troublesome Creek and Poison Creek. 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 18

GMU 18 is on all three of CPW's 2026 over-the-counter elk maps: resident either-sex archery (E-E-000-U1-A), resident cow archery (E-F-000-U1-A) and 2nd and 3rd rifle season bulls. 2026 brochure, OTC maps pp. 38–40 Nonresident bowhunters use the limited code E-E-018-V1-A instead, which had licenses left after the 2026 draw.

The limited either-sex codes cover GMU 18 and one other unit, so their numbers are for both. Five cow codes are GMU 18 alone: the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rifle codes all drew to the 2nd choice for resident adults, while the late code E-F-018-L1-R (10 licenses) drew out at 2 preference points. CPW 2026 Elk Draw Recap

CPW selected some 2026 rifle elk codes in GMU 18 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-F-000-U1-A, E-E-000-U1-A, 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 18 (CPW 2026 Big Game Brochure)
Hunt code	Method / season	2026 dates	Sex	License	Valid in
E-E-000-U1-A	Archery	Sept. 2–30	Either-sex	Over the counter Resident only	115 GMUs (full list below)
E-E-018-V1-A	Archery	Sept. 2–30	Either-sex	Limited (draw) Nonresident only	2 GMUs: 18, 181
E-F-000-U1-A	Archery	Sept. 2–30	Cow	Over the counter Resident only	33 GMUs (full list below)
E-F-018-V1-A	Archery	Sept. 2–30	Cow	Limited (draw) Nonresident only	2 GMUs: 18, 181
E-E-018-O1-M	Muzzleloader	Sept. 12–20	Either-sex	Limited (draw)	2 GMUs: 18, 181
E-F-018-O1-M	Muzzleloader	Sept. 12–20	Cow	Limited (draw)	2 GMUs: 18, 181
E-E-018-O1-R	Rifle, 1st season	Oct. 14–18	Either-sex	Limited (draw)	2 GMUs: 18, 181
E-E-018-O4-R	Rifle, 4th season	Nov. 18–22	Either-sex	Limited (draw)	2 GMUs: 18, 181
E-E-018-P1-R	Rifle	Oct. 14–18	Either-sex	Limited (draw), private land only	2 GMUs: 18, 181
E-E-018-P4-R	Rifle	Nov. 18–22	Either-sex	Limited (draw), private land only	2 GMUs: 18, 181
E-F-018-L1-R	Rifle, Late	Nov. 28–Dec. 6	Cow	Limited (draw)	GMU 18 only
E-F-018-O1-R	Rifle, 1st season	Oct. 14–18	Cow	Limited (draw)	2 GMUs: 18, 181
E-F-018-O2-R	Rifle, 2nd season	Oct. 24–Nov. 1	Cow	Limited (draw)	GMU 18 only
E-F-018-O3-R	Rifle, 3rd season	Nov. 7–15	Cow	Limited (draw)	GMU 18 only
E-F-018-O4-R	Rifle, 4th season	Nov. 18–22	Cow	Limited (draw)	GMU 18 only
E-F-018-P5-R	Rifle	Sept. 1– Jan. 31, 2027	Cow	Limited (draw), private land only	GMU 18 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-F-000-U1-A is valid in 33 GMUs in 2026

6, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 30, 31, 32, 38, 43, 59, 82, 85, 86, 133, 134, 140, 141, 142, 161, 171, 181, 431, 471, 511, 581, 591, 682, 691, 791, 851, 861

E-E-000-U1-A is valid in 115 GMUs in 2026

3, 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 43, 53, 59, 60, 62, 63, 64, 65, 68, 79, 82, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 105, 106, 107, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 161, 171, 181, 211, 214, 231, 301, 361, 371, 431, 471, 511, 581, 591, 681, 691, 851, 861, 951

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

2026 draw results

These codes are valid in GMU 18 and nowhere else, so their draw numbers describe this unit. "Drawn out at" is the preference-point level of the last applicant drawn in that group, from CPW's Drawn Out At report; how to read it.

E-F-018-L1-R: 2026 primary draw, GMU 18 only, 10 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	44	8	2 preference points; 8 of 20 drawn at that level
Resident youth	4	2	0 preference points; 1 of 3 drawn at that level

E-F-018-O2-R: 2026 primary draw, GMU 18 only, 250 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	166	208	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 42 of 242 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	21	24	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 3 of 26 drawn at that level
Resident youth	9	16	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 7 of 13 drawn at that level
Nonresident youth	0	2	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 2 of 2 drawn at that level

E-F-018-O3-R: 2026 primary draw, GMU 18 only, 200 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	154	168	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 14 of 220 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	16	17	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 1 of 19 drawn at that level
Resident youth	10	14	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 4 of 8 drawn at that level
Nonresident youth	1	1	2 preference points; 1 of 1 drawn at that level

E-F-018-O4-R: 2026 primary draw, GMU 18 only, 50 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	13	48	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 35 of 102 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	0	1	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 1 of 4 drawn at that level
Resident youth	0	1	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 1 of 3 drawn at that level

E-F-018-P5-R: 2026 primary draw, GMU 18 only, 10 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	58	8	1 preference point; 5 of 34 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	1	0	None drawn
Resident youth	7	2	0 preference points; 2 of 6 drawn at that level

The codes below also include GMU 18, but they cover other units too. Their numbers are for the whole code.

E-E-018-O1-M: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 18, 181), not GMU 18 alone, 250 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	147	143	0 preference points; 120 of 124 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	117	100	0 preference points; 69 of 86 drawn at that level
Resident youth	3	3	0 preference points; 3 of 3 drawn at that level
Nonresident youth	6	4	0 preference points; 3 of 5 drawn at that level

E-E-018-O1-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 18, 181), not GMU 18 alone, 405 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	319	270	0 preference points; 207 of 256 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	217	98	0 preference points; 61 of 162 drawn at that level
Resident youth	39	34	0 preference points; 30 of 35 drawn at that level
Nonresident youth	7	3	0 preference points; 1 of 4 drawn at that level

E-E-018-O4-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 18, 181), not GMU 18 alone, 205 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	91	149	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 58 of 119 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	31	45	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 14 of 21 drawn at that level
Resident youth	3	7	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 4 of 7 drawn at that level
Nonresident youth	3	4	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 1 of 2 drawn at that level

E-E-018-P1-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 18, 181), not GMU 18 alone, 130 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	3	9	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident adult	6	13	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Resident youth	0	1	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)

E-E-018-P4-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 18, 181), not GMU 18 alone, 130 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	0	1	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)

E-E-018-V1-A: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 18, 181), not GMU 18 alone, 380 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Nonresident adult	137	262	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)
Nonresident youth	2	2	Leftover (licenses remained after the draw)

E-F-018-O1-M: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 18, 181), not GMU 18 alone, 55 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	17	45	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 28 of 105 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	0	1	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 1 of 21 drawn at that level
Resident youth	0	9	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 9 of 11 drawn at that level

E-F-018-O1-R: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 18, 181), not GMU 18 alone, 80 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Resident adult	65	66	2nd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 1 of 181 drawn at that level
Nonresident adult	5	5	0 preference points; 2 of 2 drawn at that level
Resident youth	5	8	3rd choice (every earlier-choice applicant drew); 1 of 8 drawn at that level
Nonresident youth	1	1	0 preference points; 1 of 1 drawn at that level

E-F-018-V1-A: 2026 primary draw for the whole code (GMUs 18, 181), not GMU 18 alone, 10 licenses
Applicant group	Applicants, 1st choice	Drawn, all choices	Drawn out at
Nonresident adult	2	3	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 18. 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
EE000U1A (OTC)	115 GMUs (full list below)	9,541	1,076	11.3%
EF000U1A (OTC)	29 GMUs (full list below)	872	50	5.7%
EM000U2R (OTC)	93 GMUs (full list below)	23,668	4,558	19.3%
EM000U3R (OTC)	93 GMUs (full list below)	17,371	2,096	12.1%
EE018V1A	2 GMUs: 18, 181	311	7	2.3%
EE018O1M	2 GMUs: 18, 181	350	38	10.9%
EF018O1M	2 GMUs: 18, 181	49	2	4.1%
EE018O1R	2 GMUs: 18, 181	555	93	16.8%
EE018O4R	2 GMUs: 18, 181	579	62	10.7%
EE018P1R	2 GMUs: 18, 181	35	19	54.3%
EE018P4R	2 GMUs: 18, 181	17	2	11.8%
EF018L1R	GMU 18 only	6	0	0%
EF018O1R	2 GMUs: 18, 181	68	6	8.8%
EF018O2R	GMU 18 only	271	10	3.7%
EF018O3R	GMU 18 only	348	32	9.2%
EF018O4R	GMU 18 only	379	64	16.9%
EF018P5R	GMU 18 only	10	2	20%*

* CPW flags this estimate: few hunters responded.

EF000U1A was valid in 29 GMUs in 2025

6, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 30, 31, 32, 38, 43, 82, 85, 86, 133, 134, 140, 141, 142, 161, 171, 181, 431, 471, 682, 691, 791, 851, 861

EE000U1A was valid in 115 GMUs in 2025

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

CPW 2025 Elk Harvest Estimates

Outfitters

No outfitter in this site's verified directory sells hunts in GMU 18 on its own website or lists it among its registered GMUs, so none is named here. We do not place outfitters on a unit page by mailing address.

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 18 over the counter for elk?

Yes. In 2026 residents can buy either-sex or cow archery licenses over the counter for GMU 18, and anyone can buy the 2nd or 3rd rifle season bull license (E-M-000-U2-R, E-M-000-U3-R).

Which GMU 18 codes are for GMU 18 only?

The cow codes E-F-018-L1-R, E-F-018-O2-R, E-F-018-O3-R, E-F-018-O4-R and the private-land code E-F-018-P5-R. Their 2026 draw numbers describe GMU 18. The others also cover a second unit.

Are GMU 18 cow tags easy to draw?

Most were in 2026: the 2nd, 3rd and 4th rifle cow codes drew to the 2nd choice for resident adults, meaning every first-choice applicant drew. The late cow code took 2 preference points.

Where GMU 18 is

What is different about GMU 18

2026 elk hunt codes

2026 draw results

2025 harvest, by hunt code

Outfitters

Common questions

Get the printable 2026 season calendar