Elk in GMU 40

Where GMU 40 is

GMU 40 lies in Mesa County. CPW's boundary description: bounded on N by Colorado River; on E by U.S. 50; on S by Colo. 141 and Dolores River; on W by UT. 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 40

GMU 40 is not on CPW's 2026 map for the unlimited 2nd and 3rd season bull licenses. 2026 brochure, OTC maps pp. 38–40 No over-the-counter archery license is valid in GMU 40; archery elk here is drawn.

GMU 40 has 15 limited elk codes for 2026 (1 archery, 2 muzzleloader and 12 rifle), 15 of them valid in this GMU alone. Resident adult cutoffs, highest first: E-E-040-W1-R at 28 preference points, E-E-040-O1-R at 14 preference points, E-E-040-O2-R at 12 preference points, E-E-040-O3-R at 12 preference points and E-E-040-O1-M at 11 preference points. The code with the most licenses is E-F-040-P5-R (valid in this GMU alone): 200 licenses and 65 resident adult first-choice applicants. CPW 2026 Elk Draw Recap

Largest codes valid in GMU 40 alone: E-F-040-P5-R (200 licenses, drew out at 2nd choice), E-F-040-O4-R (80 licenses, drew out at 2nd choice) and E-E-040-O1-A (65 licenses, drew out at 10 preference points).

The 2025 harvest row with the most hunters among codes that include GMU 40 is EF040P5R: 57.3% success among 164 hunters, for the whole code across 1 GMU, not GMU 40 alone. CPW 2025 Elk Harvest Estimates

Ranching for Wildlife codes here (Pinon Mesa Ranch) are for Colorado residents only and good only on the ranch. 2026 brochure, Ranching for Wildlife, p. 41

2026 elk hunt codes

There is no over-the-counter elk license valid in GMU 40 in 2026: every elk code here is drawn. "Statewide framework" dates are the general season windows on the elk seasons page.

2026 draw results

These codes are valid in GMU 40 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.

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 40. Why success rates mislead.

* CPW flags this estimate: few hunters responded.

CPW 2025 Elk Harvest Estimates

Outfitters

No outfitter in this site's verified directory sells hunts in GMU 40 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: Southwest), 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 there over-the-counter elk in GMU 40?

No. GMU 40 is on none of CPW's 2026 over-the-counter elk maps, so every elk license here is drawn.

What does it take to draw elk in GMU 40?

The highest-cutoff 2026 code that includes GMU 40, E-E-040-W1-R, drew out at 28 preference points for resident adults and no apps for nonresident adults; it covers this GMU alone.