Elk in GMU 481

Where GMU 481 is

GMU 481 lies in Chaffee County. CPW's boundary description: bounded on N by South Fork of Clear Creek and Clear Creek; on E by Arkansas River; on S by Chalk Creek and Tincup Pass Rd. from St. Elmo; on W by Continental Divide. 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 481

GMU 481 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 481; archery elk here is drawn.

GMU 481 has 11 limited elk codes for 2026 (1 archery, 2 muzzleloader and 8 rifle), 11 of them valid in this GMU alone. Resident adult cutoffs, highest first: E-M-481-O1-R at 1 preference point, E-E-481-O1-A at 0 preference points, E-M-481-O2-R at 0 preference points, E-F-481-P5-R at 0 preference points and E-M-481-O1-M at 0 preference points. The code with the most licenses is E-E-481-O1-A (valid in this GMU alone): 110 licenses and 124 resident adult first-choice applicants. CPW 2026 Elk Draw Recap

Largest codes valid in GMU 481 alone: E-E-481-O1-A (110 licenses, drew out at 0 preference points), E-M-481-O2-R (85 licenses, drew out at 0 preference points) and E-F-481-O2-R (80 licenses, drew out at 2nd choice).

The 2025 harvest row with the most hunters among codes that include GMU 481 is EE481O1A: 20.8% success among 106 hunters, for the whole code across 1 GMU, not GMU 481 alone. CPW 2025 Elk Harvest Estimates

2026 elk hunt codes

There is no over-the-counter elk license valid in GMU 481 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 481 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 481. 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 481 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: Central), 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 481?

No. GMU 481 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 481?

The highest-cutoff 2026 code that includes GMU 481, E-M-481-O1-R, drew out at 1 preference point for resident adults and 5 preference points for nonresident adults; it covers this GMU alone.