Colorado game management unit · herd E-2

Unit 3 elk

Part of the Bears Ears herd. 21 limited elk hunts in the 2026 draw, 17 of them drawable by residents with zero points. The toughest, E-E-003-W1-R, took 6 pts for residents.

Draw hunts

20 List A · 1 List B/C

Harvest success 2025

20%

4,161 hunters · 836 elk (draw hunts only)

Herd estimate 2025

17,070

-23% since 2019

Bulls per 100 cows

herd E-2, 2025

Over the counter in Unit 3

List A Archery either-sex (resident) E-E-000-U1-A
List A 2nd rifle bull E-M-000-U2-R
List A 3rd rifle bull E-M-000-U3-R

Draw hunts in Unit 3

Hunt code	Hunt	List	Licenses	Residents need	Nonres. need	Trend	Success
E-E-003-P1-A	Either sex · Private land only archery · 3, 4, 5, 14, 214, 301, 441	A	660	Leftover	Leftover		22%
E-E-003-V1-A	Either sex · Nonresident archery · 3, 301	A	100	Leftover	Leftover		5%
E-E-003-O1-M	Either sex · Muzzleloader · 3, 301	A	20	0 pts	4 pts	→ steady	13%
E-F-003-O1-M	Cow · Muzzleloader · 3, 301	A	20	Leftover	Leftover	→ steady	0%
E-E-003-O1-R	Either sex · 1st rifle · 3, 4, 5, 301, 441	A	800	0 pts	3 pts	→ steady	28%
E-E-003-O4-R	Either sex · 4th rifle · 3, 301	A	500	3rd choice	3rd choice	→ steady	1%
E-E-003-P1-R	Either sex · Private land only rifle · 3, 4, 5, 214, 301, 441	A	400	Leftover	Leftover	→ steady	47%
E-E-003-W1-R	Either sex · Ranching for Wildlife rifle · 3, 301	A	7	6 pts	No applicants	↓ easier	40%
E-E-003-W3-R	Either sex · Ranching for Wildlife (3) rifle · 3, 301	A	4	5 pts	No applicants	→ steady	40%
E-F-003-L1-R	Cow · Late rifle · 3, 4, 5, 214, 301, 441	A	100	5 pts	5 pts	↑ harder	81%
E-F-003-O1-R	Cow · 1st rifle · 3, 4, 5, 214, 301, 441	A	400	2nd choice	2nd choice	→ steady	44%
E-F-003-O2-R	Cow · 2nd rifle · 3, 4, 5, 214, 301, 441	A	400	Leftover	Leftover	→ steady	6%
E-F-003-O3-R	Cow · 3rd rifle · 3, 301	A	400	2nd choice	2nd choice	↓ easier	14%
E-F-003-O4-R	Cow · 4th rifle · 3, 4, 5, 301, 441	A	600	Leftover	Leftover	→ steady	21%
E-F-003-P5-R	Cow · Private land only (5) rifle · 3, 4, 5, 301, 441	B	700	Leftover	Leftover	→ steady	41%
E-F-003-W1-R	Cow · Ranching for Wildlife rifle · 3, 301	A	20	1 pt	No applicants	→ steady	40%
E-F-003-W3-R	Cow · Ranching for Wildlife (3) rifle · 3, 301	A	20	Leftover	Leftover	→ steady	40%
E-F-003-W5-R	Cow · Ranching for Wildlife (5) rifle · 3, 301	A	22	0 pts	No applicants	→ steady	50%
E-F-004-O2-R	Cow · 2nd rifle · 3, 4, 5, 214, 301, 441	A	400	2nd choice	2nd choice	↓ easier	29%
E-F-005-O2-R	Cow · 2nd rifle · 3, 4, 5, 214, 301, 441	A	100	2nd choice	2nd choice	→ steady	13%
E-M-214-O1-R	Bull · 1st rifle · 3, 4, 5, 214, 301, 441	A	75	Leftover	Leftover	→ steady	33%

Harvest by year

2019 28% 4,037 hunters · 370 bulls · 661 cows

2020 19% 3,842 hunters · 248 bulls · 453 cows

2021 24% 3,727 hunters · 396 bulls · 456 cows

2022 27% 3,783 hunters · 404 bulls · 579 cows

2023 9% 1,629 hunters · 93 bulls · 51 cows

2024 16% 1,038 hunters · 100 bulls · 60 cows

2025 20% 4,161 hunters · 436 bulls · 373 cows

All seasons and weapons combined, from CPW harvest surveys. 2025 figures add up the hunt-code estimates CPW published, so they leave out over-the-counter hunters.

Discontinued hunts

Hunt code	Hunt	List	Licenses	Residents need	Trend	Success
E-E-003-W2-R	Either sex · Ranching for Wildlife (2) rifle · 3, 301	—	—	Not offered	↑ harder	48%
E-F-003-E1-R	Cow · Early rifle · 3, 301	—	—	Not offered	↑ harder	0%
E-F-003-W2-R	Cow · Ranching for Wildlife (2) rifle · 3, 301	—	—	Not offered	→ steady	48%
E-F-003-W4-R	Cow · Ranching for Wildlife (4) rifle · 3, 301	—	—	Not offered	→ steady	48%
E-F-003-W6-R	Cow · Ranching for Wildlife (6) rifle · 3, 301	—	—	Not offered	→ steady	48%
E-M-003-O1-R	Bull · 1st rifle · 3, 301	—	—	Not offered	→ steady	19%
E-M-003-O2-R	Bull · 2nd rifle · 3, 301	—	—	Not offered		15%
E-M-003-O3-R	Bull · 3rd rifle · 3, 301	—	—	Not offered		13%
E-M-003-O4-R	Bull · 4th rifle · 3, 301	—	—	Not offered	→ steady	9%