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Colorado Draw Odds
Colorado game management unit · herd E-5

Unit 53 elk

Part of the West Elk Mountains herd. 13 limited elk hunts in the 2026 draw, 13 of them drawable by residents with zero points. The toughest, E-M-053-O1-M, took 0 pts for residents.

Draw hunts
13
12 List A · 1 List B/C
Harvest success 2025
26%
1,019 hunters · 263 elk (draw hunts only)
Herd estimate 2025
10,230
+33% since 2019
Bulls per 100 cows
28
herd E-5, 2025

Over the counter in Unit 53

  • 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 53

Hunt codeHuntListLicensesResidents needNonres. needTrendSuccess
E-E-053-V1-A Either sex · Nonresident archery A 650 Leftover Leftover 24%
E-F-053-O1-M Cow · Muzzleloader A 40 Leftover Leftover → steady 22%
E-M-053-O1-M Bull · Muzzleloader A 85 0 pts 0 pts → steady 25%
E-E-053-P1-R Either sex · Private land only rifle · 53, 63 A 85 Leftover Leftover → steady 49%
E-E-053-P4-R Either sex · Private land only (4) rifle · 53, 63 A 65 Leftover Leftover → steady 19%
E-F-053-O1-R Cow · 1st rifle A 40 0 pts 0 pts → steady 47%
E-F-053-O2-R Cow · 2nd rifle A 60 0 pts 0 pts → steady 33%
E-F-053-O3-R Cow · 3rd rifle A 70 Leftover Leftover → steady 13%
E-F-053-O4-R Cow · 4th rifle · 53, 63 A 60 Leftover Leftover → steady 20%
E-F-053-P5-R Cow · Private land only (5) rifle · 53, 63 B 100 2nd choice 2nd choice → steady 31%
E-F-063-O4-R Cow · 4th rifle · 53, 63 A 30 Leftover Leftover → steady 29%
E-M-053-O1-R Bull · 1st rifle A 80 0 pts 3 pts → steady 24%
E-M-053-O4-R Bull · 4th rifle A 25 Leftover Leftover → steady 0%

Harvest by year

2019 14% 2,169 hunters · 204 bulls · 92 cows
2020 12% 2,152 hunters · 179 bulls · 69 cows
2021 10% 2,370 hunters · 126 bulls · 110 cows
2022 14% 2,133 hunters · 190 bulls · 112 cows
2023 13% 2,067 hunters · 154 bulls · 95 cows
2024 16% 2,033 hunters · 218 bulls · 99 cows
2025 26% 1,019 hunters · 154 bulls · 109 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.