Colorado game management unit · herd E-43
Unit 551 elk
Part of the East Gunnison Basin herd. 11 limited elk hunts in the 2026 draw, 8 of them drawable by residents with zero points. The toughest, E-M-551-O4-R, took 2 pts for residents.
Draw hunts
11
11 List A · 0 List B/C
Harvest success 2025
17%
544 hunters · 90 elk (draw hunts only)
Herd estimate 2025
6,920
+48% since 2019
Bulls per 100 cows
21
herd E-43, 2025
Over the counter in Unit 551
No over-the-counter elk licenses are valid in Unit 551 in 2026 — every license here comes through the draw or leftovers.
Draw hunts in Unit 551
| Hunt code | Hunt | List | Licenses | Residents need | Nonres. need | Trend | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-E-551-O1-A | Either sex · Archery | A | 190 | 0 pts | 4 pts | → steady | 18% |
| E-F-551-O1-M | Cow · Muzzleloader | A | 60 | 2nd choice | 2nd choice | → steady | 16% |
| E-M-551-O1-M | Bull · Muzzleloader | A | 30 | 1 pt | 7 pts | → steady | 30% |
| E-F-551-O1-R | Cow · 1st rifle | A | 80 | 0 pts | 0 pts | → steady | 9% |
| E-F-551-O2-R | Cow · 2nd rifle | A | 100 | 0 pts | 1 pt | → steady | 13% |
| E-F-551-O3-R | Cow · 3rd rifle | A | 90 | 0 pts | 1 pt | → steady | 17% |
| E-F-551-O4-R | Cow · 4th rifle | A | 35 | 2nd choice | 2nd choice | → steady | 30% |
| E-M-551-O1-R | Bull · 1st rifle | A | 60 | 1 pt | 4 pts | → steady | 13% |
| E-M-551-O2-R | Bull · 2nd rifle | A | 510 | Leftover | Leftover | — | |
| E-M-551-O3-R | Bull · 3rd rifle | A | 315 | Leftover | Leftover | — | |
| E-M-551-O4-R | Bull · 4th rifle | A | 10 | 2 pts | 4 pts | → steady | 29% |
Harvest by year
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 | Nonres. need | Trend | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-E-551-O1-M | Either sex · Muzzleloader | — | — | Not offered | — | ||
| E-E-551-O4-R | Either sex · 4th rifle | — | — | Not offered | → steady | — |