Colorado game management unit · herd E-17
Unit 561 elk
Part of the Collegiate Range herd. 10 limited elk hunts in the 2026 draw, 9 of them drawable by residents with zero points. The toughest, E-M-561-O1-R, took 1 pt for residents.
Draw hunts
10
10 List A · 0 List B/C
Harvest success 2025
19%
295 hunters · 55 elk (draw hunts only)
Herd estimate 2025
3,470
+16% since 2019
Bulls per 100 cows
23
herd E-17, 2025
Over the counter in Unit 561
No over-the-counter elk licenses are valid in Unit 561 in 2026 — every license here comes through the draw or leftovers.
Draw hunts in Unit 561
| Hunt code | Hunt | List | Licenses | Residents need | Nonres. need | Trend | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-E-561-O1-A | Either sex · Archery | A | 80 | 0 pts | 0 pts | → steady | 15% |
| E-F-561-O1-M | Cow · Muzzleloader | A | 25 | 2nd choice | 2nd choice | → steady | 10% |
| E-M-561-O1-M | Bull · Muzzleloader | A | 35 | 0 pts | 0 pts | → steady | 24% |
| E-F-561-O2-R | Cow · 2nd rifle | A | 30 | 0 pts | 1 pt | → steady | 3% |
| E-F-561-O3-R | Cow · 3rd rifle | A | 30 | 0 pts | 0 pts | → steady | 0% |
| E-F-561-O4-R | Cow · 4th rifle | A | 20 | Leftover | Leftover | → steady | 12% |
| E-M-561-O1-R | Bull · 1st rifle | A | 30 | 1 pt | 4 pts | → steady | 63% |
| E-M-561-O2-R | Bull · 2nd rifle | A | 30 | 0 pts | 1 pt | → steady | 12% |
| E-M-561-O3-R | Bull · 3rd rifle | A | 30 | 2nd choice | 0 pts | → steady | 8% |
| E-M-561-O4-R | Bull · 4th rifle | A | 20 | 3rd choice | 2nd choice | → steady | 35% |
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.