Colorado Nonresident Hunting Guide: Tags, Points, and a Multi-Year Strategy

Colorado is the most accessible western state for nonresident hunters who want to start hunting today while building toward better opportunities down the road. You don’t need points. You don’t need a draw. You can buy a Colorado archery elk tag right now and be hunting mature bulls on millions of acres of public land this September. That’s not true in Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, or most of the other western states where nonresidents face either draw barriers or wilderness outfitter requirements.

But Colorado’s size creates its own challenge. More than 200 game management units, five major mountain ranges, and dramatically different hunting quality across OTC and draw tags means the difference between a productive hunt and a frustrating one comes down to planning. This guide covers what you actually need to know — the costs, the system mechanics, and how to build a strategy that puts you in the field every year while working toward the best units the state has to offer.

Check current Colorado draw odds before you finalize any application strategy. Point requirements shift annually and what’s accurate in this guide may not match next year’s draw results.

How Colorado’s Preference Point System Works

Colorado Parks and Wildlife uses a weighted preference point system — not a pure priority system. That distinction matters. In a pure priority system, the highest-point holder draws first and zero-point applicants never see premium units. In Colorado’s weighted system, your points multiply your chances rather than guarantee a place in line.

Here’s the mechanics: each preference point you hold adds one additional entry for your name in the draw. A hunter with 5 points gets their name entered 6 times (their 5 points plus one base entry). A hunter with zero points gets entered once. The drawing is random within the combined pool. This means zero-point applicants technically have a shot at any unit — just a very small one in competitive units.

The annual cost to build a point is $34 per species per year for nonresidents who aren’t applying for a full license. That’s the point-only fee. If you apply for an actual tag and don’t draw, you earn a point automatically. If you just want to bank points without hunting, the point-only application costs $34 plus a nominal application fee.

Points are species-specific. Your elk points don’t transfer to deer, and deer points don’t transfer to pronghorn. Each species tracks separately. If you want to build points for elk, deer, and pronghorn simultaneously, you’re spending $34 per species — roughly $100/year total across the three most common species.

OTC Tags vs. Draw Tags: Which Species and When

Colorado divides its hunting opportunities sharply between over-the-counter tags (no draw required) and draw tags. Knowing which category your target species falls into determines whether you’re hunting this year or waiting years.

OTC (No Draw Required):

• Elk archery — available in most units, purchase directly online or at license agents
• Elk muzzleloader — OTC in most units during the dedicated muzzleloader season
• Bear — spring and fall bear seasons are OTC in most units
• Mountain lion — OTC in quota units with open seasons (check CPW for current closures)
• Turkey — spring turkey is OTC in most units

Draw Required (Lottery Tags):

• Elk rifle — rifle elk tags require a draw in most units; some leftover tags go OTC in July
• Mule deer — both archery and rifle tags require a draw in most units
• Pronghorn — draw required
• Bighorn sheep — draw required (extremely limited tags, multi-decade point accumulation for nonresidents)
• Mountain goat — draw required (possibly the longest draw in the state)
• Moose — draw required

The bottom line: if you want to hunt elk this year as a nonresident, Colorado’s OTC archery option is your fastest path to a tag. If you want a rifle elk tag or a mule deer tag, you’re going through the draw — and your first application puts you in the zero-point pool.

Entry-Level Opportunities: 0–3 Points

Hunters starting from zero points have more legitimate options in Colorado than in any other major western elk state. The strategy isn’t to wait — it’s to hunt something good while points accumulate.

OTC Archery Elk — This is the single best entry-level opportunity for nonresident big game hunters in the American West. No points required, no draw, buy online and go. September archery season runs through the peak rut, and a bugling bull in Colorado’s high country is one of the most exciting hunting experiences available. Units 54, 521, 62, and 75 consistently produce above-average OTC archery results for DIY hunters willing to get off the road and into the timber. Success rates run 10–15% for archery elk statewide, but dedicated hunters in the right terrain do significantly better.

OTC Mule Deer — Many Units — A significant number of Colorado GMUs offer over-the-counter archery mule deer tags. The hunting quality varies, but units in western Colorado — Mesa, Delta, and Montrose counties — hold good deer numbers and are fully accessible on BLM and National Forest land without a draw. Don’t expect Boone & Crockett bucks, but you’ll see deer, get experience, and the hunting is genuinely fun.

Zero-Point Draw Hunts — Colorado’s weighted system gives zero-point applicants a real (if small) chance at draw tags. Some less-pressured rifle elk units and mule deer units draw at 0–2 points in some years. Pull the draw odds engine data before applying — there are units where you have a legitimate 5–15% draw chance with zero points.

The Deer/Elk Combo License Explained

Colorado offers a deer/elk combination license that bundles both species licenses at a slight discount compared to buying them separately. For nonresidents, the combo license makes sense if you’re planning to hunt both species in the same season — which is a common and very productive approach in western Colorado units where elk and mule deer share range.

The combo license still requires separate draw applications for each species if you’re targeting draw units. What it bundles is the base license cost. A nonresident elk license alone runs approximately $661 for the 2024–2025 season. A nonresident deer license runs approximately $361. The combo saves you the duplicate base license fee.

For hunters applying to draw units, the combo structure means you can use the same hunting license for both draw tags if both applications succeed. For OTC hunters, it simply means one purchase covers both species for the season.

Check CPW’s current fee schedule — prices adjust annually and the combo savings margin fluctuates.

License Costs by Species

Knowing what you’ll spend before you apply helps you plan the multi-year budget honestly. Here are current nonresident license costs for Colorado’s primary species:

• Elk: ~$661 (license) + $10.37 (habitat stamp) + $50 (draw application fee for limited units)
• Mule Deer: ~$361 (license) + $10.37 (habitat stamp) + $50 (draw application fee)
• Pronghorn: ~$361 (license) + draw application fee
• Black Bear: ~$61 (OTC, no draw)
• Wild Turkey: ~$61 (spring OTC in most units)
• Annual preference point (no hunt): $34 per species + application fee

If you’re building points for elk and deer simultaneously without hunting, you’re spending roughly $100–$120 per year in total point maintenance across both species. Over 8 years building toward a premium elk unit, that’s $800–$960 in point costs before your actual license purchase.

The January Deadline and Application Timeline

Colorado’s big game draw application deadline falls in early April — typically the first Tuesday of April. Applications open in early March through the CPW online portal. Draw results are announced in late May or early June.

Wait — January was mentioned in the intro. Here’s the nuance: some hunters conflate Wyoming’s January deadline with Colorado’s April deadline, especially when managing applications across multiple states simultaneously. Colorado’s deadline is April. Wyoming’s is January. If you’re applying in both states, you’ll hit Wyoming in January and Colorado in April. Don’t mix up the calendars.

After the draw closes, CPW publishes a leftover tag list in early July. Leftover tags are first-come, first-served — no points required. This list occasionally includes rifle elk and deer tags for units that didn’t fully subscribe in the draw. It’s not reliable for premium units, but it’s worth checking if you missed the draw deadline or want a bonus opportunity.

Key calendar dates to track:

• Early March: Colorado draw opens
• First Tuesday of April: Application deadline (hard cutoff)
• Late May/Early June: Draw results announced
• Early July: Leftover list published
• August 31: OTC archery elk season opens (most units)

Units Worth Targeting by Point Level

Rather than chasing the most-talked-about premium units immediately, match your target unit to your realistic draw timeline.

0–2 points: OTC archery elk in units 54, 75, 62, 521. Rifle mule deer draw in some lesser-pressure GMUs on the eastern plains and western slope. Zero-point random pool for rifle elk units that don’t fully subscribe.

3–5 points: Mid-tier rifle elk units like 211, 231, and several northwest Colorado GMUs start drawing in this range for nonresidents. Mule deer draw tags in some western Colorado units with decent buck quality. These are real hunts — not compromises. Success rates in the 20–28% range on bulls, with legitimate mature deer opportunity.

6–10 points: You’re starting to see premium unit access. Elk Units 2, 10, and 22 have drawn in this range in recent years. Mule deer units with documented 150+ class bucks are accessible. This is the window where the investment in annual applications pays off clearly.

10+ points: Top-tier elk country. Units 61, 76, and 201 are the names hunters talk about at 15–20+ points. The Gunnison Basin, the Flat Tops, the Rawah Wilderness. These require patience, but the hunting quality at this level is genuinely elite.

Use the draw odds engine to model exactly where you stand and which units are realistic at your current point total.

The Multi-Year Strategy That Actually Works

The hunters who get the most value out of Colorado approach it as a parallel system, not a waiting room. Here’s the framework:

Year 1–3: Hunt OTC archery elk every year. Start accumulating points for elk draw and mule deer draw simultaneously. Learn the terrain, the seasons, and which GMUs match your access preferences and fitness level. These are hunting seasons, not practice runs.

Year 4–6: You should have draw tags within reach for mid-tier rifle elk units and decent mule deer units. Take them. Drawing a mid-tier elk unit at 5 points resets your elk points to zero, but you’ve killed a Colorado bull — and your deer points are still growing. This is the stage where Colorado’s system pays you back for consistent investment.

Year 7–10: Rebuild elk points after your mid-tier draw while your deer points approach premium unit range. Consider which species you want to prioritize for the long game. If the Gunnison Basin is the goal, plan for 20+ years. If you’re satisfied with consistent mid-tier elk success every 5–6 years while occasionally drawing premium deer tags, that’s an achievable and very satisfying hunting life.

The preference point tracker lets you map this entire arc across species and states so you can see exactly where you stand at any given point in your strategy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a guide to hunt Colorado as a nonresident? No. Colorado has no outfitter requirement for nonresidents, even on national forest and wilderness land. You can hunt completely DIY. Guides are optional — not legally required.

Can I buy a Colorado elk tag online without going through a draw? Yes, for archery and muzzleloader seasons. OTC archery elk licenses are available through CPW’s online portal from late July onward. Rifle elk tags require the spring draw for most units.

What’s the cheapest way to start building Colorado preference points? The point-only application. Submit an application for elk or deer (or both) by the April deadline and pay the point fee ($34/species plus a small app fee). You don’t need to purchase a full license — just the point application. It costs under $50 per species per year to maintain your position in the system.

Is Colorado’s mule deer hunting good for nonresidents? It depends heavily on the unit. OTC archery mule deer in many western Colorado units gives you legal hunting access on good public land. Draw tags in units like 40, 411, and premium GMUs in the southwest corner produce bucks that rival Utah and Nevada. The entry bar is lower than those states because you can hunt something every year while points build.

How do leftover tags work in Colorado? After the main draw, CPW publishes a list of remaining tags in early July. These sell first-come, first-served with no point requirement. Availability varies year to year — some years premium units have leftover tags, most years they don’t. Set a CPW account alert and check the list the morning it goes live.

Is Colorado worth applying for if I’m also applying in other western states? Yes. Colorado’s April deadline doesn’t conflict with Wyoming (January), Nevada (February), or Arizona (February). You can apply in all four without deadline conflicts. At $34/year/species, Colorado points are among the cheapest to maintain in the West. The OTC archery option means you’re hunting regardless of draw results in any state.

Sources & verification

Seasons, license fees, application windows, and draw structure for Colorado change every year. Always verify the current details against the official Colorado agency before applying or hunting.

• Colorado Parks & Wildlife — cpw.state.co.us