Frequently Asked Questions About the Colorado Draw and Applications

The primary big game draw in Colorado is now open. Applications are accepted from March 1 until April 4, 2023.

Even if you don’t intend to hunt in Colorado this year, you should consider putting in for preference points. And likewise, if your plan is to purchase an over-the-counter (OTC) license, you should also consider applying for preference points in this year’s draw.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the Colorado big game draw, and reasons why you should be applying this year…

How does the draw work in Colorado?

While Colorado does offer over-the-counter elk licenses in some units for archery, 2nd rifle and 3rd rifle seasons, the bulk of Colorado’s big game tags are distributed in the annual primary draw. 

For the purposes of this article, we will focus on how the draw works for elk, deer, pronghorn and bear. The draw for Colorado’s “big three” (that’s moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat) works differently. That’s a different topic for another day.

When you apply for a big game species in Colorado, you’ll see the option to list four choices on your application. You are not required to enter a 2nd, 3rd or 4th choice on your application. In the 1st choice box, you can apply for a license. Or, you can apply for a preference point only.

When distributing limited big game licenses in the primary draw, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) begins by looking at all 1st choice entries for each tag. And any hunt where the number of applicants outnumbers the amount of tags available, CPW uses preference points to determine who gets those limited number of tags. Tags are distributed to applicants with the highest number of preference points until the available quota is sold out.

If a hunter applies for a license in their 1st choice box and they are not successful, they will automatically receive a preference point. Hunters who applied for a preference point only in their 1st choice box will also receive a preference point for that species. Hunters may accumulate one preference point per species, per year. If a hunter applies for a license as their 1st choice and they are successful in drawing that tag, any preference points they’ve accumulated will be reset to zero.

The 1st choice round is the only one that uses preference points. Once CPW has considered all 1st choice entries and distributed licenses accordingly, they will then move on and look at 2nd choice entries. If there are any licenses remaining, those tags will be distributed randomly to applicants who applied for that hunt as their second choice. The 3rd choice and 4th choice rounds work the same way.  

Why do preference points matter?

Every draw system has its pros and cons. The benefit of Colorado’s preference point system is that it’s fairly predictable. A glance through Colorado’s big game draw statistics will show you how licenses for each hunt were distributed last year. For each hunt, you can see if preference points were required and if so, how many points. Or, you can see which licenses can be drawn as a 2nd choice, 3rd choice, or even which ones still had leftovers after the draw was complete.  

Some hunts take many preference points to draw. For example, we offer elk hunts in unit 61, which is one of Colorado’s high-demand elk units. In order to draw a 1st rifle season license here last year, nonresident applicants needed 24-25 preference points!

Meanwhile, other hunts can be drawn with a small number of points. Still others are undersubscribed with leftovers available after the primary draw. In large part, these outcomes are based on supply and demand. It’s easy to think about it this way – the more points required, the higher the demand for the hunt. Is a tag that requires two preference points going to be a higher quality hunt than a tag that doesn’t require any points? Well, at least those applicants thought so.

All that to say, preference points will open more doors. Whether your goal is to save points for many years on a very high-demand hunt or maybe just save a point or two to go on a hunt that offers better quality than the OTC options, consider your goals and start saving those points now.

Do I have to use my preference points on a specific unit or season? 

No. Preference points are specific to each species. An elk point can only be used for elk. But points are not specific to any unit or season. Your elk points can be used to apply for an elk license in any unit or season.

If you don’t know how you will use your points eventually, that’s ok. This year, you can simply apply for a preference point for each species. Then later on down the road, you can decide how you’d like to use those points.

Can I get a preference point this year and still buy a license to go hunting?

In some cases, yes. Remember that only the 1st choice box on your application is the one that uses preference points. So, you can apply for a point as your first choice. Then you can browse through the CPW draw statistics to see which licenses for that species might be available as a 2nd choice. This would allow you to gain that preference point as your first choice and then draw a license 2nd choice. If you successfully draw a tag as your 2nd, 3rd or 4th choice, this will not affect your preference points.

You could also choose to apply for a preference point, and then purchase an over-the-counter license. Purchasing an OTC license will not affect your preference points.

Learn More About Our Guided Elk Hunts

Here at Dark Timber Outfitters, we offer hunts in unit 62, where elk licenses are available over-the-counter for archery, 2nd rifle and 3rd rifle seasons. Licenses for the muzzleloader and 1st rifle seasons are available in the draw. Contact us for more information on these hunts.

We also operate in unit 61, which is a very high-demand unit. If you’re a nonresident hunter with at least 23 preference points, or a Colorado resident with at least 10 points, give Adam a call at 208-691-3014 and we’d be happy to explain those options.

Please visit our Hunts Page to learn more about our guided elk hunts. Or contact us for specific details and availability.