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  3. Elk

Elk Hunting in Colorado GMU 86 - Fremont, Custer, and Chaffee Counties

Elk can be found throughout the unit during the regular fall seasons depending on the snow and weather. Elk hunting is best at higher elevations with pine, fir and meadows in the earlier seasons. Elk may move to lower elevations when heavy snows come.

GMU 86 - Fremont, Custer, and Chaffee Counties

Scores

Scores
User Scores
Ease of Drawing
92
 
92
Success
28
 
28
Trophy Potential
29
 
29
Public Access
56
 
56
Ease of Terrain
79
 
79
Room to Breathe
2
 
2
Opportunity
38
 
38
Convenience
6
 
6
Ease of Effort
42
 
42
59
HuntScore

Access Notes

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Bounded on N by US Highway 50; on E by County Highway 69; on S by Huerfano-Custer County line; on W by Sangre De Cristo Divide and US Highway 285.

The access for this unit is fair to good for access for public lands. The access for this unit is fair to poor for on private lands.

County

Fremont, Custer, Chaffee

Size

496 Square Miles (317,567 Acres)

Land Ownership

44% Private, 56% Public, 43% USFS, 12% BLM, 1% State, 25% Wilderness

Latitude/Longitude

38.2161, -105.6691

Wildfires

Check for current or recent wildfires in this area.

Amenities

There are 0 hospitals, 1 hotels, 3 campgrounds, and 0 grocery stores within a 20 mile radius.

Elk Notes

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Elk can be found throughout the unit during the regular fall seasons depending on the snow and weather. Elk hunting is best at higher elevations with pine, fir and meadows in the earlier seasons. Elk may move to lower elevations when heavy snows come.

HuntScore Tip

Public land and private land percentages can sometime be misleading. A unit may have 80% public land, but a particluar species may only occupy 20% on the entire area. And that 20% species distribution may lie 100% within private lands. Does that sound confusing? Just remember that there are always exceptions to the rule, and land ownership is just one piece of the puzzle.

Management Plan

Elk Management Plan

State Agency Website

Visit Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Other Species in Unit

Deer, Pronghorn, Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Turkey,

Photos and Terrain Notes


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The elevation in this area ranges from 14,064 feet on Humbolt Peak to 5,667 feet near Texas Creek. The terrain is Flat to gently rolling valley bottom climbing quickly to steep, rough mountains. The vegetation consists of Grassland to Grass to pine to spruce, firs and aspens to alpine meadows.

Elk Over The Counter Hunts (2021)

There are 4 OTC hunts in this unit. Go Pro to view the details!

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    • Season Dates

Elk Drawing Stats (2021)

Total Quota
1,410
Licenses Drawn
1,354
Licenses Surplus
56
Resident Quota
1,134
Nonresident Quota
220
Landowner Quota
147
Youth Quota
147
90.6%
Overall Unit
1st Choice Draw Odds
Choose a hunt below to take a deeper dive into quotas, drawing odds, drawing trends, and harvest data.
Stats Apply For Sex Manner Season Type Draw Odds HuntScore Notes
EF086P5R
F
R
P5
LL
100%
74 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861; 861 private land only
EF086O4R
F
R
O4
LL
100%
72 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861;
EF086O3R
F
R
O3
LL
100%
72 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861;
EF086O2R
F
R
O2
LL
100%
73 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861;
EF086O1M
F
M
O1
LL
100%
69 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861;
EE086P1R
E
R
P1
LL
100%
68 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861; 861 private land only
EE086O4R
E
R
O4
LL
100%
70 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861;
EE086O1R
E
R
O1
LL
65.4%
68 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861;
EE086O1M
E
M
O1
LL
86.5%
69 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861;
HuntScore Tip: Ninety to ninety-five percent of Colorado's GMUs require no preference points - or just a single preference point - in order to draw a limited license in those units.

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  • Point creep plots

Elk Harvest Stats (2020)

Total Hunters
2,282
Total Harvest
340
Harvest Male
171
Harvest Female
149
15%
Average Success
Manner Season Type Sex Hunters Harvest Male Female Youth
A
A
N/A 814 42
39
3
0
ALL
ALL
N/A 2282 340
171
149
0
M
M
N/A 150 35
16
10
0
R
D
R
N/A 36 16
0
14
0
R
O1
N/A 157 27
22
5
0
R
O1
LL
E
124 14
14
0
0
R
O2
N/A 517 56
46
10
0
R
O2
LL
F
105 10
0
10
0
R
O3
N/A 330 55
47
2
0
R
O3
LL
F
57 8
0
2
0
R
O4
N/A 60 1
1
0
0
R
O4
LL
E
60 1
1
0
0
R
PLO
N/A 251 121
8
110
0
R
PLO
PLO
N/A 218 108
0
105
0
R
R
N/A 1318 263
116
136
0
HuntScore Tip: Ever hunt a unit with a 100% success rate and not see any deer? If you're nodding your head to any of these scenarios then you're one of the people who knows that statistics are a good guide, but they aren't a guarantee.

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  • Harvest trends across multiple years
  • Harvest stats by hunt_code, manner, season, sex, type
  • Average harvest rates
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  • Overall harvest trends

Weather Insights

Weather can vary by elevation. See how weather varies by elevation within a unit by selecting an elevation range. Elevation ranges are based on weather stations in or near the unit. Not all weather elements are available within the unit.

Average Temps

Use temperature ranges to plan and prepare for your hunt. Large swings indicate a good layering system should be used. Be sure to make note of the extreme temperatures as these often pose the greatest risk to hunters. If you plan on hunting in higher elevation, as a rule of thumb, expect the tempture to decrease roughly 5° for every 1000' in elevation gain.

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  • Snow depth by month
  • Min/Max precip and snow depth
  • Average # of days between precip or snow event

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