1. Hunts
  2. Colorado
  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
93
 
93
Success
27
 
27
Trophy Potential
29
 
29
Public Access
81
 
81
Ease of Terrain
79
 
79
Room to Breathe
2
 
2
Opportunity
27
 
27
Convenience
5
 
5
Ease of Effort
44
 
44
62
HuntScore

Access Notes

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  • Water Tank Layer (AZ Only)
  • 20% Discount on HuntStand Pro

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.

... Create a free account to read the rest of this access note!

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. E... Create a free account to read the rest of this elk hunting note!

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,

Businesses Serving Elk Hunters In GMU 86 - Fremont, Custer, and Chaffee Counties

CustomBilt

Category: Other

: 9132041353

: [email protected]

: https://custombiltguns.com/

About

CustomBilt Firearms builds high-quality, duty-grade rifles and pistols out of Kansas City. Founded in 2016, CustomBilt uses high quality components to build each rifle to exceptional standards, with extremely tight tolerances, which are backed by a lifetime warranty. Whether you are a serious hunter, a competitive shooter, or simply someone who wants a reliable and accurate rifle, CustomBilt has the perfect rifle for you.

Photos and Terrain Notes

GMU 86 - Fremont, Custer, and Chaffee Counties

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. ... Create a free account to read the rest of this terrain note!

Elk Over The Counter Hunts (2021)

There are 4 OTC hunts in this unit. Get a free account 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
EE086P1R
E
R
P1
LL
100%
68 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861; 861 private land only
EE086O1R
E
R
O1
LL
65.4%
68 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861;
EE086O4R
E
R
O4
LL
100%
70 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861;
EF086P5R
F
R
P5
LL
100%
74 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861; 861 private land only
EF086O1M
F
M
O1
LL
100%
69 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;
EF086O3R
F
R
O3
LL
100%
72 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 86, 691, 861;
EF086O4R
F
R
O4
LL
100%
72 Permit Type B; 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: Always apply for the unit that is your first choice if your goal is to accumulate points for use toward a future quality hunt. Points needed can change significantly from year to year.

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  • Point creep plots

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Elk Harvest Stats (2021)

Total Hunters
2,004
Total Harvest
247
Harvest Male
133
Harvest Female
114
12%
Average Success
Manner Season Type Sex Hunters Harvest Male Female Youth
A
A
NA
N/A 791 49
35
14
0
ALL
ALL
NA
N/A 2004 247
133
114
0
M
M
NA
N/A 140 24
24
0
0
R
D
R
N/A 5 0
0
0
0
R
O1
LL
E
126 9
3
6
0
R
O1
NA
N/A 159 26
17
9
0
R
O2
LL
F
86 6
0
6
0
R
O2
NA
N/A 499 50
44
6
0
R
O3
LL
F
59 3
0
3
0
R
O3
NA
N/A 256 16
13
3
0
R
O4
LL
E
57 4
0
4
0
R
O4
LL
F
5 0
0
0
0
R
O4
NA
N/A 62 4
0
4
0
R
PLO
PLO
N/A 152 778
0
778
0
R
PLO
PLO
N/A 185 95
14
81
0
R
R
NA
N/A 1133 174
74
100
0
HuntScore Tip: With more than 300,000 hunting licenses sold in Colorado each year, Colorado Parks and Wildlife thinks it's impossible to contact every hunter. So, harvest data is not actual. It's a statistical sample calculation based on license sales data and an estimate of hunter numbers and hunter success. Hunter activity and success is gathered through the hunter survey sent to all Colorado licensed hunters. Response is voluntary and therefore not complete.

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

See all stats but the last 2 years with a free account!

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
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  • Probability of other weather events (thunder, hail, etc...) by by month

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