1. Hunts
  2. Colorado
  3. Elk

Elk Hunting in Colorado GMU 26 - Garfield, Eagle, and Routt Counties

Successful hunters avoid the main roads and hunt the dark timber and deeper canyons.

GMU 26 - Garfield, Eagle, and Routt Counties

Scores

Scores
User Scores
Ease of Drawing
86
 
86
Success
28
 
28
Trophy Potential
82
 
82
Public Access
62
 
62
Ease of Terrain
78
 
78
Room to Breathe
2
 
2
Opportunity
62
 
62
Convenience
0
 
N/A
Ease of Effort
47
 
47
64
HuntScore

Access Notes

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Bounded on N by the Bear River; on E by County Highway 131; on S by the Colorado River; and on W by Derby Creek, the Middle Fork of Derby Creek and US Forest Service Trail 1802.

Expect mild weather with light snow in the 1st season, with roads becoming impassable in the upper half of the area by the 3rd season. The high country in GMU 24 is prone to heavy snowstorms in lat... Create a free account to read the rest of this access note!

County

Garfield, Eagle, Routt

Size

240 Square Miles (153,724 Acres)

Land Ownership

50% Private, 50% Public, 30% USFS, 19% BLM, 1% State, 12% Wilderness

Latitude/Longitude

39.9864, -106.9398

Wildfires

Check for current or recent wildfires in this area.

Amenities

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

Elk Notes

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Successful hunters avoid the main roads and hunt the dark timber and deeper canyons.

... 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, Shiras Moose, Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Turkey,

Businesses Serving Elk Hunters In GMU 26 - Garfield, Eagle, and Routt Counties

Advertise Your Business!

Category: Guide/Outfitter

: 555-555-5555

: [email protected]

: www.yourbusiness.com

About

Are you an outfitter, hunting guide, game processor or local hotel? Do you have landowner tags, lease land, or have an lodge? Advertise on HuntScore and reach hunters interested in this hunting unit! Send us an email at [email protected] to learn more. Read about advertising on huntscore here

Photos and Terrain Notes


Add a Photo

White River offers variety and extremes. Several peaks in the Flattop Wilderness are 12,200ft in elevation. Elevation drops to 5,300ft near Rifle. The lower elevation vegetation starts out with sag... 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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Elk Drawing Stats (2021)

Total Quota
9,718
Licenses Drawn
8,199
Licenses Surplus
1,519
Resident Quota
4,510
Nonresident Quota
3,689
Landowner Quota
555
Youth Quota
555
86.4%
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
EF011O1R
F
R
O1
LL
100%
71 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231;
EM011O1R
M
R
O1
LL
100%
67 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231;
EE025O1M
E
M
O1
LL
50.2%
68 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 25, 26, 34, 231;
EE025W1R
E
R
W1
LL
8.4%
53 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 25, 26, 35; BURNS HOLE RANCH
EF025O1M
F
M
O1
LL
100%
76 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 25, 26, 34, 231;
EF025O1R
F
R
O1
LL
100%
74 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 25, 26, 34;
EF025O3R
F
R
O3
LL
51%
64 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 25, 26;
EF025O2R
F
R
O2
LL
51%
69 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 25, 26;
EF025O4R
F
R
O4
LL
51%
64 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 25, 26;
EF025P5R
F
R
P5
LL
100%
77 Permit Type B; License Valid for Units: 25, 26, 231;
EF025W1R
F
R
W1
LL
51.5%
63 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 25, 26, 35; BURNS HOLE RANCH
EF025W2R
F
R
W2
LL
100%
72 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 25, 26, 35; BURNS HOLE RANCH
EF026L1R
F
R
L1
LL
71.4%
66
EM026O4R
M
R
O4
LL
100%
74
EE011P1R
E
R
P1
LL
100%
73 Permit Type A; License Valid for Units: 11, 12, 13, 23, 24, 25, 26, 33, 34, 131, 211, 231;
HuntScore Tip: While most Big Game licenses are allocated through the draw, over-the-counter bull elk licenses are available during 2nd and 3rd rifle seasons.

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Elk Harvest Stats (2021)

Total Hunters
1,390
Total Harvest
162
Harvest Male
75
Harvest Female
84
12%
Average Success
Manner Season Type Sex Hunters Harvest Male Female Youth
A
A
NA
N/A 605 28
14
14
0
ALL
ALL
NA
N/A 1390 162
75
84
0
M
M
NA
N/A 57 4
4
0
0
R
O2
LL
F
53 13
0
13
0
R
PLO
PLO
N/A 43 15
0
15
0
R
PLO
PLO
N/A 74 34
19
15
0
R
O4
NA
N/A 40 0
0
0
0
R
O3
NA
N/A 163 19
13
3
0
R
O3
LL
F
23 6
0
3
0
R
O1
LL
F
22 0
0
0
0
R
O2
NA
N/A 272 29
16
13
0
R
O1
LL
M
111 9
9
0
0
R
O1
NA
N/A 164 28
28
0
0
R
L0
NA
N/A 40 27
0
27
0
R
L0
NA
N/A 40 27
0
27
0
R
D
R
N/A 12 12
0
12
0
R
R
NA
N/A 734 130
57
70
0
HuntScore Tip: In some smaller units you may not see any data reported for a season. There are instances where not enough hunters respond to the post-hunt survey inquiries and therefore it isn't possible to report any data.

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  • Harvest stats by hunt_code, manner, season, sex, type
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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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  • Probability of other weather events (thunder, hail, etc...) by by month

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