Colorado has been running the same preference point draw system since 1990 — 34 years with one rulebook. In 2028, that rulebook goes in the fire. Every Colorado hunter, resident and non-resident alike, needs to understand what’s happening and start planning now.

Whether you’re sitting on 18 elk points waiting for a top-tier Northwest unit, or you just bought your first hunting license last spring, the 2028 changes will affect your odds, your strategy, and your timeline — in some cases dramatically. This isn’t incremental tweaking. It’s a structural redesign of how Colorado distributes big game tags.

Here is everything you need to know.

The preference point system was built on a simple premise: show up every year, accumulate points, and eventually you get rewarded with the tag you’ve been working toward. For the first decade or two, it worked beautifully. Then reality crept in.

Point creep — the year-over-year inflation of points required to draw a given unit — has made many of Colorado’s most coveted tags effectively impossible for newer hunters to draw in their lifetime. Units that once required 8–10 points to draw are now sitting at 18, 22, even 28+ for top-end Northwest elk hunts. Hunters who began applying after the year 2000 are staring down a math problem they can never solve.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission voted to act. After a multi-year Draw Process Working Group that included hunters, biologists, and CPW staff — with their mandate to “reduce complexities within Colorado’s draw system and address preference point issues, while keeping in mind biological and sociological concerns” — the Commission approved sweeping changes that take effect with the 2028 draw season.

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission finalized these regulations at their March 2025 meeting. Here’s what was approved:

The New Split-Draw System (Elk, Deer, Bear, Pronghorn, Turkey)

Colorado is eliminating the hybrid draw system and replacing it with a 50/50 split-draw model for all elk, deer, bear, pronghorn, and turkey hunt codes:

Moose, Bighorn Sheep, Mountain Goat — No Change to Draw Structure

The weighted (bonus) draw system that currently governs moose, sheep, and goat is not changing in 2028. These species will continue on their existing draw methodology. The optimal draw window for these species has historically been in the 3–5 point range for many units, with a mathematics-validated sweet spot around 3.3 to 3.5 points in the weighted pool. The 2028 changes do not affect this calculus.

New Residency Allocations

Under the old system, Colorado differentiated residency allocations based on demand. That complexity is gone. Starting in 2028, the rule is simple and universal: 75% of all deer, elk, bear, pronghorn, and turkey licenses go to Colorado residents. 25% go to non-residents. This is a significant shift for non-residents who previously hunted units that allocated 35% or more of tags to out-of-state hunters.

New Rules for Returned Tags

Tags returned more than two weeks before season open are handled differently under the new system. For deer, elk, bear, pronghorn, and turkey: returned tags go on a weekly reissue list, released every Wednesday at 11:00 AM MT (with a preview list the Tuesday before). These reissued licenses do not require preference points to purchase — a meaningful opportunity for anyone paying attention to CPW’s weekly updates.

The math here matters. Picture a unit with 10 elk tags. Under the old system, all 10 went to the highest point holders. Under the new system, 5 go to the top point holders and 5 go into a bonus draw pool. If there are 20 applicants at the maximum point level competing for those 5 preference point tags, their odds dropped from 50% to 25% — and that’s before considering the additional point creep that will likely occur as the system incentivizes more people to apply.

If You Have High Points (10+)

The next two draws — 2026 and 2027 — may represent your best window to use accumulated points on units that currently require fewer points than you have. Draw statistics published by CPW are likely already unreliable as planning tools because anticipatory point-burning has already begun.

If You Have Moderate Points (3–8)

This is arguably the most interesting position heading into 2028. The bonus draw pool includes applicants at every point level, but your entries still scale with your points — meaning you have a meaningful edge over zero-point applicants without facing the same competition as max-point holders.

If You Have Few or No Points

The 2028 change is, in part, designed for you. For the first time, half of every limited entry unit’s tags are accessible to every applicant regardless of how long they’ve been in line. “Mathematically impossible” becomes “statistically unlikely,” and that difference matters across a hunting lifetime.

If You’re a Non-Resident

The universal 75/25 allocation is a net reduction in non-resident tags for many units. The practical advice: focus. Pick a unit, commit to it, learn it deeply, and apply with intention. Many units that received negative media coverage from podcast hunts still produce solid hunting for hunters willing to put in the work.

Point Creep Is a Warning Sign, Not a Ceiling

Colorado is not a trophy state in the way that Arizona or Nevada are. Most units have far more elk than their reputation suggests. The biggest bulls many serious Colorado elk hunters have ever encountered were in one-point units. What makes a unit “premium” is often social signaling and YouTube exposure — not necessarily actual hunt quality.

Buy Tags, Not Just Gear

The most expensive thing a hunter can buy is not a rifle, a rangefinder, or a mule. It’s a preference point for a tag that will take 20 years to draw while you’re sitting home watching others hunt. The memories — the truck breaking down, the flat tire at sunset, the raghorn that somebody else shot while you were calling — those are the stories you’ll tell. They don’t require 28 elk points.

Use Your Second Choice Wisely

Only your first choice draws on your preference points. Second through fourth choices draw without using points. Put your highest-priority unit as your first choice, and use second and third choices to increase your chances of actually hunting. B-license cow and doe tags are some of the best hunting in Colorado — especially for hunters learning a new unit.

The Secondary Draw Is Underutilized

When the primary draw concludes, tags become available from hunters whose credit cards were declined or who turned in their tags. For youth hunters in particular — who receive priority in the secondary draw — this is one of the most valuable and overlooked opportunities in the entire Colorado system.

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The 2026 Colorado primary draw window runs March 1 through April 7, 2026. Results are announced May 26–29. Don’t wait until April 6.

• 1
  Have your HIP number current The Harvest Information Program (HIP) number requirement has become stricter with recent regulatory changes. Not having it current is one of the easiest ways to get your application flagged.
• 2
  Purchase a qualifying license first You cannot apply in the primary draw without a qualifying license — annual small game, turkey, or fishing combo all work. It’s also an excuse to go grouse hunting in September.
• 3
  Purchase your Habitat Stamp Required for hunters ages 18–64. It’s automatically added to your first license purchase, but verify it’s in your account before applying.
• 4
  Research the CPW statistics directly Google “CPW hunting statistics” and download the species-specific PDFs. These show applicant trends, point distributions, and historical draw data. Keep in mind: current statistics are already being distorted by pre-2028 point-burning behavior.
• 5
  Read the new section of the Big Game Brochure Available at CPW offices, Walmart, and licensed dealers including Salida Gunshop. The “new section” at the front covers regulation changes for the current year — unit restructures like 82 going non-point-restricted and changes to 54/55/551 only appear here.
• 6
  Talk to a biologist for moose, sheep, and goat CPW’s wildlife biologists are accessible and informative. A 20-minute call can save you from burning sheep points on a unit with four rams left. Game wardens are equally valuable for understanding hunting pressure — they’ll tell you where everyone parks.
• 7
  Apply for youth points if you have children aged 11–17 Age requirement is based on age at time of season, not application. Youth hunters receive 15% of tags as a minimum allocation and have priority in the secondary draw. Starting moose, sheep, and goat points at age 12 is one of the most powerful things a hunting parent can do.
• 8
  Have a fallback plan Always have an OTC or easy-draw unit as a backup — your home unit where you know the roads, the camps, and the country. A tag in your pocket is worth more than a perfect application waiting for the perfect draw.

Here are the factors experienced Colorado hunters weight in unit selection — roughly in order of importance:

Factor	Why It Matters	Impact
Can you get there by morning from home?	A hunt you can scout, day-hunt, and recover from is fundamentally different from a trip hunt. Access determines hunt frequency.	High priority
Biological trends (biologist reports)	CPW biologists publish unit-specific reports covering population trends, winter kill, fire impacts, and herd composition. Free and publicly available.	High priority
Fire history	Units burned 2–5 years ago often have exceptional regrowth. Units burned the current year may be closed. Always have a backup unit.	Plan around
Season dates vs. rut timing	Muzzleloader often aligns with peak rut. First rifle season has seen bulls bugling later in recent years. Fourth season is boom-or-bust depending on snow.	High priority
Social media and YouTube exposure	Units featured on popular shows see dramatic point creep in subsequent years. Avoiding recently-featured units is legitimate strategy.	Point inflator
Draw odds vs. your current points	Apply a 2–3 point buffer above current median successful applicant points due to point creep. Never assume last year’s draw is this year’s.	Use carefully
Available as second choice?	Many mid-tier elk units can be drawn as second choice without using points. A unit you can learn over multiple seasons is worth more than a top unit you hunt once per decade.	Underused tool
Reputation and prestige	The pressure that comes with drawing a prestigious tag is real and reduces enjoyment for many hunters. Ask yourself honestly what kind of hunt you want.	Overweighted

The 2028 changes will cause real disruption, real frustration, and for some hunters — real opportunity. High-point holders near their target unit should be running the math right now. Zero-point hunters should be encouraged: for the first time in a generation, every coveted tag in Colorado has a door they can walk through.

But the bigger message is simpler than any draw strategy. Your kids are not going to stand at your funeral and talk about how many preference points you saved. They’re going to tell the story of the flat tire in the dark, and the buck that showed up while you were getting the jack out of the truck bed.

The April 7, 2026 deadline is close. Put in before April 1 if you can. Have your HIP number ready. Read the new section of the big game brochure. And if you have questions about unit selection, weapon choices, or draw strategy — stop by. That’s what the shop is here for.