GMU 53 Deer Report — 2026 season
8 limited hunt codes valid in this unit. CPW 2026 brochure, 2026 primary draw recap, 2025 harvest survey. Points: resident / nonresident.
Every hunt code in the unit
| Dates | GMUs | Pts 23→26 res / nonres | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D-M-053-O1-A | archery | male | Sept. 2–30 | 53 | A | 55 | 92 | 0 | 4 | -/-/-/0-/-/-/4 | 23% | 34.1 |
| D-M-053-O1-M | muzzleloader | male | Sept. 12–20 | 53 | A | 25 | 56 | 0 | 5 | -/-/-/0-/-/-/5 | 35% | 15.6 |
| D-M-053-O2-R | rifle | male | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 53 | A | 130 | 330 | 1 | 9 | -/-/-/1-/-/-/9 | 70% | 5.7 |
| D-M-053-O3-R | rifle | male | Nov. 7–15 | 53 | A | 90 | 360 | 4 | 19 | -/-/-/4-/-/-/19 | 86% | 3.9 |
| D-M-053-O4-R | rifle | male + | Nov. 18–22 | 53 | A | 15 | 178 | 15 | 28 | -/-/-/15-/-/-/28 | 80% | 4.6 |
| D-M-053-P2-RPLO | rifle | male | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 53 | A | 75 | 30 | 0 (4th) | 0 (2nd) | -/-/-/0-/-/-/0 | 76% | 4.1 |
| D-M-053-P3-RPLO | rifle | male | Nov. 7–15 | 53 | A | 45 | 44 | 0 | 0 | -/-/-/0-/-/-/0 | 90% | 4.1 |
| D-F-053-P5-RPLO | rifle | female | Sept. 1–Oct. 31 | 53 | B | 60 | 44 | 0 (2nd) | – | -/-/-/0– | 89% | 9.7 |
Near-sure draws (0–1 point in 2026)
- D-M-053-P3-R rifle male, Nov. 7–15: 45 tags, 44 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 90%, List A (private land only)
- D-F-053-P5-R rifle female, Sept. 1–Oct. 31: 60 tags, 44 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /– nonres, success 89%, List B (private land only)
- D-M-053-P2-R rifle male, Oct. 24–Nov. 1: 75 tags, 30 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (4th choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 76%, List A (private land only)
- D-M-053-O2-R rifle male, Oct. 24–Nov. 1: 130 tags, 330 first-choice apps, drew at 1 res /9 nonres, success 70%, List A
- D-M-053-O1-M muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20: 25 tags, 56 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /5 nonres, success 35%, List A
- D-M-053-O1-A archery male, Sept. 2–30: 55 tags, 92 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /4 nonres, success 23%, List A
Stackable tags (List B/C — hold alongside a List A tag)
- D-F-053-P5-R rifle female Sept. 1–Oct. 31 — drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res / – nonres, 60 tags
With your points
Likely draws (5)
- D-M-053-O1-A (0)
- D-M-053-O1-M (0)
- D-M-053-P2-R (0)
- D-M-053-P3-R (0)
- D-F-053-P5-R (0)
Coin flips (1)
- D-M-053-O2-R (1)
Not this year (2)
- D-M-053-O3-R (4)
- D-M-053-O4-R (15)
Based on the last draw's drawn-out-at points. Codes with no draw at that residency are left out. Point creep can push a code up a bucket.
Drawn-out-at = preference points held by the last successful applicant at that residency. "0 (2nd)" = the code filled with 2nd-choice applicants, so any 1st-choice applicant drew with 0 points. Success % and days/harvest are from CPW's 2025harvest survey, by hunt code.
FAQ
- Which deer hunt codes are valid in GMU 53?
- 8 limited codes in the 2026 brochure: D-M-053-O1-A (archery male, Sept. 2–30); D-M-053-O1-M (muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20); D-M-053-O2-R (rifle male, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); D-M-053-O3-R (rifle male, Nov. 7–15); D-M-053-O4-R (rifle male, Nov. 18–22); D-M-053-P2-R (rifle male, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); D-M-053-P3-R (rifle male, Nov. 7–15); D-F-053-P5-R (rifle female, Sept. 1–Oct. 31).
- What is the easiest deer tag to draw in GMU 53?
- D-M-053-P3-R (rifle, male, Nov. 7–15) drew out at 0 for residents and 0 for nonresidents in the 2026 draw, with 45 tags.
- How many points does it take to draw D-M-053-O4-R?
- In the 2026 primary draw the last D-M-053-O4-R tag went at 15 resident points and 28 nonresident points. Resident history 2023–2026: -/-/-/15; nonresident: -/-/-/28.