GMU 521 Elk Report — 2026 season
12 limited hunt codes valid in this unit. CPW 2026 brochure, 2026 primary draw recap, 2025 harvest survey. Points: resident / nonresident.
Unit harvest trend (2023–2024)
| Year | Harvest | Hunters | Success | Rec. days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 361 (257 bulls / 93 cows) | 2,394 | 15% | 14,454 |
| 2024 | 407 (303 bulls / 88 cows) | 2,197 | 19% | 13,050 |
| 2023 Archery | 161 | 1,049 | 15% | 8,325 |
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 36 | 185 | 19% | 1,019 |
| 2023 Rifle | 163 | 1,160 | 14% | 5,110 |
| 2024 Archery | 191 | 862 | 22% | 7,038 |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 23 | 99 | 23% | 601 |
| 2024 Rifle | 193 | 1,236 | 16% | 5,411 |
| Season | Antlered harvest / hunters | Success | Antlerless harvest / hunters | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 30 / 155 | 19% | 4 / 30 | 13% |
| 2023 Rifle | 123 / 1,022 | 12% | 14 / 69 | 21% |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 21 / 84 | 25% | 2 / 15 | 11% |
| 2024 Rifle | 147 / 1,079 | 14% | 18 / 92 | 20% |
* CPW's antlered/antlerless tables do not include either-sex hunt codes.
All limited + over-the-counter hunters. CPW published unit-level tables for 2023 and 2024; the 2025 report has hunt-code totals only.
Every hunt code in the unit
| Dates | GMUs | Pts 23→26 res / nonres | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-E-521-O1-A | archery | either | Sept. 2–30 | 521 | A | 750 | 663 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | -/0/0/0-/0/0/0 | 23% | 33.8 |
| E-E-052-P1-APLOLeftover likely | archery | either | Sept. 2–30 | 52, 411, 521 | A | 32 | 17 | – | – | ––– | 23% | 30.1 |
| E-F-521-O1-M | muzzleloader | female | Sept. 12–20 | 521 | A | 20 | 40 | 0 | 3 | 0/0/0/00/1/2/3 | 20% | 27.7 |
| E-M-041-O1-M | muzzleloader | male | Sept. 12–20 | 41, 42, 52, 411, 421, 521 | A | 500 | 624 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 23% | 23.4 |
| E-F-521-O1-R | rifle | female | Oct. 14–18 | 521 | A | 40 | 66 | 0 | 1 | 0/1/0/00/1/2/1 | 16% | 24.4 |
| E-M-041-O1-R | rifle | male | Oct. 14–18 | 41, 42, 52, 411, 421, 521 | A | 950 | 932 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 28% | 13.1 |
| E-F-521-O2-R | rifle | female | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 521 | A | 35 | 137 | 1 | 4 | 4/1/2/14/4/4/4 | 25% | 24.6 |
| E-F-521-O3-R | rifle | female | Nov. 7–15 | 521 | A | 30 | 61 | 0 | 2 | 3/1/1/03/3/3/2 | 50% | 10.5 |
| E-F-521-O4-R | rifle | female | Nov. 18–22 | 521 | A | 10 | 16 | 0 | – | 0/0/0/0-/-/4/- | 67%* | 5.5 |
| E-M-041-O4-RLeftover likely | rifle | male | Nov. 18–22 | 41, 42, 52, 411, 421, 521 | A | 231 | 120 | – | – | ––– | 12% | 28.4 |
| E-E-041-P1-RPLO | rifle | either | Oct. 14–18 | 41, 42, 52, 411, 421, 521 | A | 200 | 169 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 0/-/0/00/-/0/0 | 55% | 7.0 |
| E-E-041-P4-RPLOLeftover likely | rifle | either | Nov. 18–22 | 41, 42, 52, 411, 421, 521 | A | 122 | 82 | – | – | ––– | 41% | 7.4 |
* Low sample: CPW flags these hunt codes "few hunters responded".
Near-sure draws (0–1 point in 2026)
- E-F-521-O4-R rifle female, Nov. 18–22: 10 tags, 16 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /– nonres, success 67% (low sample), List A
- E-E-041-P1-R rifle either, Oct. 14–18: 200 tags, 169 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 55%, List A (private land only)
- E-F-521-O3-R rifle female, Nov. 7–15: 30 tags, 61 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /2 nonres, success 50%, List A
- E-M-041-O1-R rifle male, Oct. 14–18: 950 tags, 932 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 28%, List A
- E-F-521-O2-R rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1: 35 tags, 137 first-choice apps, drew at 1 res /4 nonres, success 25%, List A
- E-M-041-O1-M muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20: 500 tags, 624 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 23%, List A
- E-E-521-O1-A archery either, Sept. 2–30: 750 tags, 663 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 23%, List A
- E-F-521-O1-M muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20: 20 tags, 40 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /3 nonres, success 20%, List A
- E-F-521-O1-R rifle female, Oct. 14–18: 40 tags, 66 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /1 nonres, success 16%, List A
Point creep warnings (rose 2+ points since 2023)
- E-F-521-O1-Mmuzzleloader female:res 0/0/0/0nonres 0/1/2/3
Leftover likely
These codes had licenses left over after the 2026 primary draw:E-E-052-P1-A, E-M-041-O4-R, E-E-041-P4-R.
With your points
Likely draws (8)
- E-E-521-O1-A (0)
- E-F-521-O1-M (0)
- E-M-041-O1-M (0)
- E-F-521-O1-R (0)
- E-M-041-O1-R (0)
- E-F-521-O3-R (0)
- E-F-521-O4-R (0)
- E-E-041-P1-R (0)
Coin flips (1)
- E-F-521-O2-R (1)
Not this year (0)
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 elk hunt codes are valid in GMU 521?
- 12 limited codes in the 2026 brochure: E-E-521-O1-A (archery either, Sept. 2–30); E-E-052-P1-A (archery either, Sept. 2–30); E-F-521-O1-M (muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20); E-M-041-O1-M (muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20); E-F-521-O1-R (rifle female, Oct. 14–18); E-M-041-O1-R (rifle male, Oct. 14–18); E-F-521-O2-R (rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-F-521-O3-R (rifle female, Nov. 7–15); E-F-521-O4-R (rifle female, Nov. 18–22); E-M-041-O4-R (rifle male, Nov. 18–22); E-E-041-P1-R (rifle either, Oct. 14–18); E-E-041-P4-R (rifle either, Nov. 18–22).
- What is the easiest elk tag to draw in GMU 521?
- E-F-521-O4-R (rifle, female, Nov. 18–22) drew out at 0 for residents and – for nonresidents in the 2026 draw, with 10 tags.
- How many points does it take to draw E-F-521-O2-R?
- In the 2026 primary draw the last E-F-521-O2-R tag went at 1 resident points and 4 nonresident points. Resident history 2023–2026: 4/1/2/1; nonresident: 4/4/4/4.
- What is elk hunting success in GMU 521?
- In 2024, 2,197 elk hunters in GMU 521 harvested 407 animals (19% success, all seasons and weapons, CPW harvest survey).