GMU 53 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 | 275 (154 bulls / 95 cows) | 2,067 | 13% | 12,097 |
| 2024 | 326 (218 bulls / 99 cows) | 2,033 | 16% | 11,987 |
| 2023 Archery | 115 | 1,170 | 10% | 8,140 |
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 3 | 91 | 3% | 510 |
| 2023 Rifle | 157 | 806 | 19% | 3,448 |
| 2024 Archery | 148 | 1,018 | 15% | 7,284 |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 7 | 98 | 7% | 554 |
| 2024 Rifle | 171 | 917 | 19% | 4,149 |
| Season | Antlered harvest / hunters | Success | Antlerless harvest / hunters | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 3 / 72 | 4% | 0 / 19 | 0% |
| 2023 Rifle | 88 / 591 | 15% | 32 / 145 | 22% |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 7 / 78 | 9% | 0 / 20 | 0% |
| 2024 Rifle | 93 / 662 | 14% | 43 / 159 | 27% |
* 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-053-V1-ALeftover likely | archery | either | Sept. 2–30 | 53 | A | 535 | 249 | – | – | ––– | 24% | 31.8 |
| E-F-053-O1-MLeftover likely | muzzleloader | female | Sept. 12–20 | 53 | A | 37 | 25 | – | – | 0/0/0/-0/2/0/- | 22% | 25.5 |
| E-M-053-O1-M | muzzleloader | male | Sept. 12–20 | 53 | A | 85 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 25% | 23.1 |
| E-F-053-O1-R | rifle | female | Oct. 14–18 | 53 | A | 40 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 1/0/0/02/2/3/0 | 47% | 6.3 |
| E-M-053-O1-R | rifle | male | Oct. 14–18 | 53 | A | 80 | 152 | 0 | 3 | 0/0/0/01/1/1/3 | 24% | 14.6 |
| E-F-053-O2-R | rifle | female | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 53 | A | 60 | 61 | 0 | 0 | 1/0/0/01/1/0/0 | 33% | 15.7 |
| E-F-053-O3-RLeftover likely | rifle | female | Nov. 7–15 | 53 | A | 52 | 33 | – | – | 0/0/0/-0/0/0/- | 13% | 45.2 |
| E-F-053-O4-RLeftover likely | rifle | female | Nov. 18–22 | 53 | A | 25 | 20 | – | – | ––– | 20% | 19.2 |
| E-M-053-O4-RLeftover likely | rifle | male | Nov. 18–22 | 53 | A | 19 | 4 | – | – | ––– | 0% | – |
| E-E-053-P1-RPLOLeftover likely | rifle | either | Oct. 14–18 | 53, 63 | A | 53 | 34 | – | – | ––– | 49% | 7.2 |
| E-E-053-P4-RPLOLeftover likely | rifle | either | Nov. 18–22 | 53, 63 | A | 17 | 8 | – | – | ––– | 19% | 17.2 |
| E-F-053-P5-RPLO | rifle | female | Dec. 1–Jan. 31 | 53, ■63 | B | 100 | 75 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 31% | 36.1 |
Near-sure draws (0–1 point in 2026)
- E-F-053-O1-R rifle female, Oct. 14–18: 40 tags, 46 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 47%, List A
- E-F-053-O2-R rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1: 60 tags, 61 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 33%, List A
- E-F-053-P5-R rifle female, Dec. 1–Jan. 31: 100 tags, 75 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 31%, List B (private land only)
- E-M-053-O1-M muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20: 85 tags, 100 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 25%, List A
- E-M-053-O1-R rifle male, Oct. 14–18: 80 tags, 152 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /3 nonres, success 24%, List A
Point creep warnings (rose 2+ points since 2023)
- E-M-053-O1-Rrifle male:res 0/0/0/0nonres 1/1/1/3
Stackable tags (List B/C — hold alongside a List A tag)
- E-F-053-P5-R rifle female Dec. 1–Jan. 31 — drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res / 0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, 100 tags
Leftover likely
These codes had licenses left over after the 2026 primary draw:E-E-053-V1-A, E-F-053-O1-M, E-F-053-O3-R, E-F-053-O4-R, E-M-053-O4-R, E-E-053-P1-R, E-E-053-P4-R.
With your points
Likely draws (5)
- E-M-053-O1-M (0)
- E-F-053-O1-R (0)
- E-M-053-O1-R (0)
- E-F-053-O2-R (0)
- E-F-053-P5-R (0)
Coin flips (0)
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 53?
- 12 limited codes in the 2026 brochure: E-E-053-V1-A (archery either, Sept. 2–30); E-F-053-O1-M (muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20); E-M-053-O1-M (muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20); E-F-053-O1-R (rifle female, Oct. 14–18); E-M-053-O1-R (rifle male, Oct. 14–18); E-F-053-O2-R (rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-F-053-O3-R (rifle female, Nov. 7–15); E-F-053-O4-R (rifle female, Nov. 18–22); E-M-053-O4-R (rifle male, Nov. 18–22); E-E-053-P1-R (rifle either, Oct. 14–18); E-E-053-P4-R (rifle either, Nov. 18–22); E-F-053-P5-R (rifle female, Dec. 1–Jan. 31).
- What is the easiest elk tag to draw in GMU 53?
- E-F-053-O1-R (rifle, female, Oct. 14–18) drew out at 0 for residents and 0 for nonresidents in the 2026 draw, with 40 tags.
- How many points does it take to draw E-M-053-O1-M?
- In the 2026 primary draw the last E-M-053-O1-M tag went at 0 resident points and 0 nonresident points. Resident history 2023–2026: 0/0/0/0; nonresident: 0/0/0/0.
- What is elk hunting success in GMU 53?
- In 2024, 2,033 elk hunters in GMU 53 harvested 326 animals (16% success, all seasons and weapons, CPW harvest survey).