GMU 56 Elk Report — 2026 season
11 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 | 90 (37 bulls / 48 cows) | 423 | 21% | 2,599 |
| 2024 | 99 (57 bulls / 41 cows) | 421 | 24% | 2,229 |
| 2023 Archery | 6 | 91 | 7% | 962 |
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 15 | 59 | 24% | 314 |
| 2023 Rifle | 69 | 273 | 25% | 1,323 |
| 2024 Archery | 12 | 80 | 15% | 704 |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 13 | 63 | 21% | 282 |
| 2024 Rifle | 74 | 279 | 27% | 1,243 |
| Season | Antlered harvest / hunters | Success | Antlerless harvest / hunters | Success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 Muzzleloader | 8 / 32 | 25% | 7 / 28 | 24% |
| 2023 Rifle | 25 / 123 | 20% | 26 / 127 | 20% |
| 2024 Muzzleloader | 9 / 33 | 29% | 4 / 30 | 12% |
| 2024 Rifle | 38 / 136 | 28% | 24 / 122 | 19% |
* 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-056-O1-A | archery | either | Sept. 2–30 | 56 | A | 110 | 101 | 0 (2nd) | 0 | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 20% | 50.7 |
| E-F-056-O1-M | muzzleloader | female | Sept. 12–20 | 56 | A | 40 | 17 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 0/-/-/00/-/-/0 | 24% | 22.4 |
| E-M-056-O1-M | muzzleloader | male | Sept. 12–20 | 56 | A | 40 | 66 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0/01/1/1/1 | 20% | 29.1 |
| E-M-056-O1-R | rifle | male | Oct. 14–18 | 56 | A | 40 | 60 | 0 | 1 | 1/1/0/01/1/2/1 | 50% | 7.3 |
| E-F-056-O2-R | rifle | female | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 56 | A | 50 | 41 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 0/0/0/00/0/0/0 | 8% | 70.7 |
| E-M-056-O2-R | rifle | male | Oct. 24–Nov. 1 | 56 | A | 40 | 63 | 0 | 1 | 1/0/0/01/0/1/1 | 29% | 17.1 |
| E-F-056-O3-R | rifle | female | Nov. 7–15 | 56 | A | 50 | 37 | 0 (2nd) | 0 (2nd) | 0/0/0/00/0/1/0 | 13% | 39.0 |
| E-M-056-O3-R | rifle | male | Nov. 7–15 | 56 | A | 40 | 63 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0/00/0/1/1 | 40% | 14.2 |
| E-F-056-O4-R | rifle | female | Nov. 18–22 | 56 | A | 30 | 15 | 0 (3rd) | 0 (2nd) | 0/0/0/00/-/0/0 | 18% | 17.2 |
| E-M-056-O4-R | rifle | male | Nov. 18–22 | 56 | A | 20 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0/0-/1/0/0 | 22% | 12.5 |
| E-F-056-P5-RPLO | rifle | female | Sept. 1–Jan. 31 | 56 | B | 25 | 30 | 0 | – | 2/2/3/0– | 78%* | 10.6 |
* Low sample: CPW flags these hunt codes "few hunters responded".
Near-sure draws (0–1 point in 2026)
- E-F-056-P5-R rifle female, Sept. 1–Jan. 31: 25 tags, 30 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /– nonres, success 78% (low sample), List B (private land only)
- E-M-056-O1-R rifle male, Oct. 14–18: 40 tags, 60 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /1 nonres, success 50%, List A
- E-M-056-O3-R rifle male, Nov. 7–15: 40 tags, 63 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /1 nonres, success 40%, List A
- E-M-056-O2-R rifle male, Oct. 24–Nov. 1: 40 tags, 63 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /1 nonres, success 29%, List A
- E-F-056-O1-M muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20: 40 tags, 17 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 24%, List A
- E-M-056-O4-R rifle male, Nov. 18–22: 20 tags, 22 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /0 nonres, success 22%, List A
- E-M-056-O1-M muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20: 40 tags, 66 first-choice apps, drew at 0 res /1 nonres, success 20%, List A
- E-E-056-O1-A archery either, Sept. 2–30: 110 tags, 101 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 nonres, success 20%, List A
- E-F-056-O4-R rifle female, Nov. 18–22: 30 tags, 15 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (3rd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 18%, List A
- E-F-056-O3-R rifle female, Nov. 7–15: 50 tags, 37 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 13%, List A
- E-F-056-O2-R rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1: 50 tags, 41 first-choice apps, drew at 0 pts (2nd choice) res /0 pts (2nd choice) nonres, success 8%, List A
Stackable tags (List B/C — hold alongside a List A tag)
- E-F-056-P5-R rifle female Sept. 1–Jan. 31 — drew at 0 res / – nonres, 25 tags
With your points
Likely draws (11)
- E-E-056-O1-A (0)
- E-F-056-O1-M (0)
- E-M-056-O1-M (0)
- E-M-056-O1-R (0)
- E-F-056-O2-R (0)
- E-M-056-O2-R (0)
- E-F-056-O3-R (0)
- E-M-056-O3-R (0)
- E-F-056-O4-R (0)
- E-M-056-O4-R (0)
- E-F-056-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 56?
- 11 limited codes in the 2026 brochure: E-E-056-O1-A (archery either, Sept. 2–30); E-F-056-O1-M (muzzleloader female, Sept. 12–20); E-M-056-O1-M (muzzleloader male, Sept. 12–20); E-M-056-O1-R (rifle male, Oct. 14–18); E-F-056-O2-R (rifle female, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-M-056-O2-R (rifle male, Oct. 24–Nov. 1); E-F-056-O3-R (rifle female, Nov. 7–15); E-M-056-O3-R (rifle male, Nov. 7–15); E-F-056-O4-R (rifle female, Nov. 18–22); E-M-056-O4-R (rifle male, Nov. 18–22); E-F-056-P5-R (rifle female, Sept. 1–Jan. 31).
- What is the easiest elk tag to draw in GMU 56?
- E-F-056-P5-R (rifle, female, Sept. 1–Jan. 31) drew out at 0 for residents and – for nonresidents in the 2026 draw, with 25 tags.
- How many points does it take to draw E-E-056-O1-A?
- In the 2026 primary draw the last E-E-056-O1-A tag went at 0 pts (2nd choice) 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 56?
- In 2024, 421 elk hunters in GMU 56 harvested 99 animals (24% success, all seasons and weapons, CPW harvest survey).