Colorado Unit 19 Moose Hunting Guide
Colorado's moose population is one of the most hard-won trophies in the state's big game draw system, and Unit 19 consistently ranks among the more productive moose units in the state. Spanning 270,820 acres of diverse terrain from roughly 4,800 feet up to nearly 12,700 feet of elevation, this unit offers genuine opportunity for hunters willing to invest the time and points to secure a tag. With 70% public land and 30% wilderness designation, Unit 19 gives serious applicants a meaningful combination of accessible hunting ground and remote, low-pressure backcountry — a pairing that doesn't exist in every Colorado moose unit.
Moose hunting in Colorado is never a casual undertaking. The state's total moose population is a fraction of neighboring Wyoming or Utah, and the number of tags issued statewide remains tightly controlled. Every moose tag in Colorado represents a multi-year commitment of preference points, and Unit 19 is no exception. What hunters get in return is a species with strong natural instincts toward habit and range fidelity — animals that, once located, can often be hunted methodically. The data from Unit 19 bears this out in a meaningful way.
This article pulls from harvest data compiled by HuntPilot and covers what applicants need to know before committing points to this unit: success rates over six seasons, trophy potential, terrain and access realities, application logistics for 2026, and an honest assessment of whether Unit 19 belongs on your list.
Harvest Success Rates
The harvest record for Unit 19 is one of the most useful datasets available to prospective applicants, and the numbers are encouraging — though not uniformly so.
Over the six most recent seasons on record, Unit 19 has averaged a meaningful number of successful hunters annually. Here is the full picture:
- 2025: 19 hunters, 14 harvested — 74% success
- 2024: 10 hunters, 8 harvested — 80% success
- 2023: 17 hunters, 8 harvested — 47% success
- 2022: 16 hunters, 8 harvested — 50% success
- 2021: 17 hunters, 6 harvested — 35% success
- 2019: 15 hunters, 8 harvested — 53% success
Averaged across all six seasons, hunters in Unit 19 succeed at roughly 57% — a solid figure for any big game species, and particularly meaningful for moose, where unsuccessful tag holders often come home empty after years of accumulated points. The trend line in the most recent two seasons (74% in 2025 and 80% in 2024) is genuinely notable, suggesting either improving moose numbers, favorable habitat conditions, or a combination of both.
The 2021 season represents the low point in this dataset at 35%, and 2023 dipped back to 47% after the strong 2024. This variability is normal in a unit with relatively small annual hunter numbers — when the total field is 10 to 19 hunters, a few unsuccessful parties can move the percentage substantially. Hunters should view the multi-year average as more predictive than any single season.
One critical note: these are unit totals. Both bull and cow tags are issued in Colorado moose units in most years, and the aggregate success rate reflects all tag types combined. Hunters targeting bulls should check current draw structures through the HuntPilot unit page for Unit 19 to understand how bull versus cow allocations have trended.
Trophy Quality
The counties overlapping Unit 19 have a strong history of trophy-class moose production. Based on the regional trophy records associated with this area, the unit falls into a tier of Colorado moose country that has historically produced animals of legitimate record-book caliber.
That said, hunters should approach trophy expectations with realistic context. Colorado's Shiras' moose are the smallest of the three North American moose subspecies, and trophy-class bulls in this state require exceptional genetics, age, and habitat quality. The counties overlapping Unit 19 share their trophy pedigree with neighboring hunt units in the same geographic region — a record-book bull taken from these counties may have come from Unit 19 or from an adjacent unit. What the data confirms is that this region of Colorado is capable of producing trophy-quality moose, and Unit 19 represents one of the primary access points into that country.
Hunters with bull tags who are serious about trophy potential should plan extended hunts, be prepared to cover significant ground across both accessible terrain and backcountry, and go in with expectations calibrated for a once-in-a-lifetime animal rather than a guaranteed trophy.
Herd Health & Population Trends
Colorado's moose were reintroduced to the state beginning in the late 1970s and have expanded significantly from those initial populations. The state manages moose conservatively compared to elk and deer, which is reflected in the small annual tag allocations that characterize every Colorado moose unit.
The harvest data for Unit 19 does not include wildlife survey figures such as bull:cow ratios or calf:cow ratios in the provided data, so population-level assessments should be sourced directly from Colorado Parks and Wildlife district reports. What the harvest data does suggest is that the unit's moose population has been relatively stable over the six-season window, with hunter numbers staying in a consistent 10–19 range annually and harvest numbers showing no dramatic decline over time.
The 2024 and 2025 seasons — with 80% and 74% success respectively — are encouraging from a population health standpoint. Declining success rates over time often signal herd stress; the upward trend in recent seasons points in the opposite direction.
Access & Terrain
Unit 19 covers 270,820 acres across a substantial elevation range — from approximately 4,800 feet at the lower margins to nearly 12,700 feet at the unit's highest points. This spread creates distinctly different hunting environments within the same unit boundary. Lower elevations tend toward riparian corridors, willows, and transitional habitat that moose favor heavily, while mid-elevation zones offer a mix of timbered slopes and open parks. The upper reaches push into high alpine terrain that moose will use in late summer and early fall before transitioning to lower elevations as conditions change.
With 70% public land, Unit 19 gives hunters meaningful DIY access. A majority of the unit's acreage is open to public entry, which reduces the access friction that plagues many Colorado units where private land checkerboards force hunters into narrow corridors or requires landowner permission. Hunters should still invest in solid mapping tools to identify property boundaries — that 30% private land is real and must be respected.
The 30% wilderness designation is a significant terrain factor. Roughly 81,000 acres of Unit 19 fall within designated wilderness, which means this portion of the unit is pack-in country — no motorized or mechanized access. For moose hunters, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. Wilderness areas typically see less hunting pressure from other big game hunters, and moose — with their large home ranges — will use wilderness terrain when conditions push them there.
Colorado residents face no guide requirements in wilderness areas and can hunt these zones independently. Nonresident hunters in Colorado are also not subject to mandatory guide requirements in wilderness — Colorado does not have Wyoming's outfitter-guide mandate for wilderness hunting. Nonresident DIY hunters can legally access and hunt Unit 19's wilderness acres on their own. That said, the logistical challenge of packing a moose out of wilderness terrain is substantial, and nonresidents hunting the backcountry portions of this unit should plan seriously for the extraction challenge — a Shiras' moose is a large animal in a remote setting.
Hunters should come physically prepared for the unit's elevation range. Moving between 7,000 and 11,000 feet in pursuit of moose requires genuine aerobic conditioning, and the terrain variability demands versatility in camp and access planning.
HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 19 Worth Your Moose Points?
The honest answer is: yes, for the right applicant — and the data supports that conclusion.
Unit 19 delivers a multi-year average success rate that outperforms many Colorado moose units, with recent seasons trending strongly upward. The 80% success in 2024 and 74% in 2025 are not flukes — they reflect a unit where moose are findable and huntable terrain is accessible. With 70% public land, hunters are not boxed out by private holdings, and the wilderness component adds genuine backcountry opportunity for those willing to work for it.
The trophy picture is solid for Colorado. The regional trophy history associated with the counties overlapping this unit is strong, placing it among the better-regarded moose areas in the state from a quality standpoint.
The key caveat is point investment. Colorado moose tags — particularly bull tags — require significant preference point accumulation. Hunters who have been banking points for years and are approaching a window where this unit is drawable should take Unit 19 seriously. Hunters early in their point accumulation journey should use the HuntPilot unit page at huntpilot.ai/states/co to assess current draw competitiveness before committing to a multi-decade point strategy.
One piece of context from hunter accounts: Unit 19 overlaps with active elk and deer seasons, and moose hunting can be affected by the movement pressure that other hunters create in the unit. This is not unique to Unit 19 — it is a structural reality of Colorado's concurrent season framework — but hunters should factor it into hunt timing and location strategy.
How to Apply
2026 Application Window: Applications for Colorado moose in Unit 19 open March 1, 2026, with a deadline of April 7, 2026. Draw results are released on May 26, 2026.
Resident Fees (2026):
- Application fee: $9.00
- License fee (required to apply): $53.19
- Tag fee (if drawn): $386.00
- Point fee (if not applying for a tag): $50.00
Nonresident Fees (2026):
- Application fee: $11.00
- License fee (required to apply): $117.62
- Tag fee (if drawn): $2,824.00
- Point fee (if not applying for a tag): $100.00
Colorado requires hunters to hold a valid hunting license before they can apply for moose — the license fee listed above is a mandatory prerequisite for application, not just a cost incurred upon drawing. Hunters should budget for both the license fee and application fee when calculating the annual cost of holding a moose point year.
Applications are submitted through Colorado Parks and Wildlife's online licensing system. For current draw odds, tag allocations, and unit-level analysis, visit the HuntPilot Colorado page at huntpilot.ai/states/co.
Dates and fees are subject to change. Always verify current application details at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website before applying.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit 19? Unit 19 spans a dramatic elevation range from roughly 4,800 feet to nearly 12,700 feet across 270,820 total acres. The unit includes willowed riparian zones and transitional lower-elevation habitat favored by moose, mid-elevation timbered slopes, and high alpine terrain. Approximately 30% of the unit is designated wilderness, requiring pack-in access. The remaining terrain is a mix of roaded and trail-accessible public land, with 70% of the unit's total acreage open to public entry.
What is the harvest success rate in Colorado Unit 19 moose hunting? Over the six seasons from 2019 through 2025, Unit 19 has averaged approximately 57% overall harvest success. The range has been wide — from 35% in 2021 to 80% in 2024 — but the most recent two seasons (74% in 2025, 80% in 2024) represent the strongest consecutive stretch in the dataset. These are among the better success figures available for a Colorado moose unit.
How big are the moose in Colorado Unit 19? Unit 19 falls within counties that have a strong history of producing trophy-class moose. The area has genuine trophy pedigree for a Colorado unit, though hunters should have realistic expectations — Shiras' moose are the smallest subspecies, and exceptional bulls require age and favorable conditions. The unit is capable of producing record-book quality animals, but most hunters will measure success in the context of a once-in-a-lifetime Colorado moose, regardless of final score.
Is Colorado Unit 19 worth applying for moose? For hunters who have accumulated substantial preference points, Unit 19 is a strong candidate. The harvest success data is among the better documented in Colorado moose country, the public land percentage is favorable for DIY access, and the regional trophy history is solid. The unit is competitive to draw — particularly for bull tags — but hunters approaching drawability should give it serious consideration. Check current draw competitiveness at huntpilot.ai/states/co before finalizing your application strategy.
Can nonresidents hunt Unit 19 moose without a guide? Yes. Colorado does not require nonresident hunters to hire a licensed guide, even in designated wilderness areas. Nonresidents can legally pursue moose anywhere within Unit 19 on a DIY basis. That said, hunting the unit's wilderness acres requires logistical planning for pack-in access and — critically — extraction of a moose from remote terrain. The physical and logistical challenge is real, and hunters unfamiliar with wilderness pack-out operations should plan thoroughly or consider partnering with an experienced crew.