Colorado Unit 36 Elk Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 36 is a limited-quota elk hunting unit spanning 176,161 acres, with every hunt in the unit allocated through the draw — there is no general season here. Hunters researching Colorado Unit 36 elk hunting are looking at a unit where access is controlled from the start, elevations range from 6,733 to 13,412 feet, and 84% of the ground is public land. For hunters willing to put in the application effort, this is a unit worth understanding in detail before committing points or a season to it.

With nearly a third of the unit (30%) falling inside designated wilderness, Unit 36 offers genuine backcountry elk hunting for those willing to get away from roads. Combined with high public land access, this is a unit that rewards hunters who can put in the physical work to hunt elevation and rough country rather than road-hunt field edges.

HuntPilot Analysis

Is Unit 36 worth applying for? The honest answer depends heavily on what a hunter is looking for. Recent harvest data pulled from HuntPilot shows a unit with real variability year to year. In 2025, 4,035 hunters harvested 545 elk for a 14% success rate. In 2024, a smaller pool of 2,392 hunters produced 370 harvests at a 15% success rate — essentially the same success despite roughly 40% fewer hunters in the field. In 2023, 2,697 hunters harvested only 249 elk for a 9% success rate, the weakest of the three years.

That pattern — hunter numbers swinging by more than 1,600 hunters between 2023 and 2025 while success rates stayed mostly in the 9-15% band — suggests a unit where the draw allocation structure, not herd health alone, is driving a lot of the year-to-year hunting pressure. A near-doubling of hunters in 2025 compared to 2024 without a corresponding collapse in success rate is a reasonably good sign that the elk are there to support more pressure, at least in that one year.

The wildlife survey data is the more cautionary piece. Across six survey years from 2018 to 2024, the average bull:cow ratio sits at 25:100. That is a low ratio relative to what's typically considered a healthy, mature bull segment in a herd, and it signals that bulls are a smaller percentage of the population relative to cows across this multi-year window. Hunters should treat this as the more reliable long-term indicator of bull availability in the unit — not any single year's snapshot.

On trophy potential, the counties overlapping Unit 36 carry a limited history of trophy-class record entries. This points to limited trophy potential rather than a unit known for consistently producing exceptional bulls. That doesn't mean mature bulls aren't present — with 30% wilderness and difficult terrain up to 13,412 feet, bulls that survive into older age classes likely do so by living in hard-to-reach country — but hunters chasing a record-book animal should calibrate expectations accordingly and understand that trophy data here does not support strong or exceptional trophy claims.

Taken together: Unit 36 is a legitimate draw-worthy unit for hunters who want a real backcountry elk experience with reasonable, if unspectacular, success rates, but it is not a unit to prioritize purely for trophy potential based on the data available.

Harvest Success Rates

The three most recent harvest years tell a clear story of fluctuation:

• 2025: 4,035 hunters, 545 harvested, 14% success
• 2024: 2,392 hunters, 370 harvested, 15% success
• 2023: 2,697 hunters, 249 harvested, 9% success

Success rates in the 9-15% range are consistent with a tough, limited-quota mountain unit rather than an easy-access unit with high encounter rates. The jump in hunter numbers in 2025 (up roughly 68% over 2024) without a crash in success rate is worth noting, but hunters should expect success in the low-to-mid teens percentage-wise in a typical year rather than assume the 2025 volume will repeat. The 2023 season, with its 9% success rate, is a reminder that this unit can have difficult years even with fewer hunters afield.

Trophy Quality

Trophy record data for the counties overlapping Unit 36 shows a limited history of entries. This places Unit 36 in the limited trophy potential category — hunters should not expect this to be a unit known for producing a steady stream of record-book bulls. As with any unit sharing county boundaries with neighbors, the limited record-keeping history reflects the broader area and not necessarily a verdict on any specific drainage within the unit boundary.

Given the low average bull:cow ratio of 25:100 recorded across six survey years, it's reasonable to conclude that mature, heavy-antlered bulls are not abundant in this herd relative to cow numbers. Hunters pursuing this unit should set expectations around a quality backcountry hunt and the chance at a solid bull, rather than planning around trophy-class potential.

Herd Health & Population Trends

The bull:cow ratio data spans six survey years from 2018 through 2024, averaging 25:100. This is on the lower end for elk herds generally, and it indicates a cow-heavy population structure with a relatively small proportion of bulls. Hunters should read this as the headline herd health indicator for Unit 36 — a ratio in this range typically correlates with lower odds of encountering mature bulls compared to units running 30:100 or higher, even though overall elk numbers and harvest opportunity can still be solid, as the harvest data above demonstrates.

Without year-by-year breakdowns of the ratio provided, hunters should treat the 25:100 average as the most defensible planning number rather than looking for a single standout year. A six-year average smooths out survey noise and gives a more honest picture of the herd than any one count would.

Access & Terrain

Unit 36 covers 176,161 acres with elevations ranging from 6,733 feet up to 13,412 feet — a massive vertical span that puts sagebrush and lower foothill terrain in the same unit as alpine basins above treeline. Public land makes up 84% of the unit, which is a strong figure and means DIY hunters have ample legal access without needing to negotiate private land permissions for the bulk of their hunt.

The 30% wilderness designation is a significant factor in how hunters should plan their approach. Wilderness areas in Colorado carry no motorized or mechanized access, meaning hunters pursuing elk in that portion of the unit need to plan for foot or stock-based travel, physical conditioning for sustained elevation gain, and multi-day backcountry logistics if they want to hunt deep. Unlike Wyoming, Colorado does not require nonresidents to hire a guide to hunt wilderness areas — DIY hunters can access these areas on their own, but the terrain and remoteness mean self-sufficiency and route planning are essential.

Given the elevation range topping out above 13,000 feet, hunters should expect everything from lower-elevation transitional habitat to true high-alpine terrain depending on where in the unit they draw and hunt. Scouting across this elevation gradient — rather than assuming elk will be in one elevation band — is critical, and hunters should use mapping tools to identify public land pockets, wilderness boundaries, and elevation bands before committing to a specific drainage.

How to Apply

Every hunt in Unit 36 is allocated through Colorado's limited-quota draw system — there is no general season tag available over the counter for this unit. That means both resident and nonresident hunters must apply through the state's draw process to hunt elk here, regardless of weapon preference.

Colorado's draw operates as a true preference point system, which is distinct from a weighted lottery. Hunters with the highest number of preference points draw first, and a sufficiently high point level can functionally guarantee a tag on many hunts. This is different from states like Montana or Nevada, where bonus points only improve odds in a weighted random draw without ever guaranteeing a tag. In Colorado, points accumulate for hunters who apply and don't draw, and a successful draw consumes those accumulated points, meaning a hunter starts rebuilding from zero after drawing a tag.

Residents and nonresidents apply through the same system but should expect different levels of competitiveness depending on point totals and the specific draw hunt pursued within Unit 36. Because draw odds, quotas, and point requirements shift from year to year as Colorado Parks and Wildlife adjusts allocations, hunters should check HuntPilot's Colorado page for the current draw odds, point requirements, and application details rather than relying on historical figures.

Application dates and fees change every cycle. For the current deadlines, fees, and draw odds, see HuntPilot's Colorado page at /states/CO.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the terrain like in Colorado Unit 36? Unit 36 spans a huge elevation range from 6,733 feet to 13,412 feet, meaning hunters can encounter everything from lower-elevation foothill and transitional terrain to true high-alpine basins above treeline. With 84% public land and 30% of the unit designated wilderness, there is substantial legal access, but the wilderness portion requires foot or stock travel since no motorized or mechanized access is permitted there.

What is harvest success like in Unit 36? Recent harvest data shows success rates of 14% in 2025, 15% in 2024, and 9% in 2023. Hunter numbers varied significantly across these years, from 2,392 up to 4,035, without success rates collapsing proportionally, suggesting the unit can absorb more hunting pressure in good years. Hunters should plan around a realistic success expectation in the 9-15% range rather than assuming the best year will repeat.

How big are the elk in Unit 36? Trophy record data for the counties overlapping Unit 36 shows a limited history of entries, pointing to limited trophy potential rather than a unit known for producing record-class bulls. Combined with a six-year average bull:cow ratio of 25:100, which is on the low end, hunters should expect a solid backcountry elk hunt rather than plan specifically around trophy potential.

Is Colorado Unit 36 worth applying for? It depends on the hunter's goals. The unit offers strong public land access (84%) and real backcountry opportunity with 30% wilderness, along with reasonable harvest success in most recent years. However, the low average bull:cow ratio and limited trophy record history mean this isn't a unit to target purely for big bulls. Hunters prioritizing a quality backcountry experience with a fair shot at harvesting an elk should find this unit worth the application; those chasing trophy potential should look elsewhere or set expectations accordingly.

Do nonresidents need a guide to hunt the wilderness portion of Unit 36? No. Colorado does not require nonresidents to hire a guide or outfitter to hunt wilderness areas, unlike Wyoming. Nonresident hunters can pursue elk in the wilderness portion of Unit 36 on a DIY basis, though the remote, high-elevation terrain demands strong physical preparation and self-sufficient trip planning.