Colorado Unit 500 Moose Hunting Guide

Colorado Unit 500 sits high in the Rockies, with elevations ranging from 9,035 feet at its lowest points to 13,827 feet along its highest ridgelines. This is big, rugged, alpine country, and for moose hunters who manage to secure a tag here, it represents one of the more rewarding limited-quota hunts in the state. With 103,662 total acres and 72% of the unit in public ownership, there's substantial room to roam for hunters willing to put in the legwork at elevation.

Unlike many Western big game units that offer a mix of general and limited-entry opportunity, Colorado Unit 500 has no general season for moose. Every hunt here is limited-quota, meaning hunters must draw a tag before they ever set foot in the field. That makes this a true draw unit — but it also means the state is actively managing moose density and hunter pressure, which has real implications for both opportunity and trophy quality discussed below.

This article breaks down what the data actually shows for Unit 500: recent harvest trends, what qualitative trophy history exists in the surrounding counties, and how hunters should think about applying. As always, this analysis draws on HuntPilot's unit-level data rather than speculation or outdated forum chatter.

HuntPilot Analysis: Is Unit 500 Worth Applying For?

The short answer: yes, with realistic expectations about what "success" looks like in a low-volume, high-elevation moose unit.

Harvest numbers from Unit 500 tell a story of a small, carefully managed moose population that produces strong hunter success rates when tags are issued. In the 2025 season, 28 hunters pursued moose in this unit and 22 harvested animals, for a 79% success rate — the best mark in the seven-year data set provided here. That's a notable jump in both hunter numbers and harvest, suggesting either an increase in tag allocation or a particularly favorable season. Looking at the broader trend from 2019 through 2024, hunter numbers in Unit 500 were consistently low — between 7 and 12 hunters per season — with success rates fluctuating between 33% and 71%.

This pattern is typical of a tightly controlled moose unit: the state issues very few tags, and the hunters who draw them tend to convert at above-average rates compared to other big game species. A 33%-to-79% success range over seven years, averaging out to a healthy majority of hunters tagging out in most years, tells hunters that if they can get a tag, their odds of filling it are good — moose are not an animal that hides as effectively as elk once located, and a hunter who commits time to glassing drainages and benches at elevation stands a solid chance of connecting.

The trade-off is access to the tag itself. Because every hunt in Unit 500 runs through the draw, nonresidents in particular should expect this to be a long-term point-building proposition rather than a unit they can walk into next season. Colorado's moose draw uses a hybrid preference and weighted random structure, and moose point accumulation in Colorado can take many years for nonresidents even in units with more tags than Unit 500 offers. Hunters serious about this unit should view it as a multi-year investment and plan their broader hunting calendar accordingly.

For hunters who do draw, the data supports a positive outlook: Unit 500 isn't producing an overwhelming number of tags, but the hunters who get them are finding and killing moose at good rates, in a scenic, high-elevation setting with the majority of the ground open to public access.

Harvest Success Rates

The seven years of harvest data available for Unit 500 show a small but consistently productive moose hunt:

• 2025: 28 hunters, 22 harvested — 79% success
• 2024: 9 hunters, 6 harvested — 67% success
• 2023: 7 hunters, 5 harvested — 71% success
• 2022: 7 hunters, 4 harvested — 57% success
• 2021: 7 hunters, 5 harvested — 71% success
• 2020: 12 hunters, 4 harvested — 33% success
• 2019: 9 hunters, 4 harvested — 44% success

Two things stand out. First, hunter numbers were remarkably stable and low from 2019 to 2024 — never more than 12 hunters afield in a single season — before jumping sharply to 28 in 2025. Second, success rates in most years clustered in the mid-to-high 60s and 70s, with 2020 and 2019 standing out as weaker years at 33% and 44% respectively. Whether that dip reflects tougher weather, a different hunter cohort, or herd distribution shifts isn't detailed in the available data, but the broader trend across the full seven-year window still favors hunters who draw a tag here: in five of the seven years reported, success rates were at or above 57%.

For a species that draws comparatively few applicants relative to elk or deer, these numbers reinforce that Unit 500 is a unit where tag scarcity is the main obstacle — not difficulty finding or killing a moose once hunters are in the field.

Trophy Quality

Trophy record data for the counties overlapping Unit 500 points to a moderate history of trophy-class moose production. This is a qualitative read on the available records rather than a statistical guarantee, and it's worth remembering that trophy entries are logged at the county level, not unit level — meaning any records attributed to this area are shared with neighboring units that overlap the same counties, and the animals in question may have come from any of those units.

That caveat aside, a moderate trophy history suggests Unit 500 isn't a unit with zero history of producing notable bulls, but it also isn't among the handful of elite Colorado moose units with an outsized, well-documented record of exceptional entries. Hunters drawing a tag here should go in expecting a solid, representative Shiras' moose opportunity rather than banking on a once-in-a-generation set of antlers. Given the high success rates documented above, most hunters who draw in Unit 500 will have good odds of connecting with a mature animal, even if it doesn't end up in the record books.

Access & Terrain

Unit 500 is genuinely high-altitude country. With a floor of 9,035 feet and peaks reaching 13,827 feet, hunters should plan for alpine basins, subalpine timber, and steep drainages typical of Colorado's highest terrain. At 72% public land, the majority of the unit is open to hunters without needing to negotiate private access — a meaningful advantage for DIY hunters planning to scout and hunt independently. The unit carries no designated wilderness acreage in the available data, so hunters won't face wilderness-specific travel restrictions here, though the elevation and terrain alone demand solid physical conditioning and a willingness to hike well off any road system to find moose concentrated in willow bottoms, high lakes, and timbered benches.

Moose in Colorado's high country tend to favor riparian willow habitat and the edges of subalpine lakes and wet meadows, particularly as summer transitions into fall. Hunters targeting Unit 500 should prioritize scouting drainages with strong willow growth and water sources at mid-to-upper elevations, and should lean on mapping tools — including HuntPilot's public land and terrain overlays — to identify likely pockets of habitat and access routes before the season rather than guessing from the trailhead.

How to Apply

Colorado Unit 500 moose tags are issued entirely through the state's limited-quota draw system — there is no general season option here, and no over-the-counter alternative. Every hunter, resident or nonresident, must apply through Colorado Parks and Wildlife's draw process to have a chance at a tag in this unit.

Colorado's moose draw uses a hybrid structure that blends preference-based allocation with a weighted random draw: a portion of tags go to the highest point holders first, while the remainder are distributed through a weighted lottery where entries scale with accumulated points. Residents and nonresidents apply through separate pools, and because moose tags are issued in such small numbers statewide, competition for tags — especially as a nonresident — can require significant point accumulation over multiple years before a tag becomes realistic.

Hunters should also know that a successful draw consumes accumulated preference points, meaning a hunter who finally draws a Unit 500 tag will start rebuilding their point total from zero for future moose applications.

Application structure, deadlines, and fees change from year to year, so rather than relying on static figures, hunters should check HuntPilot's Colorado state page at /states/CO for the current application windows, fee schedules, and draw statistics specific to Unit 500 before planning a season.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Colorado Unit 500 worth applying for moose? Based on the harvest data available, yes — hunters who draw tags here have converted at strong rates in most recent years, including a 79% success rate in 2025 and 71% success in both 2023 and 2021. The main barrier is the draw itself, not difficulty in the field, since every hunt in this unit runs through limited-quota allocation with no general season fallback.

What is harvest success like in Unit 500? Success rates have ranged from a low of 33% in 2020 to a high of 79% in 2025, with most years falling between 57% and 71%. Hunter numbers were small and steady (7 to 12 hunters) from 2019 through 2024 before increasing to 28 hunters in 2025, suggesting tag numbers may be expanding.

How big are the moose in Unit 500? Trophy record data for the surrounding counties points to a moderate history of trophy-class moose, shared with neighboring units that overlap the same counties. Hunters should expect a solid, representative Shiras' moose hunt rather than a unit known for producing an unusual volume of exceptional bulls.

What is the terrain like in Unit 500? This is high alpine and subalpine country, ranging from 9,035 to 13,827 feet in elevation. Expect steep drainages, high lakes, willow-choked bottoms, and timbered benches. With 72% of the unit in public ownership and no designated wilderness acreage, access is generally open to DIY hunters, though the elevation demands strong physical preparation.

Does Unit 500 have a general season for moose? No. Every moose hunt in Unit 500 is limited-quota and allocated through Colorado's draw system. There is no over-the-counter or general season option for this unit, so hunters must apply and draw a tag before hunting here.