Colorado elk unit · GMU 16
West North Park · Mount Zirkel
Western North Park — one of the few units still selling an OTC bull tag, checkerboarded and crowded.
About GMU 16
Colorado Game Management Unit 16 sits in the North Park, spanning Jackson county near Walden, Steamboat Springs. The terrain runs from 8,000 – 11,900 ft, with the primary big game being Rocky Mountain Elk, Mule Deer, Pronghorn Antelope.
Flat sage prairie, foothills, buttes, and long draws rise west into high timber and the Mount Zirkel Wilderness on the Park Range crest toward Steamboat.
Elk success rates (CPW 2024)
Published by Colorado Parks and Wildlife in the CPW 2024 Elk Harvest Estimates for the 2024 season — the percentage of hunters who harvested an elk. Success swings with weather and pressure year to year; this is the most recent published data.
| Season | Success |
|---|---|
| Archery | 7% |
| Muzzleloader | 15% |
| 1st rifle | 22% |
| 2nd rifle | 6% |
| 3rd rifle | 18% |
| 4th rifle | 29% |
| All seasons | 15% |
Tags & draw odds
Tag type: OTC bull (2nd & 3rd rifle).
One of the units that still sells an OTC bull tag for 2nd and 3rd rifle (no points needed). Nonresident archery now requires a draw (statewide 2025 change), and muzzleloader and 1st/4th rifle are limited. Verify current-year status with CPW.
Access & crowding
BLM and Forest Service roads provide good access on the public pieces, but the half-and-half ownership funnels OTC hunters onto the reachable public ground — bring a land-status app.
Higher than its North Park neighbors during the OTC rifle seasons — an over-the-counter bull tag plus a private checkerboard concentrates hunters.
Who GMU 16 is for
A still-OTC North Park unit with mid-teens all-manner success — opportunity hunting where the public/private mix and the crowds, not the elk numbers, are the main challenge.
In a line: The DIY rifle hunter who wants one of the few remaining OTC bull tags and will do the land-status homework to beat the crowds.
Recent changes: Retains OTC bull (2nd & 3rd rifle) for 2026 — it was NOT among the units (54/55/551) that lost OTC. Nonresident OTC archery ended statewide in 2025.
Where Elk Glade fits in
Elk Glade Outfitters runs primarily in GMU 59, not this unit — but we know the surrounding country and the regional draw landscape. If you have a tag here or you’re building points toward one, get in touch and we’ll talk through the strategy. If you don’t draw, we may have a 59 slot.
Data sources: elk success rates from CPW Colorado Elk Harvest Estimates (year labeled above). Public-land percentages are approximate. Draw point requirements shift every year and are described as ranges only — always verify the current-year figures in the CPW big game brochure and draw recap before applying.
Plan a hunt
Need help with the 16draw, or want a 59 slot if it doesn’t come through?
Send us a note with what tag you’re applying for and your dates — we’ll walk through the draw strategy and let you know what’s open at Elk Glade.
