Draws & licenses · Updated 2026-10-01
How CPW points accumulate, when they reset, and how many you actually need to draw GMU 59 elk by weapon class. Built around the question you came here to answer: when does my number come up?
The short answer
A Colorado preference point is a credit awarded by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) when you apply for a limited-entry hunting tag and don’t draw it. Points are species-specific, accumulate annually, and order the following year’s draw — the highest-point applicants are awarded tags first. When you successfully draw a tag, all points for that species reset to zero. Points do not expire as long as you apply at least once every 10 years.
Point lookup · GMU 59
Cutoffs below are non-resident point requirements observed in recent CPW draw recaps for GMU 59 specifically. Real cutoffs vary year to year by 0–1 points depending on applicant pool. Resident cutoffs are typically 0–1 point lower than non-resident. Always cross-check the current-year CPW draw recap before banking on a specific point count.
Points needed
No draw
No draw needed. Rifle 2nd bull elk licenses on GMU 59 are sold over the counter, so your point count doesn't matter for this season. Rules change every year, so confirm on CPW's big-game page before you buy.
Rifle 2nd is combined deer-and-elk. GMU 59 2nd rifle bull elk licenses are over the counter.
Accumulation
You can earn a preference point one of two ways: apply for a real hunt code and not draw it, or submit a “point-only” application that explicitly requests no tag and only the point. Both earn one point per species per year. Both cost the standard application fee (currently $8 range, non-refundable).
The point-only application is the common path when you’re building toward a high-cutoff unit. If you know you’re three points away from drawing GMU 59 archery elk, you can buy points for three years without putting yourself at risk of drawing a different tag you didn’t want.
When you do submit a real hunt-code application, you can list up to four hunt choices in priority order. If your first choice has a cutoff above your point count, CPW moves to your second; if that’s also above your count, your third; then your fourth. Most years, hunters who don’t draw their first choice and have low point counts won’t draw any choice — those are the years you accumulate.
When you draw
When CPW awards you a limited-entry tag, your points for that species reset to zero. You start over.This is the core trade-off of the point system — every successful draw is also a full reset. A hunter who’s been saving 8 points for a trophy elk unit and draws gets the tag they wanted, but then re-enters the draw pool at zero next year.
This is why many serious draw-unit hunters hold separate point inventories across multiple species. Five elk points + three deer points + two pronghorn points means three different active draws working in parallel. Hunters who plan a multi-year path through Colorado often think of their points as a portfolio.
Points are NOT lost when you simply don’t apply for a year — they hold. The only ways to lose points are: (1) draw a tag, which resets them; (2) go 10 consecutive years without applying for that species, which resets them; or (3) submit a non-resident application after the early-April deadline under the late-app rule, which forfeits the year’s point.
A preference point is a credit awarded annually by Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) to hunters who apply for a limited-entry tag and don't draw. Points accumulate by species and are used to order applications in the next year's draw — highest-point applicants are awarded tags first.
You earn one preference point per species per year by either: (1) applying for a limited-entry license for that species and not drawing it, or (2) submitting a point-only application before the primary draw deadline in early April (April 7 in 2026; CPW sets the date each year). The application fee for point-only is currently around $8.
No. Colorado preference points do not expire as long as you apply or buy a license for that species at least once every 10 years. If you go 10 consecutive years without a CPW big-game application for a species, your points reset to zero for that species.
None for 2nd and 3rd rifle bull elk: those GMU 59 licenses are over the counter. For the draw seasons, non-resident point cutoffs have run 1–3 points across recent draws: archery typically 2–3; rifle 1st (limited bull) 1–2; rifle 4th 1–2; muzzleloader 1–2. Confirm against the current CPW draw recap before banking on a specific cutoff.
No. Preference points are species-specific. Elk points only apply to elk applications; deer points only to deer applications. You can hold and accumulate points in multiple species simultaneously — many hunters do.
When you draw a limited-entry tag with your points, all preference points for that species reset to zero. You restart at zero and accumulate again. This is the core trade-off of the system — every successful draw is also a reset.
If a non-resident submits their primary draw application after the early-April deadline (which CPW has historically allowed with an additional fee), they forfeit the preference point for that year even if they don't draw. CPW has tightened this rule recently; check the current-year brochure before assuming a late entry works.
Colorado allocates 65% of limited-entry tags to residents and 35% to non-residents on most units. On a small number of high-demand units the non-resident allocation drops to 20%. GMU 59 follows the standard 65/35 split. Point cutoffs are reported separately for each group in the CPW draw recap.
Related guides
Sources
Walk through your situation
Call with your current point count and target weapon/season, and we’ll tell you whether to apply this year, hold points another year, or pursue a landowner voucher to bypass the draw entirely.
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