New Or Noteworthy For This Year

State Information

The Colorado Draw System

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Colorado's Mule Deer Breakdown

The Points System

Colorado's 2022 Mule Deer Application Overview

Colorado is a GOHUNT favorite for mule deer and a must apply state. In Colorado, mule deer inhabit the alpine basins, sage- and oak-filled draws, sage flats of the western slope and much of the eastern plains. Finding a spot of public ground on the eastern plains can be tough for a DIY hunter, but for those willing to go on a guided hunt, there is still quality hunting on the plains. Whitetail also inhabit the eastern plains, but, once again, the limiting factor is the amount of private ground. When considering hunts on the eastern plains, an outfitter or permission on private land is advised. If you are interested in hunting eastern plains deer or whitetail, utilize the tools within Filtering and the Unit Profiles to find the best opportunity. Remember: a guide is your best bet in the plains for a good buck.

The quality for mule deer is still good for the number of points it requires to draw most tags; however, generally speaking, the quality is not as good as it was just a decade ago. Colorado has been aggressive with season dates, pushing them back in an effort to harvest older age class bucks, which are most susceptible to chronic wasting disease CWD and transmission. There are and will always be some nice bucks available in almost every unit, but not in the number that once was. Populations are still good for the time being and everyone interested in mule deer hunting in the West should still be applying and/or building preference points in Colorado.

Note: The application deadline for all Colorado species is 8:00 p.m. MST on April 5, 2022. You can apply online here.

Your GOHUNT INSIDER account also has the NEW Point Tracker feature. This allows you to enter the number of points you have for each state and species and, as you research through Filtering and Draw Odds, your point total will automatically be highlighted.

Be aware that some units may have slightly different dates. Review the CPW brochure for details of the hunts you plan to apply for.

To view important information and an overview of Colorado’s rules/regulations, the draw system and preference points, tag and license fees and an interactive boundary line map, check out our State Profile. You can also view the Species Profiles to access historical and statistical data to help you find trophy units.

Colorado is a fairly easy state to apply in. You will have to create an online account if you have not previously done so. Or you can call 1-800-244-5613 for help getting an account.

Important Dates and Information

*Deer license cost will only be charged if you are successful in the draw.

Understanding the Draw

For deer hunts that have required six or more points for a Colorado resident to draw, up to 20% of the licenses can be allocated to nonresidents. Hunts that require fewer than six points for a Colorado resident to draw will have up to 35% of the licenses allocated to nonresidents.

Point System

Colorado utilizes a true preference point system to allocate deer licenses. This means that the applicants with the most preference points who apply for any given hunt will draw the licenses. There is no random draw for licenses. There are also no over-the-counter (OTC) mule deer licenses in Colorado.

Applicants will gain one preference point for every year they apply for a hunt and are unsuccessful in drawing their first choice. If applicants want to build preference points only, they can use the preference point only code as their first choice. Applicants can draw a hunt as a second, third or fourth choice and still build a preference point for that year. You cannot build more than one preference point per year. If you draw your first hunt choice, your preference points will be purged. If you fail to apply for a species or have not purchased a license for 10 consecutive years, then all accumulated preference points for that species will be purged.

Deer preference point only code: D-P-999-99-P

Hunt Choices

Colorado allows applicants to select up to four hunt choices for deer. Colorado considers every applicant's first choice before moving to subsequent choices. In essence, in order to draw a license as a second choice, there must be a surplus of permits after every applicant's first choice is considered and so on and so forth throughout the other choices. As previously stated, you may be able to draw some hunts as a second choice while using the preference point code as your first choice. This would allow you to build a point for future years and also draw the second choice hunt.

You can explore the odds of drawing as a second choice within your INSIDER account. Simply change the “choice” filter from first to second and you can see all hunt odds of drawing as a second choice.

Group applications

Group applications of any number are accepted for deer. Residents and nonresidents can apply together. When a resident and nonresident apply together on a group application, the nonresident license comes out of the nonresident quota for that hunt. One person must be the group leader and all applications in that group are linked together with that group leader’s CID number. Every member of the group must apply for the same hunt at each choice. The group application will go into the draw with the lowest number of preference points of any single member of the group. This means that if a group of three apply and they have one, seven and 12 points, the application will go into the draw with one point. CPW will not over allocate licenses to cover a group application if there are not enough licenses left. For example, if there were two licenses left and an application for a group of three was selected, they would reject that application and move to the next applicant.

Second Drawing

Licenses remaining after the primary drawing will be available in a secondary drawing. The secondary drawing is open to anyone — whether they applied in the primary drawing or not. Applicants must have purchased a qualifying license to apply for the secondary draw. The secondary draw does not use preference points and you cannot apply for preference points. The secondary drawing is a random draw.

The timeframe to apply in the second drawing is June 21 to July 5 at 8 p.m. MST. Youth ages 12 to 17 do receive priority for all licenses that make it to the second draw.

Returned, Leftover and Reissued Licenses

Colorado allows applicants who have drawn a license to return it if they do not want it. In 2022, there will be a timeframe after the draw where applicants can refuse the license and have their points restored to the pre-draw level. Applicants can also choose to pay for the license and return it at a later date as long as it’s done at least 30 days prior to the hunt. In this case, they can choose to receive a refund for the cost of the license or have their preference points reinstated. If you have your points reinstated, you will not receive a point for that year's application.

Any returned or leftover licenses after the secondary draw will be reissued via a first come, first served process starting on Aug. 2 at 9 a.m. MST. The leftover list will be made available in late July. Beyond Aug. 2, every Tuesday at 11:00 a.m., all reissued licenses will be placed on a list and published on the CPW website for customers to review. The following day, Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., those licenses will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Reissued licenses can be purchased online or in-person at CPW offices or other license agents.

The Seasons

The fall hunts of 2021 were the most highly anticipated dates in recent memory due to the fact that they were the latest ever offered. The anticipation was that the dates would correlate the second, third and fourth rifle seasons with the rut and possibly cold snowy weather. The reality and hunter reports suggest that it was not nearly as good as was expected. The weather was warm, there was very little to no snow and the rut seemed to be weak through the second and even third rifle season.

There were some nice bucks taken in 2021, but not nearly as many as was expected. This has sparked conversations among hunters as to whether or not the older age class bucks even exist or if they did not show themselves due to the weather conditions. My opinion is that both are likely true to some extent. Certainly the warm weather and seemingly weak rut, saved some of the older age class bucks. In addition, harvest success rates appear to be on par with previous years and, in many parts of the state, CPW has been much more aggressive in license allocations. Personally, I do think that there are fewer older age class bucks throughout almost all of the areas that are easy to draw. The overall trophy quality is definitely not what it was just five to ten years ago. However, we still believe Colorado is a great state and a must-apply for mule deer. The 2022 dates are still very good, only rolling back one day from 2021. I will say it once again: the 2022 dates are good and provided cold, snowy weather hits early, the hunting could be fantastic.

Snowpack and Drought in Colorado

2022

Colorado snow water equivalent update as of March 8, 2022. Source: National Resources Conservation Service

2022 Colorado drought monitor status as of March 1. Source: United States Drought Monitor

2021

Colorado snow water equivalent from March 5, 2021. Source: National Resources Conservation Service

2021 Colorado drought monitor status from March 2. Source: United States Drought Monitor

The Colorado deer draw is probably the most highly anticipated draw in the West. From point creep to the late season dates, everyone seems to be talking about Colorado mule deer and trying to make plans for 2022. There isn’t another state that offers as many opportunities to hunt the iconic western big game species. The 2021 rifle seasons were as late as they have ever been with second, third and fourth rifle seasons running well into November. The anticipation was that every lucky hunter would have a crack at a mature buck. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The weather did not corroborate with the dates, the rut seemed to be lackluster at best and most hunters found themselves hunting in warm, dry conditions with deer scattered across a variety of habitat types. The bigger bucks seemed to stick to transitional timbered slopes and, although harvest was still decent, there was not the number of trophy caliber bucks taken that everyone expected. This has led to a fair amount of discussion about whether or not those bigger bucks actually still exist in good numbers or if it was the lack of cold, snowy weather. The reality is that it’s a combination of both factors. Many of the older bucks made it through this past year, but the number of mature bucks overall is also not what it was just five or ten years ago.

Deer hunting on the western slopes is still good and going into 2022, the dates are only one day earlier than they were in 2021. If Colorado gets an early cold snowstorm (which is not uncommon) that pushes deer out of heavy cover and onto traditional winter ranges, it could be a great year. We would recommend that every applicant try to draw a license in 2022 and hope for snow.

Point Creep

Simply explained, point creep occurs when the number of tags available doesn't meet the demand — AKA the number of applicants each year. Thus, the point value that it takes to draw the license keeps creeping upward. This is an issue primarily in true preference point states like Colorado where the applicants with the most points who apply for any given hunt are guaranteed the licenses.

Going into the 2021 draw, I speculated that there would be a decent number of applicants within the five to 15+ point range who have either been banking points or who will move from fourth season applications to second and third season applications. I also thought that a number of fourth season hunts may actually have better odds than they have in previous years. Both of which appear to have taken place, especially for hunts that offered 200 to 300 licenses. If you review the table below, you will see the hunts that jumped the most. Several hunts jumped three or more points. The second and third rifle season seemed to take the brunt of the point creep in 2021.

Many other units displayed normal rates, typically >1 point

Many other units displayed normal rates, typically >1-1point

Many other units displayed normal rates, typically >1-1point

As predicted, several fourth season rifle hunts actually saw a decrease in point creep as more applicants made the decision to jump into the third rifle season as their first choice. Below, we will highlight the most intriguing hunts that actually had better odds at a lower point level in 2021 than they did in 2021.

Interestingly enough, a few of the better archery and muzzleloader hunts also showed significant point creep in 2021. I suspect that more applicants anticipated an increased harvest on the rifle hunts and decided to burn points to get the first shot at older age class bucks before the late rifle hunts. Below are the archery and muzzleloader hunts that saw the most point creep.

Going into 2022, my expectation is that many — if not all — of the hunts listed in the second and third rifle season tables will creep once again; however, possibly not as much as it did in 2021. I would expect those hunts to still require the number of points they required in 2021 and likely one to two more going into 2022. The hunt dates are still very good in 2022 and, as previously stated, if the weather cooperates, it’s going to be very good hunting. I would also expect the archery and muzzleloader hunts in the table above to require a higher number of points than they did prior to 2021. Applicants are keying in on the units that offer good trophy quality and caching in points for the opportunity to hunt prior to the rifle hunts. The bulk of the hunts going into 2022 will creep minimally — typically less than a point or about one point.

Deer Population

Colorado’s deer population has been relatively stable over the past 14 years. The total statewide estimate in the most recent data set is 427,570, which is up slightly from 418,310. For quick reference, we have included the 2020 estimated population and buck:doe ratios, which is the most recent published estimate to date.

Hit list units for Colorado mule deer in 2022

How to Uncover Hidden Gem Units

Colorado is the best opportunity state in the West to hunt mule deer. The hit list above is the best hunts/areas to hunt and kill a trophy buck, but the reality is that most people do not have a couple decades worth of points. For that reason, your GOHUNT INSIDER account covers every opportunity and there are hundreds of other hunts that can be drawn with very few points. We also include population estimates and buck to doe ratios within this article. Between those and Filtering, standalone Draw Odds and the Unit Profiles, you can put together a hunt that will work for the number of points you have. Historically, some of the biggest bucks in the state are harvested from low point draw units and bigger bucks will always persist in those types of units; however, the number of those bucks is fewer than it has been. Even still, our advice would be to hunt Colorado mule deer as often as possible. The law of averages is a great strategy for Colorado. For example, if you hunt deer there five times in 15 years you are more likely to kill a great buck than you are if you hunt one time in 15 years.

The bulk of the hidden gems are in the muzzleloader and archery hunts and, perhaps, even the fourth rifle season in 2022. The archery and muzzleloader hunts give hunters the first opportunity at bucks when they are still in bachelor herds and on their summer range. There are many archery and muzzleloader hunts that can be drawn with very few points and during that time of year public land access is much less of an issue when compared to late rifle hunts.

For rifle hunters, researching fourth rifle season hunts is worth your time. As indicated, several fourth rifle season hunts required fewer points than they did in previous years. It’s true that fourth season dates are at the tail end of every hunt, but those dates still offer hunters the best chance at good rutting activity and cold, snowy weather that can concentrate deer onto transition and winter range. The other hidden gems for rifle hunters to consider are the relatively easy to draw third rifle hunts. With the late dates once again in 2022, there is always the chance of a cold, great rut hunt.

Utilize GOHUNT's standalone Draw Odds, trophy filters, unit profiles and the information in this article to find those tucked away hidden gems. There are going to be some in the next few years.

2022 maximum preference points for deer: 33

Managing Points and Expectations

Keep in mind that most of the land east of I-25 is private. Obtaining landowner permission prior to applying is highly recommended.

Before you proceed, once again, the restructured second, third and fourth rifle season dates are likely to increase point creep once again although perhaps not as much as it did in 2021. Applicants should review the detailed draw odds pages and generally consider hunts that could have been drawn at a point or two points less than what has been available at your current level.

I Have 0 Deer Points. What Can I Expect?

Zero points: There are many hunts for every season/weapon that a nonresident could have drawn with zero points. A quick search within Filtering yields 31 hunts that could have been drawn with zero points in areas with 50% or greater percentages of public land. The archery and muzzleloader hunts are the most prevalent options. One attractive factor to those early season hunts is that the bulk of the deer herds occupy higher elevations where there is more public land and better access. There are also 19 rifle hunts available with no points and out of those, nine had harvest success rates of 30% or greater.

The other option is to build a preference point by using the preference point code as a first choice and applying for a license that is likely to be drawn as a second choice. By changing the “choice” filter within the standalone draw odds page, there were 36 hunts that could have been drawn as a second choice in 2021. This strategy will allow you to draw a license and hunt while still building a preference point for future use.

Preference point only code as a first choice D-P-999-99-P.

Use Draw Odds and Filtering to find the hunt that meets your objectives. Once again, strongly consider the archery, muzzleloader, second rifle seasons or even third rifle seasons.

One to three points: There are many options within this point range and it’s worth considering burning deer points in Colorado within this point range and getting back into the draw again and hunting more often.

Bowhunters should consider all of these hunts, which had 30%+ harvest success and 170”+ trophy potential.

Muzzleloader hunters should consider all of these hunts, which have trophy potential of 170”+ and 30%+ harvest success.

Early rifle and second rifle hunts to consider in the one to three point range. All of these hunts have trophy potential of 170”+ and 45%+ harvest success.

Third rifle hunts to consider in the one to three point range. All of these hunts have trophy potential of 170”+ and 50%+ harvest success.

Fourth rifle hunts to consider in the one to three point range. All of these hunts have trophy potential of 170”+ and 50%+ harvest success.

Four to seven points: There are many options within this point range and we strongly recommend applicants consider using their deer points in Colorado within this point range and getting back into the draw again and hunting more often.

Eight to 12 points: There are many options within this point range, but if you have built up this many points applicants are usually looking for a better quality hunt. If you fall within this range, some of the best options are listed in the table below.

Applicants beyond the 13 point range are likely looking at the best hunts. Applicants within this range should consider the hunts listed in the GOHUNT hit list above. Overall, Colorado still offers very good deer hunting and is a must apply state for every mule deer enthusiast. Good luck in the draw!

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