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Colorado GMU 14 elk: terrain, access and seasons

Unit 14's terrain, access, seasons and CPW elk figures, with Conditions rebuilt nightly.

By Bryson, co-founder Updated

2026 season

Second rifle Oct 24–Nov 1

Every section below follows this season.

Decide

The season's licenses, draw results and harvest figures.

At a glance

Second rifle runs Oct 24–Nov 1, 2026; CPW's 2024 harvest survey put success at 21% for 167 hunters.

Size
409 sq mi
CPW unit boundary, 2025
Counties
Routt, Grand
Elevation
6,670–12,190 ft
USGS 3DEP, 2026-10-19
Huntable public land
86%
COMaP, 2026-10-12
Second rifle license, 2026
OTC bull · Draw cow
CPW 2026 big game brochure
Success
21%
CPW harvest survey, 2024
Hunters
167
CPW harvest survey, 2024
Hunter-days per sq mi
2.1
CPW, 2024
Road miles, any vehicle
97 mi
MVUM + CDOT, open on the Oct 24 opener
Median Habitat Score
2.8 of 5
Ranks 12th of 128 for second rifle. Glassline, v20, 2026-10-19
Snow now
0 in
Deepest at Dry Lake SNOTEL, 2026-10-20

In short

A high-elevation, mostly timbered OTC unit with more far-from-road ground than most units. Most of Unit 14 sits between 8,000 and 10,000 feet, mostly conifer with aspen after it. Just under nine-tenths of the unit is huntable public land, about a third of it over 90 minutes' walk from a road. CPW's survey counted 1,293 hunters across all seasons in 2024, while second rifle success rose from 12% to 21%. Archery sells over-the-counter either-sex licenses to residents only; second and third rifle sell over-the-counter bull licenses; the other seasons are draw only.

Licenses and draw

Second rifle in Unit 14, 2026: an over-the-counter bull license (E-M-000-U2-R) and a draw cow license (E-F-014-O2-R).

  • E-M-000-U2-R bull, over the counter
  • E-F-014-O2-R cow, draw 2026 draw: drawn out at 0 points for residents and nonresidents

CPW 2026 big game brochure; CPW primary-draw recap and drawn-out-at reports, 2024–2026, adult licenses. Every year of draw results is under Hunt codes and draw results.

Plan

The map, Conditions, access, hunt codes and draw results for the season, and what the research says.

Map

The interactive map (public land by manager, roads by vehicle class, burns, trailheads, SNOTEL stations, terrain and CPW's mapped ranges) needs JavaScript. The outline shows where Unit 14 sits among its neighbors.

214 16 161 441 131 14

Public data only. The plan lives in the app. Map sources

Conditions

As of Oct 21: no snow on the ground at the 7 SNOTEL stations near the unit; extreme drought (D3) on the US Drought Monitor over 28% of the unit.

Rebuilt nightly; sources at the end of the page.

Item Value Data
Snow (SNOTEL) Dry Lake (8,240 ft): 0 in deep, SWE 0.1 inElk River (8,710 ft): 0 in deep, SWE 0.2 inLost Dog (9,350 ft): 0 in deep, SWE 0.1 inTower (10,610 ft): 0 in deep, SWE 0 in, 0% of medianRabbit Ears (9,390 ft, 0.2 mi out): 0 in deep, SWE 0.1 inColumbine (9,170 ft, 0.7 mi out): 0 in deep, SWE 0.6 inZirkel (9,320 ft, 2.1 mi out): 0 in deep, SWE 0.1 in 2026-10-20 2026-10-20
Drought D3, Extreme droughtShare of the unit: D0 or worse 100% · D1 or worse 100% · D2 or worse 100% · D3 or worse 28% · D4 1.3% USDM 2026-10-13 USDM 2026-10-13
Greenness vs normal, Sep 14–29 100% of the September normal (2014–2023), MODIS 16-day composite 2026-09-29 2026-09-29

7-day forecast

NWS 7-day gridpoint forecast for 8,000–9,000 ft and 10,000–11,000 ft, issued Oct 21; the second rifle opener, Oct 24, is marked; no front named in the NWS discussion for the 7 days.

8,000–9,000 ft NWS GJT gridpoint 163,167, issued 2026-10-21. Gusts and lows: gridpoint only. No front named in the NWS discussion for the 7 days.
Wed 10/21 Thu 10/22 Fri 10/23 Sat 10/24 Opener Sun 10/25 Mon 10/26 Tue 10/27
High / low 53° 38°52° 43°49° 37°47° 35°46° 34°46° 33°45° 31°
Precip 0 in0.2 in0 in0.1 in0 in0 in0 in
Snow 0 in0 in0 in0 in0 in0 in0 in
Gusts 20 mph22 mph32 mph16 mph15 mph12 mph17 mph
10,000–11,000 ft NWS GJT gridpoint 164,168, issued 2026-10-21. Gusts and lows: gridpoint only. No front named in the NWS discussion for the 7 days.
Wed 10/21 Thu 10/22 Fri 10/23 Sat 10/24 Opener Sun 10/25 Mon 10/26 Tue 10/27
High / low 48° 36°46° 40°44° 33°41° 32°40° 31°39° 28°38° 28°
Precip 0 in0.2 in0 in0.1 in0 in0 in0 in
Snow 0 in0 in0 in0.2 in0 in0 in0 in
Gusts 22 mph24 mph36 mph17 mph16 mph12 mph20 mph

Access

Unit 14 has 35 trailheads and about 97 miles of road any vehicle may drive on the second rifle opener, plus 77 more that need high clearance. Just under a third of the huntable public ground is within a 30-minute walk of a drivable road, and about a third is more than an hour and a half away.

Trailheads
35
COTREX, computed 2026-10-19
Road miles open, second rifle opener Oct 24–Nov 1, by the smallest vehicle allowed. MVUM plus county and state roads.
Vehicle Miles
Any vehicle
97 mi
High clearance
77 mi
4x4
0 mi
Walking time from a drivable road Share of huntable public ground by foot time from the nearest drivable road. Foot time at a standard pace on Glassline's travel model (slope, vegetation, trails), from the nearest highway, road a high-clearance vehicle can drive, or trailhead, with every road open.
Walking time Share
Within 30 min
30%
30–60 min
20.4%
60–90 min
16%
Over 90 min
33.7%

Hunt codes and draw results

2 hunt codes for second rifle, 2026, with CPW's primary-draw results for 2024–2026.

Hunt code Year Licenses Residents Nonresidents
1st-choice applicants Drawn Drawn out at 1st-choice applicants Drawn Drawn out at
E-M-000-U2-R bull Over the counter: no draw
E-F-014-O2-R cow 2024 10 26 8 1 point 3 1 1 point
2025 50 45 48 Choice 2 2 2 0 points
2026 70 59 56 0 points 10 9 0 points

Hunt codes from the CPW 2026 big game brochure. A code valid in several units counts every hunter in all of them.

Draw results are CPW's primary-draw recap and drawn-out-at reports, 2024–2026, adult licenses. "Drawn out at" is the lowest preference-point level that drew a license; "Leftover" means licenses remained after the draw. A code valid in several units counts every applicant for all of them. Source: CPW draw reports, 2024–2026.

What the research says for this season

Findings from published studies and agency work, as tendencies. They describe how elk have behaved where they were studied, not where they are in Unit 14.

  • In Montana GPS work, rifle-season elk tended to hold about a mile or more from open motorized routes, in blocks of 5,000 acres or more.

    Ranglack et al., 2017 Established finding

  • At Oregon's Starkey Experimental Forest, bulls chose more canopy and kept away from open roads by day during hunts, and the shift was stronger in rifle seasons than in archery.

    Smith et al., 2022 Single study

Read next: Colorado second rifle elk, 2026 · How to e-scout a Colorado elk unit

Build a plan for Unit 14, free.

Start free

POIs are terrain candidates — places worth checking, not animal locations.

Reference

Terrain, the multi-year numbers, neighbors and sources. Each opens in place.

Terrain and habitat

6,670–12,190 ft; conifer 50.1% and aspen 18.9%; burns: Fishhook Fire, Middle Fork Fire and Morgan Creek Fire (2026, 2020 and 2021).

Unit-wide figures, computed 2026-10-19.

Elevation Acres per 1,000 ft band. USGS 3DEP.
  1. 6k–7k ft 6,880 ac
  2. 7k–8k ft 39,220 ac
  3. 8k–9k ft 77,570 ac
  4. 9k–10k ft 77,990 ac
  5. 10k–11k ft 51,340 ac
  6. 11k–12k ft 7,150 ac
Table view
BandAcres
6,000–7,000 ft6,880 ac
7,000–8,000 ft39,220 ac
8,000–9,000 ft77,570 ac
9,000–10,000 ft77,990 ac
10,000–11,000 ft51,340 ac
11,000–12,000 ft7,150 ac
Slope Share of the unit per slope class.
  1. Under 5° 15.5%
  2. 5–15° 39.7%
  3. 15–25° 28.4%
  4. 25–35° 12.2%
  5. 35°+ 4.1%
Table view
Slope classShare
Flat (under 5°)15.5%
Gentle (5–15°)39.7%
Moderate (15–25°)28.4%
Steep (25–35°)12.2%
Very steep (35° and up)4.1%
Aspect Share of non-flat ground facing each way.
  1. N 10.9%
  2. NE 6.5%
  3. E 7.7%
  4. SE 10.2%
  5. S 15.1%
  6. SW 16.4%
  7. W 17.8%
  8. NW 15.4%
Table view
AspectShare
North10.9%
Northeast6.5%
East7.7%
Southeast10.2%
South15.1%
Southwest16.4%
West17.8%
Northwest15.4%
Vegetation LF2024 existing vegetation, groups of 1% or more.
  1. Conifer 50.1%
  2. Aspen 18.9%
  3. Shrubland 12.4%
  4. Grass & meadow 8%
  5. Riparian & wetland 4%
  6. Rock & scree 2.4%
  7. Developed 2.2%
Table view
Vegetation groupShare
Conifer50.1%
Aspen18.9%
Shrubland12.4%
Grass & meadow8%
Riparian & wetland4%
Rock & scree2.4%
Developed2.2%
Item Value Data
Burned 0–3 years ago 300 acFishhook Fire (2026), 300 ac NIFC since 2020 NIFC since 2020
Burned 4–10 years ago 28,000 acMiddle Fork Fire (2020), 20,500 acMorgan Creek Fire (2021), 7,600 ac NIFC since 2020 NIFC since 2020
Openings in timber 2,396 openings of 1–40 ac, from lidar covering 82.6% of the unit 2026-10-19 2026-10-19
Habitat Score, second rifle Share of 223,100 ac of huntable public ground in each score band. Median 2.8. Scoring v20, computed 2026-10-19.
Table view
ScoreShare of scored ground
0–0.50%
0.5–10.8%
1–1.57.3%
1.5–215.2%
2–2.512.7%
2.5–323.3%
3–3.525.4%
3.5–411.6%
4–4.53.7%
4.5–50%

Glassline's Habitat Score grades terrain and habitat for the season on food, water, breeding and shelter. Shown here as one distribution for the whole unit, never a map: it grades ground, not animal locations.

The numbers

CPW harvest estimates 2022–2024 for the chosen season and all seasons, the Bears Ears herd (E-2) estimate for 2025 and hunter density, 2024.

Second rifle success rose from 12% to 21% between 2022 and 2024, while the season's hunters fell by about two-thirds. Across all seasons, hunters fell by just over half between 2022 and 2024. Unit 14 is one of 7 units in CPW's Bears Ears herd unit (E-2), estimated at about 17,000 elk after the 2025 hunt, with 22 bulls per 100 cows.

Hunters, harvest and success
Season Year Hunters Harvest Success
Second rifle 2022 489 60 12%
2023 210 13 6%
2024 167 35 21%
All seasons 2022 2,791 326 12%
2023 2,038 113 6%
2024 1,293 151 12%

CPW elk harvest reports, 2022–2024. A dash: not reported.

Item Value Data
Hunter density 20 hunter-days per sq mi, all seasons CPW 2024 CPW 2024
Herd estimate (Bears Ears, E-2) 17,070 post-hunt · 22,280 in 2019 CPW 2025 CPW 2025
Bull:cow ratio 22 bulls per 100 cows CPW 2025 CPW 2025

CPW harvest figures are survey estimates, not counts, and they cover the whole unit, private land included. Source: CPW harvest reports, 2022–2024.

Herd numbers cover the whole Bears Ears herd unit (E-2), which also takes in Units 3, 4, 5, 214, 301 and 441: CPW manages herds, not units. Source: CPW post-hunt population estimate, 2025.

Neighbors

Units 214, 16, 161, 441 and 131, nearest first.

From each unit's own page; dates there.

What this page can't tell you

Closures, private ground, this year's pressure and animal locations.
  • Closures. Forest, fire and road closure orders change through the season and aren't checked here. The managing agency's current order governs.
  • Private ground. Land with no public hunting access is hunted only with the owner's permission, and the public-land share above leaves it out.
  • This year's pressure. CPW's hunter numbers run a year or more behind the season you're planning.
  • Animal locations. These are terrain, access, harvest and herd figures, and CPW's mapped ranges are range lines; none of them places an animal. Finding elk is still your job.

Sources

23 datasets and studies, dated where the source dates them.
  1. Elk statistics: population estimates and harvest reports — Colorado Parks and Wildlife
  2. Colorado big game hunting: brochure, seasons and hunt codes — Colorado Parks and Wildlife
  3. Game Management Unit boundaries (Hunting Atlas) — Colorado Parks and Wildlife On the map: unit boundaries, 2025.
  4. COMaP: Colorado Ownership, Management and Protection — Colorado Natural Heritage Program, 2026-10-12 On the map: public land by manager, mapped 2026-07-29.
  5. 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), 1/3 arc-second — U.S. Geological Survey On the map: shaded relief from 5 m and 10 m lidar elevation, mapped 2026-10-04; elevation bands and slope, mapped 2026-10-04.
  6. LANDFIRE Existing Vegetation Type (LF 2024) — U.S. Geological Survey / USDA Forest Service, LF2024
  7. Wildland Fire Interagency Geospatial Services (WFIGS) fire perimeters — National Interagency Fire Center On the map: burns over 100 acres since 2020, mapped 2026-06-29.
  8. 3DEP lidar point clouds (canopy height model) — U.S. Geological Survey
  9. COTREX: Colorado Trail Explorer — Colorado Parks and Wildlife On the map: trailheads, 2024.
  10. Motor Vehicle Use Maps (MVUM) — USDA Forest Service On the map: roads by vehicle class, drawn as open on the selected season's opener, mapped 2026-08-22.
  11. Highways and major roads — Colorado Department of Transportation On the map: highways, mapped 2026-07-31.
  12. SNOTEL network: daily snow depth and snow water equivalent — USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2026-10-20 On the map: SNOTEL stations.
  13. U.S. Drought Monitor — National Drought Mitigation Center, 2026-10-13
  14. MOD13Q1 vegetation indices (NDVI), 250 m 16-day — NASA LP DAAC, 2026-09-29
  15. National Weather Service 7-day gridpoint forecast — National Weather Service, 2026-10-21
  16. National Weather Service Area Forecast Discussion (BOU, GJT, PUB) — National Weather Service, 2026-10-21
  17. Effects of bull age on conception dates and pregnancy rates of cow elk — Noyes, Johnson, Bryant, Findholt and Thomas, Journal of Wildlife Management 60(3), 1996
  18. Security areas for elk during archery and rifle hunting seasons — Ranglack, Proffitt, Canfield, Gude, Rotella and Garrott, Journal of Wildlife Management 81(5), 2017
  19. Wildfire extends the shelf life of elk nutritional resources regardless of fire severity — Snobl, Proffitt and Millspaugh, Ecosphere 13(7), 2022
  20. Behavioral responses of male elk to hunting risk — Smith, Spitz, Brown, Wisdom, Rowland, Forrester, Johnson and Clark, Journal of Wildlife Management 86, 2022
  21. Plasticity in elk migration timing is a response to changing environmental conditions — Rickbeil, Merkle, Anderson, Atwood, Beckmann, Cole, Courtemanch, Dewey, Gustine, Kauffman, McWhirter, Mong, Proffitt, White and Middleton, Global Change Biology 25, 2019
  22. Gazetteer files, places — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 On the map: towns, 2024.
  23. Species Activity Mapping: elk seasonal ranges — Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2025 On the map: CPW mapped ranges, 2025.

Build a plan for Unit 14, free.

Start free

POIs are terrain candidates — places worth checking, not animal locations.