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Colorado GMU 481 elk: terrain, access and seasons

Unit 481'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 32% for 156 hunters.

Size
282 sq mi
CPW unit boundary, 2025
County
Chaffee
Elevation
7,600–14,400 ft
USGS 3DEP, 2026-10-19
Huntable public land
79%
COMaP, 2026-10-12
Second rifle license, 2026
Draw bull, cow
CPW 2026 big game brochure
Success
32%
CPW harvest survey, 2024
Hunters
156
CPW harvest survey, 2024
Hunter-days per sq mi
2.3
CPW, 2024
Road miles, any vehicle
143 mi
MVUM + CDOT, open on the Oct 24 opener
Median Habitat Score
2.9 of 5
Ranks 5th of 128 for second rifle. Glassline, v20, 2026-10-19

In short

A high-country, half-open draw-only unit with more far-from-road ground than most units. Most of Unit 481 sits between 10,000 and 13,000 feet, with more conifer than anything else and rock and scree next, then shrubland. About four-fifths of the unit is huntable public land, and just over two-fifths of that ground is more than an hour and a half on foot from a drivable road. CPW's survey counted 494 hunters across all seasons in 2024, down from 513 in 2022, while second rifle success rose from 31% to 32%. Every license here is drawn.

Licenses and draw

Second rifle in Unit 481, 2026: a draw bull license (E-M-481-O2-R) and a draw cow license (E-F-481-O2-R).

  • E-M-481-O2-R bull, draw 2026 draw: residents drawn out at 0 points; nonresidents drawn out at 2 points
  • E-F-481-O2-R cow, draw 2026 draw: drawn on choice 2 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 481 sits among its neighbors.

56 49 48 57 55 481

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

Conditions

As of Oct 21: exceptional drought (D4) on the US Drought Monitor over 100% of the unit.

Rebuilt nightly; sources at the end of the page.

Item Value Data
Snow (SNOTEL) Saint Elmo (10,420 ft, 0.1 mi out): SWE 0.2 in 2026-10-20 2026-10-20
Drought D4, Exceptional droughtShare of the unit: D0 or worse 100% · D1 or worse 100% · D2 or worse 100% · D3 or worse 100% · D4 100% USDM 2026-10-13 USDM 2026-10-13
Greenness vs normal, Sep 14–29 104% 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, and the front is shaded.

8,000–9,000 ft NWS PUB gridpoint 40,94, issued 2026-10-21. Gusts and lows: gridpoint only. Front Sat 10/24: PUB: cold front Saturday (discussion of 10/21).
Wed 10/21 Thu 10/22 Fri 10/23 Sat 10/24 Front Opener Sun 10/25 Mon 10/26 Tue 10/27
High / low 53° 40°50° 43°51° 37°41° 35°41° 34°43° 33°44° 32°
Precip 0 in0.2 in0.1 in0.4 in0.1 in0 in0 in
Snow 0 in0 in0 in0.3 in0.2 in0 in0 in
Gusts 13 mph10 mph24 mph15 mph10 mph9 mph12 mph
10,000–11,000 ft NWS PUB gridpoint 39,96, issued 2026-10-21. Gusts and lows: gridpoint only. Front Sat 10/24: PUB: cold front Saturday (discussion of 10/21).
Wed 10/21 Thu 10/22 Fri 10/23 Sat 10/24 Front Opener Sun 10/25 Mon 10/26 Tue 10/27
High / low 46° 33°43° 37°43° 30°36° 30°35° 29°37° 28°38° 27°
Precip 0 in0.3 in0.1 in0.4 in0.1 in0 in0 in
Snow 0 in0 in0 in3.1 in0.9 in0 in0 in
Gusts 16 mph16 mph35 mph17 mph14 mph12 mph15 mph

Access

Unit 481 has 18 trailheads and about 143 miles of road any vehicle may drive on the second rifle opener, plus 58 more that need high clearance. About a quarter of the huntable public ground is within a 30-minute walk of a drivable road, and just over two-fifths is more than an hour and a half away.

Trailheads
18
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
143 mi
High clearance
58 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
24.6%
30–60 min
16.6%
60–90 min
15.9%
Over 90 min
42.8%

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-481-O2-R bull 2024 85 87 55 0 points 41 17 1 point
2025 85 91 52 0 points 46 17 1 point
2026 85 77 53 0 points 49 17 2 points
E-F-481-O2-R cow 2024 80 67 56 0 points 13 5 0 points
2025 80 86 60 0 points 7 5 0 points
2026 80 54 55 Choice 2 7 8 Choice 2

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 481.

  • 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 481, free.

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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

7,600–14,400 ft; conifer 44% and rock & scree 19.8%; no mapped burns since 2020.

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

Elevation Acres per 1,000 ft band. USGS 3DEP.
  1. 7k–8k ft 6,590 ac
  2. 8k–9k ft 36,780 ac
  3. 9k–10k ft 23,000 ac
  4. 10k–11k ft 27,090 ac
  5. 11k–12k ft 42,830 ac
  6. 12k–13k ft 35,830 ac
  7. 13k–14k ft 7,600 ac
  8. 14k–15k ft 160 ac
Table view
BandAcres
7,000–8,000 ft6,590 ac
8,000–9,000 ft36,780 ac
9,000–10,000 ft23,000 ac
10,000–11,000 ft27,090 ac
11,000–12,000 ft42,830 ac
12,000–13,000 ft35,830 ac
13,000–14,000 ft7,600 ac
14,000–15,000 ft160 ac
Slope Share of the unit per slope class.
  1. Under 5° 19%
  2. 5–15° 21.8%
  3. 15–25° 23.4%
  4. 25–35° 24.4%
  5. 35°+ 11.4%
Table view
Slope classShare
Flat (under 5°)19%
Gentle (5–15°)21.8%
Moderate (15–25°)23.4%
Steep (25–35°)24.4%
Very steep (35° and up)11.4%
Aspect Share of non-flat ground facing each way.
  1. N 13.9%
  2. NE 16.3%
  3. E 16.8%
  4. SE 15.2%
  5. S 12.1%
  6. SW 7.9%
  7. W 7.7%
  8. NW 10.1%
Table view
AspectShare
North13.9%
Northeast16.3%
East16.8%
Southeast15.2%
South12.1%
Southwest7.9%
West7.7%
Northwest10.1%
Vegetation LF2024 existing vegetation, groups of 1% or more.
  1. Conifer 44%
  2. Rock & scree 19.8%
  3. Shrubland 10.6%
  4. Alpine grass 7.9%
  5. Aspen 4.3%
  6. Developed 3.9%
  7. Grass & meadow 3.2%
  8. Pinyon-juniper 2.8%
  9. Riparian & wetland 1.8%
Table view
Vegetation groupShare
Conifer44%
Rock & scree19.8%
Shrubland10.6%
Alpine grass7.9%
Aspen4.3%
Developed3.9%
Grass & meadow3.2%
Pinyon-juniper2.8%
Riparian & wetland1.8%
Item Value Data
Burns No burned acres in the unit since 2020 NIFC NIFC
Openings in timber 740 openings of 1–40 ac, from lidar covering 100% of the unit 2026-10-19 2026-10-19
Habitat Score, second rifle Share of 135,200 ac of huntable public ground in each score band. Median 2.9. Scoring v20, computed 2026-10-19.
Table view
ScoreShare of scored ground
0–0.50.3%
0.5–12.8%
1–1.56.6%
1.5–211.9%
2–2.510.6%
2.5–323%
3–3.530.4%
3.5–413.7%
4–4.50.7%
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 Collegiate Range herd (E-17) estimate for 2025 and hunter density, 2024.

Second rifle success rose from 31% to 32% between 2022 and 2024, while the season's hunters fell by just under a fifth. Across all seasons, hunters held about steady between 2022 and 2024. Unit 481 is one of 4 units in CPW's Collegiate Range herd unit (E-17), estimated at about 3,500 elk after the 2025 hunt, with 23 bulls per 100 cows.

Hunters, harvest and success
Season Year Hunters Harvest Success
Second rifle 2022 188 59 31%
2023 140 45 32%
2024 156 50 32%
All seasons 2022 513 143 28%
2023 493 111 22%
2024 494 179 36%

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

Item Value Data
Hunter density 11 hunter-days per sq mi, all seasons CPW 2024 CPW 2024
Herd estimate (Collegiate Range, E-17) 3,470 post-hunt · 2,990 in 2019 CPW 2025 CPW 2025
Bull:cow ratio 23 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 Collegiate Range herd unit (E-17), which also takes in Units 48, 56 and 561: CPW manages herds, not units. Source: CPW post-hunt population estimate, 2025.

Neighbors

Units 56, 49, 48, 57 and 55, 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

22 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. 3DEP lidar point clouds (canopy height model) — U.S. Geological Survey
  8. COTREX: Colorado Trail Explorer — Colorado Parks and Wildlife On the map: trailheads, 2024.
  9. 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.
  10. Highways and major roads — Colorado Department of Transportation On the map: highways, mapped 2026-07-31.
  11. SNOTEL network: daily snow depth and snow water equivalent — USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, 2026-10-20 On the map: SNOTEL stations.
  12. U.S. Drought Monitor — National Drought Mitigation Center, 2026-10-13
  13. MOD13Q1 vegetation indices (NDVI), 250 m 16-day — NASA LP DAAC, 2026-09-29
  14. National Weather Service 7-day gridpoint forecast — National Weather Service, 2026-10-21
  15. National Weather Service Area Forecast Discussion (BOU, GJT, PUB) — National Weather Service, 2026-10-21
  16. 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
  17. Security areas for elk during archery and rifle hunting seasons — Ranglack, Proffitt, Canfield, Gude, Rotella and Garrott, Journal of Wildlife Management 81(5), 2017
  18. Behavioral responses of male elk to hunting risk — Smith, Spitz, Brown, Wisdom, Rowland, Forrester, Johnson and Clark, Journal of Wildlife Management 86, 2022
  19. 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
  20. 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.
  21. Gazetteer files, places — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 On the map: towns, 2024.
  22. Species Activity Mapping: elk seasonal ranges — Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2025 On the map: CPW mapped ranges, 2025.

Build a plan for Unit 481, free.

Start free

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