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Colorado GMU 78 elk: terrain, access and seasons

Unit 78'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 28% for 871 hunters.

Size
763 sq mi
CPW unit boundary, 2025
Counties
Archuleta, Conejos, Mineral, Rio Grande
Elevation
6,160–13,300 ft
USGS 3DEP, 2026-10-19
Huntable public land
62%
COMaP, 2026-10-12
Second rifle license, 2026
OTC bull · Draw cow
CPW 2026 big game brochure
Success
28%
CPW harvest survey, 2024
Hunters
871
CPW harvest survey, 2024
Hunter-days per sq mi
5.7
CPW, 2024
Road miles, any vehicle
236 mi
MVUM + CDOT, open on the Oct 24 opener
Median Habitat Score
2.7 of 5
Ranks 22nd of 128 for second rifle. Glassline, v20, 2026-10-19
Snow now
4 in
Deepest at Middle Creek SNOTEL, 2026-10-20

In short

A mid-elevation, mostly timbered OTC unit with more far-from-road ground than most units. Most of Unit 78 sits between 7,000 and 9,000 feet, mostly conifer with shrubland after it. About three-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 2,754 hunters across all seasons in 2024, down from 2,955 in 2022, while second rifle success rose from 19% to 28%. Second and third rifle sell over-the-counter bull licenses; the other seasons are draw only.

Licenses and draw

Second rifle in Unit 78, 2026: an over-the-counter bull license (E-M-000-U2-R) and a draw cow license (E-F-077-O2-R).

  • E-M-000-U2-R bull, over the counter
  • E-F-077-O2-R cow, draw 2026 draw: residents drawn out at 2 points; nonresidents drawn out at 6 points

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 78 sits among its neighbors.

77 771 80 81 751 78

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

Conditions

As of Oct 21: 4 in of snow at Middle Creek SNOTEL, the deepest reading near the unit; moderate drought (D1) on the US Drought Monitor over 100% of the unit.

Rebuilt nightly; sources at the end of the page.

Item Value Data
Snow (SNOTEL) Upper San Juan (10,140 ft): 2 in deep, SWE 0.1 inWolf Creek Summit (10,930 ft): 0 in deep, SWE 0.1 inElwood Pass (11,680 ft, 0.1 mi out): 2 in deep, SWE 0.8 inMiddle Creek (11,260 ft, 4.4 mi out): 4 in deep, SWE 1.9 inLily Pond (11,070 ft, 5.5 mi out): 0 in deep, SWE 0 in 2026-10-20 2026-10-20
Drought D1, Moderate droughtShare of the unit: D0 or worse 100% · D1 or worse 100% USDM 2026-10-13 USDM 2026-10-13
Greenness vs normal, Sep 14–29 101% 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 147,14, 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 59° 37°55° 45°50° 39°52° 36°49° 34°50° 31°50° 32°
Precip 0.4 in1.2 in0.9 in0.3 in0.3 in0 in0 in
Snow 0 in0 in0 in0 in0 in0 in0 in
Gusts 15 mph25 mph25 mph14 mph10 mph8 mph12 mph
10,000–11,000 ft NWS GJT gridpoint 149,15, 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° 38°46° 43°46° 38°41° 37°38° 34°40° 34°40° 34°
Precip 0.4 in1.3 in0.9 in0.4 in0.3 in0 in0 in
Snow 0 in0 in0 in0.2 in0.6 in0 in0 in
Gusts 15 mph26 mph26 mph14 mph10 mph8 mph9 mph

Access

Unit 78 has 21 trailheads and about 236 miles of road any vehicle may drive on the second rifle opener, plus 104 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
21
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
236 mi
High clearance
104 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
27.5%
30–60 min
16.8%
60–90 min
11.8%
Over 90 min
43.8%

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-000-U2-R bull Over the counter: no draw
E-F-077-O2-R cow 2024 60 205 41 2 points 218 10 5 points
2025 60 192 41 2 points 206 10 6 points
2026 70 186 46 2 points 240 13 6 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 78.

  • 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

  • In Montana, collared elk shifted onto ground closed to public hunting once rifle seasons opened, ahead of security cover on public land.

    Proffitt et al., 2013 Established finding

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

Build a plan for Unit 78, 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

6,160–13,300 ft; conifer 53.6% and shrubland 14.4%; burns: Quartz Ridge Fire, Rio Blanco Fire and Mill Creek 2 Fire (2023 and 2026).

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

Elevation Acres per 1,000 ft band. USGS 3DEP.
  1. 6k–7k ft 21,080 ac
  2. 7k–8k ft 141,450 ac
  3. 8k–9k ft 112,710 ac
  4. 9k–10k ft 77,020 ac
  5. 10k–11k ft 68,330 ac
  6. 11k–12k ft 57,020 ac
  7. 12k–13k ft 8,350 ac
Table view
BandAcres
6,000–7,000 ft21,080 ac
7,000–8,000 ft141,450 ac
8,000–9,000 ft112,710 ac
9,000–10,000 ft77,020 ac
10,000–11,000 ft68,330 ac
11,000–12,000 ft57,020 ac
12,000–13,000 ft8,350 ac
Slope Share of the unit per slope class.
  1. Under 5° 13.6%
  2. 5–15° 33.9%
  3. 15–25° 23.7%
  4. 25–35° 19.1%
  5. 35°+ 9.7%
Table view
Slope classShare
Flat (under 5°)13.6%
Gentle (5–15°)33.9%
Moderate (15–25°)23.7%
Steep (25–35°)19.1%
Very steep (35° and up)9.7%
Aspect Share of non-flat ground facing each way.
  1. N 10.1%
  2. NE 9.4%
  3. E 10.8%
  4. SE 12.1%
  5. S 12.7%
  6. SW 14.6%
  7. W 16.4%
  8. NW 13.9%
Table view
AspectShare
North10.1%
Northeast9.4%
East10.8%
Southeast12.1%
South12.7%
Southwest14.6%
West16.4%
Northwest13.9%
Vegetation LF2024 existing vegetation, groups of 1% or more.
  1. Conifer 53.6%
  2. Shrubland 14.4%
  3. Aspen 14.3%
  4. Grass & meadow 5.8%
  5. Rock & scree 3.4%
  6. Riparian & wetland 2.7%
  7. Pinyon-juniper 2.6%
  8. Alpine grass 1.4%
Table view
Vegetation groupShare
Conifer53.6%
Shrubland14.4%
Aspen14.3%
Grass & meadow5.8%
Rock & scree3.4%
Riparian & wetland2.7%
Pinyon-juniper2.6%
Alpine grass1.4%
Item Value Data
Burned 0–3 years ago 4,400 acQuartz Ridge Fire (2023), 2,300 acRio Blanco Fire (2026), 1,400 acMill Creek 2 Fire (2023), 100 ac NIFC since 2020 NIFC since 2020
Openings in timber 4,438 openings of 1–40 ac, from lidar covering 100% of the unit 2026-10-19 2026-10-19
Habitat Score, second rifle Share of 301,500 ac of huntable public ground in each score band. Median 2.7. Scoring v20, computed 2026-10-19.
Table view
ScoreShare of scored ground
0–0.50%
0.5–13.4%
1–1.513.8%
1.5–213.2%
2–2.514.6%
2.5–317.4%
3–3.527%
3.5–410.3%
4–4.50.4%
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 San Juan herd (E-31) estimate for 2025 and hunter density, 2024.

Second rifle success rose from 19% to 28% between 2022 and 2024, while the season's hunters held about steady. Across all seasons, hunters held about steady between 2022 and 2024. Unit 78 is one of 5 units in CPW's San Juan herd unit (E-31), estimated at about 32,000 elk after the 2025 hunt, with 13 bulls per 100 cows.

Hunters, harvest and success
Season Year Hunters Harvest Success
Second rifle 2022 912 174 19%
2023 1,018 135 13%
2024 871 240 28%
All seasons 2022 2,955 522 18%
2023 2,879 402 14%
2024 2,754 731 27%

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

Item Value Data
Hunter density 19 hunter-days per sq mi, all seasons CPW 2024 CPW 2024
Herd estimate (San Juan, E-31) 32,320 post-hunt · 18,940 in 2019 CPW 2025 CPW 2025
Bull:cow ratio 13 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 San Juan herd unit (E-31), which also takes in Units 75, 77, 751 and 771: CPW manages herds, not units. Source: CPW post-hunt population estimate, 2025.

Neighbors

Units 77, 771, 80, 81 and 751, 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

24 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. Effects of hunter access and habitat security on elk habitat selection in landscapes with a public and private land matrix — Proffitt, Gude, Hamlin and Messer, Journal of Wildlife Management 77(3), 2013
  22. 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
  23. Gazetteer files, places — U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 On the map: towns, 2024.
  24. Species Activity Mapping: elk seasonal ranges — Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 2025 On the map: CPW mapped ranges, 2025.

Build a plan for Unit 78, free.

Start free

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