Colorado GMU 53 elk hunting: 2024 harvest and hunter numbers
Unit 53 covers about 396 square miles in Delta and Gunnison counties.
In 2024, an estimated 2,033 elk hunters hunted Game Management Unit 53 across all seasons and took 326 elk, a success rate of 16%. The statewide rate that year was 20%.
That is 34 fewer hunters than 2023, when success was 13%.
2nd rifle was the busiest rifle season, with 442 hunters, about 112 for every 100 square miles of the unit.
1st rifle had the highest rifle success at 29%.
Among the 130 units with at least 100 rifle elk hunters, unit 53 ranked 84 for rifle success and 78 for fewest rifle hunters per square mile.
2024 elk harvest in unit 53, by season
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Bulls / Cows / Calves | Success 2024 | Success 2023 | Hunters per 100 sq mi | Days per hunter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st rifle | 146 | 43 | 32 / 12 / 0 | 29% | 34% | 37 | 3.9 |
| 2nd rifle | 442 | 70 | 62 / 7 / 2 | 16% | 14% | 112 | 4.9 |
| 3rd rifle | 183 | 25 | 14 / 11 / 0 | 14% | 10% | 46 | 4.0 |
| 4th rifle | 93 | 18 | 10 / 4 / 3 | 19% | 19% | 23 | 3.6 |
| All rifle seasons | 917 | 171 | 117 / 49 / 5 | 19% | 19% | 232 | 4.5 |
| Archery | 1,018 | 148 | 94 / 51 / 3 | 15% | 10% | 257 | 7.2 |
| Muzzleloader | 98 | 7 | 7 / 0 / 0 | 7% | 3% | 25 | 5.7 |
| All seasons and methods | 2,033 | 326 | 218 / 99 / 9 | 16% | 13% | 513 | 5.9 |
Hunters per 100 square miles uses the whole unit, private land included, so real crowding on public ground is higher. Season rows include limited and over-the-counter licenses together.
2026 rifle season dates
- 1st rifle: Oct 14-18
- 2nd rifle: Oct 24-Nov 1
- 3rd rifle: Nov 7-15
- 4th rifle: Nov 18-22
Dates are from the 2026 Colorado Big Game brochure. Whether a license for unit 53 is over-the-counter or limited depends on the hunt code: check the brochure before you buy.
Hunting unit 53 this fall?
Numbers tell you how busy a unit is. They do not tell you where to park, camp and sit. FilledTag builds one exact plan for your tag, with every pin checked against public land and road rules. It is free for 25 testers this season.
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Unit 521 Unit 54 Unit 63 Unit 64 Unit 52 Unit 43 Unit 53 deer All elk units
Where these numbers come from
Colorado Parks and Wildlife surveys license holders after each season and publishes estimates of hunters, harvest and days hunted for every unit. This page uses the 2024 Colorado Elk Harvest Estimates and the 2023 report in the same series. They are estimates from a survey, not counts, and they cover the whole unit.