Colorado GMU 87 elk hunting: 2024 harvest and hunter numbers
Unit 87 covers about 1,116 square miles in Larimer and Weld counties.
In 2024, an estimated 82 elk hunters hunted Game Management Unit 87 across all seasons and took 22 elk, a success rate of 27%. The statewide rate that year was 20%.
That is 12 fewer hunters than 2023, when success was 28%.
Fewer than 100 hunters reported for this unit, so these estimates swing a lot from year to year. Read them as rough.
2024 elk harvest in unit 87, by season
| Season | Hunters | Harvest | Bulls / Cows / Calves | Success 2024 | Success 2023 | Hunters per 100 sq mi | Days per hunter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All rifle seasons | 75 | 22 | 20 / 3 / 0 | 29% | 29% | 7 | 4.7 |
| Archery | 7 | 0 | 0 / 0 / 0 | 0% | 0% | 1 | 3.9 |
| All seasons and methods | 82 | 22 | 20 / 3 / 0 | 27% | 28% | 7 | 4.6 |
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 87 is over-the-counter or limited depends on the hunt code: check the brochure before you buy.
Hunting unit 87 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.
Get a free plan for unit 87Nearby units
Unit 9 Unit 94 Unit 191 Unit 19 Unit 96 Unit 20 Unit 87 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.