I got an angry email this week from an out-of-state hunter. And honestly? He’s right to be mad.
This guy cashed in 23 elk points in 2024. He’s still sitting on 14 mule deer points. Every year for over two decades he’s paid for a nonresident qualifying license and a preference point — real money, year after year — to hold his place in line for a Colorado tag. Then Colorado announced the 2028 draw changes, and from where he’s standing, the state just told everyone behind him in line they can cut.
His words: “I paid my precious money to wait in line and now others can bypass my money and efforts and location in line?”
I hear that. A lot of you are feeling it. So let’s break down what’s actually happening — because some of it is as bad as it sounds, and some of it isn’t.
What’s Actually Changing in Colorado’s 2028 Draw
Starting with the 2028 application season, Colorado is overhauling the draw for deer, elk, bear, pronghorn, and turkey. According to CPW’s approved changes, here’s the short version:
- Every hunt code splits 50/50. Half the tags in each hunt code go to a traditional preference point draw — highest points win, same as today. The other half goes to a new bonus draw.
- The bonus draw is not a pure coin flip. Reporting from GOHUNT and Outdoor Life describes it as a weighted raffle — every preference point you hold earns you extra entries. Someone with zero points gets one name in the hat. You get a fistful.
- Nonresidents get a flat 25%. Every deer, elk, bear, pronghorn, and turkey license goes 75% to residents, 25% to nonresidents — across the board, no exceptions.
- Point buying gets simpler. One point per species per year, $15 for residents and $30 for nonresidents.
Sheep, goat, and moose move to a 100% bonus draw. The current hybrid draw system goes away entirely.
The Question CPW Needs to Answer
CPW’s stated reason for all this is fighting point creep — the treadmill where the points needed for a good unit climb faster than you can earn them. And point creep is real. We wrote about it when we covered the death of OTC tags and the 2026 draw changes.
But here’s the part nobody at CPW has explained to the guys who played by the rules: the state sold those points. Hunters didn’t accumulate 14 or 23 points by accident. They bought them, one per year, on the understanding that the line meant something. Changing how the line works after decades of collecting money for a spot in it deserves more than a press release about “simplifying the draw.”
We think point holders are owed a straight answer: why is diluting the value of already-purchased points the fix, instead of grandfathering the people who paid in? If anyone at CPW wants to come on the Hunt Podcast and walk hunters through the reasoning, that invitation is open.
Your Points Aren’t Dead — But the Clock Is Running
Now the honest part the angry emails miss: if you’re holding a stack of points, you have not been robbed of them.
Half of every hunt code still goes straight to the top point holders — that’s unchanged. And in the other half, your points still work for you as extra entries. You’re better off than anyone behind you in both pools. What you lost is the certainty that waiting long enough guarantees the tag. That stings, but it’s dilution, not confiscation.
The bigger deal for nonresidents is the flat 25% cap. Fewer total tags for out-of-staters means every pool gets tighter.
What I’d Do Before 2028
The 2027 draw runs under the current rules. If you’re sitting on double-digit points, this is the window to spend them — under the system you paid into, in a premium unit, before the math changes. Don’t let 14 points ride into a new system hoping it shakes out in your favor.
If you’re done waiting on draws altogether, that’s a real option too. Landowner and private-land hunts don’t require a single point — that’s exactly what our private land Colorado mule deer hunts and private land Colorado elk hunts are built for. And if Colorado has lost you completely, states like New Mexico offer trophy elk hunts on private ranches with tags included.
Browse everything on our Hunt Adventures page, or reach out and we’ll map out where your points get the most value before 2028 — and where to hunt if you never want to buy another one.
Hunting is not a hobby. It’s an obsession.
