Tag draws?

[JPbowhunter]

I foresee things going the way of ID with a random draw.

We only have one main ballot in this country which is for hog deer. I spoke to one of the guys wrapped up pretty tightly with it from the beginning. They talked about points but foresaw it being an issue with point creep and turning people away. Random draw means best odds for everyone.

 

[Uncompahgre]

I foresee things going the way of ID with a random draw.

We only have one main ballot in this country which is for hog deer. I spoke to one of the guys wrapped up pretty tightly with it from the beginning. They talked about points but foresaw it being an issue with point creep and turning people away. Random draw means best odds for everyone.

 

[enysse]

I feel your frustration, I have been putting in for 20 yrs with no luck in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming and Montana.

 

[Uncompahgre]

As a Wyoming resident I never drew a sheep or moose tag while I had friends who drew 2 sheep tags during the same time period. I moved to Colorado and I have been applying for moose since they had a season. I now have 21 resident points for Colorado moose and 17 nonresident points for Wyoming moose. I keep hoping some day I will draw.

 

[flatwater bill]

I'd like to see a simple system where for your first year, you had your name in the tumbler once. For your second year you had 2X2=4 names in the bin, and third year 3X3=9 names and so on. Would likely prevent someone from going 39 years with no draws. One of the AH members told me of some state that does this. Seems simple yet effective.......FWB

 

[Ridgewalker]

Colorado, to me now, is a very frustrating draw system. I’m in my 70s and have been applying for sheep and goat for over 30 years. You have to apply for three years to get started, then after that they call them “weighted” points. Joke! When you have over a dozen “weighted” points and a 14 year old kid gets drawn with only 4 years applying, the system is wrong!
Apparently I’ll be too old, or dead, before I get drawn. Waist of money and time IMO! You young guys though should keep trying!

 

[cagkt3]

@cagkt3 congrats and good luck. I hope the muley gods help you hang your tag on a good one. Will you be hunting one of the General Units or LE?
I cashed in my Utah General Deer points this year on the Zion Unit to hunt with a couple of buddies.

General - South Slope near Vernal. I put in for LE tags on Diamond, but no luck.

 

[CoElkHunter]

I just got my 39th unsuccessful notice for sheep. If my luck doesn't change soon I'll be to old to hunt sheep!

Well, I've been applying for 23 years for a bull elk tag in area 201 in NW Colorado for muzzle loading and I LIVE in Colorado. I've given up on sheep and goats! It took my father-in-law 27 years to draw a ram tag (at 72 yoa) in Colorado! I wonder how many preference points it takes to draw a Cape Buffalo tag in Africa? 50 years? Ha!Ha!

 

[JimP]

Well, I've been applying for 23 years for a bull elk tag in area 201 in NW Colorado for muzzle loading and I LIVE in Colorado. I've given up on sheep and goats! It took my father-in-law 27 years to draw a ram tag (at 72 yoa) in Colorado! I wonder how many preference points it takes to draw a Cape Buffalo tag in Africa? 50 years? Ha!Ha!

You should draw your muzzle loader tag in 201 in the next two years as long as higher point holders don't jump over to the unit. In 2018 you needed 24+ to get a tag.

That is one reason that I jumped out of the 201 pool and went with unit 61 muzzle loader. I drew that tag when it required 14 and I had 17 when I applied.

 

[CoElkHunter]

You should draw your muzzle loader tag in 201 in the next two years as long as higher point holders don't jump over to the unit. In 2018 you needed 24+ to get a tag.

That is one reason that I jumped out of the 201 pool and went with unit 61 muzzle loader. I drew that tag when it required 14 and I had 17 when I applied.

Your right with the higher point holders jumping in. One doesn't know from year to year when applying! And NOW, as a few years ago, you have the "hybrid" draw hunters who apply, which has changed the point system dynamics somewhat. My fath-in-law's buddy drew this unit with 9 PP and my father-in-law drew with 12 PP. I was STUPID enough to go down this trail, and have missed drawing a second choice elk tag because of it a number of years in unit 4 for first season. After this, NEVER again! I'm now too damn old anyway to continue this "premium hunting unit applying to the death"!

 

[JimP]

If you are like me you are too old to sit out the number of years that it takes to draw the tag.

I have enough bison points in Utah that I need to keep putting in but I need to check and make sure that I can use a motorized wheelchair when I finally do draw if not in the next few years.

 

[CoElkHunter]

If you are like me you are too old to sit out the number of years that it takes to draw the tag.

I have enough bison points in Utah that I need to keep putting in but I need to check and make sure that I can use a motorized wheelchair when I finally do draw if not in the next few years.

Yeah, if a hunter doesn't start applying for these tags when they're in their 20's, they WILL need a wheelchair (or luck) by the time they draw! Ridiculous! BTW, as YOU know, now we get the added bonus of spending $50.00 (resident) when applying for sheep, goat or moose! It just keeps getting better!

 

[JPbowhunter]

The price of a dall hunt seems to have nearly doubled in the last 10 years too I've noticed.

A sheep is something I've wanted my whole life but I'm too old to start. I think a texas aoudad hunt is as close as I'll ever get.

 

[LivingTheDream]

Yeah sheep hunting is crazy expensive. When I first started saving Dall Sheep were 10 to 12k and the premier NWT hunts were like 18k...fast forward they are 18k to 30k now.

Stone Sheep hunts have gone crazy where below 50 seems like a good price, less than 5 years ago I was still seeing some in the 30s.

Desert Sheep have leveled off a bit.

Getting a sheep hunt the "cheap" way by getting lucky in a draw requires a few hundred dollars a year...actually I dont want to know what I spend on points and hunting licenses trying to get drawn...and I definitely dont want my wife to find out.

The other issue I have with the point game is that you have to start buying points so early in the process. I have no real desire to hunt elk, yet I have 8 points in Wyoming and 5 in Arizona in case one day I get the desire. I told friends when we were in our 20s to start buying points. One almost has to be a bit obsessive to want to hunt all over the west.

 

[JPbowhunter]

Yeah sheep hunting is crazy expensive. When I first started saving Dall Sheep were 10 to 12k and the premier NWT hunts were like 18k...fast forward they are 18k to 30k now.

Stone Sheep hunts have gone crazy where below 50 seems like a good price, less than 5 years ago I was still seeing some in the 30s.

Desert Sheep have leveled off a bit.

Getting a sheep hunt the "cheap" way by getting lucky in a draw requires a few hundred dollars a year...actually I dont want to know what I spend on points and hunting licenses trying to get drawn...and I definitely dont want my wife to find out.

The other issue I have with the point game is that you have to start buying points so early in the process. I have no real desire to hunt elk, yet I have 8 points in Wyoming and 5 in Arizona in case one day I get the desire. I told friends when we were in our 20s to start buying points. One almost has to be a bit obsessive to want to hunt all over the west.

Yeah i believe every word of that. I'd like to hunt elk and mule deer one day, maybe next ten years or so. So I'm planning on jumping into the point game AZ for elk and WY for mule/elk this year.

 

[Ryan]

The price of a dall hunt seems to have nearly doubled in the last 10 years too I've noticed.

A sheep is something I've wanted my whole life but I'm too old to start. I think a texas aoudad hunt is as close as I'll ever get.

I hear ya. I hunted one because I'm an Alaska resident, but I saw the cost of a guided (required for nonresident) hunt once and about spit my coffee across the room. Everyone wants their silly Grand Slam, Ovis Slam, what have you.

 

[LivingTheDream]

I dont want to sound negative on the draw, honestly even with a few points you can draw a tag and get out there and hunt beautiful country and probably have a decent shot at a representative animal.

I just have hunting ADD, and there is alot of there to hunt and don't know if life with let me head west every year to hunt. But definitely start buying points now, you can start doing your research on units along the way. Honestly, waiting for the draw is a bit like Christmas.

 

[JPbowhunter]

I hear ya. I hunted one because I'm an Alaska resident, but I saw the cost of a guided (required for nonresident) hunt once and about spit my coffee across the room. Everyone wants their silly Grand Slam, Ovis Slam, what have you.

There's still some old guys in Australia that tell of the times when a non US citizen could hunt unguided in AK.
A guy I know did a hunt couple of years ago for moose and griz in AK. By the time he got home and had his moose on the wall (didn't get a griz) I dont think he had any change from $40k AUD. lot of money for a moose in my book!

 

[JPbowhunter]

I dont want to sound negative on the draw, honestly even with a few points you can draw a tag and get out there and hunt beautiful country and probably have a decent shot at a representative animal.

I just have hunting ADD, and there is alot of there to hunt and don't know if life with let me head west every year to hunt. But definitely start buying points now, you can start doing your research on units along the way. Honestly, waiting for the draw is a bit like Christmas.

Not at all, I've been on US hunting forums for years talking to guys. I get it, but I'm keen and my passion has always been unguided hunts in remote places so I see it as an adventure. I'm driven by the hunt more than the trophy.

If it were feasible I'd hunt Africa that way too.

 

[Ryan]

There's still some old guys in Australia that tell of the times when a non US citizen could hunt unguided in AK.
A guy I know did a hunt couple of years ago for moose and griz in AK. By the time he got home and had his moose on the wall (didn't get a griz) I dont think he had any change from $40k AUD. lot of money for a moose in my book!

I believe it. Heck, a fly out for moose will drop me 4K or more just for the flights.