Age 45, finally going on first 2 Western hunts this fall. CO Archery OTC Elk, and WY Rifle Antelope with my daughter. I can tell this will be an addiction and I am looking for advise for future hunts. I want/need to start buying points, but where? for which species? I'd like to do a Mule deer hunt someday, also elk in a draw unit with better odds of seeing more animals than hunters. Moose is also on my list for the future, but I assume that will have to be in Canada, since I hear it's hard to draw a U.S. Moose tag? Are there any species of sheep/goats that have a reasonable chance of getting a tag in the next 10-15 years? Trophy antelope someday with my daughters? So, if you were my age, and want to try to do some sort of hunt each year, and were starting at 0 points, where would you start aquiring points so that you can take some decent hunts without longshot odds of ever drawing a tag? At least I can do similar hunts as this year as I aquire points for future use.
Common Future Tag Scenario...
- Thread starter Muskeez
- Start date
WY elk: Guaranteed to hunt every other year with one point. Quality general hunt
AZ elk: Good late season hunts that are not too difficult to draw.
CO deer: Good hunts for 1-3 points.
AZ deer: Coues deer in the southern part of the state.
WY pronghorn: Trophy quality without the wait of AZ or NM.
CO mountain goat: Pretty good odds for a non-resident, after the 3rd year of applying.
NV deer: Quality hunts can be had for few points if you don't apply for the very best hunts.
Go to Canada for moose.
Those would be top on my list. So many other options if you want to lay out the money at draw time.
AZ elk: Good late season hunts that are not too difficult to draw.
CO deer: Good hunts for 1-3 points.
AZ deer: Coues deer in the southern part of the state.
WY pronghorn: Trophy quality without the wait of AZ or NM.
CO mountain goat: Pretty good odds for a non-resident, after the 3rd year of applying.
NV deer: Quality hunts can be had for few points if you don't apply for the very best hunts.
Go to Canada for moose.
Those would be top on my list. So many other options if you want to lay out the money at draw time.
CabinFever
Member
Oak laid it out pretty well, as far as building points on a budget, Utah, WY, CO are less expensive for a point, although you have to front the money in CO. I applied for my first out of state hunts to build points this year and it came down to those 3 cuz the budget is tight. I ended up doing UT since you just pay $65 for the general license and $10 per species after that. That gets you a point and a chance at drawing. To me $10 dollars is a cheap raffle ticket for a chance at Desert Bighorn, RM Bighorn, Goat, Bison, and Moose along with some pretty decent deer and elk hunts.
In addition to applying in Utah, if you time it right, you only have to buy the $65 license every other year making it even more cost effective.
cjcj
New member
Agree with Oak... But I may not get a Lope/ or Bighorn [ AZ]... until I'm almost dead.... I am fortunate to have killed 2 Lope's in Az... But never have drawn a bighorn/buffalo tag..
You can draw a pig tag every year in AZ... turkey are easy also
You can draw a pig tag every year in AZ... turkey are easy also
CabinFever
Member
Good to know...Details?
A-con
New member
OAK has lined you out pretty good.
I’ll add this,
Utah, build elk & deer points, you can draw a decent tag in 5-8 years, and maybe a moose tag once in your lifetime.
Wyoming, add deer points, and maybe moose.
Colorado, might as well add elk points.
Start now, Comment to as many tags/states as you can. Learn the process and stick to it. It will seem like a waste of time and money for a few years, but then you will start drawing quality tags.
Eventually you will have so many points in so many states you will realize you can draw at least one quality tag almost every year for the rest of your life.
Every state mentioned has it’s own rules, regulations and drawing/points process. It is very easy to make one small mistake, and have your application rejected. Until you know them all like the back of you hand, you should consider spending a hundred bucks a year for a subscription to “Huntin Fool”.
I’ll add this,
Utah, build elk & deer points, you can draw a decent tag in 5-8 years, and maybe a moose tag once in your lifetime.
Wyoming, add deer points, and maybe moose.
Colorado, might as well add elk points.
Start now, Comment to as many tags/states as you can. Learn the process and stick to it. It will seem like a waste of time and money for a few years, but then you will start drawing quality tags.
Eventually you will have so many points in so many states you will realize you can draw at least one quality tag almost every year for the rest of your life.
Every state mentioned has it’s own rules, regulations and drawing/points process. It is very easy to make one small mistake, and have your application rejected. Until you know them all like the back of you hand, you should consider spending a hundred bucks a year for a subscription to “Huntin Fool”.
A-con
New member
Utah requires you to have a current license at the time you apply. Hunting licenses are good for 1 year.
The application process is open for the month of February, so you buy a license and apply late in February, then the next year, you apply early in February. Your 1 year license is still current.
CF - Licenses in Utah are good for one full year from date of purchase. If you purchase your license near the tail end of the application period on year one, then the following year you are able to apply for your point prior to your license expiration date.
I should note that I have not yet purchased a point in UT and learned of this just after the application period this year but a reliable source informed me of this approach.
