Draw Equilibrium

[Scott85]

Some questions are easier to answer than others and this is one of the hardest question that I cannot answer. It might be a super big time secret and if it is tell me to go pound sand.

I guess this is for someone living in the east and has to travel west to hunt, the most an average person can make is one hunting trip per season.

I know with OTC tags a person can hunt every year but what do you when applying for limited draws and some how the stars align and you draw in multiple states for multiple species? Is throw caution to the wind and will find a way to make all the hunts happen? Is there a secret?

 

[LCH]

I currently get 13 days PTO annually. I do 2, 3, or 4 week long trips per year, plus a family vacation.

Tricks include:


-Open 80 work schedule, work ahead first week and take less leave 2nd week of pay period

-Schedule trips on holiday weeks

-Work all comp time offered

-Don't take time off for frivolous reasons

 

[BuzzH]

Some questions are easier to answer than others and this is one of the hardest question that I cannot answer. It might be a super big time secret and if it is tell me to go pound sand.

I guess this is for someone living in the east and has to travel west to hunt, the most an average person can make is one hunting trip per season.

I know with OTC tags a person can hunt every year but what do you when applying for limited draws and some how the stars align and you draw in multiple states for multiple species? Is throw caution to the wind and will find a way to make all the hunts happen? Is there a secret?

No secret, but LCH hit on something that I'm fortunate to have...lots of leave and a flexible work schedule. I usually take the entire month of November off and have a minimum of 320 hours of leave a year, combination of annual, credit hours, and comp time. I haven't taken extra hours paid in over-time for 15 years, I like the time off more than the money. I also haven't taken time off for a summer vacation in 10-12 years.

I usually try to stack hunts in November-December if I can, a little more cautious on where I apply in August-end of September. October I can still usually swing at least one 10-12 day hunt as my work is usually winding down by then.

When you get to looking at the odds of having too many tags, it doesn't happen very often. I had it happen once, and just donated my AZ rifle bull elk tag to hunt of a lifetime. That's another option if you luck out and draw too many tags, lots of states allow you to give them to wounded warriors, hunt of lifetime, those types of deals.

I usually have more than enough to keep busy, but in fairness, usually a tag or two a year that I draw doesn't get the attention it deserves. Usually tags drawn on the leftover list or additional cow/calf tags. Most of the time I hunt every tag at least for a couple days...feel guilty not at least giving them a try.

 

[Blackcats06]

The other idea is to apply for states that you can turn tags back in, hopefully without a penalty. Az you have point guard where you can get your points back, don't get money back either way. Colorado second through 4th picks can be turned back in and get money, first choice its either money or points. There are other states but I don't know them as well

 

[ashersdad]

Not sure how old you are or what your career is but owning your own business has it's advantages. I could take 2-3 months off if the stars aligned and I had too many tags. Having great employees is a huge help knowing things are taken care of when you're gone. Just a thought.

 

[Scott85]

Not sure how old you are or what your career is but owning your own business has it's advantages. I could take 2-3 months off if the stars aligned and I had too many tags. Having great employees is a huge help knowing things are taken care of when you're gone. Just a thought.

I'm 33 and in the military for the next 5 years so I get 30 days of leave a year. Since I'm close to retirement and with plans to move to Wyoming I might just build points and just hunt OTC until I move. Once in Wyoming I don't foresee any issue hunting multiple states every year.

 

[ImBillT]

Don’t apply in states where the results for state A don’t come out until after the application is due for state B. When you apply for two species in a state, try to get overlapping or consecutive hunt dates so that if you drew both, you could hunt both in a single trip. Whenever the above two strategies don’t quite work out, then make some of the conflicting apps so awesome that it’s worth just making it happen. For instance, you really want to hunt deer in NM so you apply for a hunt with 40-50% odds, and you don’t quite want to stay out of the elk draw, but also don’t want two hunts...unless it’s just too good to be true, so for you elk you apply for the statewide tag as a first choice and Gila units for second and third choices. If the stars align, the elk hunt will be worth the extra pain of two hunts. If not, you might draw one or neither.

 

[IEATELK]

Self employment and having good guys working for you.... (and that they understand your obsession/dedication)goes along way!

 

[sdkhunter]

Everyone's situation is going to be a little different, how may tags they are applying for, difficulty/odds of their draws/applications, amount of vacation, etc. - but I can expand on my experiences/thoughts... So I get 3 weeks of vacation a year (starting in less than a year I finially hit 4 weeks) but I do get to bank a certain amount of time as it's accrued. And of course I can't use all my vacation time hunting. So right now, my bank is about 200 hrs of annual - I never try and go under 100 hrs just in case something big comes up... I've been putting in for out of state tags for about 20 years, fairly 'heavy' the last 15. My goal is to try and go on one out of state or big hunt a year, I don't really want more than two of those 'bigger' tags - that's my goal.... I ususally start off the draws hitting for the fences or at least 'extra bases' but the more strikes I get, the more I take off my swing. So every draw that goes by that I don't hit on, I start to consider my options, burning a few points, switching to easier to draw units, maybe doing an out of state whitetail or antelope hunt, etc. So out of the last 5 years, I've drawn 5 LE elk tags, one year I didn't draw any and 1 year I drew two (one was not expected at all). The year I didn't draw any Western tags I decided to use my IA Whitetail points - so again - different layers of planning and preperpation for hunts... I'm always thinkings multiple years out - even if the plans are loose - where I'm going to 'try' and draw - I don't worry too much about ending up with tons of tags as I normally just put in for tougher units after I draw a LE tag or just go preference only after I'm successful... Long as you aren't putting in for mulple tags with really good odds, hitting on multiple tags is possible - but kinda like winning the lottery - cross that bridge when you get there...