Fin's 2016 Elk Strategy

[sneakem]

Dinkshooters elk application strategy:

Apply in AZ and WY.................................bitch, moan cry and stomp when I don't draw
Apply in in UT, NV and NM.......................bitch, moan cry and stomp when I don't draw

Then just end up hunting OTC Colorado.

^^^^ That .... + a bunch of sheep and goat apps with the same result...:W:

 

[TheTone]

I'm pushing all my chips in on Wyoming. If I don't draw I doubt I'll hunt elk this year. If I do draw and don't kill a mature bull, I'm throwing in the towel on elk.

What? That's a terrible attitude to have.

 

[Oak]

I'm pushing all my chips in on Wyoming. If I don't draw I doubt I'll hunt elk this year. If I do draw and don't kill a mature bull, I'm throwing in the towel on elk.

What's wrong, little buddy? Why so blue?

Edit: Ha, didn't see Tone's comment.

 

[BuzzH]

Randy,

Cheer up...I think you'll get some pretty good help in Wyoming.

 

[Lawnboy]

I'm pushing all my chips in on Wyoming. If I don't draw I doubt I'll hunt elk this year. If I do draw and don't kill a mature bull, I'm throwing in the towel on elk.

You just need to come a little more east to the land of "milk and honey" . Do you archery hunt at all?

 

[----]

Ha, good to see so many are worried about my mental well being. I just don't enjoy chasing elk as much as I do deer, bear and antelope.

I told myself after killing my first bull that I'm holding out for a BIG bull for my next, and I've got a stack of unnotched tags that say my word is good.

 

[schmalts]

Nah, you would do just fine.

I am going to the ortho on Tuesday to discuss treatment options for my left knee. I had a really bad dark-of-night wreck on the steep face of a New Mexico canyon in late October, fully loaded with a bone-in hind quarter, all my day gear, some extra production gear, and ended up down in a brush pile with the entire load pushing my torso over my prone right knee while my left foot was up by my left ear. Like Tyler, I've been walking around like Chester on Gunsmoke since then.

When Schmalts joined us in Wyoming, he was probably thinking we were trying to get high on Ibuprofen. We were limping, falling, stumbling, and cussing as we tried our best to negotiate the terrain on what would be the last mountain hunt of the season. By the end of Day Two, after 14 miles, I told the crew I could not do another day like that. I did not hear any protests. Being a great friend, Schmalts shot his bull less than a half-mile from the trailhead, for which we were grateful.

.

We had a ton of laughs on that hunt non the less. After Tyler scarfed up all the Ibuprofine I had left and Randy was starting to really gimp around I told him he needed to change the name of the show again to "On Your Ibuprofen Adventures"

 

[schmalts]

Ha, good to see so many are worried about my mental well being. I just don't enjoy chasing elk as much as I do deer, bear and antelope.

I told myself after killing my first bull that I'm holding out for a BIG bull for my next, and I've got a stack of unnotched tags that say my word is good.

Elk are tough. Lots of work too. I am notorious for not closing the deal on the really big bulls so I think I know what you might mean.
I told Randy that If I ever shoot a bull over 350 it will be my last. He asked why, I just said "I'd retire from it" Meaning I felt I met my own personal goal and would just look more at deer and other critters. I say that all the time, including the last high country backpack hunt I did with Miller but after Christmas rolls by my brain starts to think it's younger than my legs. They will probably bury me in the mountains trying to pack out something that I should have hired a horse to do, 50 isn't old is it?

 

[noharleyyet]

50 isn't old is it?

I hope not.

 

[tjones]

50 isn't old is it?

In WI no, flatland and all. In Montana yes, kinda like the dog year thing.

 

[schmalts]

I hope not.

Aren't you like 70?

 

[noharleyyet]

Aren't you like 70?

Yes, like....at 64. Lots'a miles Pat.

 

[hank4elk]

LOL,I'm 60.Is that counted in Chupacabra years in NM?

Randy11 when I told BF this year I had been passing on 300-340 bulls for the last 8 yrs and after a BIG one during those hunts, I think he thought I was crazy......well,he might have any way.
I had another 350+ plus bull this year in my sights and the hammer had just been pulled back when he disappeared into the branches..............and it was the only bull I saw the whole 5 days in my unit.
Wait til next year!!

 

[Southern Elk]

That CO unit 61 is a great hunt. I have a friend that killed a great bull there. I know you probably have it all figured out, but I'd be happy to share some info with you or put you in touch with him.

 

[Lv2hnt]

"Hunt when you can. You're gonna run outta health before you run outta money." True dat!!!

Life's adventures eventually take a toll on one's body. I cringed when I had both knees operated on 30 years ago (how was I to know they'd hold up so decently over all these years). A few other bodily breakdowns have slowed me down a little, but the love of September has trumped all that ... so far. I would be so lucky to leave this Earth boots on and bow in hand.

Fin, (my opinion only) if your doc doesn't think P.T. will cure your Humpty Dumpty-ness, jump under the knife ASAP! Leaves you lots of time to recuperate (and fillet fish) between now and August. Best wishes with your knee!

Just watch your step after that --- you've got more Arizona tags in your future ...

 

[havgunwilltravel]

Going into 2016 with:
AZ 15
Ut 14
Wy. 6
Nev. 6
Co. 5

All the hard work of applying will soon pay off when I start cashing in some elk tags.

Come on randy11, surely you don't have that much of an aversion to chasing bulls around!

Good post randy. Hope it works out for you.

 

[Zim]

Colorado - This is probably the toughest choice of the entire strategy. I've got 19 points. I've never really tried to burn my CO elk points, as I've never had a schedule opening that I thought deserved 10, 11, 12, ....... 18 points. I've tired of dragging this big bag of points along and I hope to hunt one more mid-tier CO elk hunt before my body tells me to sit in a pasture and shoot whitetail does. Given that, I am hoping to cash these CO elk points in 2016.

Unless something changes in the schedule by the time CO apps are due, I will probably make Unit 61 archery my first choice. If I do draw that and I draw NM archery, it will force me to hunt CO earlier in the archery season and cut my season by a few days. That worries me when I am burning almost two decades of points.

Last year, 36% of the non-residents with 18 points drew Unit 61 archery. Based on history, 7-10 guys with more points than me jump off the sidelines each year and apply for this archery tag. If that historical trend holds true, and 5 people at my point level jump in, my odds will be closer to 50%, even though last year everyone at 19 points drew. Welcome to the world of point creep.

Randy,
Where did you get your stats from? I also have 19 points and also had been monitoring unit 61 archery. I use HunterTrailHead & HF for draw stats. But unless I'm doing something wrong these numbers are off quite a bit. I'm reading 0% of the NR with 18 points drew last year. And only 83% with 19 points drew. There were 34 in our point pool in 2015. Figuring for attrition it's hard to say, given as you say ~10 point holders jump in each year, but if history repeats there should only be ~3 tags drawn from our 19 point pool in 2016. Perhaps zero again. I'm reading our odds would be approx. 0% to 10%. I'd be glad for you to tell me my numbers are wrong.

 

[Oak]

Zim, your numbers are accurate. In 2016 they will be adding an early rifle hunt in 61 (Oct 1-7). It will be interesting to see how that affects the draw odds for the other early hunts.

 

[Zim]

Going into 2016 with:
AZ 15
Ut 14
Wy. 6
Nev. 6
Co. 5

All the hard work of applying will soon pay off when I start cashing in some elk tags.

Come on randy11, surely you don't have that much of an aversion to chasing bulls around!

Good post randy. Hope it works out for you.

havegun,
You are from Australia? Have you been following the Arizona thread? Are you aware your most valuable points just got trashed in value by the new rule "change"? That sucks I'm embarrassed as an American our politicians did that to you. You could have got a great tag in 2014 or 2015, but not now.

I'd strongly suggest you try to cash those Utah points in 2016, and perhaps the Wyoming ones as well. You can get good tags with those points now.

 

[Zim]

Zim, your numbers are accurate. In 2016 they will be adding an early rifle hunt in 61 (Oct 1-7). It will be interesting to see how that affects the draw odds for the other early hunts.

OK thanks. The way point creep is going, I may ditch my archery hope and cash in on a 2nd rifle season there. I didn't know about this new rifle season. Curious if they will lower the archery tag quota as a result. Sure hope not. I doubt this new hunt will affect archery applicants #'s in 2016 because it will take a couple more points to have a realistic chance for one of those.