dirtclod Az.
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There are no elk in Az.-They migrated to Montana and Minnesota! 
Montana vs Arizona??
- Thread starter bpeay4
- Start date
Bluffgruff
Well-known member
To answer your question, Arizona, if you're picking of those 2.
Consider the following:
Points are collected because people like to collect things. They are worth $0, and you can't guarantee a tag with any particular number of them. I have a couple hundred points all over the place for a lot of things. Probably cost me $15-20k over the last decade to get them. If you have limited money, you won't be hunting too many tags anytime soon if you spend your money on points. I would apply for Colorado elk and deer 0-1 pt units every year and go hunt there. Build points in Wyoming to get a general tag in 5 years for elk and general deer every 1-3 years and decide if you have enough extra cash to do any other states. Hunting is more fun than building points to maybe hunt one day. If you have unlimited cash, apply everywhere you want to hunt for everything you want to hunt every year.
Consider the following:
Points are collected because people like to collect things. They are worth $0, and you can't guarantee a tag with any particular number of them. I have a couple hundred points all over the place for a lot of things. Probably cost me $15-20k over the last decade to get them. If you have limited money, you won't be hunting too many tags anytime soon if you spend your money on points. I would apply for Colorado elk and deer 0-1 pt units every year and go hunt there. Build points in Wyoming to get a general tag in 5 years for elk and general deer every 1-3 years and decide if you have enough extra cash to do any other states. Hunting is more fun than building points to maybe hunt one day. If you have unlimited cash, apply everywhere you want to hunt for everything you want to hunt every year.
thusby
Well-known member
If I had that young of legs, the last thing I would worry about is points. You better go top some mountains before you start to age out while waiting in the points game.
Don't waste getting more than a couple points in Colorado. Burn them every few years or you just get into no man's land. AZ I would forget unless you are willing to do archery, Muzz, or late hunts. If you are willing to do those go for it. The early rifle hunts are too low of odds and point creep is getting pretty bad that even a lot of late hunts are taking 10 or more points. At this point if I was young, I would try for 3-6 point type tags and hunt as much as you can while you can.
dirtclod Az.
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The bird dogs finally came for lunch.
Mom in front "Missy" son in back "Baby"
Have a good one! dirtclod Az.
Oops forgot the pic!
Last edited:
TheGreek
Well-known member
I got lucky and drew a late December rifle coues deer hunt in Southern AZ last year with only two points. This was my first time to AZ and to say I was enamored would be an understatement. I didn't fill my tag due to poor shooting but I fell in love with AZ and will surely go back in the future. The scenery, flora and topography was just so different than anything else I had experienced hunting in other western states. Don't discount the "different" factor AZ represents especially when it comes to those southern AZ deer units. I'm not sure you'll find anything else like it in the US.
brownbear932008
Well-known member
Montana general tag and hit grizzly country while your young and can climb mountains. Don't fall for point schemes as you can see many here have including myself. If you buy points I wouldn't build more than a few in CO, and enough in WY for a general tag.
tommylittle
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great input from you all
LaSportsman
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AZ gets another boost if you hunt OTC deer because you've already bought the license.
mktx
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+1 here.
I would make Arizona a long term play and you’ll have to buy a non res license to buy points. So can be expensive.
cgasner1
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I remember when I was your age the only guy I knew hunting out of state told me I was an idiot if I want applying for Nevada. The odds look steep and deep on that state but read about how they draw tags and understand the system. No way to come up with odds they way it works that’s why it looks so bad. I’d buy as many points as you can for any state with animals you want to hunt. Without them you can’t go some day. But I would also find somewhere to hunt without them why you wait
Dakotakid
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And it is a great opportunity to learn the area. I keep meaning to try it on big horns. Tag is easier to draw and knowing the district would sure help me if I got a horn tag.
THINKIN6X6
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I personally think Arizona is going to take at least 12-15 points to draw low to mid tier archery tags that were 8-10 point units just a few years ago. I'd take that into consideration going forward. I know so many people building points in no man's land in both Wyoming and Arizona thinking they are gonna draw but with point creep they are always 2-3 years behind every year for LE units. As others have said I'd pass on Utah and Nevada unless money is not an issue and you like to play the lottery. Good luck!
Zellhouse
Well-known member
Montana native that relocated to Az in the 80's. Alot has changed over the years & I mention this because that change is ongoing, what you know today will not be the permit you draw down the road. With that said it is still worth putting in for their tags.
Have returned to Mt to hunt many times, just recently had my points zeroed out when I was unable to apply after drawing in another state. Mt changed their timelines from 3 years to everyother to address those that buy points only & don't apply for tags. Keep that in mind while as you decide what direction you take.
Many of the better deer & elk draw odds in Az are near impossible to draw with only 10% of tags available to NR. Fortunate enough to draw a North Kaibab mule deer tag as a resident, last fall, after 25 years of applying.
Don't rule out Wyoming. They currently have a more liberal NR allocation & an abundance of game that Az can't match. Best of luck...
8andcounting
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Get a come home to hunt license in Montana …. Hunt Montana every year
sagebrush
Active member
Apply every year you want to hunt in NM because they have no point system. You have the same chance as anyone to draw a tag.
I know NV can be expensive, but their draw system gives you a chance to draw even with zero points and only gets better as you accumulate points. The odd thing about NV is you can have max points and not draw and a person with zero points can draw the tag you wanted. They also consider all 5 of hunt choices before moving on to the next application. I have drawn 3 deer tags and 2 elk tags in NV during the past 23 years and filled all of them.
As many have previously stated, AZ is a long term proposition. I would look at second tier hunts that offer multiple NR tags as opposed to holding out for one of the top 3 hunts. Half of the NR tags do go into the random draw in AZ, so there is always a chance there too. AZ considers your first 2 choices before moving on to the next application, so you can always put in a top 3 as your first choice and a tier 2 hunt as your second choice and have a chance at both in the random draw until you accumulate enough points for a tier 2 hunt.
Buy an OTC tag in CO every year. Your chances of harvest may be slim but no one ever killed an elk sitting on their couch at home. You will learn a ton about elk hunting and get a lot of rookie mistakes behind you before you draw a tag you've been waiting years to get. I think the worst thing that can happen is to spend a ton of money on licenses and application fees only to waste the tag because you didn't know what you were doing when you got there. Would you rather blow a chance at a raghorn in CO or on a once on a lifetime bull on a once in a lifetime tag?
Go hunt while you have the legs and lungs to do it!
I know NV can be expensive, but their draw system gives you a chance to draw even with zero points and only gets better as you accumulate points. The odd thing about NV is you can have max points and not draw and a person with zero points can draw the tag you wanted. They also consider all 5 of hunt choices before moving on to the next application. I have drawn 3 deer tags and 2 elk tags in NV during the past 23 years and filled all of them.
As many have previously stated, AZ is a long term proposition. I would look at second tier hunts that offer multiple NR tags as opposed to holding out for one of the top 3 hunts. Half of the NR tags do go into the random draw in AZ, so there is always a chance there too. AZ considers your first 2 choices before moving on to the next application, so you can always put in a top 3 as your first choice and a tier 2 hunt as your second choice and have a chance at both in the random draw until you accumulate enough points for a tier 2 hunt.
Buy an OTC tag in CO every year. Your chances of harvest may be slim but no one ever killed an elk sitting on their couch at home. You will learn a ton about elk hunting and get a lot of rookie mistakes behind you before you draw a tag you've been waiting years to get. I think the worst thing that can happen is to spend a ton of money on licenses and application fees only to waste the tag because you didn't know what you were doing when you got there. Would you rather blow a chance at a raghorn in CO or on a once on a lifetime bull on a once in a lifetime tag?
Go hunt while you have the legs and lungs to do it!
