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WY GEN Elk Tag is Virtually a Once in a Lifetime Tag---Change my Mind

Bam Bam

Bam Bam

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Here is an email that I sent to my brother in Indianna today, after realizing just how bad point creep is for the GEN Elk Tag. Anybody care to disagree? (I used a .5 to label those point holders that fell between 2 numbers on the draw charts. There is no sense in confusing my brother with extra details.)

Brother,
The Wyoming Non-Resident GENERAL Elk tag is good for all of the GENERAL units in the state (please see the attachment). However, increased numbers of tag applicants have made that tag cost more and more preference points over the past decade or so.
Curious to know how many preference points it took to draw the WY General Elk Tag in a given year??
2016- 1.5 Preference Points Drew the WY GEN ELK Tag. Everyone with fewer than 1.5 did not get the tag that year.
2017-2 Preference Points
2018-2.5 Preference Points
2019-2.5 Preference Points (No change from the previous year)
2020-3 Preference Points
2021-3.5 Preference Points (Your points = 0 because you did not buy your first preference point until October of that year)
Now that you are building points, here is how soon you can catch up, and save enough points to actually get the tag....
2022-4 Preference Points ( Your points-1)
2023-PROJECTED- 4.5 (Your points-2)
2024-PROJECTED-5 (Your points-3)
2025-PROJECTED-5.5 (Your points-4)
2026-PROJECTED-6 (Your points-5)
2027-PROJECTED-6.5 (Your points-6)
2028- PROJECTED-7 (Your points-7)

You should be able to draw the GENERAL ELK TAG in Wyoming in 2028, with 7 Preference Points. You will probably never save enough points draw it again. I am reeaallyy glad that you bought that Elk point last year. Starting to save for an Elk tag now would almost not be worth it.
 
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Bam Bam said:
Here is an email that I sent to my brother in Indianna today, after realizing just how bad point creep is for the GEN Elk Tag. Anybody care to disagree? (I used a .5 to label those point holders that fell between 2 numbers on the draw charts. There is no sense in confusing my brother with extra details.)

Brother,
The Wyoming Non-Resident GENERAL Elk tag is good for all of the GENERAL units in the state (please see the attachment). However, increased numbers of tag applicants have made that tag cost more and more preference points over the past decade or so.
Curious to know how many preference points it took to draw the WY General Elk Tag in a given year??
2016- 1.5 Preference Points Drew the WY GEN ELK Tag. Everyone with fewer than 1.5 did not get the tag that year.
2017-2 Preference Points
2018-2.5 Preference Points
2019-2.5 Preference Points (No change from the previous year)
2020-3 Preference Points
2021-3.5 Preference Points (Your points = 0 because you did not buy your first preference point until October of that year)
Now that you are building points, here is how soon you can catch up, and save enough points to actually get the tag....
2022-4 Preference Points ( Your points-1)
2023-PROJECTED- 4.5 (Your points-2)
2024-PROJECTED-5 (Your points-3)
2025-PROJECTED-5.5 (Your points-4)
2026-PROJECTED-6 (Your points-5)
2027-PROJECTED-6.5 (Your points-6)
2028- PROJECTED-7 (Your points-7)

You should be able to draw the GENERAL ELK TAG in Wyoming in 2028, with 7 Preference Points. You will probably never save enough points draw it again. I am reeaallyy glad that you bought that Elk point last year. Starting to save for an Elk tag now would almost not be worth it.
Click to expand...

as long as it doesn't accelerate.

i feel like given the chaos swirling around the task force right now, and simply the numbers of point holder already ahead of the current guaranteed level, it can only get worse.
 
kevinbethje said:
This is happening in every state now it looks like to me. 2 years ago, all of the sudden huge influx of people everywhere.
Click to expand...
but for general elk? Lots of point creep in the west, but to the OPs point this is a general tag.

@Bam Bam question is what does 90/10 and WYOGA shenanigans do to this....

You're leaving out the random draw theoretically you would draw a random tag at some point, but if WYOGA gets a bunch of tags or they are reduced yeah this could change. There is a pretty obvious pathway for WY to be a 1 in 10 years state for NR.
 
Good thought, wllm. If WY announces that they are changing to a 90/10 for Elk, everyone will try to use their Elk points immediately. That will be a wild year!
 
General by name only, you have to draw it, so it is a draw tag. Not over the counter. Idaho is essentially a draw tag for Non-residents also, but they call it over the counter. But you get in a waiting room and assigned a spot in line. That is a luck of the draw, not over the counter. The only real general tags are the ones everyone can buy over the counter, no limit. Washington, Colorado, etc.
 
This is pretty close to reality. This will be the trend across the west and not just Wyoming although it is accelerated in Wyoming as the value of its general elk tags is so high. The landscape is changing drastically for western hunting right before our eyes. Pretty insane.
 
It is before your chart started but in the "good ole days" I drew a general elk tag in 2008, then again with my second choice in the special side of the drawing in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and got a point each of those years then drew my 1st choice limited entry tag using up my points in 2014. I drew a Bighorn tag on the random side in 2018 then drew a general tag last year in the special in the random again.

But essentially I hunted elk in Wyoming for 7 straight years with just a smidge of luck involved. 5 of those tags were 100% odds and the very first general tag in 2008 was like an 80%er with no points in the regular draw.
 
Who knows how many points it will take after they go to regionalized NR elk tags with the 7250-cap gone? I think in the eastern part of the state it won't take many points but in the general areas that have more public land, it will be even worse.
 
I will be optimistic with this idea. I bet point creep goes up drastically the next 3-5 years than we see a big dip in points. Theory behind this, looking at points people applied with this year lots of 6-9pts even a 13pt in the special? I feel like people are aging out of the point game and cashing points in because they realize they won't ever catch the "glory tag". This will thin out the EDIT: middle layer and we will see a more "normal" .5-1pt increase.

Also with inflation, gas prices, and overall recession I think people who had all kinds of free time and "free" money the last 2 years will start to feel the pain and we will see interest fall down.

Edit: will add one other part that could make popularity less. With tags harder to get less influencers will have tags to pimp the wildlife with thus limiting exposure.

Again being optimistic but tend to agree with the OP on once in a lifetime.
 
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Alabama said:
Who knows how many points it will take after they go to regionalized NR elk tags with the 7250-cap gone? I think in the eastern part of the state it won't take many points but in the general areas that have more public land, it will be even worse.
Click to expand...
I think you are spot-on.
 
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