If one studies the history of points systems, you can look at what happened in Colorado when it hit this stage of point buyers, the patterns are very similar. I'm not really surprised. I would expect it to amplify, especially as neighboring states increase prices and as more proposed legislation comes forth that might change the tag allocation percentage non-residents get in Wyoming.
I expected this in total. Just hard to predict what units will have the greatest swings. And I expect it will continue for the foreseeable future. When tens of thousands of non-residents are not applying for tags, rather buying points for decades, this is an eventual outcome.
I've posted on some other threads that we should be looking at the total of points buyers and at what level of points they have, not just the prior year draw odds. In some years we have more people buying points at every point level than we have actual applicants at those points levels. When all those points buyers decide it is time to pull the trigger, as they are now doing in Wyoming, this is not an unexpected outcome.
It can be a bummer. Me and a friend were one point above what was needed last year in a low-point unit. I expected a jump, but thought we would be on the cusp this year, even being a full point ahead based on last year. Nope, in the special draw it jumped two full points, putting us a point behind, rather than a point to spare. Our situation is not uncommon. As a result, folks jump in with two or three points to spare, just to make sure they draw. That creates even more point creep.
Summary of all that typing - We have more non-residents buying points than applying for tags, in many instances. Expect even more point creep as those point buyers start cashing in.
