How do you decide what to hunt next?

[HuskyMusky]

Just apply and see what you draw?

I apply for some long shots, so if drawn that would be the hunt, but in general I try to draw 1 good/great tag out west each year.

But how do you decide what's next? deer? elk? moose? sheep? canada? alaska?

 

[tdcour]

I'm kinda new to this whole "hunt all over over the place" stuff. I am just getting into looking at all of the states, the animals, draw system and all that, so it will be interesting to see what everyone else says. So far, I have written down all of the animals I want to hunt in my lifetime. Then, I wrote down the states I think I might want to hunt, and the different terrain I want to hunt. After that, I combine the two and start looking for somewhere to hunt. As of right now, I am planned to about 10 years out with the general cost of the trip and the year is "should" draw the tag. Some I have put on my "bucket list" and some I want to do every other year or every three years. Now I just need to keep doing more research and getting points for my hunt areas and hope for my plan to unfold!

 

[Muleys 24/7]

I put in for alot of long shots in different states, hoping to draw one! But if I drew all of them, or even 2, I would be in big trouble.... because the price of non-res super tags and being able to get the time off. But the reality is I probably have better odds being struck by lighting than drawing one of those tags.Besides the super tags I put in for, I always put in for one of the states general tag. That way I know I'll be going out-a-state each year.

 

[Fink]

I put in for alot of long shots in different states, hoping to draw one! But if I drew all of them, or even 2, I would be in big trouble....

My brother recently asked what I was going to do if I drew two of these tags in one year... To which I replied: Ha! I can't even draw one!

I currently put in for long shots, while building points. Eventually, I'll get to a point where I pretty much know what I'm hunting the next year, based upon the points.
Until then, when I don't draw, I bowhunt an OTC unit in an effort to continually learn it. A friend of mine shot a monster muzzleloader bull in a unit that he had been hunting with OTC tags for nearly 10 years, his knowledge of the area allowed him to kill that bull, not the high profile nature of the unit.

 

[Muleys 24/7]

Fink, yea I'm in the same boat as you. I have a good 13-14 years out before I'm in the running with max points... but with point creep, it could be even longer. You never know, every now and then some buddy will hit the lotto and get drawn with less than max. I also buy raffle tags too. Someone has to win, so I want my name in the hat!

 

[Old Hunter]

Pretty simple for me. Elk in Colorado. Mule deer when I can get a tag, but I never fail to get an elk tag. I've been doing that since the 50's.

 

[wolftalonID]

I buy an Elk OTC tag and a deer OTC tag. Then sit in the woods and which ever one steps out first gets it. Then that decides which is next!

 

[packmule]

I just play it by ear. I had to cancel last minute on an Alberta combo hunt last Fall and I imagine that'll be the next big hunt I go on. The guy who took my spot had a blast though shooting up the Canadian woods.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I look at how many points I have and what each area is doing, in 2010 the antelope herds in Wyoming were doing great so i cashed those points in, will cash in elk and deer pretty soon too.

 

[Aught6Fan]

I buy an Elk OTC tag and a deer OTC tag. Then sit in the woods and which ever one steps out first gets it. Then that decides which is next!

X2

Seriously, since I am fortunate enough to live in a state that offers so many OTC opportunities, right now I just look for OTC or easier to draw opportunities that strikes me as doable for that year.

 

[Old Hunter]

If we had OTC deer tags here. We wouldn't have any deer left.

 

[llp]

You can draw too many tags in one year. It has been a few years, but I drew moose tags in three different states, and premium elk tags in two other states all in the same year. I know, feel sorry for me, but it was a great year! Just borrow some money and time and go hunt. I didn't make the most of some of the tags as a result, and shot a smaller moose than I probably would have in one state at least, had I had more time to hunt. But I had some great hunts, took some great and some average animals, and overall had a blast. Very high stress, but still fun.
Someday I may have the same problem again.... fingers crossed!
llp

 

[Fink]

You can draw too many tags in one year. It has been a few years, but I drew moose tags in three different states, and premium elk tags in two other states all in the same year. I know, feel sorry for me, but it was a great year! Just borrow some money and time and go hunt. I didn't make the most of some of the tags as a result, and shot a smaller moose than I probably would have in one state at least, had I had more time to hunt. But I had some great hunts, took some great and some average animals, and overall had a blast. Very high stress, but still fun.
Someday I may have the same problem again.... fingers crossed!
llp

Dude! For the sake of the rest of us no luck havin' saps, I hope your luck slows down a little! Maybe down to just 1 moose tag and 1 elk tag per year. What exactly does one do with the meat of 3 moose and 2 elk in 1 year? Open a restaurant?

 

[2rocky]

Well it comes down to having back up plans. All my really good tags came from the random draw as opposed to Preference points.

It is also a matter of being satisfied with hunting second choice or OTC units for one species where you can build points for another species or another season in the same unit, and when you finally draw that special tag, knowing that country will be of more value to you.

Every year I look at what states and species I'm applying for, and determine what my priorities are. It is tough when your Top Hunt is a later draw than your backup plan. Every now and then you have to turn a tag back in...Consider it a Karma Building exercise.

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

My wife and I do limited entry hunts almost exclusively. I have a spread sheet that organizes all our applications according to the application date and draw dates, I mark the "done" field when I have applied that year. Here is a sample of the first few entries:

On this spreadsheet I track our points and what year I believe we should draw.

On a separate spreadsheet I track each species and state we are applying for. I watch things like draw statistics, harvest statistics, expected season dates in future years, and the moon phase compared to those season dates.

I total up the expected draw odds for all of the hunts we apply for in a given year. If the total draw is around 100%, statistically we should draw one tag, if its around 200% we should draw two tags...and so on. I make adjustments accordingly.

Our back-up plan on years we likely won't draw are hunts like Montana mule deer, Wyoming antelope, Oregon archery elk, etc.

 

[tdcour]

So basically, we should also subscribe to Umpqua's Research Section? lol! I have a similar spreadsheet, but it is not nearly as in depth. I mainly keep track of what I want to hunt, how many points I have for my hunts, expected year, and rough cost of the hunt (very rough). I do like having all of my info in an excel spreadsheet. It definitely makes it much easier to look at everything without having papers and magazines to flip though!

 

[Muleys 24/7]

My wife and I do limited entry hunts almost exclusively. I have a spread sheet that organizes all our applications according to the application date and draw dates, I mark the "done" field when I have applied that year. Here is a sample of the first few entries:

On this spreadsheet I track our points and what year I believe we should draw.

On a separate spreadsheet I track each species and state we are applying for. I watch things like draw statistics, harvest statistics, expected season dates in future years, and the moon phase compared to those season dates.

I total up the expected draw odds for all of the hunts we apply for in a given year. If the total draw is around 100%, statistically we should draw one tag, if its around 200% we should draw two tags...and so on. I make adjustments accordingly.

Our back-up plan on years we likely won't draw are hunts like Montana mule deer, Wyoming antelope, Oregon archery elk, etc.

Hey UH, how do you make a sheet like that. Pretty cool how organized everything is.

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

Hey UH, how do you make a sheet like that. Pretty cool how organized everything is.

Hey Muleys. Just start with a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. You can see in the example the headings I've used. I've been tweaking this the past several years and like the way it's set-up now. I wanted to show enough to help you guys set up your own if you'd like.

I've found that listing the various applications chronologically by due date works best for me (starting January 1). A quick look during the applications season, and I can easily tell what applications are due next, or I can tell if I will know the draw results from one state, before the another state's applications are due.

 

[Kevin Root]

So basically, we should also subscribe to Umpqua's Research Section? lol!

Agreed, I've told him the same thing in a few PMs and told him I'd sign up for his Research Section. He is pretty successful and I think he has a good system too. I tend to do more OTC out of state hunts when I do them but his ideas are pretty awesome on tag planning for the future.

 

[Muleys 24/7]

Hey Muleys. Just start with a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. You can see in the example the headings I've used. I've been tweaking this the past several years and like the way it's set-up now. I wanted to show enough to help you guys set up your own if you'd like.

I've found that listing the various applications chronologically by due date works best for me (starting January 1). A quick look during the applications season, and I can easily tell what applications are due next, or I can tell if I will know the draw results from one state, before the another state's applications are due.

I'll give it a shot.