Could not pull the trigger on the high cost of tags

[tdcour]

I was applying for antelope with 1 pp and cow elk with 4pp and mule deer no points. When the total at check out was $1212. I thought enough is enough so I never pulled the trigger. This don't mean I won't buy an archery elk tag for my home unit but I may not do that either. I wanted a cow tag and I have to buy an either sex tag to be able to hunt. Odds are low for success so I will have have about three thousand in a cow elk success going by averages. All my hunting except bear has been DIY. I could pay for a guided bear hunt for what a cow elk cost. Not bitter, I have had a good long hunting career, it just cost too much to be the fun it once was.

Back to the original subject... I hear ya man! I hate having to pay so much to go out west to hunt, but those of us that have to live further east than we would like to don't get any breaks when it comes to tag costs. I recently built an Excel file with tag costs, PP costs, app years, etc. to see how much it would cost me to hunt. It just about made me give up!

There is no way I can move to the states I'd like to hunt because well... there is more to life than hunting and I have to make a good enough living for the family for the majority of the year and just hunt when and where I can, plus the whole career thing. I have now resolved to make every hunt count more than I used to. I'll still hunt in state for deer, but elk will all be expensive hunts which takes a lot of the fun out of it for sure, but I think I'm in a good spot with some hunting buddies that will help share costs when we go hunt, a wife that I've somehow tricked into letting me spend outrageous amounts of money to hunt game out of state, and a drive that won't let me not keep going back.

Basically, I hate spending that much, but it's a necessary evil for me now! I now have a new excel spreadsheet I plan hunts out with for only a couple of states where I can hunt more and pay less.

 

[WapitiBob]

'99 powerstroke 356,000

 

[25contender]

I like it !!!

'99 powerstroke 356,000

 

[HuskyMusky]

I'm to the point when I draw and harvest a tag for an animal I'm considering throwing in my points for those other states and going after what I don't have 1 of yet... of course I'll probably want to hunt certain animals over the years,

 

[Zim]

I've been applying in 8 states for 20 years. I've gone on many good hunts, but still have a lot of points unspent. But everything is different from 20 years ago. Crooked politicians figured out they could make a lot of free money by extorting high point holders to retain their investment. So now it's all about bending over nonresidents to sell them the opportunity to NOT hunt. The politicians convert more and more public tags to auction or outfitter tags, cheapening my points. It happens every year somewhere. But to dump those points and get out of their Ponzi scheme I'd lose everything I invested for 15-20 years. That's how their game works. Plain and simple. To work honestly and ethically is not a part of their program, much like my lazy Arkansas trailer trash ex who sits her wide a$$ down in a home I paid for while she eats chicken fried steak and watches Jerry Springer all day. She hasn't worked for 25 years either, just like the politicians. If you or I ran a business and tried instituting the bait-n-switch policy these states do, we'd be thrown in jail.

 

[Matthoek21]

I've been applying in 8 states for 20 years. I've gone on many good hunts, but still have a lot of points unspent. But everything is different from 20 years ago. Crooked politicians figured out they could make a lot of free money by extorting high point holders to retain their investment. So now it's all about bending over nonresidents to sell them the opportunity to NOT hunt. The politicians convert more and more public tags to auction or outfitter tags, cheapening my points. It happens every year somewhere. But to dump those points and get out of their Ponzi scheme I'd lose everything I invested for 15-20 years. That's how their game works. Plain and simple. To work honestly and ethically is not a part of their program, much like my lazy Arkansas
trailer trash ex who sits her wide a$$ down in a home I paid for while she eats chicken fried steak and watches Jerry Springer all day. She hasn't worked for 25 years either, just like the politicians. If you or I ran a business and tried instituting the bait-n-switch policy these states do, we'd be thrown in jail.

What's wrong with chicken fried steak and a little Springer? Life is Good! Baahaaa. That's some funny stuff right there.
But yes Zim, I do agree with this message. I've always said govt is like the mafia with a military. They tell us what were gonna do and how much we're gonna like it and then exempt themselves. Which makes me wonder?? Do politicians that want to hunt big game have to draw tags as residents and non residents like we do...or did they scheme us on that to? They exempted themselves from the point system??
Somebody better delete this message now because if they haven't implemented this plan yet then I just gave them a hell of an idea.
Now we will never draw. Instead of a Governors Tag now they will have a Senator and Congressman Tag to, but this one won't be raffled unless they want to for campaign contributions, but obviously only in a re-election year.

 

[RICMIC]

That's a scary idea Matt; you better stop giving them any more ideas for neferious schemes. There was some discussion on the forum a while ago about bringing back the option to retain some points if the area applied for doesn't require all that you have. That would allow many point bankers to get off the cart, go on a hunt in a decent area, and still retain some points to do it again before too long. I know that CC was opposed to this and brought up that this would cause quick point creep in the intermediate units. It doesn't look like that option will happen as there was a lot of opposition when it was brought up. I am in the 8-9 point range in CO, so I would probably be one of the guys getting screwed, but it still seems to be more fair overall.
My next few years are planned out, and should draw the tags to keep me hunting. My biggest problem is partners; either "too old", or young enough to not have the time, money, or points to go. I may just have to make some "hook-ups" on the forum. I'll just have to be careful though or I might end up with Zim's ex.

 

[Matthoek21]

I hear ya Ricmic. I to am like you. Burned 9 elk pts last year in CO and still have 9 for deer. Not sure what I'm waiting on. But part of my problem is just like you...having someone to burn pts with. Not too many buddies have the desire , money, or points. It's a tough world we live in...especially when you're east of the Rockies. Guess I should run for Congress...lol.

 

[dan maule]

I've been applying in 8 states for 20 years. I've gone on many good hunts, but still have a lot of points unspent. But everything is different from 20 years ago. Crooked politicians figured out they could make a lot of free money by extorting high point holders to retain their investment. So now it's all about bending over nonresidents to sell them the opportunity to NOT hunt. The politicians convert more and more public tags to auction or outfitter tags, cheapening my points. It happens every year somewhere. But to dump those points and get out of their Ponzi scheme I'd lose everything I invested for 15-20 years. That's how their game works. Plain and simple. To work honestly and ethically is not a part of their program, much like my lazy Arkansas trailer trash ex who sits her wide a$$ down in a home I paid for while she eats chicken fried steak and watches Jerry Springer all day. She hasn't worked for 25 years either, just like the politicians. If you or I ran a business and tried instituting the bait-n-switch policy these states do, we'd be thrown in jail.

So now we are going to let these guys manage our healthcare! Excellent post.

 

[Zim]

The only productive thing that the ahole politicians and my unemployed ex did for me was make me appreciate the hell out of my fiancée when I finally met her. Just spent two days arguing with her to allow me to pay for some of her airline fees. She lives/works in China for 2 more years so we have to fly to visit until then. But airfares are ~$1,000 for me to go there in February, $2,000 for her to fly here in July/August. She tried to refuse for me to pitch in $500 of hers so we'd be splitting total fees! My god, the ex didn't pay $500 towards our family bills in all our 20 years COMBINED! In fact after she was done contributing $0.00 in 20 years, she stole my hard earned family land and $400,000. Just like politicians. My fiancée is awesome and I tell her so every day. To be partnered up with someone so hard working and unselfish is earth shattering stuff for me.