I wish we never went with a points system, it?s flooded with people who don?t even hunt. My own brother has 19 points for deer and has no idea what to do with them. There isn?t a deer hunt in the state worth 19 years of waiting, but some people seem to think so. It will take 20 points to guarantee a Late archery Metolius tag next year, what a joke.
The three popular elk hunt units are all taking nearly two decades of points to draw, we are seeing more people realize this now and they are dropping out and raising the amount of points it takes for mediocre units now. We have it all messed up.
(Responding to the thread in general, not complaining about you in particular, TS. I think you understand the situation well.)
I like our point system just for the reason that it allows me to plan and prepare, knowing what tags I can draw in a given year or how much longer I have to wait. I hunt, my wife hunts, my three kids hunt, and I'm often helping plan hunts for a few other people, as well. The point system gives me something to research all winter and spring, and it also means everyone has a turn come fall.
I think hunters do need to take some responsibility for the fact that they have done this to themselves. Thousands of people want to hunt the Big 3 for elk, but then they complain that too many people want the same tag, and they can't draw. I see it as a Corvette hunt for Lamborghini prices. A Corvette is nice, but it's not worth the price of a Lamborghini. If the only Corvettes available are priced at Lamborghini prices, it's time to look for something other than a Corvette. How many hunters have full knowledge of the numbers, yet continue applying for the Big 3, and then complain that ODFW is to blame for them not drawing a tag. If the price (in points) is too high, then the hunt is not worth it. Spend your points more wisely or stop complaining.
I see two things going on in people's minds. One is an entitlement mentality. I deserve a Wenaha tag more than the other 2,000 applicants because.... Well, no you don't, and everybody has to take their turn. The other I call (with apologies to the proprietors of this forum) Eastman-itis, the belief that if I can just draw a blue-chip tag, I will finally have a fulfilling hunting experience and maybe get my picture on the cover of the magazine where it should be. Never mind that I've read Guy's advice to study the list of green chip hunts so I can hunt more often and actually develop my hunting skills.
Full disclosure, I'm sitting on 17 elk points going into next year. I'm hoping for a Big 3 tag sometime soon. With my wife and kids, I have plenty of good hunts to keep me busy while I wait, and then if/when I do draw, I don't plan to ever again save that many points. Much rather pay Jeep Cherokee prices for Jeep Cherokee kinds of hunts. (I like my Jeep Cherokee.) My oldest is up to 7 points next year, since she's been saving since age 9, and I'm looking for ways for her to cash in before she gets too many more.
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