Learning I might have to change my plans a bit

[Luke Downing]

Well had plans to go to CO in sept of 2015. Have a guide lined up that is a friend of a friend that he has had great luck with. Then last night while doing some researching on CO regs that the units I was wanting are draw only or left over tags and more than likely with no PP I'm prob not going to get drawn. So now got to get in touch with the guide and find out if he guides in other units.
My buddy that has been helping me with info a got me the name of the guide says he also guides in unit 121. And it's OTC tag there and the guide grew up there and knows the area well so hopefully that will work for me to get out there

Lesson learned I'm going to be looking into any state that I might possibly want to hunt in the future and start buying points for those states. Lesson learned for sure


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[Hilltop]

Good luck and don't get discouraged. Any elk hunting is better than sitting at home wishing you were out there...

 

[Luke Downing]

That is very true. I'm going to call my guide and get some ideas from him. Hopefully he knows an OTC area that we can get in.


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[CrossCreeks]

I think the best advice I could give anyone is to buy PP's now. I learned this years ago and wish I had learned it even sooner. I have PP in 3 states for multiple species including Elk. You have so many more options availabe when you have PP's to apply. Hunt somewhere for something !

 

[Luke Downing]

That is exactly what I plan to do also. Just got to figure it all out and i will have to say for a newbie it can get really confusing sometimes on how, when and what to do. But I'm getting there learning more about it every day


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[Musket Man]

I think the best advice I could give anyone is to buy PP's now. I learned this years ago and wish I had learned it even sooner. I have PP in 3 states for multiple species including Elk. You have so many more options availabe when you have PP's to apply. Hunt somewhere for something !

I agree but I think it is important to have some kind of plan for using your points before you start getting them. Not that you need to have an exact unit selected but just a general idea of where you want to head with your points, how many points you want to draw with, ect. It is important to understand what your draw odds are and when you can expect a tag in each state so you dont put money into points for places you will never draw.

 

[Luke Downing]

So talking about all this
Where would you all put in for points at?


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[Musket Man]

Alot of where to put in depends on what your goals are and what type of hunts you are looking for and how far you want to travel.

 

[Hilltop]

So talking about all this
Where would you all put in for points at?


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I am biased because I grew up there but I believe Wyoming offers the most bang for your buck right now. You can draw good tags in a reasonable amount of time.

 

[MWScott72]

I'm probably the opposite of my on this forum. I've been in the PP game for a dozen years and have points in 4 states. I want to burn them ASAP although it' going to take some time. Reason being? States are finding out that PP's are a cash bonanza. Just look at CO and MT this year...Both raised their fees and it's happening with increased frequency. Pretty soon there will be a fee for just thinking about applying!! I'm personally tired of the game and will do more OTC hunts once my points are burned. Might as well save the PP fees for a guaranteed guided or DIY hunt in the future.

All this said, I believe WY is by far the best State to put in for points. The opportunity to draw a quality tag there is about as good as it gets right now.

 

[Luke Downing]

WY is one that I plan on putting in points for as soon as I can. Friend of mine that I have been talking to and getting info from is wanting us to do a backpack hunt there in 2016 so I'm putting in for points and he has for a few years so hopefully we will get drawn for 2016


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[Engideer]

While I do put in for PP in 3 states, I also think you can have some really good hunts with OTC tags or areas that are not premium units. I try to look for areas that are difficult to hunt and then really learn the area. I save my PPs for a chance at the high end units. I would hate to have to wait until I had a lot points before I decided to hunt.

 

[Musket Man]

Where do you live Luke? I agree with others that WY has as much or more to offer as any western state. Idaho and Colorado have some good OTC opportunities but scouting and getting to know the areas is very helpful. Idaho works well for me because it is close enough I can spend some time there. General tags in MT can be good too but knowing the area is also important there and its to expensive now to me. Colorado has some good hunts you can draw with just a few points too. Other then Nevada elk and trophy species in my home state I look for units I can draw with 3-5 points and I try to never get more then 5 points anywhere. I apply in CO, WY, ID, NV

 

[Luke Downing]

Musket man I live in central missouri

 

[CoHiCntry]

If I was you I'd be looking at CO & WY to hunt every year or every other year. I don't think applying in multiple states for "trophy" tags has as good of a Return on investment as it used to. Maybe pick a few hard to get tags for something to look forward to, then focus on places you can hunt routinely and learn about. That's just my opinion fwiw. I'm like a lot of others trying to burn the points I have in other states and dropping out of several due to the price increases and the horrendous draw odds. I'm not as trophy oriented as a lot of other guy's so it might be easier for me to get out of the points game... at least to some degree. I'll alway's apply for Wyoming Elk, Deer, & Antelope and everything in Colorado.

 

[Musket Man]

I agree I would concentrate on units you can hunt every few years in CO and WY. They have some good opportunities and are 2 of the closer western states for you.

 

[swampokie]

If your new to the game you may want to look into Idaho or new mexico. You will be just as likely to draw a tag as anyone else on this forum being that there are no preference points in those states. These states are hard to draw premium units but there are a lot of units that are easier to draw. If you study the draw odds you can draw in your first year and have half the crowd or less than a Colorado otc tag. Just something to think about.

 

[Luke Downing]

My hope and plan is to go with points in both CO and Wy and hunt one one year and the other the next if I can. But not sure how feasible that really is but that would be great lol


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[Musket Man]

My hope and plan is to go with points in both CO and Wy and hunt one one year and the other the next if I can. But not sure how feasible that really is but that would be great lol


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If you apply for deer and elk in CO and deer, elk, antelope in WY and stick to units you can draw with around 3 points you should have a good chance at drawing atleast 1 tag every year.

 

[CoHiCntry]

My hope and plan is to go with points in both CO and Wy and hunt one one year and the other the next if I can. But not sure how feasible that really is but that would be great lol


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I think that's a great idea and totally feasible. Don't forget black bear, and I'd apply for antelope in CO too! You could throw your hat in on some trophy New Mexico hunts just to spice it up. Draw odds stink but it's not to expensive to apply. All 3 of these states would be as close as any for you which is always nice.