Montana Draw - ?s

[Prerylyon]

-Starting up a thread to discuss the Montana draws-

In my search for the cheapest elk tags-in reasonable areas-to get afield and actually hunt each year, I've started looking at Montana. My Wyoming application will be complete soon, but if I don't draw a type 6 tag in Wyoming (likely) I need a plan "b" or "c". Colorado and Montana are on the radar.

I'm going to attach a file from the Montana FWP website that shows the stats on last yrs type B tag. It confuses me. For this discussion, let's use the 631-00 tag in that file. This example is also looking at the 'non-resident' applicants in the far right side columns.

There is a column called "QTA", which I believe means quota. "10" in the "QTA" column, and then a number of applicants in the "1st" 1st choice column-is "8".

However, in the 'Successful' column, only "3" is shown in the "1st-Successful'? Is the 3 because of party applicants and those 3 used up all 10 tags, or is something else going on here? Straight math would lead me to expect to see "8" in that column.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can explain this. Feel free to use this thread if you guys want to discuss more/other aspects of the Montana elk draw.

Regards,http://cloud.tapatalk.com/s/5a639111b3a2f/2016 elk b stats.pdf

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[Alabama]

In that scenario there were 100 total tags. If you'll notice the resident quota it says 100 also because residents can draw all of the tags in a given area, not likely but possible. The quota under NR is 10, that is the maximum number of tags (10%) than NR can draw. NR aren't guaranteed any tags, they may draw up to 10%. 2 Tags were drawn by resident landowners leaving 98. There were 398 residents who applied and only 8 NR. Residents drew 95 tags and NR only drew 3 tags.

Clear as mud? lol

 

[Prerylyon]

Wow.

I guess...and I should make sure I understand it right, Wyoming allocates a specific number of tags to nonresidents in their draws that is not shared with residents?-that was my view of the elk draw world until I looked under Montana's hood! [emoji23]

Montana I take it runs their draw different than Wyoming? (It is a different state, after all, right?)

I'm starting to see why many non-residents-esp those with low numbers of preference points in the different states or just wanting a chance to hunt elk every year (not concerned with killing a bull or a big'un) seem to gravitate towards Colorado's OTC tags-just my opinion based on the numbers of hunters heading to Colorado and what my compadres usually do. The simplicity of an OTC tag certainly has some appeal, hunter numbers and lower trophy quality notwithstanding.

Regards,

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[Alabama]

Nevada (roughly 10% I think), Utah (not sure on the percentage), Wyoming (16% LQ), and New Mexico (6%) have set aside tags for NR.
Montana, Idaho, Arizona have an up to 10% but not guaranteed rule for NR. R and NR are in the same draw competing with each other for the tags. Colorado is liberal with their tags up to 35% in most units but only up to 20% in the harder to draw units for elk.

All the states have their quirks.