Residency dilemma

[fez]

Right now Im a utah resident but will be moving to wyoming in a month or two. I currently have 9 points for elk and 10 points for deer in wyoming. For utah I have 0 deer/elk points(drew deer this year) and 15 moose points.

Should I stay a utah resident for the 2016 hunting season and spend my wyoming points in 2016 and pay the hefty wyoming non res fees, or should I throw my wyoming points away and just do wyoming general hunts next year?


Im thinking I will spend my wyoming points in 2016 and make use of my points but if anyone has any other thoughts it would be appreciated. I hate to throw the points away when I can probably draw a good unit with the point totals I have

Thanks

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

Here is one way to look at it. You have max for deer (good), but one less than max for elk (not as good as it might sound).

For deer, there is not a super limited entry option with even with max points right now. Being a resident of Wyoming you could go hunt Region G next year on a general tag (assuming no winter kill) and have probably about as good of a hunt as you could have for deer next year.

For elk you have one less than max points. You are out of the running for the top elk tags (except for dismal random draw odds). As a resident you should have 1:3 to 1:6 odds for some very good units. You can then buy a general license as a resident if you don't draw.

Also realize as a resident of Wyoming you will have some darn good antelope draw odds, and actually have a chance at a sheep, moose, goat and bison tag.

One thought, apply in January as a nonresident and draw and elk tag that you can draw, then become a resident for all of the other stuff.

You might also want to see how the winter starts to play out. A bad winter might make the region G deer tag thing a bad decision.

 

[Againstthewind]

UH is right in my opinion also. I believe that you have to have resided in Wyoming 1 year prior to application anyway to apply for resident tags. I might be wrong, but at this point I think you would have to apply as a non-resident, and if you didn't draw you could buy the general for deer and elk, and possibly a leftover antelope as a resident once you have your year in. So that seems like the option for next year, try and burn points up, hope for a good year and good draw, but you have the resident options in your back pocket.

 

[libidilatimmy]

UH is right in my opinion also. I believe that you have to have resided in Wyoming 1 year prior to application anyway to apply for resident tags. I might be wrong, but at this point I think you would have to apply as a non-resident, and if you didn't draw you could buy the general for deer and elk, and possibly a leftover antelope as a resident once you have your year in. So that seems like the option for next year, try and burn points up, hope for a good year and good draw, but you have the resident options in your back pocket.

You have to have resided in Wyoming for an entire calendar year before you can apply as a resident in the draws. I'd try and burn the points you have which should get you some pretty good hunts. If you sat on your points for deer and elk and the State decided to go to the PP system for residents for those species in the future, keep in mind that the legislation that has already been proposed as such has had language in it that all residents would start with 0 points the first year, so the points wouldn't do you any good in that scenario. If you don't happen to draw in the NR drawings, by the time seasons rolled around you'd have your 12 months in and could go by general tags anyway as a resident.

 

[Alabama]

In WY I would apply in 100% odds limited units that residents can't hunt with a general tag. You might get to hunt those areas again but you might not as a resident: It's all luck after you move there. You might as well get something out of the money and time you've invested. Also I would seriously look into a CWMU Moose hunt with those 15 points. You will probably never draw moose as a NR of UT. It's something like 1 in a trillion odds lol. Unless you plan to move back to UT to cash those in, I would burn those points and kill a moose next year.

You will definitely be busy with all 3 hunts in a year but your freezer will be full! My freezer has some room if you need to get rid of some moose meat! Seriously though if I were to do only 1 hunt I would focus on Moose because of the rarity of the tag.

 

[Hoytfanatic]

Don't know Utah or wy, but some states if you draw a tag while you were a resident and the move, you can actually posses two resident tags for same year in two different states.

 

[fez]

I wont be able to apply for any LQ areas so Im thinking I will roll the dice and apply as a non. resident and hope the draw treats me well. I will then apply one last time as a utah resident and hope I can get my moose tag. I really dont have any plans on returning but its not out of the question, so even if I dont draw I will continue to hunt/apply in utah

Im pretty excited to get scouting some wyoming country

 

[Musket Man]

If I were you I would apply for 89 or 90 deer and an elk unit in the bighorns like 45 or 38 and use the points since you have paid for them all these years.

 

[NE69]

Those points are too valuable to toss. Like MM said, apply 45 elk and you can take a great bull without much problem. On the deer, I would research a lot. 90 or 89 I don't think as much of as I used to.

 

[Musket Man]

89 and 90 are not what they were a few years ago but there are not alot of options for someone even with max points that they would most likely draw next year.

 

[NE69]

I agree MM. 89 and 90 are a different hunt that may not appeal to everyone. I personally like the wide open areas where you can spot long distance. The deer are there, it just takes patience to locate them. I may hunt 90 soon, but want to scout it one year and hunt the next.

 

[Musket Man]

I have hunted antelope in a unit in 90. I really like the country and would love to hunt deer there but unless I am really lucky in the random draw I dont think I will ever hunt it. Looking at it from the point of view of having max points and needing to use them next year there just arent many options. 89, 90, 34, Im sure there are others but the list of units you will most likely draw and are not easily drawn as a resident and a waste of points and NR prices is pretty short these days.

 

[mtnrunner260]

I live in Ut now after growing up in Wyo.
My advise to you is move to Wyo as soon as you can.
As for your 15 moose points your in a tough spot. Lots of points invested but a lifetime away from being guaranteed a tag in a top unit.