Me and a buddy are looking for another state to start building points in, we are currently building points in WY and CO. Mainly looking to build deer and elk points. We will want to do DIY hunts. Would like to be able to hunt for a decent animal every 3 years. Is this possible? Also thinking about maybe going after a long term tag something that may take 10+ years to draw for an exceptional animal. Any suggestions on this?
UT, AZ or NV?
- Thread starter lostriverproductions
- Start date
JEandAsGuide
Active Member
I think it would be tough to make a good elk hunt every three years in UT and NV as a NR. Also believe they have waiting periods after you draw an elk tag. You could possibly draw a late season tag in AZ every 3-5 yrs. Not sure about the easier to draw deer units in UT and AZ. The top units are awesome but extremely tough draw. If I wanted to hunting deer every 3 years or so I would pick NV out of those states. While you are hunting one deer/elk every 3 or so years, you could build points for a 10+ year hunt for the other since you have to buy the NR license just to apply for one in all those states.
X2
Nevada will take you around 10+ years to draw an elk tag then you will have to wait another 10 years to start building points again once you do draw. Deer is much easier to draw but still can take a lot of points depending on where your trying to draw a tag. I would think Co would be your best shot of hunting more often while your building points for Nv and Ut. I would start getting in the draws in all three states and go where you draw to hunt. Some years you may not draw some you may.
Nevada will take you around 10+ years to draw an elk tag then you will have to wait another 10 years to start building points again once you do draw. Deer is much easier to draw but still can take a lot of points depending on where your trying to draw a tag. I would think Co would be your best shot of hunting more often while your building points for Nv and Ut. I would start getting in the draws in all three states and go where you draw to hunt. Some years you may not draw some you may.
Hunt Crazy in Ca
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- Sep 22, 2013
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Umpqua Hunter
Veteran member
Would it be good to stand in a line of 1000 people for a new movie when only 200 will get a seat? Just food for thought
Make sure you see if will draw, how long it will take and how much it will cost before jumping in.
Point creep is real, for example, I jumped in for Colorado when the hunt I wanted took 7 points. I never caught that hunt and burned them last year on another hunt after 24 years.
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hoshour
Veteran member
AZ, UT and NV, as said above, will take a whole lot of points, though luck is also involved.
CO is your best bet for mule deer. Stick to the units Eastmans' rates as green chip and do your homework.
For elk, CO has a huge population, but aside from a handful of premier units that will take you next to forever to draw, harvest success rates run very low compared to other states. I think MT and WY are better bets as elk states that you can hunt fairly frequently.
CO is your best bet for mule deer. Stick to the units Eastmans' rates as green chip and do your homework.
For elk, CO has a huge population, but aside from a handful of premier units that will take you next to forever to draw, harvest success rates run very low compared to other states. I think MT and WY are better bets as elk states that you can hunt fairly frequently.
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coloradoshedhead
Active Member
Agreed, I'm gonna give up and burn my 8 resident points for deer in Colorado this year. Can't give up my elk points though I really want to bowhunt a certain unit I love to horn hunt, I'm up to 12 points and guys drew with 18 this year. Sick of not hunting decent units cause of "a shot" at a premier unit. Pretty frustrated at the point creep. Something needs to change.
CoHiCntry
Veteran member
coloradoshedhead
Active Member
Haven't decided on what hunt I want to do yet, but I'm leaning toward an early september rifle hunt in the central part of the state-ish. Still like the idea of getting a 4th season tag though.
NDHunter
Veteran member
I think you should seriously consider trying to burn your points. If you are 6 points behind the guys that are drawing, you might ultimately need 35 points to draw. If you stick with it, that might be the only tag you ever pull. The longer you stick this out, the harder it'll be to pull the trigger on a different unit.
There's one guy in CO I know who had about a dozen points and kept helping friends who were drawing tags in a 2 point unit. He said they kept shooting such big bulls that he burned his 12 points in that unit. Ended up shooting a great bull and now he's looking forward to hunting every few years in a limited draw unit.
Ask for advice from Umpqua Hunter. He's been in your shoes and might have something helpful for you.
NDHunter
Veteran member
So I saw in the 5 year big game structure that the early September rifle hunts are being moved back a week and will now coincide with the muzzy season. I myself too was planning on using my points for a high country rifle hunt but now am much less sure with the later season dates. With this year's opener planned to open September 12th, would you still use points on that tag?
coloradoshedhead
Active Member
The only reason I decided to start saving up elk points was to hunt a particular unit that has become a very special place to me gained from horn hunting it. So ya for those elk points I'm in it to win it for that unit. Along with that I am lucky to be a resident of Colorado which I believe has the most opportunity to hunt with the otc archery tag in lots of different units across the state. The pp game is a terrible black hole it seems, but at least we have those otc hunts where we have that opportunity to hunt every year. The particular unit I hunt every year I see/chase 300"+ bulls which is the only thing keeping me from being super frustrated.
coloradoshedhead
Active Member
I wasn't aware of that change part of the reason I was thinking about that tag was that hunt was at the beginning of September which wasn't gonna mess with the timing of the elk rut. Back to square one with the tag choosing.
NDHunter
Veteran member
Here's a link to the proposed changes http://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/Hunting/BigGame/5YearSeasonStructure/Big-Game-Season-Structure-Dates-2015-2019.pdf
coloradoshedhead
Active Member
Now the high country will be crawling with orange that opening weekend. It says the changes are to avoid being open during labor day weekend. Put a hinderance on a premier hunt like that cause the general public might see a few more guys carrying guns and "bothering them" while they are in their over-crowded campgrounds. The CPW does a lot of silly stuff. How about the CPW takes care of some of the more pressing issues that need changed like pp creep, declining deer populations and ML season right in the middle of archery season? Instead of messing with little not so important details like more land owner tags for outfitters and changing ML antelope seasons. I guess those are the topics that are imprtant/ not important to me personally (not trying to offend anybody), but the CPW needs to tackle bigger issues. Thats my soapbox time, I'm done.
Hunt Crazy in Ca
New Member
- Sep 22, 2013
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Totally agree! I have "lesser" unit in mind that I will cash in on when the time comes...but yes...if you think your going to start building now and "catch" up and cash in on some of the top units.....not going to happen.... yes..i hate point creep....LOL!!!Would it be good to stand in a line of 1000 people for a new movie when only 200 will get a seat? Just food for thought
Make sure you see if will draw, how long it will take and how much it will cost before jumping in.
Point creep is real, for example, I jumped in for Colorado when the hunt I wanted took 7 points. I never caught that hunt and burned them last year on another hunt after 24 years.
coloradoshedhead
Active Member
All of this pp creep talk and how the CPW is clearly not taking care of important issues and I forgot about the hybrid tags we are all in the same pool for drawing those highly sought after hunts! 1-3% draw odds for those hybrid tags eases the mind significantly. Not!
RICMIC
Veteran member
I've been chasing the dog's tail on that early high mt. rifle hunt too. I ended up with a MZL tag instead. I would actually prefer the later start date if I ever draw the rifle tag, except that the mzl season has a significantly more hunters in it. Next year is a Wyoming year for me, but had figured on drawing in CO in 16. I hate to burn 9 pts. on a MZL tag.