Utah- non resident "Eligible" applicants secret?

[ageewhy]

Alright, maybe a Utah Resident or someone with more brainpower than me can solve this one. I will preface my question with the fact that I am still fairly new to hunting out west. Did my first antelope hunt last year in WY, and received a lot of help here on the forum and posted my full report afterward. Anyway...

Working on a Muley trip this year, and I am looking at UTAH. Ive attached a pic of the 2016 Big Game Draw results for the South Slope Bonanza/Vernal any weapon unit. If I have zero points, it says I have a 1 in 1.0 chance of being drawn for this unit. And harvest/sucess rates for that unit are very good!

This has got to be too good to be true. Am I being mislead by the fact the heading says "Total ELIGIBLE applicants" Am I not Eligible? Or am I missing something else?

I know this has got to be too good to be true, because nearly every other article or resource I have found says non resident Mule deer with 0 pref/bonus points in UTAH is like Pis*ing in the wind... I just dont understand why.

 

[Tim McCoy]

UT has plenty of MD tags available for low/no points, usually general seasons. I can't read your attachment, so that's just a guess. Their top MD units/hunts are very difficult draws.

 

[B&C Blacktails]

Based on your attachment, it appears if someone had zero points you will draw that tag. There are quite a few units in Utah with similar draw odds. Utah has a lot of deer but you have got be determined and be willing to hold out for a mature animal because there are very few on the easier to draw units. Spike bucks are legal to shoot in Utah, doesn't give much of a chance to grow mature deer. That being said i am switching units in Utah after two years of hard hunting. Good luck with your choice.

 

[HuskyMusky]

I don't remember the ins and outs of every state, but I know some require you to report a harvest or lack of harvest and if you fail to do so you may have points etc... and not be eligible.

Some states also have a waiting period after drawing a premium tag, 5 or 10 years to reapply.

 

[mallardsx2]

Its a combination of preference points and how many wives a person has at any given time.... lol

 

[Alpineman]

You know your quickest, easiest and most accurate way to get an exact answer to your question just ring Utah fish and game. That's what I do, works every time.

 

[Silentstalker]

In this case, to answer your question, yes you would draw that hunt with zero points.