Building Points

[IAboy92]

Hey Guys,

As I prepare for my first western hunt this next year I have already been doing a lot of thinking about "what next". I haven't even had a day of hunting out west yet and I am already hooked. With that I know that I need to start building points for the future. My question to you is what are kind of the more sought after hunts that I should start building points for? Do you guys have favorite hunts that you would suggest I build points for, or hunts that you are building for currently? I am a DIY guy by nature and find it much more rewarding doing all of the work myself. I also don't know if I would ever see myself spending much more than 10,000 on an individual hunt because like I said I get just as much reward from the adventure than I do from the trophy. That being said, I am perfectly content with hunting elk self guided OTC for 10 years straight, but if I can build points to go after a trophy in a coveted unit at the same time I will absolutely do that. Let me know your thoughts!

Thanks!!

 

[Chucklehead]

Well that is something you are going to have to probably figure out on your own. Everyone has different goals, budget, time off, etc.
Guys aren't going to be too open about giving up their favorite hunt units/areas and thus making the draw odds even steeper than they probably already are.
That being said, I'll just start with this;
Do you just want to hunt elk? Then just build elk points in a few states and forget everything else.
What is your budget? Can you wait 10-15 years for a hunt? or maybe just 5? This all affects your strategy.
Just ask yourself some of these questions and you'll get an idea of what you might do. After some time you'll probably refine your plan on what your goals are, I know I did.
And consider getting Huntin fool, Eastmans MRS or GoHunt if you really think you are going to go deep in the points game. It will probably shorten the learning curve of how and where to apply.
Good luck

 

[IAboy92]

Hey ya sorry not what I meant at all! I’m not looking for people to give units or anything I’m just looking for fun hunts that people enjoyed that you might not think of or those that are very popular but a new Iowa flatlander might not know about. For example “X is the best state to hunt trophy elk”. I am open to all species and would like to hunt every species that I can. I just have very little knowledge of the West and what opportunities there are. I am 26 so I have a long time to build points and am willing to build points as long as it takes. I would be very content with over the counter hunts until I have enough points to go on a given hunt. I will likely only go on one hunt a year so after I start getting points built I would like to have enough options that I’m always going on a better hunt. But ya the type of information I was looking for was “build points for elk in x state, build points for pronghorn in y state, etc”. I would love to go on a sheep hunt but from the little information I have gathered that seems to be a very expensive hunt? Is this the case everywhere? As far as budget right now I don’t see myself going over 10,000 but like I said I am young and that may change as I get more into this.


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[gabenzeke]

Hey ya sorry not what I meant at all! I’m not looking for people to give units or anything I’m just looking for fun hunts that people enjoyed that you might not think of or those that are very popular but a new Iowa flatlander might not know about. For example “X is the best state to hunt trophy elk”. I am open to all species and would like to hunt every species that I can. I just have very little knowledge of the West and what opportunities there are. I am 26 so I have a long time to build points and am willing to build points as long as it takes. I would be very content with over the counter hunts until I have enough points to go on a given hunt. I will likely only go on one hunt a year so after I start getting points built I would like to have enough options that I’m always going on a better hunt. But ya the type of information I was looking for was “build points for elk in x state, build points for pronghorn in y state, etc”. I would love to go on a sheep hunt but from the little information I have gathered that seems to be a very expensive hunt? Is this the case everywhere? As far as budget right now I don’t see myself going over 10,000 but like I said I am young and that may change as I get more into this.


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Fellow Iowa guy myself. Started hunting out West four years ago now, have only done elk, and I'm hooked. My take is this, points in Wyoming to be spent every few years on a good quality hunt. Points in AZ for a once in a lifetime elk hunt. New Mexico doesn't have points, so apply there yearly and with multiple chances you can swing for the fences as well as list some reasonable draw odds units to hunt there every few years and possibly get a once in a lifetime tag. If Mule deer are your thing, Colorado is the state to apply, or you can also look at the Kaibab strip in AZ for a once in a lifetime hunt. Moose in Idaho (again no points). And then you get to stuff with real dismal odds. Sheep and goats, if you want a chance at ever drawing, will probably require you to apply everywhere you can. Gets expensive, but the way I look at it, I'm building a future hunt plan that helps me avoid OTC areas as soon as I get enough points. As mentioned, GoHunt and Huntin Fool are valuable resources to help decide on specific units.

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[dhill3]

That’s pretty sound advice

 

[CorbLand]

Fellow Iowa guy myself. Started hunting out West four years ago now, have only done elk, and I'm hooked. My take is this, points in Wyoming to be spent every few years on a good quality hunt. Points in AZ for a once in a lifetime elk hunt. New Mexico doesn't have points, so apply there yearly and with multiple chances you can swing for the fences as well as list some reasonable draw odds units to hunt there every few years and possibly get a once in a lifetime tag. If Mule deer are your thing, Colorado is the state to apply, or you can also look at the Kaibab strip in AZ for a once in a lifetime hunt. Moose in Idaho (again no points). And then you get to stuff with real dismal odds. Sheep and goats, if you want a chance at ever drawing, will probably require you to apply everywhere you can. Gets expensive, but the way I look at it, I'm building a future hunt plan that helps me avoid OTC areas as soon as I get enough points. As mentioned, GoHunt and Huntin Fool are valuable resources to help decide on specific units.

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Pretty solid advice here.


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[wannakillabigbull]

Kaibab strip in AZ for a once in a lifetime hunt.

Just so people that aren’t in the know don’t get confused, there’s no such thing as the “Kaibab strip.” That’s a jumble of two separate locations called the Kaibab Plateau and the Arizona Strip, the two top deer areas in the state. Apply for the Kaibab (Unit 12) if you want slightly easier draw odds and to likely see lots of deer on the late hunt. Apply for the Strip (Unit 13) if you want to hunt potentially the biggest deer in the country but might only see a deer or two a day.

 

[gabenzeke]

Just so people that aren’t in the know don’t get confused, there’s no such thing as the “Kaibab strip.” That’s a jumble of two separate locations called the Kaibab Plateau and the Arizona Strip, the two top deer areas in the state. Apply for the Kaibab (Unit 12) if you want slightly easier draw odds and to likely see lots of deer on the late hunt. Apply for the Strip (Unit 13) if you want to hunt potentially the biggest deer in the country but might only see a deer or two a day.

My bad...the strip is what I was intending to say for a once in a lifetime type of hunt.

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[dtrkyman]

I am planning on cashing in points every few years for decent type units, I can swing for the fences as far as trophy units in New Mexico. I have a handful of points in three states and will be able to draw a tag for the next few years pretty easy, then by the time I have drawn all those I will have built a few points in the other states and start all over again.

I am specifically talking elk, I have some Maine moose points but that isn't looking too good!

 

[johnsd16]

You have to have a plan and decide what you want to do. Also, are you doing this alone or is a buddy going to build with you? If so, how reliable is that buddy? If not, are you ready to hunt all these places solo?

My best friend and I started on a bunch of stuff a few years ago. We hunt MT general tag deer, are building MT BPs for deer, elk and PH. We are building points for deer, elk, and PH in WY and IT as well. We already cashed in WY PH in 2018 and will try for deer in 2021. We have points in SD, CO, and IA. This year we will add AZ. We don’t plan to try for any NM tags until we get more elk hunting under our belts. I moved to ID in 2017 in part because of the hunting.

You have to have a plan for how and when to execute these things. For us UT is long term, as will be AZ, and CO trophy species. WY is a few points looking for decent but not top tier tags. We can hunt MT and ID basically every year. Having a place to hunt every or most years is good because it helps you learn skills for things or terrains you haven’t hunted, and also to work out gear and strategies so you’re ready for those primo tags.

 

[gabenzeke]

You have to have a plan and decide what you want to do. Also, are you doing this alone or is a buddy going to build with you? If so, how reliable is that buddy? If not, are you ready to hunt all these places solo?

My best friend and I started on a bunch of stuff a few years ago. We hunt MT general tag deer, are building MT BPs for deer, elk and PH. We are building points for deer, elk, and PH in WY and IT as well. We already cashed in WY PH in 2018 and will try for deer in 2021. We have points in SD, CO, and IA. This year we will add AZ. We don’t plan to try for any NM tags until we get more elk hunting under our belts. I moved to ID in 2017 in part because of the hunting.

You have to have a plan on how and when to execute these things. For us UT is long term, as will be AZ, and CO trophy species. WY is a few points looking for decent but not too tier tags. We can hunt MT and ID basically every year. Having a place to hunt every or most years is good because it helps you learn skills for things or terrains you haven’t hunted, and also to work out gear and strategies so you’re ready for those primo tags.

Being from Iowa, I can put you on some decent public ground potentially for trade on elk info in MT.

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[bobhunts]

Don't forget raffles through different conservation org's. Odds are better than the draw and the raffle helps the game.

 

[wetmouthsounds]

Fellow Iowa guy myself. Started hunting out West four years ago now, have only done elk, and I'm hooked. My take is this, points in Wyoming to be spent every few years on a good quality hunt. Points in AZ for a once in a lifetime elk hunt. New Mexico doesn't have points, so apply there yearly and with multiple chances you can swing for the fences as well as list some reasonable draw odds units to hunt there every few years and possibly get a once in a lifetime tag. If Mule deer are your thing, Colorado is the state to apply, or you can also look at the Kaibab strip in AZ for a once in a lifetime hunt. Moose in Idaho (again no points). And then you get to stuff with real dismal odds. Sheep and goats, if you want a chance at ever drawing, will probably require you to apply everywhere you can. Gets expensive, but the way I look at it, I'm building a future hunt plan that helps me avoid OTC areas as soon as I get enough points. As mentioned, GoHunt and Huntin Fool are valuable resources to help decide on specific units.

Thank you for this post. Some of us are new to hunting and this kind of post helps a lot. There are so many interesting areas/species to hunt, it gets a little daunting. While I figure things out and determine my long term goals, it would be nice to know a handful of States to start building points in so that when I have it figured out I might have some points to work with in the future. For the next few years I will be doing the OTC thing in some States but its good to know some places to start with limited entry so when I am more seasoned, I can jump right in.

 

[flyingbrass]

I think putting in for Arizona Elk is a waste of money. They just don't have enough tags, simple math.

 

[gabenzeke]

I think putting in for Arizona Elk is a waste of money. They just don't have enough tags, simple math.

I think that if you plan on only doing a late rifle or archery hunt you could likely get two or three of those tags in your hunting lifetime. Definitely not one of the glory tags, but beats sitting on the couch.

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[FURMAN]

I would suggest subscribing to Gohunt, Eastmans, Huntin Fool, or Epic Outdoors. They have a wealth of knowledge and let you see how hard or easy some of the units are to draw. If after a year or two you have all you need or just do not see the value in the product you can stop the subscription. They will also break down the different states application processes.