Chasing Points

Joined
Nov 28, 2019
Messages
38
You'll have a fun hunt.
With all I have heard, I am happy to be using 28 NR points to bow hunt 61 this year. I messed up and lost 5 points over the years. Anticipating a great time. Also driving 30+ hours from sea level.
Learning a lot about e-scouting.
 

Del Gue

FNG
Joined
Jun 4, 2023
Messages
32
With all I have heard, I am happy to be using 28 NR points to bow hunt 61 this year. I messed up and lost 5 points over the years. Anticipating a great time. Also driving 30+ hours from sea level.
Learning a lot about e-scouting.
Good Luck to you. Are you DIY or hooking up with an outfitter?
 
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
Messages
3,510
Location
Washington
Every year it seems I read about or talk to people who are chasing points for a particular hunt. I'll give you a good example of how futile that can be.

When I first started building elk points in Colorado my goal was to someday hunt unit 61. It didn't take me too many years to figure out that I wasn't gaining any ground. I opted to hunt unit 76 instead, cashed in 7 points, and had a great hunt even though i ended up not trading a bull.

Then 8 years later I cashed them in again and hunted unit 40 with 8 points, that
time filling a tag with a nice bull. This year I just bought my 8th point again. So all together, I've had a total of 23 Colorado elk points.

Last year unit 61 (my original goal) required a minimum of 23 points to draw. Yes, if I hadn't already had two limited tags I would have had enough to draw by now because I would have accumulated 2 more points in the years that I did draw. But I would have shorted myself of at least one prime hunt in the meantime.

I'm 68 now, and who knows if I'll cash CO elk points in again or not. But the lesson I'll pass on is don't fall into the point creep trap. Find a unit you can draw and go hunt it! Your odds of killing the bull of your dreams go up the more times you can hunt.

Points matter more in some states than others. I have points in Wyoming (long term play when I can’t draw other states any longer) and Arizona (don’t plan to every draw but can’t unless you play).

I wish all states were like Idaho when it came to points.


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willy

FNG
Joined
Sep 4, 2018
Messages
88
Location
NE
While I have never hunted any LE units in WY, I have no regrets as I have had incredible experiences on each of the 8 general hunts and 3 cow hunts I have been on. I might have seen bigger bulls but don't know how it could have been more fun. In today's preference point controlled systems, I encourage anybody that wants to hunt elk to do so as soon as possible. One never knows what tomorrow may bring.
 
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