Drawing elk tags

[Mwilson]

Ok I am brand spanking new to elk hunting. Only info I have is from here. I’ve hunted whitetail in the southeast my whole life so I’m not new to hunting... I understand that I’ll probably have to start with OTC archery hunts, but I’d like to start trying to build points up for a draw. How do I go about doing that, and what state/location would be the best. I don’t care too much about killing a record animal, I just enjoy hunting and want to get out of the southeast, see the country, and chase bigger game. Any advice would be welcome

 

[jdmaxwell]

Pick a state you would like to see. Get on their website to see how to build points for elk you want to hunt. Build points until you can draw that state. Study maps. Pick a spot. Go hunt. Learn. Repeat

 

[LostArra]

You can hunt elk every year and never buy a point

 

[Bucky]

Hit up the randy Newburg videos on whatever state you want to hunt. Pretty easy to follow. As others said you can hunt every year without doing points. Good luck

 

[iaff3666]

just do it apply where you can afford. if you draw, hunt! if not go OTC

 

[KHNC]

May as well start with Colorado, since it has tons of public land and plenty of elk. Find a unit that takes a couple points to draw and start accumulating them. Go OTC in a unit as close to your draw area as you can until you get enough points to draw. Avoid OTC every time you can, as they can get crowded.

 

[Lelder]

Idaho has a lot of different OTC tags for non-residents that go on sale months before they open the sale of them up to the residents. They are also the cheapest non-resident elk tag in the west at $416.00 (correct me if i'm wrong guys). Lots of bow hunting opportunities in different zones and i know the Selway zone has a OTC rifle rut tag the wolves are dense there but when i hunted the Selway zone i got into elk just no legal bulls but they are there. Good luck yet get out west its AMAZING!!

 

[Sturgeon]

If I was coming from the Southeast I would be looking hard at
New Mexico-all limited quota tags but random drawing so everyone has the same chance
Utah-limited quota for trophy bull, but maybe worth applying and building points since you always have an opportunity to draw and I would look at cow hunts there
Colorado-know you can hunt over the counter but maybe worth applying for limited quota and trying to hunt units that aren’t the top tier since you will never catch point creep

 

[Frazier]

Colorado as others have said. Best options IMO.

 

[Jimss]

Keep in the back of your head that OTC is unlimited tags! You may be shocked when you see how crowded it is in these units! The learning curve can be super high and you may not even see an elk. It may take an incredible amount of time and boot leather to be successful.

You can hunt OTC in Colo but unfortunately there currently are very few limited unit options. The demand is super high in the relatively few limited units that are available. Colo only offers limited tags to those with highest pref pts and many take a pile of pts and years to draw. Colo just converted a few archery units to limited which I believe is a sign of the future. With unlimited tags the CPW is unable to manage elk numbers and the booming population of OTC hunters so I have a feeling things may slowly change over to all limited elk tags.

As mentioned Idaho offers OTC tags and doesn't offer a pref/bonus pt system for limited units. Both Idaho and NM don't have pref/bonus pt systems and would be good options. Most states with pref pt and bonus pt systems have horrible draw odds that tend to be increasing each year. Wyo has "general" units that residents can hunt OTC every year but are taking more and more pts for nonres to draw. Wyo limited units are similar to every other state and take a lot of years to draw....and continue to increase by the year.

With that said, there is hardly any place as gorgeous in the fall as high alpine places in Colo and other states when the aspens are turning!

 

[Rufus_MacVane_huntfishME]

Is it a lottery in Montana?

 

[Roughwater]

Idaho has a lot of different OTC tags for non-residents that go on sale months before they open the sale of them up to the residents. They are also the cheapest non-resident elk tag in the west at $416.00 (correct me if i'm wrong guys). Lots of bow hunting opportunities in different zones and i know the Selway zone has a OTC rifle rut tag the wolves are dense there but when i hunted the Selway zone i got into elk just no legal bulls but they are there. Good luck yet get out west its AMAZING!!

Utah has the cheapest Non-resident Elk tag.

The total cost for Non-residents for a single season permit in Utah is still $393 for the Elk permit plus $65 for a Hunting License for a total of $458.

The total cost to hunt in Idaho as a non-resident is $571.50, but if you decide to take a bow it is an additional $20.
416 may be correct for the tag alone but you still have to buy a nonresident hunting license on top of that. Also Utah is talking about raising the cost so will likely be more in 2021 if not sooner.

But I wouldn't hunt elk in Utah there's no Elk there and nothing to see.

 

[Lelder]

No elk in Idaho

 

[Roughwater]

Good luck yet get out west its AMAZING!!

Like Lelder said - Get out west and hunt, it really is Amazing!

That said the Elevation and lack of level ground can kick your butt. Take it slow at first. You will Acclimate some to the Elevation in a few days but if you try to go too hard too fast you will feel it. Of course like a lot of things it is what you make it but to me it's never just a hunt, it's an adventure and will challenge you in many ways.

 

[Mwilson]

Like Lelder said - Get out west and hunt, it really is Amazing!

That said the Elevation and lack of level ground can kick your butt. Take it slow at first. You will Acclimate some to the Elevation in a few days but if you try to go too hard too fast you will feel it. Of course like a lot of things it is what you make it but to me it's never just a hunt, it's an adventure and will challenge you in many ways.

That’s exactly what I’m hoping for. Thank y’all so much. All advice, tips, tricks, necessary gear, anything is welcomed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Roughwater]

What to get:
For a base camp, Last year for the first time I bought a fold up cot which came with a foam pad. Previously I had slept in the truck or in the tent on the ground on a mat but the Cot kept me off the ground and the pad added warmth and comfort. I also used a small propane heater in the tent for the first time. Another luxury for me anyway that I will probably continue in the future. A cot though requires a lager tent but the upside is that the tent is also taller so you are not having to bend over to walk and you can sit up without your head touching the tent roof.


I have a smaller 2 man tent, fairly light weight but not super expensive for setting up a spike camp which I also did last year. A down 0 degree sleeping bag is nice. Packs smaller and weighs less than the the other types of fill. Hyke and Bike off and on has a good sale on the down bags which is where I got mine during the sale of course.

A lightweight cheap collapsible 5 gal water jug from walmart is great to carry. If you end up doing a spike camp carry it in empty and camp near water. You use a lot of water hiking and camping and cooking and cleaning up.

You gotta have a Jet boil or something similar to heat water and in turn your food. It will get your water boiling quick even at altitude. Freeze dried food and some granola bars are great. I'm not a coffee drinker so I carry some packs of Hot chocolate mix which is like treat while camping. Some of the dehydrated soups are handy to carry too. Jerky is always great in the field.

Most don't think a lot about their socks but socks make all the difference when you walking a lot in the hot, cold and wet weather. I've found the Alpaca socks from "Alpacas of Montana" to be awesome. Very warm, wicks moisture much better than Wool and don't stink after a few days of wear. They fit snug and don't ball up and they wear so much longer than any socks I've ever owned. Pricey for sure but they seem to wear forever. I'm not exaggerating either. They make a warm hat too. The hat won't win any style contests but keeps my head and ears warm.

Chap stick is kinda of a must. I never have need of it in NC but some places out west your lips will dry out without it and crack.

I always carry a compass and GPS. A compass weighs almost nothing but can save you if your GPS craps out or you loose it. I also as of late carry a Garmin Inreach. It allows me to text to my wife or anyone else even where there is no cell phone service and has a SOS button you can push in an emergency so you can be found quickly.
My wife actually bought it for me so she I could let her know at least once a day that I was OK.

Of course you want bear spray in Grizzly country but in Colorado you won't likely need it.
You need to have some game bags to carry with you while hunting. A small to medium cooler is nice, you can buy some eggs, soda, beer or what ever for use at your base camp. But you don't want to leave it outside your vehicle or in a tent with food in it most places or the warden will write you up a ticket. A large cooler is needed to carry your game home.

There is plenty more you will probably need to bring I just wanted to touch on a few of the more important gear.

 

[trophyhill]

May as well start with Colorado, since it has tons of public land and plenty of elk. Find a unit that takes a couple points to draw and start accumulating them. Go OTC in a unit as close to your draw area as you can until you get enough points to draw. Avoid OTC every time you can, as they can get crowded.

You forgot to mention that along with that, most OTC units in CO are overrun and gonna get worse with nearly 20 former OTC units going draw.

And we haven't even talked about the hikers, bikers and recreationists hitting the trails

 

[bz_711]

Lots of good info here:

I'm all ears - any info on buying/building points per state?

If anyone is willing to share the "nutshell" version to help me before trying to create my own state by state comparison...what kind of fees would I be looking at in different states if I want to begin building points for my sons and I? I'd be interested in both "once in a lifetime" hunts that...

www.rokslide.com

 

[ATL-Kyle]

Good to see a fellow Georgian on here I did my first western hunt for antelope last year and am planning to hunt mule deer this year and elk after that. Feel free to message me if you're interested in the draw "strategy" (if you want to call it that) that I've landed on considering how far most of the western hunting states are from Georgia. I'm happy to help any way I can

 

[CBECK61]

I highly recommend getting gohunt. It will save you a few headaches and possibly money while trying to learn the points system. They have state to state breakdowns on regs that are much easier to read and understand and help put you in the best position possible. My advice is learn the states you are interested in and develop a app strategy with you available finances. I now live out west but grew up in the Midwest and only realized how complicated the lottery systems where once I moved out. Every state does it different and none of them are simple. I have states for each species that I want to draw every 2-3 years and some states that I'm in it for the long game as well as backup plans that I know I can default to if I don't draw the tag I want that year. Even if you are going to hunt OTC early on start building points now if it is something you want to do long term.

Gohunt will simplify all this and help you choose states/units.

Good luck!