Elk Draw Trends, By onX Hunt

[Justin Crossley]

Competition for tags just keeps getting tougher. In December, onX published an article with data from eight western states to help understand this issue. Check it out.

Elk Draw Trends

 

[Wheels]

I've said this before and know it will never happen, but if states went back to paper applications and actual money up front(check or money order), you would eliminate a bunch of people. Adding debt to their credit cards will keep them in the game.

 

[Idaboy]

It's all about the money....everyone (states, industry, commercial interests) benefit from low supply and high demand.....with the amount of information online, it's just easier for hunters and all the interested parties have made it easier.....unfortunately it's the new normal

 

[Erussell01]

We just gotta adapt gentlemen. We all have the same tools, but who is willing to put in the work to get the hunts they want?

I wish I had started hunting elk sooner in life so I could have had more opportunity earlier. But I didn't so now I need to work and learn and make it happen for myself.

My dad hunted elk for years and never applied for a single tag. He cant believe I have to have a plan and do research. I didn't get an idaho tag for the units I wanted. That sucks, but it means that I just need to work a little harder to find a hunt. I'm learning every day. Where can I get a tag, how can I improve my chances of getting a tag. What tags are even a possibility for me to get as a non resident problem child?

For me, it's worth the effort to learn because I hear bugles in my sleep.

Do I wish there were less people going elk hunting? Sure. I'd love to have the woods all to myself every September. But I'm also part of the problem as a non resident who is newer to the sport so I have no right complaining about other people hunting.


I'm just thankful there are still ways for me to go west and hunt elk. I know it sucks for the resident hunters of the states that I am trying to come to, but I pay my tag fees happily and respect the land as if it were my own. I'm there to participate to the fullest extent of my ability and not detract from the landscape in any way.

 

[Idaboy]

Keep it public!!!..... I can't imagine the lack of access if federal and state lands got sold off, which was a big push a few years back, and still has traction with some select, self-interested groups.

 

[wapitibob]

Looks like covid got people thinking they better go hunt because there might not be a tomorrow.

 

[DWarcher]

We just gotta adapt gentlemen. We all have the same tools, but who is willing to put in the work to get the hunts they want?

Unfortunately with point creep it's way beyond 'putting in the work' being your ace in the hole.

 

[Erussell01]

Unfortunately with point creep it's way beyond 'putting in the work' being your ace in the hole.

Hey man, point creep sucks. I couldnt agree more. Guys like me will never catch up. Will I ever draw a premier unit in Wyoming or Colorado? No way.

I might have to hunt cows. I might only get general tags. Once I get there I might have to work a little harder to find elk due to hunting pressure. But I'm going elk hunting every chance I can get.

 

[DWarcher]

Hey man, point creep sucks. I couldnt agree more. Guys like me will never catch up. Will I ever draw a premier unit in Wyoming or Colorado? No way.

I might have to hunt cows. I might only get general tags. Once I get there I might have to work a little harder to find elk due to hunting pressure. But I'm going elk hunting every chance I can get.

You definitely have the right attitude. Best of luck!

 

[Erussell01]

You definitely have the right attitude. Best of luck!

Thanks man, I hope you have a great draw season

 

[ladogg411]

Looks like covid got people thinking they better go hunt because there might not be a tomorrow.

View attachment 525844
View attachment 525854

Misleading bar graph.

Doesn’t look anywhere near that dramatic if the Y axis started at 0 and not 170K.

 

[JFK]

Misleading bar graph.

Doesn’t look anywhere near that dramatic if the Y axis started at 0 and not 170K.

Remind us again when there were 0 applicants? Things have changed pretty drastically in the last few years.

 

[ladogg411]

Remind us again when there were 0 applicants? Things have changed pretty drastically in the last few years.

Certainly. But OnX presenting the data in a misleading fashion makes 2022 look 600% of 2019. When it is really “only” 30% larger.

Bar graphs can’t be presented that way. Supposed Data experts at OnX and Toprut should understand that.

 

[jewbacca]

I've said this before and know it will never happen, but if states went back to paper applications and actual money up front(check or money order), you would eliminate a bunch of people. Adding debt to their credit cards will keep them in the game.

I like this idea. A lot.

 

[t_carlson]

I've said this before and know it will never happen, but if states went back to paper applications and actual money up front(check or money order), you would eliminate a bunch of people. Adding debt to their credit cards will keep them in the game.

This is a very large part of the issue. Colorado, for example, used to require you to pay the ENTIRE license amount up front and would then refund you a few months later.

But they figured out that more people will apply if they removed that requirement, so they get to keep more money in the end.

I'm kind of on the fence with this issue. I think that resident licenses should always be priced low. When it comes to nonresident licenses, I view NR hunting as a luxury, and I'm not opposed to letting the free market set luxury prices. If you're whining about NR license prices ruining your budget, that probably means you shouldn't be hunting out of state in the first place. On the other hand, I do not like hunting licenses being sold off to the highest bidder, so to speak.

 

[Hoythews71]

This is a very large part of the issue. Colorado, for example, used to require you to pay the ENTIRE license amount up front and would then refund you a few months later.

But they figured out that more people will apply if they removed that requirement, so they get to keep more money in the end.

I'm kind of on the fence with this issue. I think that resident licenses should always be priced low. When it comes to nonresident licenses, I view NR hunting as a luxury, and I'm not opposed to letting the free market set luxury prices. If you're whining about NR license prices ruining your budget, that probably means you shouldn't be hunting out of state in the first place. On the other hand, I do not like hunting licenses being sold off to the highest bidder, so to speak.

Even as a NR (military stationed in Virginia), I agree with a lot of this. Prices are high, but very few lifetime memorable experiences are free, and I’d rather make those memories in the woods and on the mountain than almost anywhere else. So I play the game. I’ve only done 1 western hunt, but I’ve finally reached a point where I can do one nearly annually. I apply for elk here in Virginia too, but there’s ~5 tags a year, so that’s a pipe dream.

That said, I started hunting out West and building points very late (early and mid 30’s depending on the state), so realistically will never hunt a premier unit in most states. Point creep, environmental changes, regulation changes, etc. I’m pretty fortunate, and I can afford to float tag fees for quite a few states/species if need be, and that definitely weeds out a LOT of people, but this is a resource for everyone. No resident owns the public land or the public land animals. It’s not a free resource, but it shouldn’t break the bank for someone who wants to take a memorable trip with their dad, or their son. Those who are willing will find a way…both in price and effort.

Do I feel some empathy for you guys that were born and raised out west and who are constantly battling the changes? Absolutely. But again…we’ll all find a way, and airing your gripes on Rokslide does nothing to sway your state DNR/F&W agency to put the tag allotments into the residents favor.

Hope to see everyone out there and successful!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sully_44]

Robby says it best in his Mule Deer books when he talks about not being able to start feeling sorry for himself with mule deer quality, and lack of “good ol days” vibes. I think the same way with getting elk tags. I see the people that really want to hunt elk have at least one tag every year, but they usually have multiple. The demand is higher yes, but the opportunities are still there and ever changing. If you pay attention to states changing management strategies, you’ll see an open door to an opportunity that many didn’t and you’ll pick up a tag. While the tags you pick up that way generally aren’t the top tags in the state you’re hoping to hunt, they often border those better units, or have there own honey holes with good elk hunting.

 

[Tod osier]

Certainly. But OnX presenting the data in a misleading fashion makes 2022 look 600% of 2019. When it is really “only” 30% larger.

Bar graphs can’t be presented that way. Supposed Data experts at OnX and Toprut should understand that.

Agree 100%, embarrassing axis truncation there. I stopped reading the second I saw that, if someone truncates and axis like that, I have very little trust in what they have to say.

 

[Maverick1]

More people are applying for tags and it is becoming more challenging to obtain a tag. OK. Yes. This is true. (Moving along to next thread now.)

 

[tracker12]

Best deal is to find a good lease in a 0-1 point area and hunt elk every year or so. Better time spent looking for a lease than tag options