How do you organize your application strategy

[saltfork]

I apply for around 40 or so tags every year between my son and I. Epic Outdoors has a point tracker spread sheet that's handy if your a member. There's always the OIL/dream tags I apply for and also the regular tags I can draw every few years. Usually I have a good idea on what I should draw or have good odds to draw on a given year. Also hope to get lucky and draw one of the great tags as well. I have never had a problem ending up with too many tags. LOL

 

[NuclearTsunami]

Procrastinate and then research everything in 2 days and cross my fingers

 

[Cheesehead]

As an accountant I don’t go to the bathroom without a specialized spreadsheet

 

[gtriple]

Just wondering how everyone keeps there applications sorted and organized. Any input or ideas would be helpful! Thank you.

I've got a really slick spreadsheet I built that has costs and dates tracked.

 

[High Climber]

About this time of year I’ll start a page in my notes, I put the states in order of application deadline and what I want to apply for based on points/ expectations. I’ll mostly have all my units picked in the next month or so that way whenever the respective deadline is it’s pretty quick to get it in… I love the homework and love seeing new country!

 

[spencerw]

I've got a really slick spreadsheet I built that has costs and dates tracked

That's awesome. How long did it take to get that dialed?

 

[gtriple]

That's awesome. How long did it take to get that dialed?

A few hours. I can clean it up and share it. The primary purpose is to summarize costs so I can set aside money every month for applications and tags.

 

[LFC911]

I use a google sheet, just so i can access it from home, work, or my iPhone.

I apply for elk in 8 states, 5 of them have pps (AZ, CO, KS, UT, WY) and 3 of them are random/OTC (ID, NM, KY). I also do the LE draw in ID and have gone on OTC hunts in CO but i try to avoid them as much as possible. I also buy pps for Mule Deer and Antelope but haven't used any of them except for Mule Deer in CO a few years ago.

My goal is to go on a 3-5 point elk hunt every year for 2 weeks (last year was WY) and an OTC/random opportunity, which last year was ID. I keep a tab with all my hunting related expenses itemized for the year and roll them up to 5 or 6 categories, for example tags, gear, travel, league/3d's, etc.

Another tab is my plan for that year; what i've drawn so far, current pps, application strategy and draw deadlines.

When i retire in the next 5-7 years I will use the deer and pronghorn points I've accumulated, just don't have enough time off now to use them.

 

[High Climber]

I use a google sheet, just so i can access it from home, work, or my iPhone.

I apply for elk in 8 states, 5 of them have pps (AZ, CO, KS, UT, WY) and 3 of them are random/OTC (ID, NM, KY). I also do the LE draw in ID and have gone on OTC hunts in CO but i try to avoid them as much as possible. I also buy pps for Mule Deer and Antelope but haven't used any of them except for Mule Deer in CO a few years ago.

My goal is to go on a 3-5 point elk hunt every year for 2 weeks (last year was WY) and an OTC/random opportunity, which last year was ID. I keep a tab with all my hunting related expenses itemized for the year and roll them up to 5 or 6 categories, for example tags, gear, travel, league/3d's, etc.

Another tab is my plan for that year; what i've drawn so far, current pps, application strategy and draw deadlines.

When i retire in the next 5-7 years I will use the deer and pronghorn points I've accumulated, just don't have enough time off now to use them.

Sounds like a good system.. I really need to step my game up in this department, don’t know if I truly want know all my expenses though

 

[spencerw]

I use a google sheet, just so i can access it from home, work, or my iPhone.

I apply for elk in 8 states, 5 of them have pps (AZ, CO, KS, UT, WY) and 3 of them are random/OTC (ID, NM, KY). I also do the LE draw in ID and have gone on OTC hunts in CO but i try to avoid them as much as possible. I also buy pps for Mule Deer and Antelope but haven't used any of them except for Mule Deer in CO a few years ago.

My goal is to go on a 3-5 point elk hunt every year for 2 weeks (last year was WY) and an OTC/random opportunity, which last year was ID. I keep a tab with all my hunting related expenses itemized for the year and roll them up to 5 or 6 categories, for example tags, gear, travel, league/3d's, etc.

Another tab is my plan for that year; what i've drawn so far, current pps, application strategy and draw deadlines.

When i retire in the next 5-7 years I will use the deer and pronghorn points I've accumulated, just don't have enough time off now to use them.

Any background as to why you skip on so many states? Just time constraints? Or just feel they are the only places worth the time/effort?

 

[LFC911]

Any background as to why you skip on so many states? Just time constraints? Or just feel they are the only places worth the time/effort?

It is probably more financial than anything and then time. I want to stay under $10k annually for hunting budget with everything I spend. The last couple of years I was just north of that at $11-12k range. Generally ~$3-4k of that is tags/apps. If i was to add a state at this point it would probably be MT but as @Dos Perros was saying on a different thread, MT is almost as bad as CO OTC on the general tag. I have another buddy that does OR and has access to horses, so that could be an option. I was looking at my draw odds in UT and even in the next 10 years we're talking single digits, so I'm questioning even buying pps/applying there. You definitely need to have a short, mid and long term strategy. @spencerw if you were me, what state would you add to the mix?

 

[gtriple]

It is probably more financial than anything and then time. I want to stay under $10k annually for hunting budget with everything I spend. The last couple of years I was just north of that at $11-12k range. Generally ~$3-4k of that is tags/apps. If i was to add a state at this point it would probably be MT but as @Dos Perros was saying on a different thread, MT is almost as bad as CO OTC on the general tag. I have another buddy that does OR and has access to horses, so that could be an option. I was looking at my draw odds in UT and even in the next 10 years we're talking single digits, so I'm questioning even buying pps/applying there. You definitely need to have a short, mid and long term strategy. @spencerw if you were me, what state would you add to the mix?

The only reason why MT could be a good consideration is because you can easily control what year you are going to draw. But MT is expensive. It'd cost $1400 just for the elk tag.

I can definitely echo that the MT general tag is not any better than Idaho or Colorado general tags.

 

[nomadicbohunk]

I'll chime in on this with some background. I'm 40 and work in the natural sciences. There's a lot of years where you make like no money doing that. You move around a ton. Lots of grad school. I actually got out of straight wildlife biology because it's kind of depressing. You get yelled at by both the rednecks and the hippies. Think about that the next time you talk to a wildlife biologist. I started doing points when I was 20. Basically anything I could do without possibly drawing. I would have been hosed if I drew back then.

Over the years I added more and more. As of about 5 years ago I'm all in on everything. I just looked and last year I did 98 tags. I have everything on there, even OTC.

I will add, I'm just as much about the where I hunt as the hunt quality. I want to hunt some of the places I've worked in. Would it be cheaper for me to just buy ranch tags when it's all said and done? If I invested the money I'm dropping now? Yeah. Yeah it would. But I wouldn't get to hunt some of the places I will get to.

I have spreadsheets on google. I do a different worksheet every 5 years and have a sheet for each year. I organize by the date the draw is due. On the sheet in order I have the date it opens, the date it closes, date of draw results, state, species, unit, number of points, odds of percent, and my total percent anywhere at a tag that year. Calculating that is not hard and I can elaborate if anyone wants me to.

If I can't get the draw odds I FOIA the data and figure them out. I used to have tag cost and the amount I was out each year, but it was too depressing so I took it off.