I’m glad western hunting is complicated.

[BuckeyeRifleman]

I remember the first time I hunted the west I felt completely overwhelmed and lost looking at the regs and feeling like I needed a law degree to understand the application process.

But I broke it all down, and without the help of GOHUNT or YouTube still managed to figure it out. Once I figured it out, I realized it wasn’t as complicated as it looked like at first glance.

Since then, through a failed first year in the elk woods, countless hours of research on state game websites, reading studies on things like elk behavior, I’ve had pretty successful seasons year after year.

Some of you remember my “bad hunting partner” thread, about the guy that was a bit of a train wreck the first year then decided to go rogue and invite his buddy without asking, getting him the boot from our trip.

Well talked to him a few weeks ago… He thought the application deadline was the start of the application period. Stupidly I corrected him.

Then I talked to him more recently. He applied, but applied for a tag he was ineligible for.

I literally can’t make the shit up with this guy.

But it brings me to my point. There has to be some level of barrier to entry to western hunting, there just isn’t enough game or land available to let everyone hunt every year. Those barriers can be money, residency, time/points, etc. But no doubt some level of complication in the application process is part of it.

I’m glad it’s complicated. I’m glad it takes months of planning and foresight to apply.

I’ve held folks hands in the past because this stuff brought me so much joy and satisfaction that I felt I needed to share it. But I’ve decided that I’m never doing that again.

Part of the reason I enjoy this stuff is that it took a lot of effort and study to figure it out. Take that away, and it’s not quite as special, and furthermore it just lessens my personal opportunities even more.

Bottom line, keep it complicated. It’s one of the best and fairest barriers to entry. All the others (money, residency, points, etc) are all necessary to a point, but I like the one determined by effort/study the most. Those that are really passionate about it will still figure it out. Those that like the “idea” of it will get distracted and frustrated and move on.

 

[Kleos]

I remember the first time I hunted the west I felt completely overwhelmed and lost looking at the regs and feeling like I needed a law degree to understand the application process.

But I broke it all down, and without the help of GOHUNT or YouTube still managed to figure it out. Once I figured it out, I realized it wasn’t as complicated as it looked like at first glance.

Since then, through a failed first year in the elk woods, countless hours of research on state game websites, reading studies on things like elk behavior, I’ve had pretty successful seasons year after year.

Some of you remember my “bad hunting partner” thread, about the guy that was a bit of a train wreck the first year then decided to go rogue and invite his buddy without asking, getting him the boot from our trip.

Well talked to him a few weeks ago… He thought the application deadline was the start of the application period. Stupidly I corrected him.

Then I talked to him more recently. He applied, but applied for a tag he was ineligible for.

I literally can’t make the shit up with this guy.

But it brings me to my point. There has to be some level of barrier to entry to western hunting, there just isn’t enough game or land available to let everyone hunt every year. Those barriers can be money, residency, time/points, etc. But no doubt some level of complication in the application process is part of it.

I’m glad it’s complicated. I’m glad it takes months of planning and foresight to apply.

I’ve held folks hands in the past because this stuff brought me so much joy and satisfaction that I felt I needed to share it. But I’ve decided that I’m never doing that again.

Part of the reason I enjoy this stuff is that it took a lot of effort and study to figure it out. Take that away, and it’s not quite as special, and furthermore it just lessens my personal opportunities even more.

Bottom line, keep it complicated. It’s one of the best and fairest barriers to entry. All the others (money, residency, points, etc) are all necessary to a point, but I like the one determined by effort/study the most. Those that are really passionate about it will still figure it out. Those that like the “idea” of it will get distracted and frustrated and move on.

I have mixed feelings on this. I don't think just because you had one bad experience you shouldn't help the next person necessarily. I would help someone new to hunting if I had a good relationship with them and I think they could make a good hunting partner. The people I call friends are not people who keep a tally of what we have done for each other, or who bought coffee last time, or who paid for gas, because I none of that matters to me and I wouldn't want someone as a friend who thinks that is important.

But on your point of barrier of entry to hunting, I almost wish it was more difficult because if you get too many people who are not using their heads that's when mistakes happen and it will reflect poorly on the general hunting community. Private properties that previously allowed hunting no longer wanting to give out permission because of negligent hunters trashing the area.

 

[MuleyFever]

I dont think its complicated. Its easy.

 

[cnelk]

There will always be a YouTube video made to make it easy (or easier)

Just this morning I posted a couple screen shots of the Regs - along with saying ‘Please Please read the Regs’

 

[SDHNTR]

I wish it were more complicated. It’s too easy now. Newberg be glad to hold your hand and show you how. I miss paper applications and having to write a check, up front, for all tag fees. I don’t think the ketchup can go back in the bottle, but I’d love to see a pendulum swing back to making the process more limiting. It should be learned through extensive effort, not clicks.

 

[bnsafe]

Ive got a buddy that helps me out, ALOT. And I cant thank him enough. I make sure I never intentionally ask any questions that would have anything to do with his hunting, and I hope he knows he could put the x on the spot and tell me to never go there, and I would never. His friendship means the world to me and definately more than any hunt. Frankly I would quit hunting the west before I messed that up.
Yea, sounds like this guy is a idiot. But there are a few of us that are good guys.

 

[Rich M]

The guys who want it will figure it out.

If someone doesn't want it bad enough to figure it out, then maybe they shouldn't be there?

The hunting industry hurt us when they started the "we need new/more hunters" push. Too manybfolks bought into this and continue to punish the rest of us.

 

[BuckeyeRifleman]

I have mixed feelings on this. I don't think just because you had one bad experience you shouldn't help the next person necessarily. I would help someone new to hunting if I had a good relationship with them and I think they could make a good hunting partner. The people I call friends are not people who keep a tally of what we have done for each other, or who bought coffee last time, or who paid for gas, because I none of that matters to me and I wouldn't want someone as a friend who thinks that is important.

But on your point of barrier of entry to hunting, I almost wish it was more difficult because if you get too many people who are not using their heads that's when mistakes happen and it will reflect poorly on the general hunting community. Private properties that previously allowed hunting no longer wanting to give out permission because of negligent hunters trashing the area.

I get it, it’s a balance.

I’ll say this, I enjoy helping the guys I can tell are really passionate. They are usually genuinely appreciative. But they would’ve probably figured it out on their own anyway given some time.

But, as was the case with this guy, a lot of the time it’s someone who just thinks it sounds cool, or is your friend who you think might be cool to have along for the week but turns out just isn’t that into it. Those guys are a PITA.

As someone said it’s really not that complicated, but it’s complicated enough to scare away the folks who aren’t serious about it. Or at least it used to be.

Part of the good in that is keeping some of the idiots off the mountain all together.

 

[ToolMann]

I sent my son's buddy who just moved here last year a 500 word essay email explaining the Colorado system today so he can draw with us. We took him last season without any tags to learn. Zero problem helping people who will be good ambassadors.

 

[khart_6882]

Steep mountains keep a lot more people from applying a 2nd time than complicated procedures haha


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[lyingflatlander]

I get along with my father-in-law just great, we both love to hunt and fish. I’ve been married to his daughter over a decade and have given him grandchildren. He’s archery elk hunted out west since the 90’s yet I’ve never been invited or offered much wisdom on western hunting. Heck, a number of times he doesn’t tell me which state he’s in. Now that I’ve been solo hunting for five years I find I’m getting asked the questions.

 

[Overdrive]

I have resident friends that can't figure out the drawing, and yes they're the ones complaining that NR get all the tags. I've tried to help them out but sometimes the people that think they know it all, will continue to struggle. But every year I hear them complain that they can't draw in the units they hunt, even though they could draw every year if they did it correctly.

 

[TheGrayRider]

I wonder if someone has published one of those black-and-yellow books titled “Western Hunting Tags for Dummies”?

 

[Beendare]

I have 20 points for elk in Nevada…and have less than a 1% chance of drawing….

I think plenty of guys have figured out these “Complicated” draws- grin

 

[wapitibob]

There will always be a YouTube video made to make it easy (or easier)

Just this morning I posted a couple screen shots of the Regs - along with saying ‘Please Please read the Regs’

They don't watch youtube videos, If they did they'd know the answers. They're just lazy as hell. It takes less time to google the answer to their question than it takes for them to post it on a forum.

 

[kwackkillncrew]

I wish alaska was more confusing for the southerners

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[SDHNTR]

I grew up hunting here in the West, and quite honestly, my knowledge base went as far as knowing what otc was, what youth tags I could draw growing up, and the occasional leftover tag.

I never knew, or took time to learn how the system actually worked. My fault.

Fast forward to my wife, who wants to start hunting. She asked so many questions about the process, how it worked, best chances for success, etc. I couldn't give her the answers, so I learned.

Part of learning for me was using the resources, yes, YouTube, guys like Randy Newberg. But frankly, that was just all general information. The most I learned was from the state regs, the state draw stats, and figuring out the math. Wasn't too difficult .

But I am super grateful to have the resources like YouTube, like Newberg, just as general learning.

Please note, I'm not saying I enjoy watching how much stinking content there is of folks coming out west, hunting elk extremely aggressively, then posting about it. That's a whole other thing.

I see things opposite. I dislike it all really, and wish YT would disappear, but see the content and adventure story stuff far less off putting than the draw how-to stuff. Sorry you resemble this remark, but that’s the stuff that directly makes deciphering the process too easy, kills drawing odds and clogs our woods. We had adventure stories long before the internet in magazine form. The West and its allure has always been out there. It’s the internet how-to’s that broke down that barrier. In your case, if you and/or your wife wanted it bad enough, all the info you needed is/was already out there provided to you for free by your state’s F&G Dep. The access and the information has always been out there, rewarding those dedicated enough to find it. You didn’t need YouTube, it just made it easier for you and shortened the learning curve. Now multiply that by thousands, and here we are.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

Can’t believe people think there isn’t enough land or animals to hunt out West to the point it needs to be limited??? That a real head scratcher.

 

[cnelk]

11,000 views in one year....

 

[cmahoney]

Can’t believe people think there isn’t enough land or animals to hunt out West to the point it needs to be limited??? That a real head scratcher.

You think there are unlimited animals?


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