Playing the Preference Points???

Scott/IL

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jan 1, 2014
Messages
223
Long time lurker, first time poster.

I've dreamed of hunting out west for years, and was finally set to make my dream a reality with a Colorado bow elk hunt this September after the invitation from a friend who holds a camp out there. However life had other plans and after some long, and careful thinking over a few months I left my job to return to school and finish my degree. Leaving my hunting plans still in the dream phase for the time being. With realistic expectations, 2016 will be my first chance to get out there.

With that in mind, and my relatively young age, I have been putting some thought into starting to apply for some tags across the west and building points. I have a list of species that are on my "dream list". Other than Yukon moose and caribou, the rest come from the lower 48. My standards used to be a P&Y animal, but as I have gotten older it's changed more towards the adventure that the hunt brings and a respectable representation of the animal as a bonus.

I'm pretty green with these points, so please criticize my plan where you see my flaws! These are all archery planned!

1) OTC elk and deer in CO for my fall back on years I can hunt, and don't draw.

2) Build points for elk in CO, WY, and AZ. I'm okay with drawing every 3-5 years in CO and WY, while holding out for a big boy tag in AZ after years of applying.

3) Mule Deer. The exact same as elk. CO, WY, and AZ. I figure since I want to apply for trophy elk in AZ, I might as well throw deer in the mix.

4) Sheep. This is where I scratch my head. I don't really know much about this process. Assuming I already have my AZ licence, I can apply there. Other than that I'm guessing CO for Rocky Big Horn.

Am I missing the boat by not looking more into UT and NV? Or even MT? I've put thought into the NM draw for elk, but feel like CO OTC is better bang for your buck.

Funds are still slightly limited being as school is taking a good chunk of that for another year. So some of those sheep tags may not be feasible this year. I've talked about going west for years, and I am finally just ready to make it out there and make a dream into reality!
 
Last edited:
Welcome Scott, sounds like a decent plan. Put in for what you can afford though. Don't strap yourself on cash just for points. I say that from experience!

You are correct on az. Points are cheap if you already have a license. Good luck with school.
 
You are missing the boat in Utah, You can buy a non res license for I think $85 and if you time it right you can apply on that license for 2 years (365 day license). Each species is only $10 to apply for the draw and half the tags go to a general pool so you don't have to have max points to draw. Draw odds may be slim overall but it is one of the cheaper states after you apply for all species, and you always have a chance if there are more than one non res tag.
 
There isn't any OTC deer tags in Colorado (except whitetail). I'm not sure if that's what you meant in 1) or not but just throwing it out there. Utah is pretty good bang for your buck. At this point in time Co bighorn might take a few decades unless your a lucky guy.
 
There isn't any OTC deer tags in Colorado (except whitetail). I'm not sure if that's what you meant in 1) or not but just throwing it out there. Utah is pretty good bang for your buck. At this point in time Co bighorn might take a few decades unless your a lucky guy.
You're right. I meant some of the areas that can be drawn on a first attempt.
 
You can hunt antelope, deer, and elk every year in WY and gain points at the same time. Apply in NM as they have no points. The nr draw is changing in AZ and you should apply for elk in that state. Add sheep since you're already there. Being young, add UT elk to the mix. Being bonus point states, AZ and UT give you a weighted advantage at a random tag as you work your way up.
 
Why not apply in the most overlooked and under hunted state; Montana?
Comparing hunting pressure in states that you can elk hunt in every year like CO, Wyo- its no contest to learn Montana
 
Why not apply in the most overlooked and under hunted state; Montana?
Comparing hunting pressure in states that you can elk hunt in every year like CO, Wyo- its no contest to learn Montana

You don't even have to apply, there are always leftover tags.
 
I have thought about Montana a bit, and figured it could be a substitute for Colorado on years I could hunt but didn't draw. However the price of the tag for a NR is what kind of swayed me.
 
So correct me if I am wrong here, but after reading some old threads and doing a little research this what I came up with...

Arizona and Utah I buy the license, and then a small additional fee per species.

Colorado and Wyoming, I buy the license and float the cost of the tag of each species and am refunded when not drawn.

Once things are a little more stable, I may look into the NM draw for elk. As of now, I may hold off on Wyoming for 2 reasons, I didn't plan on building a bunch of points there anyways, and it'll keep the costs down for now. Once school is done, I can revist it. That'll leave me with AZ and UT for "trophy" tags and CO as my 3-4 year draw and OTC elk or low point deer draws when I don't.

I'll wrap up my degree in December '15 if everything goes according to the plan, so I'm kind of looking into the late AZ OTC mule deer if it's something I can save up to afford if I already have the license.
 
If you are only interested in building points, you can buy points in WYO without purchasing a license.
 
Hmm didn't realize that. Glad I have a few months to research some more and get a plan squared away!

This site is an awesome tool as I look around at different threads.
 
Lots of good comments here.
No arguments to the views.
My view is go on the OTC hunts when you cannot draw a better tag.
Build up your points as you go so that you get at least a few great tags in your lifetime.
I build points in many western states. You really can do both. If you are going OTC to just get a hunt in then try to put in for the draws anyway. Usually they are not much more to apply if you are paying for an over the counter tag already.

Also often youth can get great tags much easier than adults. So take a kid hunting and enjoy the hunt with them.

Here is my nephews youth tag bull from this year.
Super hunt.

isaac nice bull.jpg
 
Back
Top