Agreed. It's frustrating to see a tag you want and applied for 1st choice in the primary draw show up on the secondary draw list...then watch it get drawn again by someone else...then watch it get returned again...then try to snag it on leftover day but miss out because your Internet connection isn’t fast enough.
I don't fault you, but this is a great example of how Colorado's leniency with returns contributes to point creep. The tag you returned will now remove 0 points from the pool instead of 5. This one instance isn’t going to move the needle on overall point creep, but thousands of instances probably does. If CPW would make tags acquired via secondary draw and leftover list burn points, I wouldn't have as strong an objection to a lenient return policy. Again, I'm not faulting you in particular, you're just playing by the rules as written.
No shame in playing the game by the rules that are bestowed upon us. If I was given a vote on the short tag surrender period, I would vote to abolish it and I have used that loophole to my advantage on one occasion.
We are already suffering point creep, over crowding about to lose otc… I think it’s best to educate the youth early you know
I see what you mean, but if you start going down that road then you have to start pooling residents and non residents in the 2nd draw which currently there are no quotas for that or reissue tags. My 5 points is worth a hell of a lot more than a non residents 5 points for quality of hunt whether season or unit. I drew a deer tag last year with 3 points that take non resident 10 points. I bank points for deer and elk and get one or both tags off the leftover list for tags that are a 0-2 pt draw for a resident generally. You could also get those same tags every year and have the equal opportunity as me without burning your points. Would you prefer to start splitting resident/nonresident and requiring a point burn on leftover draw?
I concur. Not unpopular at all. Why should non residents hiring bots to snipe tags have the same opportunity as us.
Can you summarize the 7 hour video? Lol
Kinda silly that it’s youth only in the second draw, by all means a youth hunter should be able to put their name in the hat but 100% preference is odd. I never had a “special” elk or deer tag when I was a kid nor did my buddies and we still love all things hunting. Sorry just don’t buy that a kid needs a premium tag to ensure that they want to keep hunting in the future… and yes I will enter my kids for the second draw
Mostly unpopular with the NR crowd haha Yeah it is getting tougher and tougher with all the attention 2nd draw gets now and leftover, used to be kind of reliable… not so much anymore. Someone advocated for it and I am all for it, but their idea is you can only get a leftover or 2nd draw tag in units you applied to in the primary. Ie you put in for 1-4 choices, well those are the units you can try to get 2nd draw or leftovers in. I thought that was a solid idea honestly
C) A Turd hotdog, hamburger, sandwich, and taco are all the same thing.
Yeah that would not hurt my feelings at all. Like most folks I hunt a pretty small group of units and some of the hunts I can still somewhat reliably pick up a point and still draw second choice. Every couple years there might be one that sticks out type of thing, and honestly drawing those types of tags is just starting to occur for me as I approach a decade of playing this game a little more each year. The aforementioned surrendered tag was the most points I have ever attempted to use with only 6 years of residency in CO at the moment. I place the highest value on the opportunity to hunt but also have trophy aspirations, maybe a 60-40 split. I value those high opportunity 2nd season Rifle deer tags as maddening as they are sometimes so much just for that chance to deer hunt right outside my town. Man I hope the elk bounce back, I tried to draw cow for my choice units 4th season as a 2nd choice and no dice. Hopefully I can pick one up leftover since I will be here this Thanksgiving.
I’m with you, I am a life long resident and burned my points on a “trophy” tag last year that honestly didn’t live up to the hype for me. I think there are plenty lower point units even otc hunts where I felt more alone and saw better animals. Not to say there aren’t awesome units but I’m not one for waiting. Yep I’m in a tough spot with another kiddo coming in July and unsure of how okay my wife will be with trying to sneak out for later seasons after her maternity leave, trying to hunt close to home this year?
I didn't burn a pile last year but burned 3 on a 3rd season deer tag in a unit that is a producer and I have friends who have shot 200" deer. Was a tough year after winter kill but I managed a respectable buck and my personal best. 3rd season was also awful weather last year. I had 180" aspirations and this was the best buck we saw by far and on of few. It was worth it for me, but I also learned there is a lot more to setting expectations than what others have pulled out of a unit in the past. I've heard Steve Rinella say something to the effect of "don't go chasing ghosts..." Deer are creatures of habit and inherit those habits, but units change through time for the good and bad.
