Where to start buying points for my son?

[The Truth]

My son is 14 and is now very passionate about the outdoors. He’s been successful in some of our hunts. I’d like to start buying him preference points for some cool out of state hunts. My idea is to create some great opportunities for his future hunting career by the time he is an adult. I also will be purchasing them myself. We are from the east coast and I’d be interested in mostly western hunts (antelope, elk, moose, mule deer). Any ideas on where to start?

 

[scottbot]

If you have the money every state possible. I started buying points for all my younger siblings, I hope they appreciate it someday.

Wyoming specifically has discounted preference points for youth hunters, that would be the place to start.

 

[NDGuy]

With the rate things are declining overall (price increases, tag availability, endless point creep) I would invest in the S&P instead...

 

[CorbLand]

Where to start? Pick the states you would be interested in and read up on the rules/costs. Make a decision on what meets your criteria and start buying points. Recognize that things are going to change and its an investment that carries risk.

Why just buy points and not apply him? Outside of moose, all the species that you said can be hunted pretty frequently. Theres even a few OTC opportunities that you could do this fall.

 

[YellCoAR]

With the rate things are declining overall (price increases, tag availability, endless point creep) I would invest in the S&P instead...

Good advice here. I started buying points for my son when he was 12. He was active in sports and then picked up rodeo saddle bronc riding. When he turned 21. I decided it was time for him to take over purchasing his points. He ended up losing all the points.
That was a fair amount of money I had invested over 9 years on elk, deer and antelope.

 

[Maverick1]

Some areas and states youth have preference over adults. Might be better to apply for those kill tags now vs just buying points for the future. Would have an overall better chance of actually getting a tag vs just building points. (And then being an adult stuck with a pile of unusable points like everyone else.)

 

[The Truth]

If you have the money every state possible. I started buying points for all my younger siblings, I hope they appreciate it someday.

Wyoming specifically has discounted preference points for youth hunters, that would be the place to start.

Buying WY points next week. Planning on an antelope hunt hopefully next year or the next

 

[displacedtexan]

Where to start? Pick the states you would be interested in and read up on the rules/costs. Make a decision on what meets your criteria and start buying points. Recognize that things are going to change and its an investment that carries risk.

Why just buy points and not apply him? Outside of moose, all the species that you said can be hunted pretty frequently. Theres even a few OTC opportunities that you could do this fall.

This.

We all have different criteria for what and where we want to hunt.

I live on the plains, so where I want to be and what I want to see is different from people who live in the woods or mountains.

Any reason you're not just going?

 

[The Truth]

Where to start? Pick the states you would be interested in and read up on the rules/costs. Make a decision on what meets your criteria and start buying points. Recognize that things are going to change and its an investment that carries risk.

Why just buy points and not apply him? Outside of moose, all the species that you said can be hunted pretty frequently. Theres even a few OTC opportunities that you could do this fall.

Don’t really have the money or time to do these “dream hunts” right now. I want to set him up for future adventures. Trust me if I could pull it off we would do one every year. Unfortunately I’m not in a position to just say hey buddy you drew Colorado this year, pack your bags let’s go. Trying to plan ahead

 

[Chris in TN]

So....As soon as I started noticing that my oldest daughter had an interest in hunting, beyond me just asking her to go with me, I started buying her points.

She has CO elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and sheep points. I would love to hunt sheep, I fully expect to never do it, but there's a distant outside chance she could possibly draw an ewe tag and I'd hike her into whatever mountaintop we had to go to do it.

She has WY elk/MD/pronghorn points. Possibly enough to draw a decent tag next year.

She has SD deer and pronghorn (private land, I forget what they call it, special something) points. I'd like to take her one year to hunt public deer and private pronghorns, in western SD. It's one of the prettiest places I've ever been.

I think she and I both have maybe one SD Custer Park non-trophy bison point but after visiting Custer State Park....meh, I don't want to shoot their bison. I don't think she does either. We grow cows/pigs here at home and at the end of the day I'd rather eat my own beef than bison.

These points cost us a couple hundred bucks every year. We buy them for different states across different timeframes and if I forget to buy in one state one year I probably still remember the other states. If I'd been more diligent buying CO points we'd likely be on a very high quality CO antelope hunt this fall instead of a high pressure elk hunt, but we're hunting either way. As it is we have enough points to very likely do some decent WY and SD hunts across the next 2-5 years or more depending on all the factors about the future that none of us can control.

Don’t really have the money or time to do these “dream hunts” right now. I want to set him up for future adventures. Trust me if I could pull it off we would do one every year. Unfortunately I’m not in a position to just say hey buddy you drew Colorado this year, pack your bags let’s go. Trying to plan ahead

It isn't my place to nose around in someone's budget, but figure out how to do these hunts sooner rather than later. My oldest is 13. I fear I'll blink and she'll be married and my youngest will be worried about college and I'll wonder where it went.

My dad and I STTTTTTRETCHED my budget two years ago - with my wife's blessing - and brought home two nice bull elk on a hunt that he quite simply could not do now, had we waited another year. I wouldn't trade it for anything. And there was a ~12-13 year gap before that hunt happened where I never even mentioned hunting out west a lot of years because the wife/kids/budget came first. But when it's time, it's time. I skipped those years then so I could do it now, when it mattered, with the kids.

My plan is to not bother buying points for the younger kids until they show an interest in hunting. They can still tag along and pack game until then. We are actually trying to start planning a 2026 trip that the whole family will go on. Maybe two of us, three at most, will be able to get tags, but the rest of the family can go on afternoon hike/hunts with us and hopefully help pack deer or antelope. And, of course, I pray that they'll begin to show more interest, and then I'll happily buy those points.

 

[The Truth]

So....As soon as I started noticing that my oldest daughter had an interest in hunting, beyond me just asking her to go with me, I started buying her points.

She has CO elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and sheep points. I would love to hunt sheep, I fully expect to never do it, but there's a distant outside chance she could possibly draw an ewe tag and I'd hike her into whatever mountaintop we had to go to do it.

She has WY elk/MD/pronghorn points. Possibly enough to draw a decent tag next year.

She has SD deer and pronghorn (private land, I forget what they call it, special something) points. I'd like to take her one year to hunt public deer and private pronghorns, in western SD. It's one of the prettiest places I've ever been.

I think she and I both have maybe one SD Custer Park non-trophy bison point but after visiting Custer State Park....meh, I don't want to shoot their bison. I don't think she does either. We grow cows/pigs here at home and at the end of the day I'd rather eat my own beef than bison.

These points cost us a couple hundred bucks every year. We buy them for different states across different timeframes and if I forget to buy in one state one year I probably still remember the other states. If I'd been more diligent buying CO points we'd likely be on a very high quality CO antelope hunt this fall instead of a high pressure elk hunt, but we're hunting either way. As it is we have enough points to very likely do some decent WY and SD hunts across the next 2-5 years or more depending on all the factors about the future that none of us can control.


It isn't my place to nose around in someone's budget, but figure out how to do these hunts sooner rather than later. My oldest is 13. I fear I'll blink and she'll be married and my youngest will be worried about college and I'll wonder where it went.

My dad and I STTTTTTRETCHED my budget two years ago - with my wife's blessing - and brought home two nice bull elk on a hunt that he quite simply could not do now, had we waited another year. I wouldn't trade it for anything. And there was a ~12-13 year gap before that hunt happened where I never even mentioned hunting out west a lot of years because the wife/kids/budget came first. But when it's time, it's time. I skipped those years then so I could do it now, when it mattered, with the kids.

My plan is to not bother buying points for the younger kids until they show an interest in hunting. They can still tag along and pack game until then. We are actually trying to start planning a 2026 trip that the whole family will go on. Maybe two of us, three at most, will be able to get tags, but the rest of the family can go on afternoon hike/hunts with us and hopefully help pack deer or antelope. And, of course, I pray that they'll begin to show more interest, and then I'll happily buy those points.

I appreciate the input. I agree with you and its sounds like you have some awesome experiences coming up. I wish you luck! We do a lot of hunting together (whitetail) over multiple states and are planning some cool things in the next couple years for some hunts. Black bear this year, and an hog hunt next year. Also South Africa possibly for his high school graduation gift. I guess I probably should have phrased my question more to the tune of “If you could start now as a teenager, where would be the best places to get a head start on hard to draw hunts?”

 

[OKHunter84]

Rather then buying a ton of points he may or may not be able to use, you could focus on applying for a couple states now. If that's not in your budget then focus on getting the gear you'd need to go and then you could go every year for the cost of gas and tags pretty much. Maybe focus on keeping him engaged right now while he's really into it.

If you kept your search smaller then you could possibly go to the same unit a few times before he gets older and learn a unit or area of a specific state well. My Dad wasn't as informed about western hunting when I was younger but he focused on us hunting every year. Even the hunts I had with him where we weren't successful are some of my favorite memories with my dad.

 

[wildwilderness]

States that have youth licenses for cheap and youth preference. AZ , CO, WY I think

A few points can get some interesting hunts, especially if you bowhunt: coues in AZ, deer and elk in CO, pronghorn in WY

 

[MountainTracker]

MT for every other year or so, WY 3-5 years otc, ID for off year fillers, and if you’re filling really crazy NV for every 10 years ha. Or save your money so otc in a few states and pay to go on a hunt.

As has been mentioned there is risk with all of them, point system is broken.


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[Huntindog45]

invest that money instead and when he is old enough maybe he can buy a decent landowner tag wherever he wants.

 

[wildwilderness]

To the question- “where to get a head start on hard to draw hunts” the answer is to forget about it!

No way to get a head start at this point. Your odds with 0 points or 20 points is basically the same random chance (sure some may say it goes from 0.1% vs 0.9% chance with more points) (unless you are max points in some states, but you are already 20-30 years too late for that)

Use points now to draw 1-3 point hunts and go more often.

For those hard type hunts just apply when you feel lucky, or more prudently save and invest money and do everything possible to set your kid up to be a high income earner.

Any head start you get now will only pay off when you are 75+yrs old! And out live the others in your point cohort

 

[The Truth]

To the question- “where to get a head start on hard to draw hunts” the answer is to forget about it!

No way to get a head start at this point. Your odds with 0 points or 20 points is basically the same random chance (sure some may say it goes from 0.1% vs 0.9% chance with more points) (unless you are max points in some states, but you are already 20-30 years too late for that)

Use points now to draw 1-3 point hunts and go more often.

For those hard type hunts just apply when you feel lucky, or more prudently save and invest money and do everything possible to set your kid up to be a high income earner.

Any head start you get now will only pay off when you are 75+yrs old! And out live the others in your point cohort

Any suggestions on the 1-3 point hunts you’re referring to? For Pronghorn or Muley. Excuse my ignorance I am an east coast guy so point systems and western states hunting is totally new to me. There’s so many states, and so many regs, and so many units, and so many draws and deadlines. It’s pretty overwhelming tbh.

 

[realunlucky]

Any suggestions on the 1-3 point hunts you’re referring to? For Pronghorn or Muley. Excuse my ignorance I am an east coast guy so point systems and western states hunting is totally new to me. There’s so many states, and so many regs, and so many units, and so many draws and deadlines. It’s pretty overwhelming tbh.

The units ebb and flow with how many points they take. Collect a few points then check what's the options with that number of them

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[OXN939]

Any suggestions on the 1-3 point hunts you’re referring to? For Pronghorn or Muley. Excuse my ignorance I am an east coast guy so point systems and western states hunting is totally new to me. There’s so many states, and so many regs, and so many units, and so many draws and deadlines. It’s pretty overwhelming tbh.

This year would have been my 8th Pronghorn hunt in WY... but here's a story for ya. My buddy and I applied with 3.5 points in the special draw for a unit that is not especially desirable- they give out 700 tags and it has only a mediocre amount of public. The cost for that would have been $1500 each for just the tags. Even as dudes willing to pay that and endure the army of orange... we did not draw.

The reality is that the hunts you can do with a few points anywhere out west are probably going to be crowded and have pretty low game density. A lot of these states see and manage them and the "points systems" as the cash cows they are. By the time you save enough points to get into decent units, you could have gotten a better quality hunt somewhere on private by picking up a landowner tag or going guided. Another wild ride is looking into how many first time point buyers there have been over the last four years.

Unfortunately, there is really no way to get ahead of this. The states with random odds apps are probably the best bet- some of them have decent draw odds for youth hunts. But if you're starting from zero, getting into banking points is swimming upstream these days.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

For some of the great units in Colorado, he might need to wait until he's 60 or more to hunt them. Don't even consider Washington. You can draw tags in MT in just a few years, that's what I'd do.