WY Non Res Elk Results

Joined
Feb 17, 2013
Messages
2,327
With shorter seasons the success rate would go down and more ppl would get thru the system is all I’m saying and overall success should balance out. It doesn’t matter how great quality is if u can’t draw!
You are frustrated. Listen to what you’re saying. We wait multiple years for a darn license and you want to limit our hunt to a week knowing your success will be lower... just so more people can hunt. No no no! You already have that opportunity in Colorado and you don’t see people bailing out of other states to go there for “better hunting”. In my opinion the most valuable thing we have when trying to punch an elk tag is time. To plan a 1 week hunt is like rolling the dice. Planning a 2 week hunt is planning to get the job done. Also with more than one week you have the option to shoot a quality bull. I hunt 2 weeks and I let anything but a 6 point bull walk for the first half of my hunt. I might not shoot a 6 point every year but I’m also not shooting the first bull I see even if it’s a little raghorn or cow. That’s good news for other hunters. Kinda like having private property and trying to manage for bigger bucks and knowing the guy next door isn’t shooting every deer you let go to grow. Believe me Wyoming is a win win situation. If you’re fortunate enough to have the time you can enjoy an archery hunt for mature bulls only and go back in gun season if it doesn’t happen.

What good is quality if you don’t draw? Well what good is no quality or quantity when you know that eventually you will draw?

If you think you’re frustrated how about this: One year I had 2 points. At that point 1 got me a tag in the special draw and 2 did it in the regular. I applied in the regular. It turned out that my 2 points gave me a 97% chance of drawing and guess what? I was in the 3% that didn’t draw! I almost drove to the nearest bridge and jumped!!! Instead I made the most of it... got a leftover cow tag and went out to at least kill my elk that year and continue to learn the area better. The next season I killed a 6 point bull on the 3rd day and my partner killed his first bull... on the 12th day. Hang in there brother your day will come. But I do feel your pain if that helps.
 

Thomas11

WKR
Joined
Feb 13, 2017
Messages
314
You are frustrated. Listen to what you’re saying. We wait multiple years for a darn license and you want to limit our hunt to a week knowing your success will be lower... just so more people can hunt. No no no! You already have that opportunity in Colorado and you don’t see people bailing out of other states to go there for “better hunting”. In my opinion the most valuable thing we have when trying to punch an elk tag is time. To plan a 1 week hunt is like rolling the dice. Planning a 2 week hunt is planning to get the job done. Also with more than one week you have the option to shoot a quality bull. I hunt 2 weeks and I let anything but a 6 point bull walk for the first half of my hunt. I might not shoot a 6 point every year but I’m also not shooting the first bull I see even if it’s a little raghorn or cow. That’s good news for other hunters. Kinda like having private property and trying to manage for bigger bucks and knowing the guy next door isn’t shooting every deer you let go to grow. Believe me Wyoming is a win win situation. If you’re fortunate enough to have the time you can enjoy an archery hunt for mature bulls only and go back in gun season if it doesn’t happen.

What good is quality if you don’t draw? Well what good is no quality or quantity when you know that eventually you will draw?

If you think you’re frustrated how about this: One year I had 2 points. At that point 1 got me a tag in the special draw and 2 did it in the regular. I applied in the regular. It turned out that my 2 points gave me a 97% chance of drawing and guess what? I was in the 3% that didn’t draw! I almost drove to the nearest bridge and jumped!!! Instead I made the most of it... got a leftover cow tag and went out to at least kill my elk that year and continue to learn the area better. The next season I killed a 6 point bull on the 3rd day and my partner killed his first bull... on the 12th day. Hang in there brother your day will come. But I do feel your pain if that helps.
No I’m on the same page about having enough time. I always plan my elk hunts for 2 weeks at time. When I first started I tried just going a week which isn’t enough time. I guess I really meant I didn’t need a whole archery month and then another month for rifle. I was kinda thinking maybe breaking up the archery into two weeks like NM and then have a rifle tag. Idk I get what u r saying about quality going down though. It’s all a trade off anyway u look at it. I’ve killed on the first day elk hunting and like last year I didn’t see an elk till day 10 and then killed the next day. So u def need to plan on having enough time. U r right I’m just frustrated and right now WY is getting the brunt of it! Lol it’s not a huge deal I’ll get a tag somewhere or go OTC in CO. I’ve hunted CO several times and you r right it can be frustrating but it has also allowed me to hunt when I couldn’t draw elsewhere so for that reason I do like it
 

Thomas11

WKR
Joined
Feb 13, 2017
Messages
314
I do wish there were more archery only elk tags in Wyoming. I think offering more of those would help my draw odds and get me out of the General tag point creep pool. Those general tags will take 5 points before you know it unless something changes.
No doubt it will!
 

Wapiti23

FNG
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Messages
62
Location
North Dakota
Well I outlasted the point creep for my unit. It took me twenty years of applying for this unit before I was drawn for a bull tag. A few were before the point system started. Once it did I had a good handful of points and made the stupid mistake of forgetting for two years! Lost the points I had accumulated and had to start over. I could have drawn way back then but I was a bonehead. After 11 long years to again fight the point creep and pulling within 1 point for two years then half a point for another two years I finally won and it feels great! You too will get there and it in itself will be a great accomplishment. Until then, just keep at it and you will be successful in that part of the battle that is TheWyomingDraw. Happy hunting.
 

NoWiser

WKR
Joined
Aug 15, 2013
Messages
708
Lose point sharing. There are guys hunting Wyoming every single year. Every year they hunt, they are taking an opportunity from someone else. Group apps should go into the draw with the number of points of the lowest point holder.
 

cgasner1

WKR
Joined
Mar 12, 2015
Messages
907
Lose point sharing. There are guys hunting Wyoming every single year. Every year they hunt, they are taking an opportunity from someone else. Group apps should go into the draw with the number of points of the lowest point holder.

Sucks for the guys wanting a general tag but when a guy burns a pile of points to do a General with his buddies it helps the guys trying for a le tag


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Joined
Dec 21, 2015
Messages
305
Sucks for the guys wanting a general tag but when a guy burns a pile of points to do a General with his buddies it helps the guys trying for a le tag


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Agree with you, but I don't think it happens very much.
Problem is there are guys that abuse it. There is a guy in Utah that hunts G every single year. He offers a "Scouting/Advisory" service. He piggybacks off high point holders so he can get a tag for himself. Not sure if he still does it or not, but it was very sketchy and underhanded.
Not to mention the guys that buy points in family member names....
I think it was put in with good intentions, but its getting exploited and its become a loophole that should probably be closed.
 
Joined
May 8, 2017
Messages
673
Agree with you, but I don't think it happens very much.
Problem is there are guys that abuse it. There is a guy in Utah that hunts G every single year. He offers a "Scouting/Advisory" service. He piggybacks off high point holders so he can get a tag for himself. Not sure if he still does it or not, but it was very sketchy and underhanded.
Not to mention the guys that buy points in family member names....
I think it was put in with good intentions, but its getting exploited and its become a loophole that should probably be closed.

I completely disagree. I think it happens all the time. There are guys who I know hunt the general every year and the way they do it is find a guy who is bummed on point creep (usually in that 7-9pt range) and use his points and take him to a good general spot. The more I have hunted Wyo, the more I have seen that this is the case. I wouldnt say its the majority by any means but I would certainly say it happens A LOT...with families...friends etc.
 

wapitibob

WKR
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Messages
5,859
Location
Bend Oregon
The 2019 NR Elk database contains 28,470 records. Of those, 13,805 are individual apps. When looking at the point totals of the individual party members, when there is a large spread, say one person with dbl the points of the other, the party is made up of family members the vast majority of the time, and that's the purpose of party apps.
A quick glance of a few parties where a dbl digit app teamed with a near zero app and not family, none of them drew and actually had no chance in the PP side of the draw. Obviously just a quick look thru but it looks to be pretty normal party app activity to me as well as a whole lot of people applying for hunts where they have zero chance of drawing in the preference point side of the draw.
 
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