Wyoming Points, keep building or cut losses?

[HunterGatherer]

Cashing my points in next year and then boycotting Wyoming until they get rid of the outfitter welfare program

 

[RyanT26]

Cashing my points in next year and then boycotting Wyoming until they get rid of the outfitter welfare program

That’ll show them.

 

[bigv]

Im early into applying for goat points in wy. How do I buy points for my 20 yr old son? Do I just create an acct for him too and buy points for him or is there a way to link him to me?

 

[nphunter]

Im early into applying for goat points in wy. How do I buy points for my 20 yr old son? Do I just create an acct for him too and buy points for him or is there a way to link him to me?

You have to create an account and then when your buying there is an option to switch sportsman during checkout and you can add them all to the same cart. I think you just need his SSN to create the account.

 

[Rich M]

OP makes it sound like gonna go broke buying points. Isn't it like $100 for antelope, deer, and elk points??? I only get antelope points. Then you spend a couple grand going on the hunt. If you are worried about the point costs, it is time to get out of the game.

@bigv you can apply as a group. Otherwise it is diff accounts. At 20, he's not a youth.

 

[OXN939]

OP makes it sound like gonna go broke buying points.

$130 a year for deer, elk and antelope. Triple that if you get them all. So, conservatively, let's say 5 years to get a decent hunt on an appreciable amount of public. That's 700 bucks of points, plus the license fee- so you're close to or well over 2 grand by that point, depending on if you do regular or special.

For comparison, look at the opportunities on private you could get for that same money, without having to wait or deal with the uncertainty of draw systems.

Nonresidents getting into preference points systems post COVID tend to be very kind to the budgets of western game agencies, usually for very little in return.

 

[Kimber7man]

OP, I’m in a similar situation and here’s what I chose to do. Buy all three pref points for myself and one son. Then next year buy pref points for myself and my other son.
If you buy every other year you won’t lose the points you’ve accrued.
Never know if my son(s) will hunt, but if one of them chooses to do so, he’s golden.
Otherwise one day I’ll put one in a party application and boost my points.
Then do the same with the other.

 

[nphunter]

$130 a year for deer, elk and antelope. Triple that if you get them all. So, conservatively, let's say 5 years to get a decent hunt on an appreciable amount of public. That's 700 bucks of points, plus the license fee- so you're close to or well over 2 grand by that point, depending on if you do regular or special.

For comparison, look at the opportunities on private you could get for that same money, without having to wait or deal with the uncertainty of draw systems.

Nonresidents getting into preference points systems post COVID tend to be very kind to the budgets of western game agencies, usually for very little in return.

x3 if I take both boys. Makes for a pretty expensive trip or 3.

 

[nphunter]

OP, I’m in a similar situation and here’s what I chose to do. Buy all three pref points for myself and one son. Then next year buy pref points for myself and my other son.
If you buy every other year you won’t lose the points you’ve accrued.
Never know if my son(s) will hunt, but if one of them chooses to do so, he’s golden.
Otherwise one day I’ll put one in a party application and boost my points.
Then do the same with the other.

Kind of my thoughts as well. I went ahead and bought them all this year.

My boys like to hunt but with the 19yr old just starting in real life and a job he has no vacation to even hunt at home currently. My youngest is in fall sports and can’t go for the next two years and then off to collage for 8+ years to become a doctor.

I may end up just using their point or going on several trips over the years and using their points up slowly when they can go if ever.

 

[svivian]

Cashing my points in next year and then boycotting Wyoming until they get rid of the outfitter welfare program

 

[displacedtexan]

Cashing my points in next year and then boycotting Wyoming until they get rid of the outfitter welfare program

All the outfitters thank you.

 

[Brushcreekbill]

Cashing my points in next year and then boycotting Wyoming until they get rid of the outfitter welfare program

This has the cadence of a joke….but I’m guessing you’re serious too. What is this about?

 

[Sccritterkiller]

This has the cadence of a joke….but I’m guessing you’re serious too. What is this about?

Someone is pissy they can't hunt WA would be my guess...They should look into NM and MT if they want compain about outfitter welfare.

In 4 years been to WY 4 times to hunt, at least 2 tags everyime, dont know why folks sit on points in WY.

 

[HunterGatherer]

This has the cadence of a joke….but I’m guessing you’re serious too. What is this about?

MeatEater Opinion: The West’s Worst Hunting Law

A few years back, shortly after our family moved into a new home, I killed a cow elk in the federally designated wilderness area just a mile from my back door. It wasn’t until after I had notched my tag, quartered the elk and packed the meat down the mountain that I realized how lucky I was to...

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[Jethro]

Cashing my points in next year and then boycotting Wyoming until they get rid of the outfitter welfare program

You should just walk away from WY. No hunt, points disappear. That would be a true boycott.

 

[Chris in TN]

I now have 4-5 points in WY for deer, elk, and antelope, and one of my kids has I think 3 and the other got her first points just yesterday as she is just now showing interest in hunting to an extent that makes me willing to start banking points.

I don't have a 'hunt multiple species/states every year' strategy. I have a 'take my kids somewhere every year if I can afford it' strategy. When the kids are older they can continue building points or not, keep hunting or not, and if I ever go back to only paying for my own hunts I can maybe afford hunts that don't require points, just a checkbook.

Until then, if we averaged our goat points, all three of us (me and my 2 oldest; the youngest isn't interested or old enough yet) could draw a WY tag. It's possible that we could all draw a SD goat tag for private land. We also have SD deer and turkey points.

So, I guess this is a tag as it's relevant to my interests. My most likely plan is to do a private land unguided or semi-guided hunt in WY for antelope one year, deer one year, and elk one year, or stretch those 9(?) tags out over 4 years between me and the kids.

I'd love to do some sort of premium hunt in a unit where I could DIY without a ton of pressure but it's pretty obvious that such tags don't come around often.

 

[voltage]

I was recently told by a WYOGA board member that “I guarantee an elk point will be $250 within two years”.

That would change the game entirely.

 

[7RemMag]

Im early into applying for goat points in wy. How do I buy points for my 20 yr old son? Do I just create an acct for him too and buy points for him or is there a way to link him to me?

Not that you asked me but…You could absolutely create an account for him and do it for him…But if your son is 20 years old, don’t you think he’s capable of doing it himself? It takes a matter of minutes to do. If you wanted, you could even offer him your card as a means to pay for them, but creating the account for him and then buying the points seems to be a real good way to increase the likelihood that you end up wasting your time and money. If he wanted to do that, he’d probably have already created an account for himself to do it himself, but that’s just me.

As far as creating the actual account for him, you just need some basic information that you surely have and to create a login and enter some credit card information. I’m quite certain the deadline is October 31st.

 

[bigv]

Not that you asked me but…You could absolutely create an account for him and do it for him…But if your son is 20 years old, don’t you think he’s capable of doing it himself? It takes a matter of minutes to do. If you wanted, you could even offer him your card as a means to pay for them, but creating the account for him and then buying the points seems to be a real good way to increase the likelihood that you end up wasting your time and money. If he wanted to do that, he’d probably have already created an account for himself to do it himself, but that’s just me.

As far as creating the actual account for him, you just need some basic information that you surely have and to create a login and enter some credit card information. I’m quite certain the deadline is October 31st.

How many kids do you have? How many in college with 4 bucks in their pockets? I'm his dad and want to try to help him get points too so he can hunt with me. Not that complicated.

 

[7RemMag]

How many kids do you have? How many in college with 4 bucks in their pockets? I'm his dad and want to try to help him get points too so he can hunt with me. Not that complicated.

I don't think you comprehended the vast majority of my original comment. I encourage you to read it again. I said nothing about you helping, or even paying entirely, for your son's points being wrong. My Dad did similar for me numerous times over the years when money was a little tight. In fact, I offered the exact same thing to my best friend who I grew up with just two nights ago on the phone. Money is a little tight for him right now. He's already hunted in Wyoming and has an account. I told him to get ahold of his login information, and I can help him pay for the points this year. My comment was a suggestion....and a minor, insignificant one at that, that you have your son create the account on his own, and then you can offer to pay for the points. He might appreciate it more rather than if you were to do all of the "work". Maybe it'll save you some headache on down the line. Sue me.