Wyoming Points, keep building or cut losses?

[Sccritterkiller]

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.

Typical WYOGA marketing....better book that guided hunt now they are gonna raise fees...smh. If it was up to them every NR would have to be guided.

 

[wapitibob]

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.

Create an account and buy E/D/A points tonight, do it again for any other kids, the wife, and the family dog too.
They'll get used one way or another.

 

[StuckInTheEast]

Id keep buying... Especially for the younger one cause its cheap. The points are a drop in the bucket in the overall cost especially with the tag costs if you go special draw. If the cost of 5-7 years points plus special draw tag turns your stomach, I get it....but at the same time, it's just the price to play the game anymore.
Hell within a few years your probably gonna need a couple points to draw tags in units that are nearly devoid of public land access just to get a tag even if you wanna go outfitted/guided and pay that premium for access. Thats just the way things are trending.
Its never gonna be economical to go on western travel hunts. If that's your vice...pay the price.

My strategy is buy points for myself, wife, and 2 boys every year. We all hunt so we alternate years on who's points we are applying for hunts with for different species. Im not going after multiple species on one trip, like to stay focused and only have so much time off especially if pulling kids out of school.
Used mine and my oldest son's antelope points this year pooled to take him, my dad and myself out for antelope, amazing trip thats been many years in the making. Worth every penny of the points and 3 special draw tags I paid for along with all the other expenses involved.
That's speed goat in the freezer is probably the most expensive per lb. meat I'll ever posses...but you just cant think about it that way if you want to enjoy the experience.
Next year or year after we'll use my wife's and youngest son's to take her and both kids and I'll play guide... rinse and repeat for deer and elk.
We may not all have a tag each trip, but still get the experience and can only fit so much meat in the freezer.
That Strategy let's me hunt or be part of a hunt in that state pretty much as frequently as Im able with decent tags or the option to draw more tags and pay the outfitter premium if so desired.

Everyone's strategy, wants, means and situation is different. If you hate buying points, figure out a different strategy/state that fits you and yours, otherwise keep stacking them up and figure out how to make the most of them.

Sorry....that was way to long.

 

[OlderGobbler]

I'd cut your losses, and throw in the towel. Definitely not worth it anymore.

 

[Scoot]

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.

Careful, I used the term "outfitter welfare" here a while ago and got bitched out for doing so. Apparently, people who use outfitters and the outfitters themselves don't like a spade being called a spade.

 

[summs]

Thread hijack - I have 6 wy mule deer points and was going to go solo next year. Now my dad wants to come, with 1 point. How do I get us both drawn in A very easy region, but not lose my points?

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Careful, I used the term "outfitter welfare" here a while ago and got bitched out for doing so. Apparently, people who use outfitters and the outfitters themselves don't like a spade being called a spade.

Take MT when you can buy extra point in a year if you use an outfitter, or in the case of NM set aside tags for NR using outfitter I don't know else call it..What is the Rokslide accepted term for this BS. Please enlighten me.
For the record I have zero issues with the WY wilderness rule, the logic is silly but it is what it is. I hunt with WY Rs pretty regular and we have never hunted WA in WY, never need to go that far in.

 

[Chris in TN]

Typical WYOGA marketing....better book that guided hunt now they are gonna raise fees...smh. If it was up to them every NR would have to be guided.

Take MT when you can buy extra point in a year if you use an outfitter, or in the case of NM set aside tags for NR using outfitter I don't know else call it..What is the Rokslide accepted term for this BS. Please enlighten me.
For the record I have zero issues with the WY wilderness rule, the logic is silly but it is what it is. I hunt with WY Rs pretty regular and we have never hunted WA in WY, never need to go that far in.

The proper economic term for it is 'rent seeking'. It's literally when you use government to force your way into a transaction between two other entities where neither actually wants you.

In defense of outfitters......the average guide probably had nothing to do with creating the system, and, honestly, almost every professional organization I can think of, engages in it.

I have friends that are in all sorts of professions and few of them are involved in their professional organizations. But I have learned over the years that you can get a great assessment of someone's psychological profile by checking to see how involved they are in such things. People who'll volunteer to spend their time (or their employer's time, lol) involved in such things - whether it's the Wy outfitter/guide association or the advocacy wing of the American Medical Association - tend to be the sort that think they know what's best for the rest of the world, especially if there's a dollar in it for them. In other words, psychopaths.

ETA: To be clear, I don't say any of that to criticize guides or outfitters. I've hunted with paid guides that I more or less became instant friends with and I'd drive cross-country tomorrow to tag along with them if I could. There are people in every profession who want to force themselves into your business. Just go to the nearest pharmacy and tell them you need some sort of mundane everyday drug for a long-established and well-understood medical condition. You'll be met with a pharmacist who won't sell it to you without a note from a doctor. You didn't *need* either the pharmacist or the doctor. They'd argue that you did, of course, but at the end of the day that was your call to make.

 

[HunterGatherer]

Careful, I used the term "outfitter welfare" here a while ago and got bitched out for doing so. Apparently, people who use outfitters and the outfitters themselves don't like a spade being called a spade.

Maybe they would prefer the term “entitlement program” vs welfare. The rule is clearly just a handout for a special interest group (outfitters) and the resident hunters support it because it gives them a privileged opportunity that NRs don’t get.

There is literally NO reasonable justification for taking away access to our public lands. Some people seem to forget that these wilderness areas are federal/public lands, not the property of Wyoming residents. Furthermore, NR hunters contribute four times the dollars that residents do to the management of game species. Another 22% of the contributions come from the federal government. Residents and by extension outfitters provide the least amount out of anyone- Then make snide comments anytime you bring it up. “Just don’t hunt here then” is the common response. The reality is, if there were no NR hunters spending their dollars in WY, the whole system would fall apart. Facts.

 

[voltage]

200k nonresidents with at least one elk point in Wyoming

7,250 tags per year

27.5 years to let this thing run out?

Crazy

 

[StupidLightweight]

Since you've invested 5 years already, I'd keep on buying, apply for units, and eventually hunt. There's a ton of hunters who would love to be sitting on that many preference points. I don't get why you'd bail out now.

 

[Chrisamx]

I've got 8 points for elk, deer and pronghorn in WY. I'm buying points until I retire, but may cash in on the antelope sooner.

 

[voltage]

Before anyone quits buying, please message me to be my friend and average with me some day

 

[wapitibob]

200k nonresidents with at least one elk point in Wyoming

7,250 tags per year

27.5 years to let this thing run out?

Crazy

More than half of those point holders don't apply for a tag, and more than 7250 tags now.

 

[wapitibob]

Thread hijack - I have 6 wy mule deer points and was going to go solo next year. Now my dad wants to come, with 1 point. How do I get us both drawn in A very easy region, but not lose my points?

Draw as a 2nd choice.

 

[Chris in TN]

Instead of starting a new thread, since this one is still moving along.....

Am I correct that in WY a nonresident preference point is a nonresident preference point, i.e. there is no 'special' point. However many points you have, you can either enter the regular draw at one tag price or the 'special' draw at a much higher tag price, and use your points either way? Right?

Also - there is not 'special' youth draw. A nonresident youth can either a) try for a regular tag at the youth price in the regular draw, or pay the full entire adult 'special' tag price and try for a tag in the special draw. Right?

I'm less than thrilled about shelling out $1200 for a youth goat tag but at the end of the day it might be worth it.

 

[voltage]

Am I correct that in WY a nonresident preference point is a nonresident preference point, i.e. there is no 'special' point. However many points you have, you can either enter the regular draw at one tag price or the 'special' draw at a much higher tag price, and use your points either way? Right?

You are correct.

 

[Chris in TN]

You are correct.

Thank you.

That means that I have enough points to either draw a pretty good tag myself or possibly average with my two oldest kids and get a decent private-land tag for each of us. Of course then we have to pay for private access.