Wyoming Special Draw - Worth the $$ ?

[wapitibob]

There’s no way on earth I’d let the difference in license cost keep me from hunting a given year.

 

[blackdawg]

Is the Special Draw worth the extra $$

No!


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[Fatcamp]

I sure hope so. Other than Random it's our only chance at drawing what we want.

Nobody really knows your odds or how many points it will take to draw in Wyoming. It is a guess. It may be an educated guess, but guess nonetheless. Seen some weird things go on with increases and decreases, enough to know it is wildly unpredictable. Trending up, but unpredictable.

 

[bowhuntrben]

It certainly can be worth it. Depends on where you are applying. Need to look at draw odds from years past. In some cases there are worse odds in the special.

 

[Indian Summer]

There’s no way on earth I’d let the difference in license cost keep me from hunting a given year.

Exactly! You only live once. I apply in whichever draw guarantees that I’ll be spending part of my life in the mountains of Wyoming and hopefully coming home with a bull.

I have to admit when I look at the cost of a license in the Special drawing I have thought to myself that if I was a guy who didn’t really have a solid plan and/or hadn’t been killing elk in the past to give me the confidence that I was going to punch that $1300 tag I might think twice. But this past season I notched my 8th Wyoming licensee in a row and to me it’s worth every penny. This year I’m lucky to know a few guys with enough points to get us all a license in the Regular drawing. So I’ll count my blessings and if I have to go special in the future then so be it.

 

[Indian Summer]

I guess another way to look at it is do you think it’s worth it compared to what? If it means compared to not hunting elk this year then the answer is hell no! That’s not an option.

But if it means compared to hunting somewhere that means a shorter drive, a cheaper license, or just an otc tag where it’s easier to understand the licensing system then I’d have to think about it.

if you know a place like that where you are confident in killing an elk then maybe. But if that means the possibility of being surrounded by other hunters, trying to hunt pressured elk, and coming home empty handed then what was that license really worth?

Wyoming has a healthy elk population with less hunters than anywhere. Also it offers the type of country that I prefer to hunt which is semi open. The elk are more relaxed and spend time in those open areas as opposed to hiding out in thick timber anytime it’s light enough to see or shoot them.

I would pass on a free elk license if it meant driving home without an elk or at least opportunities for a shot at one. No matter where I lived that would seem like a long drive.

There are hunters who pay 10 or 20 thousand dollars to have better odds of killing a bull. Others wait 10 or 20 years to draw a license because they think it’s going to be a great hunt. If you look at it that way $1300 isn’t too bad of a deal.

 

[justin84]

Exactly! You only live once. I apply in whichever draw guarantees that I’ll be spending part of my life in the mountains of Wyoming and hopefully coming home with a bull.

I have to admit when I look at the cost of a license in the Special drawing I have thought to myself that if I was a guy who didn’t really have a solid plan and/or hadn’t been killing elk in the past to give me the confidence that I was going to punch that $1300 tag I might think twice. But this past season I notched my 8th Wyoming licensee in a row and to me it’s worth every penny. This year I’m lucky to know a few guys with enough points to get us all a license in the Regular drawing. So I’ll count my blessings and if I have to go special in the future then so be it.

This is me right now. I think I have a solid plan but this would be my first elk hunt, so who knows what'll happen. I can double my chance at drawing with special, but the uncertainty of this first elk hunt makes me a little reluctant to fork out for the special. I have to decide soon!

 

[Indian Summer]

This is me right now. I think I have a solid plan but this would be my first elk hunt, so who knows what'll happen. I can double my chance at drawing with special, but the uncertainty of this first elk hunt makes me a little reluctant to fork out for the special. I have to decide soon!

If you can get a reduced price cow tag in your area it’s a great way to get started learning the area with higher ofds of taking home some meat. In the meantime you can buy another point so you can save money by applying in the regular drawing next year.

 

[cnelk]

^^^^ Be sure to check the Regs before you apply for a RP cow tag. Some units have special restrictions when it comes to a Type 6.

 

[justin84]

If you can get a reduced price cow tag in your area it’s a great way to get started learning the area with higher ofds of taking home some meat. In the meantime you can buy another point so you can save money by applying in the regular drawing next year.

Good call, where i'm headed there were leftovers last year I believe.

 

[Indian Summer]

If I were new to both my hunting area AND elk hunting that’s what I’d do then. You’ll be better of saving your points for next year.

I think everyone here will agree that you’ll be light years ahead of where you are now after that first elk hunt.

 

[justin84]

Thanks for the suggestion; I hadn't thought of that before. I do know the area pretty well because its where I've been deer hunting for a number of years. I've seen elk and I was just excited to dive right in. Picked up a set of diaphragms and a tube and have been practicing regularly. But, I do see the advantage of taking another year to learn, while hopefully saving myself from having to buy the special license.

 

[Sridge]

It could be worth it, some odds are much better, sometimes the special has worse odds, really need to study the charts. Tougher to justify with the way they are doing the draw this year though.

 

[Jardo]

If you draw, yes. It’s worth it. If you don’t draw it’s not worth it.


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[Indian Summer]

I’m hunting. For sure. So I do my homework and make sure that I’ll draw. It’s not that hard. 3.333 points is way better than 3. If I need to apply in the special drawing then I do.

If I don’t draw it’s because I had zero points and threw a Hail Mary pass to the random. In that case I’d be in the special for better odds. If you don’t draw you get your money back and use some for a leftover cow tag or a mule deer license and the rest for gas money. Still worth it. ALWAYS worth a try!

 

[MallardSX2]

I have seen a lot of areas where the special tag went for more points than the regular tag. So I personally dont feel it is worth the $ in every situation.

 

[Whip]

I haven't studied it in detail but it almost seems like an every other year thing in some cases. If in the prior year there was a big difference between regular and special a bunch of guys jump on the special thinking they are increasing their odds. The irony is that the more people that do that, the more the odds go down and the difference between regular and special even out somewhat. What I'm thinking it's that if there was a two point advantage with special last year don't expect it will necessarily be a two point advantage this year.

 

[WIarrow]

Special tag is worth it if you can amp up your draw success. Might spend a few more $$ on the tag ... but, you will soon forget about the cost of the tag when you are looking at a nice bull.

 

[netman]

Is 2 PP enough to draw a NR General elk tag?

 

[wapitibob]