What state/ hunt?

O

OregonBighorn

Guest
I finally got the go ahead from the wife to start puttting in for tags out of state as long as I don't draw every year! Getting time off work to go isn't an issue nor is waiting years for a tag. What I am looking for is the best muley/antelope/elk/bighorn state for the experience. I don't necessarily need book animals but would like to at least have a chance at one. I am twenty three years old so a twenty year wait wouldn't kill me. I can hunt with any weapon. What state would you suggest? By the way I live in Oregon.
 
One option would be for you to tell this to someone who manages your hunt tag application portfolio for you. Not being familiar with the different states and units within them, might be time and money well spent. Cabelas does this, small fee, as well as several others. They can make life easier around application deadline time and if you do draw a tag, it'll be a good one.

Joey
 
I will check out cabelas thanks. And I am just looking for premium deer and elk tags with decent chance at a 170/330 buck/bull. A above average chance at drawing another bighorn tag in my lifetime, and a pronghorn hunt every ten or so years. I plan on waiting fifteen plus years for the deer and elk. Nevada was my first idea but the guys on here seem to favor utah? I can't afford to hunt out of state every year so the tags that take longer to draw would be better.
 
I would start building points in every state that has a point system, and i wouldnt worry about drawing every year.
 
I would start building points in several states UT, NV, AZ & WY. You will definately need to build points to have a chance at a sheep tag. You can put in for points only if you don't want a tag that year. The application periods and draws from some combinations will let you know the results from one before you apply for another. AZ elk results are out before you apply for NV for example. Another good application service is Carter's Hunting Services (www.huntinfool.com).

I wish I was young enough to have a chance in a preference draw but those days are long gone for me.
 
x2 on Huntinfool

It will be the best $100 you can spend if you know nothing about out of state hunts. They lay out app process, trophy areas, odds, etc


"In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences"
Robert Green Ingersoll
 
OB!
Does your inquest suggest multi-animal hunts for the most part, or do both of you not mind if it's spread out all over the place?
 
I really don't care if they are all over the place but I would prefer to stick to two states. I have lots of time to scout. And thank you guys I will be checking out huntin fool. OB
 
Based on your criteria, if you already live in Oregon, you should be able to meet your deer and elk goals by saving your points in that state.
 
it might be worth your time to get subscribe to the boone/crockett data base and sort your species by entries and look for a location that way. for instance you would see that MT is far and away the leader in bighorn trophies (pref points system..$10/yr) and that colorado is way out in front in the mule deer category. Utah and nevada are good states for elk with decent deer as well. However, i think you have to eat the tag fee every year in nevada and only need once license every other year in utah if you time it right. New Mexico is nice because you dont have to eat the tag fee, but there is no points system and the odds are long for a non res. across the board, for the money, NV has to be a top choice because of the number of species you can collect points for at one time. just my .02. dont overlook oregon either...you guys produce a few good deer and antelope every year...
 
It depends on how much money you are willing to put out over those twenty years. Since you are starting from scratch you should first subscibe to huntinfool. Then for the experience and drawing more often for decent quality I would first pick Wyo. For trophy quality Az. is the best but it may take 20 years or more to draw Elk and Deer in the best areas. Nv. you will draw deer more often but you may never draw Elk or Sheep. In fact you may never draw sheep anywhere but it is worth a shot. Utah only charges $65 for the license and $5 per species to apply. If you are willing to apply to all you can draw a great hunt every few years and just go scouting or save money on the off years. It cost me about $900 to apply for all the best hunts in the west for deer, elk, sheep, moose and a couple antelope.
 
huntinfool.com is the best recommendation
there are a few ways to do it
1. pay huntingfool to make your selections and watch out for the deadlines so you don't forget them. They are much cheaper than Cabelas TAGS. Cabelas TAGS didn't meet the deadline for their customers last year in AZ for elk/antelope. Each state is a separate entity. $50 for the first animal and $10 for each additional animal in that state. CABELAS charges $50 per species which is an insult to me.
2. pay $100 for huntingfool subscription and follow the directions in the magazine starting in January and you can really do a good job if you spend some time with it.
3. Pay someone to do it for you the first year and then subscribe to huntingfool or eastmans the next year and try to keep up with all the changes each year.
4. Pay HF to do some of the states and you do the others to help save costs

FWIW, I think limiting yourself to 2 states is like saying that you want to limit the amount of fun you can have or limit the amount of money that you can make at your job. I did the same thing and wish I had applied for more states earlier. Say your put in for 25 tags in 7 states and they are all 100 to 1 odds. Your odds are 100 for each tag but your odds for actually drawing 1 tag total in the year are 1 in 4.

FWIW, I drew antelope in NW last year which is a very expensive tag to draw. Maybe $2500 if I remember correctly according to the other hunters. Also, HF saved me about $400 in the price difference between the special and regular elk tag this year. They advised me to not get the special since it wouldn't help me with all my points this year.

I paid application services for 3 years and guarantee you I'm ahead of the game since I ain't spent $2900 to the application services.

flyingbrass
cold dead hands
 
Huntin Fool is a great idea for someone just starting the outta state game. They break it all down. My first out of state hunt was my graduation present in 1977. Been applying in one or more states ever since. Even though I can recite almost every states method of Preference points/Bonus Points, etc, I still subscribe. Not sure I woulda caught the big change in Utah cause I normally just focus on their elk and moose. That alone is worth $100.00 to me.

To answer the original question, WYOMING!!!

Their point system is only 3 years old, they have great elk, deer, sheep, moose and antelope, you can buy PP only June-Sept. Years you are strapped for cash, expecting a baby, ect just apply for the PP. With their draw system, you can draw with no points but odds go up significantly with points and they average party points rather than rounding down like most states.

Years of bad winters, PP it for deer and antelope. Very flexible.

But keep your eyes open if New Mexico or Idaho go to a point system and get in the first year. Personally I don't think thats gonna happen very soon but you never know.

I apply in your state every year for sheep, deer, elk and antelope. I'm sitting on 8 elk points and 10 deer and antelope points. In the next 3-5 years I'm gonna draw a good tag in Oregon. Thats the way the game is played.
 
So this is what "Big Game Hunting" has become.
I might get to go if I put in for 20 years? OMG
 
Unless you have BIG money and can buy your tags and hunts every year this is what it has become. For better or worse.Like Califelkslayer i went on my first out of state hunt in 1985 for my graduation present and have been going ever since.I started playing the points game about 13 years ago.Its not that you will go hunting in 20 years. You build points so you can get to a point where you can draw a decent tag every year.I have drawn pretty good tags for the last 6 years.With the points i have now i should be in good shape for quite a few years.
 
"So this is what "Big Game Hunting" has become.
I might get to go if I put in for 20 years? OMG"

Not at all. There will always be the chance that you get lucky and draw early. Once you hit that 20 year mark, most likely,
you will starting some tags because you are in the "Max Point"
pull.

We have drawn several tags that had horrible odds. Investing in the draw is one of the best $$$$ investments you can make.

My friends always complain when I draw a tag. However, they never apply?????

I will bet more than 50% of people who regularly put in out of state (lets say the past ten years) have beat the odds and drawn a great tag.

Here is what we have drawn in the past 10 years:

3-4 LE Idaho Deer
2- Wyoming Antelope
1- Bison
4- LE Utah Elk
3- LE turkey (LOL)

Last year, I added a few other states to apply for. Someone
has to draw a tag.... Apply for as many states as you are able.
 

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