Nevada worth putting in for or not?

[flyingbrass]

Nevada worth putting in for or not? For elk I'm putting in for NM, CO, UT, AZ, WY and am thinking about adding NV. I'm a nonresident with 0 points. I got Huntin Fool last year and also used them for an application service. I drew nothing last year but went to NM on a landowner tag and was succesful on my first bull.
THanks.
cold dead hands

 

[nvhunter_32]

As far as Nevada goes when it comes to producing trophy bulls it is probably only second to utah. All the nevada units are managed to produce trophy quality animals although the tags have been significantly increased over the last few years which has dropped the trophy quality some in certain areas. Still monster bulls are shot every year in virtually all the units. The biggest problem with nevada is trying to get a tag. I'm not sure what nonresident odds are but for a resident it seems like it takes upwards of 7 or 8 bonus points on average to draw the tag and that's if luck is on your side. For a nonresident it's much tougher because such a low percentage of tags are given out for them. As to your question yes nevada is definately worth it and if i were you i would start applying now so you can start accumulating bonus points.

 

[bragabit]

The archery hunts are as good as anywhere in the country. In my opinion I would not spend $1200 on a late Nevada rifle hunt.

 

[HuntNevada]

No totally not worth it right now, the numbers are up, but the number of quality of bulls and way down. wait a couple years for the cycle to start again then start putting in.

 

[DonVathome]

It is great if you draw, I apply aggresivly but skip NV it is very very expensive and bonus points are squared, I did the math in in 10 years my combined chance with points I have way under a 10% chance at a bow tag (that is all 10 years combined), and not in the top units. Go to their website and pick a NR tag and look at the apps. Tons of guys with 13 points (and 12, 11 10 etc)getting 170 chances. Sure in 10 years you get 101 chances but those guys then have 530!

Right now in the system there are so many guys that if no one new applied in 30 years most still will have not drawn. Sure anyone can get lucky but last I checked not a single person drew an elk tag with 0 or 1 point.

From what I hear it is a great hunt, and if you draw you have a chance to kill a great bull, but know going into it drawing an elk tag in under 15 years would be a fluke. Even if you add in sheep (3) and mnt goat, getting a tag in under 15 years is a fluke.

Be prepared to make a long term commitment.

 

[BigFly]

DonVat, don't be confused by thinking that you have 101 or 530 chances at drawing a tag. The fact is you only have 1 chance to draw that tag. Everybody has 1 chance. The squared bonus points are your chances at drawing a number in the random "slot" picked by the computer. While it is tough to draw a NV tag, I believe it's worth it.
Fly

 

[elkguide]

As much as I hate to say it, I honestly don't think the quality will ever come back if the Department keeps issuing as many tags as they do. The only thing that will save the elk herd from really falling into the crapper is the new wilderness designations. Right now they are looking at an average age class on bulls harvested at or around 5 years old, and the bulls in eastern Nevada don't reach their prime until the ages of 9 to 11. So unless something major happens I don't think it will ever cycle back around, yeah a 350 class bull is a monster bull in most states, but that used to be the satelite bulls back 6 or 7 years ago, and now if you see a 350 you better be putting a stalk on and attempting to harvest or you might go without. In my opinion I don't think that hunting Nevada elk is worth $1200 anymore.

 

[downsouth]

I have to agree with elkguide, I don't think the quality will ever come back to what it was. One other thing that needs to be factored in is that I think everyone has become a lot more efficient at killing the big bulls on the eastern Nevada hunts. Everybody's got a swarovski or leica now and, as elkguide can probably agree, odds are if a big bull steps out in the open and gets seen on one day of the hunt he's going to get whacked. Don?t get me wrong, there are still big bulls that make it through the hunt every year, but people know where and how to hunt the bulls a lot more efficiently now than they used to. To truly get back to what it used to be the tag numbers would have to go back down dramatically, but we all know that that will never happen.

 

[elkguide]

Would definately agree 100% with you downsouth, there aren't many places where a big bull can go to be safe out in the open, and the big glass has contributed to that completely. I believe that if the tag numbers go down it would be the only help in bringing back monster bulls like we have seen before, and thats not just bull tags that is cow tags too, cows just don't have a chance of survival past there first couple of years of being born. And I am sure that you would agree with that too downsouth.

 

[buncoboy]

I drew as a non-resident with 6 points, and they did not have as many tags then. Quality is down some what now, and just maybe NDOW will drop the tag numbers in the future to help turn around the quality of bulls, before it is too late!

 

[timberline_shedfreak24]

WAY to many tags. Its s shame how NDOW is gonna have to learn a leson and we the sportsmen are going to have to pay for it.


Timberline

 

[Riman]

I have been hunting NV bulls for 17 years and can say one thing is for sure- things have changed! Not all for the bad though. There are still giant bulls in nearly all areas in the State, and just when you think there are no big bulls in an area they kill a 396 bull out of 061-071. We have went from 10 bull tags to nearly 1000! Elk numbers are reaching their peak populations that landowners and NDOW agreed on. "hey if we introduce elk in your back yard which will undoubtably graze in your fields and compete with your livestock for water and feed can we agree on some numbers to keep the population at so you do not go out of business and here are a few tags that you can sell to make them more tolerable when they eat your haystacks and rip your fences down". This is the reason for an increase in cow tags. Lets face it NV is a drought State with limited forage and water. We all HAVE to work together, not just for our own interests and benefits!

The bonus point system is actually working contrary to the belief of many. I saw the actual numbers of hunters with max points and on down the line and the numbers of hunters with 13 points and up are getting fewer each year. There are still some hunters that cant draw a tag to save their lives, like my father after 26 years, but ask NDOW to send you the stats on the bonus point system and see for yourself. I finally drew this year after 16 years of applying. 13 bonus points and two years prior to the program plus the current year.I generally guide 15 hunters per year and most hunters are in the 10-15 point range. This is true for both resident and non-resident.

The thing that concernes me is the number of tags given out. There is no doubt that the State is managing for hunter opportunity and still trying to preserve quality but I truly do not believe they can accomplish both. I personally saw six 380-400 B&C bulls this year and spent about 60 days in the field hunting elk. Way down from the 90's but still there are great bulls out there. I see a bunch of bulls killed each year that if given a year or two would have been giants. This is why UT has surpassed us in quality. They are letting them grow up.

I too agree that people have found new improved ways to hunt all animals and the drive to kill a giant bull has really increased over the years as well. All this said NV is still a top State to put in for and you are missing the boat if you wait to apply. Get those points started now and who know maybe in 10 years we might even have a few 350 bulls left for you!

 

[huntin100]

Rinman, I sent you a PM.

 

[bearman]

I agree with most said but NDOW is not the bigest problem it is spotsman for not going to all game board meetings and haveing a voice. I'm on Elko's game board and we get one to two people at the meetings, we need more support in the fight! There are people who think we need more hunting and age class should be managed for 5 year old bulls now at 8 years. WE have a say come and join. We need to band togethr and get our population of elk up in the 50,000 to 60,000 range our land can support it. Brandon Fordin