LAST EDITED ON Apr-26-19 AT 01:30PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Apr-26-19 AT 01:29?PM (MST)
Roadrunner, I definitely believe that having a strategy plays a part in draw results. Luck or bad luck does as well, I look at the tags with no reasonable chance of drawing.OIL Bighorn, OIL Oryx, OIL Ibex and pronghorn. Me personally I think of these a bonus tags. If I get lucky and draw one that's great but at less than 5% drawing ORYX and pronghorn and Ibex and Bighorn OIL at less than 1% I don't plan on it and I haven't drawn any of them.
Now elk and deer are what I feel I have a reasonable chance of drawing my strategy is as follows.
1. I archery hunt for elk, this increases my odds immediately, Muzzleloader next and the worst odds are with a rifle.
2. I study the harvest reports how many hunters vs. harvest some low demand tags have great harvest %.
3. I stagger my choices. for example.
1st choice 2nd season archery draw odds at 13%
2nd choice 2nd season archery draw odds at 25%
3rd choice 1st season archery draw odds at 40%
deer I have all rifle tags and believe it or not some resident deer draws with a rifle are higher than 80%. so if you apply the strategy as above with the lowest odds of drawing say the caldera, then 6c and then an 80% draw area you almost guarantee you see a little more green. You also get a chance at those incredible area with your first choice. But as someone said if you put in rifle elk tags like 1st choice rifle in the Caldera, 2nd 16D Rifle and 3rd 34 rifle you are going to have to wait a long time before you draw. Those are all draws at less than 6% success rate.
So using this strategy I drew elk and deer last year and this year. 2nd choice elk both times in the same area, 1st choice deer last year and 3rd this year and a bonus female immature IBEX this year.
I applied the same strategy to my family members and all of them drew a Premium rifle deer tag and my 12 year old drew A muzzleloader tag in an incredible area.
This works for Non residents as well. My dad a non resident has drawn deer 2 years in a row.
Hope this helps.
Sorry this is so long