Tag Help

[dmick33]

Well here is my quick story, lived back east all my life til last year moving to northern california. Up until recently I thought the only way to really hunt out west was to go with a outfitter, slightly out of my price range for most hunts. But after being introduced to lottery systems for most hunts I would really like some help in picking where to put in for some tags that I can DIY. I put in for NV this year and was lucky to draw a mule deer tag but all the non-resident fees really added up just to apply. I have been doing a lot of research and it seems that Montana you don't have to buy your license until you are drawn, if I am right in reading that seems pretty good to me. I am looking to do some good mule deer, antelope, elk, and big horn are what I am really trying to put in for. I don't road hunt so remote places are great to me. Thanks for any advice or help.
Drew

 

[ElkManDan]

LAST EDITED ON Jul-23-12 AT 05:44AM (MST)[p]There are a lot of good OTC hunts in the western states, here are the ones that I put in for and what you have to pay for up front.

Idaho, Buy hunting license up front, non-refundable (around $150) Pay for the tag after you draw.

Utah, Buy hunting license up front, non-refundable (about $60) automatically draw from credit card when draw. License is good for 365 days so if you do it right and buy the license at the end of the draw application period you can use the same license to put in for 2 years by putting in at the first of the application period the next year.

Colorado, Pay tag fees up front but there is no License that you need to buy just some wildlife conservation permits and point fees. It ends up costing about $60 to put in for deer and elk. Colorado has a true preference point system where all tags go to those with the highest points so you have to accumulate points for the better tags with no chance of drawing until you have enough points.

Arizona, Buy hunting license up front, non-refundable (Around $150) automatically draw from credit card when draw tag.

Montana, Your best odds to get a tag is through the NR general draw combination tag for both Deer and Elk. You are right there is no license that you have to buy but they still get their money out of you. It costs around $1000 for both tags. I heard that this year there were actually left over tags from the draw. That is a little steep in my opinion so I don't put in there. In order to draw one of their better draw tags I believe that as a NR you have to first draw the general tag before you can apply.

 

[Outdoors]

Assume you will be applying in California.

You are probably within a couple of hours of Oregon's southern border. The best Roosevelt Elk tags are OTC and the units are along the coast. Rosies are only in a few states/provinces so you are in the right place. Oregon offers some very good Blacktail deer hunts which are OTC as well and are in southern Oregon. Oregon requires you buy a license to apply or buy OTC so go ahead and buy the annual hunting license prior to May 15 then apply for bighorn sheep where you have same odds as any other non-resident since no points awarded in Oregon for non-res sheep units.

Oregon is crappy as a place to try and build points, though, for limited entry hunts for trophy elk, deer and pronghorn.

Nevada is relatively close to you as well so you should apply there. Buy the annual license so can build points and apply for all species. The draw system gives you a point each year you apply without drawing and then squares your points for the draw. You have a chance to draw even in Year 1. As time goes on, your odds improve.

There are more states, of course, but they are farther so is tougher to scout ahead of the hunt if you have 10 hour drives each way. I would rate Wyoming as the best of those further states for building points since you should be able to draw a very good pronghorn hunt every 5 years and a very good deer hunt (winter kill and drought may delay this) every 7-10 years and a decent elk hunt every 10 years.

You can buy a decent transferable landowner tag in Colorado for elk or deer each year. New Mexico has transferable landowner tags for elk.

I apply all over the West for sheep other than California and have yet to draw after about 150 draws. Odds are usually 1 in 300 for each draw so statistically I may never draw. I do like Colorado, Montana and New Mexico for sheep odds for non-residents.

Good luck on your hunts!

 

[dmick33]

I did put in for about everything for nevada this year and did draw an ok unit for mule deer. But just applying there cost me around 220. I am thinking Ill have about 400-500 a year to spend on applications so I really want to maximize my money so when I do get drawn its for a good hunt in a good place.

 

[Outdoors]

You are going about the the right way to balance applications with budget with chance at a good tag.

New Mexico would rise to top in my opinion in your case since the annual license can be turned in if do not draw yet each species is only around $10. The downside is the drive to NM will eat up a lot of fuel or if you fly then you have rental car, etc, so that will eat up a lot of $$ from CA compared to NV or OR.

You can spend a lot if you chase every state and species. My out of pocket is around $3000 each year for non-refundable fees, licenses and a few super draw tag lotteries. I have around $20,000 tied up with state F&Gs at one point during the Jan-July tag application/refund cycle. I draw 2 or 3 hunts each year but for the first 10 years of applying I rarely drew a decent tag.

Choose wisely and have some great experiences out there in the woods!

 

[dmick33]

Wow thats alot of money in tags. I will have to look up NM I like that they will refund if your arent drawn. I would like a northern state as well so I will keep doing some research on whether I would like Co, Mt, or Id. Thanks for the help guys anymore info or help would be great.

 

[dmick33]

How does the Mt combo tag work. Is that for general areas or do you still put in for units. I am thinking of still going for NV and then Co and either Id or Mt.

 

[carterj16]

i do wyoming, utah and colorado deer. think i will start new mexico next year.

 

[DoeNob]

I apply in New Mexico for everything except antelope and barbary, building deer points in CO, buying elk, deer and antelope points in WY, applying for the world in Utah, its pretty cheap comparatively, I apply for moose, sheep and goat in MT, and I also buy super raffle tags in AZ, CA, MT, and CO. Long odds on the supertags, but what isn't these days.

I may start applying in AZ and NV next year, but a general license for more than $100 I'm never going to use just kinda sticks in my craw. Keeps a lot of others who think similar out of the draw, so maybe its ultimately a good thing and an odds improver.