Premium Hunt ?

I am not familiar with the premium hunts, but am considering one. I see from the regs that preference points are not considered in these drawings, but I do not see anything to indicate whether one loses his points in the 100 series, etc. hunts if one draws the tag. Can any OR MMer offer help on this question? Thank you.

The premium hunts have nothing to do with points. Just a lucky random draw like a lottery. It's another way for ODFW to make $ shooting more deer that we can't afford to loose.

But good luck if you apply!

>The premium hunts have nothing to
>do with points. Just a
>lucky random draw like a
>lottery. It's another way for
>ODFW to make $ shooting
>more deer that we can't
>afford to loose.
>
>But good luck if you apply!
>

1 deer per unit is not going to make any difference at all in our deer numbers, especially an older buck. I do agree that it is a way for them to make more money but I am happy to donate $8 a year for that opportunity. People not hunting is not the fix for our deer issues, sound predator management is what we need!! Idaho has multiple deer units above objective with unlimited tags and OTC rut hunts. We currently have enough cats in our state that if they only ate deer they would all be gone in a year, add bears, coyotes and now wolves and it is very scary.

Cost to administer is more than the income last I heard, for a net loss. Had the price been $50 as proposed from the originator of the concept, it would have been an income producer.

I dont think I would pay 50. Not sure other guys would either. Odds arent good enough.....

On the other hand, it may be the only way to hunt that dream unit where a guy cant buy 5k in tickets and the poor guy has a chance.

I sure hope the predator issue is addressed.

Unfortunately, predators are now managed via legislation and the population centers along the I-5 corridor.

Hey NP,

Keep drinking the Kool Aid if you want too? To say one deer per unit doesn't matter especially an older buck is rediculous!!!

You're talking about a state where every unit is 40 to 100% below management objective numbers and some units are so bad that the buck to doe ratios are in the single digits. ODFW is issuing that tag in units like the Beatty's Butte where there is 7% fawn survival and during the spring flights only a handful of deer in the whole eastern part of the unit were seen. But you're right "It's only one deer and doesn't matter."

How about the Juniper unit? I talked to the guy who drew the premium tag last year multiple times. Super nice guy from California. 5 days into his RUT HUNT he called me and told me ODFW shouldn't even have this hunt because there was not enough deer. I told him that is what I had been telling him.

He ended up shooting a 150ish buck on private land and told me there was hardley any deer on private either. Two weeks after he went home he called me and told me how bad he felt about shooting that buck because he realized we couldn't spare that deer. Now isn't that a great success story from a hunter who drew a random lottery tag goes home and feels terrible about taking that animal. "Give me a break."

But you're right "It's only one deer and doesn't matter especially an older buck."

Trust me bro, Oregon is in big enough trouble right now with their Mule Deer herd that every deer matters. When a mature buck makes it through hunting season and escapes predators for a whole year we don't need someone shooting him during the rut just for more opportunity!

I agree with you about the predators and I wish something could be done.

BUT DON'T TELL ME ONE DEER PER UNIT DOESN'T MATTER!!!

LAST EDITED ON Jun-03-19 AT 05:36PM (MST)[p].