Who has no points?

points or no points?

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JPickett

JPickett

Long Time Member
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i mean besides 99% of the threads, responses, posts and trolling on here to which there is obviously no points.

no I'm talking LE points. all the rage here. so who has none? i don't, well i think i have a few in Washington from when i lived there but ill never go back, hunt or apply in that state again so i consider it a zero.

I've never applied for Wyoming, Colorado, Utah etc. and as long as theirs points i probably never will. may buy a few Wyoming antelope points over the next few years because that seems like a reasonable way to get a tag but with the new 90/10 thing i don't know. id have to study a bit.

just never have been interested in that game. i apply here in Idaho, always have a chance, don't draw still go hunting and still have a chance at great quality animals every year.

at 43 im not getting in the game either. really just waiting for it all to implode, point systems go away in some of these states and then ill apply in true draws. if not. oh well. fun to listen to guys on here cry about what they're due because they know how to run a credit card once a year.

how bout you. no points anyone?
 
Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah have some of the best hunting in the west and you chose to not hunt them because of points. Throw in Nevada and Arizona too. I understand the frustration some people have towards points but I would put this in the "cut your nose off to spite your face" category.
 
desperatehills said:
Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah have some of the best hunting in the west and you chose to not hunt them because of points. Throw in Nevada and Arizona too. I understand the frustration some people have towards points but I would put this in the "cut your nose off to spite your face" category.
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no spite. just don't want to be a part of it, always been against it. guess i practice what I preach, call that spite i suppose? . i'm in Idaho, we got some pretty good stuff here too. GS tags in Montana can be had, some good stuff up there but frankly i hunt so much here i rarely bother
 
I have zero points.
Well, unless you count TX. (minimal app fee/no license purchase).
I gave up on pts. long ago, after seeing the scam it is.
 
I have some Colorado moose PPs and weighted PP that I let go I thought, they still show up in my account and I will never use them.
Some Colorado deer PPs I'll use eventually.
Luckily I still have a few moose PPs for Wyoming, maybe another moose license in my future here.
 
Points in Nevada only now. Too many to let go and not enough to draw. Covid 19 is my last hope of eliminating people ahead of me.

Oh wait, I have 1 point in CA for pronghorn too.
 
Points only work if the hunter stays with it and the game departments don't change the rules.

I could list the tags I've had based on points but I don't want to come across as a braggart.

I agree with JP to a point, in that there's a TON of hunting that can be done without points so all the whining about them isn't really valid.

Remember this: There are too few tags and too many people wanting then that no tag distribution system is perfect and not everyone will get a tag regardless. Random helps nothing.

Zeke
 
Zeke said:
Random helps nothing.

Zeke
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i don't know. i think it helps something. for example i can put in for a sheep tag in Idaho every year for the next 30 years and actually have a chance to draw it every year. or i could buy points for the next 30 years in Wyoming and after 30 years maybe have a chance to draw a tag. both scenarios i likely don't hunt sheep in the next 30 years but in one of them i may be able to before i'm in my 70's. i like the one where theirs at least a chance
 
JP,
I don't know how many sheep tags you've drawn randomly but I've worked the points system, stayed the course, and drawn 3.
I play in Idaho most years but don't believe too heavily in ever getting one of their random tags. My bro did draw when he lived there for 3 decades but I have not. Of course his odds are WAY better as a resident.
I really like the point you made about having great hunts without leaning on points. I think the whiners need to read your point again.
Zeke
 
JPickett
Thanks for the chuckle this morning.
Anyways, points in multiple states. Built up my hunting application fund over many years.
 
LIK2HNT said:
JPickett
Thanks for the chuckle this morning.
Anyways, points in multiple states. Built up my hunting application fund over many years.
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I think for most the cost has nothing to do with it. For me it doesn’t. It’s the time that’s not worth it so I just don’t bother. Enjoy my hunting seasons more and more every year
 
JPickett said:
i don't know. i think it helps something. for example i can put in for a sheep tag in Idaho every year for the next 30 years and actually have a chance to draw it every year. or i could buy points for the next 30 years in Wyoming and after 30 years maybe have a chance to draw a tag. both scenarios i likely don't hunt sheep in the next 30 years but in one of them i may be able to before i'm in my 70's. i like the one where theirs at least a chance
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You have a chance to draw a Sheep tag, regardless of points, in:

Idaho
New Mexico
Arizona
Wyoming
Montana
Nevada

There is no solution for a finite resource with outsized demand, except to make people “Feel better”, and we all know that that’s the most important thing, in the new Millenium.

Only if you live in Idaho, Wyoming, Montana or Alaska can you sit on the sidelines and have plenty of opportunity. For the rest of us, we have to play the game in multiple states to ensure having a tag or 3 in our pockets every year.
 
When I started building points it was a investment in my future. Oddly enough I found it addicting and started applying for anything I could. Wouldn't you know it I drew a Idaho moose tag and a New Mexico Oryx tag on my first try. The guy that helped me on the Oryx hunt had been applying for 22 years and never drawn. He sure wished there was a way to improve his odds for every year he was unsuccessful. I have had great trips to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. Because of the points I have I can expect to draw several more tags. They wont be the cream of the crop but I am sure they will be great adventures. My Idaho and New Mexico applications will just be bonus hunts if I get lucky.
 
JPickett said:
i don't know. i think it helps something. for example i can put in for a sheep tag in Idaho every year for the next 30 years and actually have a chance to draw it every year. or i could buy points for the next 30 years in Wyoming and after 30 years maybe have a chance to draw a tag. both scenarios i likely don't hunt sheep in the next 30 years but in one of them i may be able to before i'm in my 70's. i like the one where theirs at least a chance
Click to expand...

Except I know a guy that drew a RM bighorn ram tag in NM the first time he ever put in for it, so that would be year 1.
 
I personally like the point systems. I hardly ever draw anything in the random draw, but I know if I put in long enough, I will get to go hunt. For example, I hunted Wyoming deer last year. I have hunted the strip for deer and unit 10 for elk in AZ. Hunted 61 archery elk in Colorado. I will hunt Wyoming elk in the next 3 years, I have max points, and put in for a tag every year, and still haven't drawn. I believe I would have not drawn any of these tags in a random draw, but I got to the point where they had to give me the tag. The luck was taken out of the equation after so long. These do not even count the hunts I have hunted in my home state. I still take advantage of the hunts every year here in my home state, with usually a decent out of state tag somewhere every couple of years or so. I count the money for the preference points as a down payment for a hunt someday. My kids will all have already had some good out of state tags, and will have a couple of great tags before they are 30. I am not a lucky guy, when it comes to drawing tags, so I make the luck by playing the game and it works for me.
 
desperatehills said:
When I started building points it was a investment in my future. Oddly enough I found it addicting and started applying for anything I could. Wouldn't you know it I drew a Idaho moose tag and a New Mexico Oryx tag on my first try. The guy that helped me on the Oryx hunt had been applying for 22 years and never drawn. He sure wished there was a way to improve his odds for every year he was unsuccessful. I have had great trips to Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. Because of the points I have I can expect to draw several more tags. They wont be the cream of the crop but I am sure they will be great adventures. My Idaho and New Mexico applications will just be bonus hunts if I get lucky.
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Same here… I’d have a tag about every 7-10 years if it were based on strictly random draws…. Hard Pass on that
 
I’ve never been involved in a point system to hunt. Like JP I hunt every year. There is enough hunting in NM to keep me busy. I don’t need the biggest antlered ungulate or heaviest polar bear to hunt here and have a good time. At this point in my life it’s more about the adventure and the camping than the killing.
 
I have pts for utah, Colorado, Nevada and Wyoming. Have drawn some pretty good tags because of pts especially in Nevada. I will keep playing I guess. ?‍♂️
 
Fifteen plus years ago I decided to build points so I would have some better hunts in the future. It worked and I have had some great experiences. I have never hit the "lotto" on any of these tags, but glad I invested where I have even though some of the states I still have a pile of points. I am in more of a hunt more mode nowadays with mule deer being my focus. You can still find some good tags if you are not looking at the magazines/promoters top hunts and chasing the dream tags. Last year had mule deer tags in WY, CO, OR an MT. We will see what this year brings. The same opportunities I had will not be available for future generations with the supply and demand and that's too bad. Good luck to you MM's on the draws.

Rich
 
I enjoy the adventure of hunting new places. I apply everywhere and am sitting on piles of points. Those that don't think points are worth it, have never hunted AZ elk and/or the strip, or coues. I have hunted virtually every western state and love all of the various land types and experiences I have had. I can't wait till I get to chase elk and desert bighorn in Nevada, and hunt elk again in the breaks of Montana, whitetails on my buddies farm in Iowa. Oh and I live in Idaho and have hunted from the top to the bottom of it. To each his own, but for me it's always been about those mysterious places that I read about, or drove through, and the idea that there just might be that magic valley full of critters to chase.
 
I love having points and the ability to draw at any time. I have hunted Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. I have hunted multiple times in a few of those states and will definitely draw more tags to come. I don’t chase upper tier units but I have a great time hunting and have shot decent bucks and bulls along the way.
It would be nice to not have to draw for tags but in most states those days are long gone. For me, I play the points game and will continue us to do so. To each there own.
 
Like others I have been building points and applying in multiple states, 9 actually, and have drawn some great tags and have been lucky a couple times in the random draws. I just wish I started back in college when it was so cheap, but noooo I spent more on beer in a month than it would have cost to buy points. The points in the states I apply in now were so cheap in the late 90s/ early 2000s. Now it costs enough that its part of my living budget, about 2k or so every year. I still feel it is worth it. My wife likes to rent a house on the beach for 5 days to a week that is more than my app fees once a year, now that is waste of money.
 
Zeke said:
JP,
I don't know how many sheep tags you've drawn randomly but I've worked the points system, stayed the course, and drawn 3.
I play in Idaho most years but don't believe too heavily in ever getting one of their random tags. My bro did draw when he lived there for 3 decades but I have not. Of course his odds are WAY better as a resident.
I really like the point you made about having great hunts without leaning on points. I think the whiners need to read your point again.
Zeke
Click to expand...
i've drawn exactly zero. lots of guys with points can say the same thing. i realize your not being an antagonist here but let me use this post to pose a question.

if Idaho went to a point system tomorrow how long does anyone think it would take for odds to change at all? way i see it, every one who applies now for random draws, would still apply. points would be about meaningless for a good long time wouldn't they? sheep for example. some of these units have 1 or 2 tags. so 15 years for 30 guys to draw out and make the points i started building mean something? i still don't see my odds increasing greatly over a random draw, just the guys behind me a few years odds getting worse. so no net gain for anyone. here any way
 
Last edited:
JPickett said:
i've drawn exactly zero. lots of guys with points can say the same thing. i realize your not being an antagonist here but let me use this post to pose a question.

if Idaho went to a point system tomorrow how long does anyone think it would take for odds to change at all? way i see it, every one who applies who for random draws, would still apply. points would be about meaningless for a good long time wouldn't they? sheep for example. some of these units have 1 or 2 tags. so 15 years for 30 guys to draw out and make the points i started building mean something? i still don't see my odds increasing greatly over a random draw, just the guys behind me a few years odds getting worse. so no net gain for anyone. here any way
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I, personally don’t want Idaho to change, except….. I would like it if they gave us 3 valid choices like New Mexico. I personally like New Mexico’s system for random draw, and I like Arizona’s system for a hybrid/points draw. I like Colorado and Wyoming because I can bank on tags each year based on my portfolio of points, and I can make some plans….
 
Points or no points. I don't care. Hunted whitetails and turkey and coons and squirrels and dove for my whole life otc until I moved west. Now I apply everywhere I can afford to. All preference points because the areas I hunt require it. I do buy a few raffle tickets but it does feel a little more like a gamble. People get all pissy when others ask for advice on units they haven't scouted. With preference points I can almost 100 percent predict my hunts. They are prescouted with camping trips and cow hunts. And the most points I have is 7. A prime tag for me rakes 1-3 points but I typically burn more. And I have had as many as seven tags in a year. I have a limited quota hunt back in Kentucky that has some nice whitetails on it. It's unlimited for two days for youth. I keep telling the boys I'm taking them there if we don't have enough deer, elk,, antelope, and now I went and got a German shorthair. We won't get there this year....
 
El Gringo said:
I, personally don’t want Idaho to change, except….. I would like it if they gave us 3 valid choices like New Mexico. I personally like New Mexico’s system for random draw, and I like Arizona’s system for a hybrid/points draw. I like Colorado and Wyoming because I can bank on tags each year based on my portfolio of points, and I can make some plans….
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i think the key word there is "valid" if you look at the draw odds page your second choice is meaningless in most categories. i usually don't even put a second choice in on most tags i apply for.
 
JPickett said:
i think the key word there is "valid" if you look at the draw odds page your second choice is meaningless in most categories. i usually don't even put a second choice in on most tags i apply for.
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I assume you’re talking about Idaho… Which was exactly my point. For a Non Res, the cost to apply for just one choice is pretty steep, and I skip Idaho unless I wanted to hunt the general, that year anyway.

In New Mexico they look at your 3 choices before moving on to the next app. I’ve drawn my 2nd and 3rd choices More than once. Never drawn anything in Idaho.
 
The only places I don't have points is where i am in a waiting period or OIL out of the game or in a few states that don't have quality tags or populations of animals......Points are part of the game if you want to hunt every year.
 
JPickett said:
i mean besides 99% of the threads, responses, posts and trolling on here to which there is obviously no points.

no I'm talking LE points. all the rage here. so who has none? i don't, well i think i have a few in Washington from when i lived there but ill never go back, hunt or apply in that state again so i consider it a zero.

I've never applied for Wyoming, Colorado, Utah etc. and as long as theirs points i probably never will. may buy a few Wyoming antelope points over the next few years because that seems like a reasonable way to get a tag but with the new 90/10 thing i don't know. id have to study a bit.

just never have been interested in that game. i apply here in Idaho, always have a chance, don't draw still go hunting and still have a chance at great quality animals every year.

at 43 im not getting in the game either. really just waiting for it all to implode, point systems go away in some of these states and then ill apply in true draws. if not. oh well. fun to listen to guys on here cry about what they're due because they know how to run a credit card once a year.

how bout you. no points anyone?
Click to expand...
Let’s see if you stick to your guns of ‘not getting in the game’ when Idaho goes to a point system.
Think you will change your mind?
 
MrShane said:
Let’s see if you stick to your guns of ‘not getting in the game’ when Idaho goes to a point system.
Think you will change your mind?
Click to expand...
see my response #35 above. my mind will not change on the validity of a points system. difference being i will still apply in my home state. getting a point for the application will be a side affect. i believe it would change nothing for my draw odds for years and years as the pool of hunters i currently apply against would have the same amount of points as i would. still be random drawing for me. worse odds for guys behind me.
 
My bad, I did not notice you had already changed your mind in your post #35 from your post #1.
That is how it goes with points.
Everybody hates them until you realize how they help you and pay off with persistence.
Just like in hunting.
 
Nothing about that post was my mind changing?

Hey Outdoor writer. This guy needs some reading comprehension help…
 
Not changing your mind?
No points in Washington, but after you think about it you might have a few?
Won’t buy Wyoming points, but, you just might if you think you want a Antelope tag?
I will work on my comprehension skills if you PROMISE to try to correctly use capital letters and punctuation?
Maybe then I can understand your posts better.
 
Like all clowns you eventually resorted to internet grammar critique :ROFLMAO: way to go.

Should promise be all caps? Is that proper capitalization? What a clown. Sorry I touched your feelers talking about points :whistle:
 
You are welcome.
I learned how to use caps and punctuation in school.
I love Utahs draw system, it is the best of both worlds.
Tags given to those hunters that possess patience and also rewards hunters with random draw tags.
Win/win for me!
On a side note, this world has gotten too serious and I am a self proclaimed clown.
If you are trying to offend me by name calling you are going to have to try much harder.
* Please note I did not call you any names…
 
no you didn't call me a name. made insinuations insulting my intelligence and integrity. but yeah buddy, moral high grounds all yours :rolleyes:

still yet to see any one address my post #35 and tell me how points will make my odds better in Idaho.

and it looks like i offended you to begin with by asking the question. so we know you're sensitive just not about being called a clown.
 
JPickett said:
i've drawn exactly zero. lots of guys with points can say the same thing. i realize your not being an antagonist here but let me use this post to pose a question.

if Idaho went to a point system tomorrow how long does anyone think it would take for odds to change at all? way i see it, every one who applies now for random draws, would still apply. points would be about meaningless for a good long time wouldn't they? sheep for example. some of these units have 1 or 2 tags. so 15 years for 30 guys to draw out and make the points i started building mean something? i still don't see my odds increasing greatly over a random draw, just the guys behind me a few years odds getting worse. so no net gain for anyone. here any way
Click to expand...
At your age I don’t see a point system in Idaho gaining you much if any ground over a random draw as it is. I do see it (depending upon how they set it up) helping young hunters if their parents start them off as soon as permitted by their age (I think it’s 12 years old). It’s getting to be A LOT of money to apply in multiple states.
Wish you luck, which is what most draws boil down to nowadays.
 
LIK2HNT said:
At your age I don’t see a point system in Idaho gaining you much if any ground over a random draw as it is. I do see it (depending upon how they set it up) helping young hunters if their parents start them off as soon as permitted by their age (I think it’s 12 years old). It’s getting to be A LOT of money to apply in multiple states.
Wish you luck, which is what most draws boil down to nowadays.
Click to expand...
thinking about it more in the long run it would actually make mine, and guys currently applying odds worse. yeah it would still be about the same until i drew. but then id be out. deer for example i could draw a tag now. wait my one year after and then have the same odds of drawing again randomly. add points and after i draw that tag i'm/we are passed up by the points coming in behind us and maybe never catch up to point creep.

may we never see points in the great state of Idaho. as it is, everyone has the same chance. still cant understand why guys think thats a bad thing. for old guys and young, its the best system there could be
 
" its the best system there could be "

Strictly your opinion which you are entitled to. If Idaho ever goes to a point system I will be the first to sign up.
 
desperatehills said:
" its the best system there could be "

Strictly your opinion which you are entitled to. If Idaho ever goes to a point system I will be the first to sign up.
Click to expand...
You would have to to stay in the game. Or be left behind. High demand hunts will always be terrible odds no matter what system is in place.

Years ago Idaho had a short range weapon moose hunt. I use to always put in for unit 70, but almost 20 years of nothing. The short range weapon hunt had 1:3 odds. I put my daughter, friend, and myself in separately for a few years until it was advised in Washington and odds went through the roof. Great odds, but we could not draw. Few years later my daughter drew unit 70 moose. And 2 years ago I drew a Utah Rocky and a Nevada Desert ram in the same year. Last year I drew a Colorado Mtn. Goat. I feel luck and strategy are very important.
 
LIK2HNT said:
You would have to to stay in the game. Or be left behind. High demand hunts will always be terrible odds no matter what system is in place.

Years ago Idaho had a short range weapon moose hunt. I use to always put in for unit 70, but almost 20 years of nothing. The short range weapon hunt had 1:3 odds. I put my daughter, friend, and myself in separately for a few years until it was advised in Washington and odds went through the roof. Great odds, but we could not draw. Few years later my daughter drew unit 70 moose. And 2 years ago I drew a Utah Rocky and a Nevada Desert ram in the same year. Last year I drew a Colorado Mtn. Goat. I feel luck and strategy are very important.
Click to expand...
My dad and I have both drawn that moose hunt. Me on my first try and him on his second. Funnest hunt I’ve ever had!!
 
I see the positives of a point system for non-residents, and a negative for residents. A resident wants an opportunity or random shot at a LE tag. A non-resident wants to PLAN on coming to Idaho for a hunt some day. Very different mindsets when it comes to hunting as the resident can and will hunt OTC if no LE tag, and the non-resident either won't spend the money to hunt OTC (too expensive for an OTC hunt), or didn't get a tag in December.
 
I am planning to move to Idaho in the next 4-5 years, just a few years after Idaho initiates their point system.
I will buy in the very first year with NR points and then use them as R points when the time is right.
 
I just wish all the points systems did not start before I had a job or was in college broke buying beer. Finally got done and got better jobs and finally able to shotgun them out there like have the last 14 years. At least now I could get on the ground floor on a point system. But shotgunning out 50 or so quality 2 percent odds apps get you hunting something good most years, filled in with an OTC hunt here and there, if you like hunting whatever big game you can draw that is.
 
As a Utah resident I drew last year for LE deer and completed my 3rd year of dedicated hunter. So, with the exception of 17 OIL points for mountain goat, I am currently sitting on a giant pile of zero points for anything else. Nor do I have a single point in any other states. Oh well, I have kids with points, so I will just look forward to their hunts!
 

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