Elk preference points

sageman

Active Member
Messages
630
Nice to see after trying to draw after 19 years my points will max at 19! I would have cashed in long ago if I knew they were going to change the system!
 
19 is the max for this year so if your profile says 18 when you apply you only have 18 for this year, 19 for next. Next year max will be 20 therefore point creep and you will never have max if you are 1 behind max unless they put a cap on the max points which will defeat their whole point program.
 
You lost me when you said you could cash your points in on a California elk tag.... maybe a cow. You may never draw a tag... max points or not. Ed F
 
Yea max points your odds are still 1 in a few hundred or thousand last I checked, unfortunately.
Most CA elk hunts have less than 100 max point applicants applying for them at this point. Only a handful are over 100 max point applicants. The three highest ones in 2020 were:

Point only - 474 max pt applicants
NE Rifle Elk - 427 max pt applicants
Grizzly Island Per 10 - 393 max pt applicants

Funny that so many people apply for points only.

I drew the NE rifle elk hunt in 2013...wish I could get my points back from that hunt!!
 
Most CA elk hunts have less than 100 max point applicants applying for them at this point. Only a handful are over 100 max point applicants. The three highest ones in 2020 were:

Point only - 474 max pt applicants
NE Rifle Elk - 427 max pt applicants
Grizzly Island Per 10 - 393 max pt applicants

Funny that so many people apply for points only.

I drew the NE rifle elk hunt in 2013...wish I could get my points back from that hunt!!
Because you scored and want another chance or because it sucked?
 
Because you scored and want another chance or because it sucked?
Sucked! Scouted for months and ran a bunch of cameras all over the unit. Had some pretty decent bulls scouted. Two days before season opened had a weather system come through with hail/rain and much colder temps (opening morning was low 20s). All the elk in the area left. Took me five or six days to find them, and when I did only small bulls. With the perfect seasons dates also, I never heard a bugle!! Some of my picts and other's picts from the year I had the tag are below.

2013-09-18 07.01.18.jpg


2014-06-24 15.48.57.jpg


2014-06-25 11.40.10.jpg


2014-06-25 13.52.19.jpg


2014-06-25 11.37.42.jpg
 
Never found one of the big bulls. I had opportunities at smaller bulls, but I wanted something bigger. On the last two days of my hunt I probably would have shot anything, but never saw an elk. This is the biggest bull I had an opportunity to shoot. Ran into him a few times, but he wasn't the one for me! I watched him with a few cows for a while and he never even bugled.

PICT0128.JPG
 
Never found one of the big bulls. I had opportunities at smaller bulls, but I wanted something bigger. On the last two days of my hunt I probably would have shot anything, but never saw an elk. This is the biggest bull I had an opportunity to shoot. Ran into him a few times, but he wasn't the one for me! I watched him with a few cows for a while and he never even bugled.

Sucked! Scouted for months and ran a bunch of cameras all over the unit. Had some pretty decent bulls scouted. Two days before season opened had a weather system come through with hail/rain and much colder temps (opening morning was low 20s). All the elk in the area left. Took me five or six days to find them, and when I did only small bulls. With the perfect seasons dates also, I never heard a bugle!! Some of my picts and other's picts from the year I had the tag are below.

View attachment 41321

View attachment 41322

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I've drawn that tag twice. Sorry to all those that haven't! Killed a small bull the first time and didn't really know what I was doing. Second time, I had numerous cameras placed and made numerous scouting trips. I had bulls on cameras for months leading up to the hunt in an area that stretched for 6 miles. Checked my cams couple days before the season and they had all vanished! A guy killed one that I had on cam all summer 16 miles away. Those elk can move. Don't know if it was the little bit of pressure from the archery guys that pushed them out or something else. Either way, that was a big clue to move on. Ended up killing a decent bull in an area I hadn't even scouted. I'd do it again but maybe not in the garden again.
 
Most CA elk hunts have less than 100 max point applicants applying for them at this point. Only a handful are over 100 max point applicants. The three highest ones in 2020 were:

Point only - 474 max pt applicants
NE Rifle Elk - 427 max pt applicants
Grizzly Island Per 10 - 393 max pt applicants

Funny that so many people apply for points only.

I drew the NE rifle elk hunt in 2013...wish I could get my points back from that hunt!!
So if you could get your points back are you saying you would not apply there again ?
If not what would you do with them ?
 
So if you could get your points back are you saying you would not apply there again ?
If not what would you do with them ?
I would not apply there again!!

Not sure what I'd do with my points. Maybe the NW elk hunt. If I could get private access possibly the La Panza tag.
 
Tags have really been cut back on the NW elk hunt. Lots of the elk tags are now given out in the Share program.
 
I have access to a ranch in the La Panza unit that has elk on it off and on. During the rut I could possibly call them onto the ranch.
 
I have access to a ranch in the La Panza unit that has elk on it off and on. During the rut I could possibly call them onto the ranch.
Other than the novelty of hunting elk in California it’s hard to get too excited about it. I have been putting in for the Northeast archery with max points but did not this year because I already have a Arizona Archery tag. The southern Tule Elk hunts are interesting but without having access set up I’m a little hesitant to dump points there.
 
its an 8 dollar lottery ticket. or at least thats what i think of it.

had a buddy pull the NE zone and had a great hunt but mentioned something about the timber companies closing more access as of very recent so that may just put a lid on that entire hunt. not quite sure how accurate that was but can anyone give any info on the timber companies shutting down a lot of acerage for that hunt?
 
I had the ne hunt maybe 3 or 4 years ago and it was really a great hunt for me, I did get the timber co. trespass permit and I dont know if they still issue it, this was the land at the north end of the garden I think it was collins timber.
 
its an 8 dollar lottery ticket. or at least thats what i think of it.

had a buddy pull the NE zone and had a great hunt but mentioned something about the timber companies closing more access as of very recent so that may just put a lid on that entire hunt. not quite sure how accurate that was but can anyone give any info on the timber companies shutting down a lot of acerage for that hunt?
All Roseburg ground, now Landvest is obviously closed to all public whatsoever and is PLM. All of the Shasta Forest Timberland, Lassen Timber, Red River Timber and SPI as well as Collins Timber will not allow any public this coming year as well due to high fire danger. There for extremely limiting access for elk hunting in the NE Unit. Unless you have great connections or very deep pockets this years NE unit very well could be a bust.
 
All Roseburg ground, now Landvest is obviously closed to all public whatsoever and is PLM. All of the Shasta Forest Timberland, Lassen Timber, Red River Timber and SPI as well as Collins Timber will not allow any public this coming year as well due to high fire danger. There for extremely limiting access for elk hunting in the NE Unit. Unless you have great connections or very deep pockets this years NE unit very well could be a bust.
Wonder how many people knew that before they put in.
 
Nobody who actually wants to hunt elk would consider CA as a thing more than something to apply for just because it's cheap to add to the resident hunting license you buy anyway. Too few elk and tags here to make actually going hunting realistic. Odds of drawing in CA are worse than in NV as a nonresident!
 

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