Max deer points

Thanks...needed to make sure I haven't been wasting my time putting in for LE hunts. LOL. Maybe this year is the year I finally draw something good. :)
 
all I can say is if you have waited 18 years to hunt a decent zone in CA you have wasted an awful lot of time. I just don't understand the mindset behind waiting that long. I have hunted 3 good X zones since 2012 and taken decent bucks in all hunts. Why wait so long? Oh well, your life.
 
all I can say is if you have waited 18 years to hunt a decent zone in CA you have wasted an awful lot of time. I just don't understand the mindset behind waiting that long. I have hunted 3 good X zones since 2012 and taken decent bucks in all hunts. Why wait so long? Oh well, your life.

Shhhhh! Let them keep applying for G3. There are no other good places to hunt in CA! ;-)
 
while waiting to get my max pts I killed 30 plus bucks and hunt ca every year, the hunt I want I can get when ready along with my wife and brother. I didnt build all my pts for something specific. In wyoming I have max for deer and elk and 7 for antelope, and soon will be on a combo hunt out of the same camp spot.I sit on nearly 400 pts across the west and will be mostly hunting were I want and when for the rest of my life. I will have another pt for deer this year in ca becuase I am in line for a utah deer with 23 pts while having a deer and elk tag in hand now for montana. I believe I invested well building pts and never waited
 
I have hunted plenty in Cali....X12 and Grey Lodge not to mention d13 and A zone. Why build 18 points? I was always going out of state and I didn't want to not head out of state to hunt in Cali. I may share points with my 19 year old son and be able to draw a pretty decent hunt with him. Options....to each his own.
 
Good for you Wiz, you and your son should be able to have a really good hunt with that many points.
 
Shhhhh! Let them keep applying for G3. There are no other good places to hunt in CA! ;-)
I’ve helped a friend on a G3 hunt and imo it was a waste of time. Fun hunt for sure but definitely not worth the max point time it took to draw and for that matter there isn’t a single unit in the entire state worth the wait. I did something similar as you Wiz and cashed in my points with my dad and had a good hunt and have hunted several times since.
 
My dad is 73 and we hunted last year together. Both took decent x zone bucks. Wouldn't trade that for 17 points any day of the week
 
No worries, I came across kind of harsh on high point holders..just not my cup of tea. I have some points riding out of state myself, but I hope to never have more than 5 or 6 anywhere, ever!
 
I have points in a few states, some max points. There's nothing wrong with that. The only thing to watch out for is how you approach the hunt when you cash in the points. I've had 2 PREMIERE hunts with max points and ate the tag both times because of expectations. I really put too much pressure on myself and made the hunt much less fun in my opinion. I'm a DIY hunter and going to a new area out of state is always somewhat dicey unless you have a guide or some great intel.
 
I agree that high point hunts can come with added pressure. It seems silly but it is true. As someone who has cashed in max/high points on a couple hunts and who still has a handful of them left, I don't regret accumulating them but won't do it again.
 
I agree with you both. I have had a couple of premium tags and helped on a few other top tier tags. They do not always end the way you expect. The pressure is crazy to make that wait count or the investment pay off. But I will keep playing the game. Building points in some states and hunting every year or every other year in other states.
 
No worries, CalBuck.....I look back and think that I should have burned points 5 years ago but I have come this far so might as well ride it out. I figured I would've drawn the hunt I want by now but just hasn't worked out yet.
Totally agree on the high point hunts with high expectations that don't work out. I had a NM 2B deer tag last year and had expectations of at least a 140 type buck. I saw 2 forkies the day before the opener and no legal bucks the other 4 days I hunted. I was pretty disappointed.
I burned 8 points on a unit 22 3rd season deer tag in CO and had an absolute blast on that hunt. Would I wait another 8-10 years for that tag again? No way...especially with being 48 years old...I'm running out of years to hunt.
I'll keep accumulating UT LE points til I draw that Vernon tag again and really make it count.
I wish you guys good luck in the draws...
 
I have points in a few states, some max points. There's nothing wrong with that. The only thing to watch out for is how you approach the hunt when you cash in the points. I've had 2 PREMIERE hunts with max points and ate the tag both times because of expectations. I really put too much pressure on myself and made the hunt much less fun in my opinion. I'm a DIY hunter and going to a new area out of state is always somewhat dicey unless you have a guide or some great intel.
I know a guy who had the same problem!
 
OK, i'm coming in from left field on this but it brought up something i've thought alot about and I think it's a good idea..just curious what you guys think. What if DFW allowed applicants to enter the number of point they wanted to use, up to their current max. If a guy has been waiting 18yrs to hunt G3 and it's no longer the hunt you expected, then why not enter the draw and use let's say 12 of your points for X5B and then next year you'll still have 6pts available to use. Had you hunted X5B when you had 11 points, you would still be at 6pts after a total of 18yrs so it doesn't give any advantage I can see. It just allows the max guys an opportunity to bow out and maybe get 2 consecutive X zone hunts after 20yrs of waiting. I don't know, may be this pandemic has allowed me to over think things..? Curious to hear what others think (about the PP topic).
 
OK, i'm coming in from left field on this but it brought up something i've thought alot about and I think it's a good idea..just curious what you guys think. What if DFW allowed applicants to enter the number of point they wanted to use, up to their current max. If a guy has been waiting 18yrs to hunt G3 and it's no longer the hunt you expected, then why not enter the draw and use let's say 12 of your points for X5B and then next year you'll still have 6pts available to use. Had you hunted X5B when you had 11 points, you would still be at 6pts after a total of 18yrs so it doesn't give any advantage I can see. It just allows the max guys an opportunity to bow out and maybe get 2 consecutive X zone hunts after 20yrs of waiting. I don't know, may be this pandemic has allowed me to over think things..? Curious to hear what others think (about the PP topic).
Ahhh the infamous point banking. They tried that one year in CO and abandoned it. If I remember right the main complaint was that it would cause major point creep for the next tier of hunts...

Horniac
 
My dad and I took advantage of the opportunity in Colorado the year they had the program. I like the concept but it did fall out of flavor fast. I would certainly consider it again given the right circumstances.
 
OK, i'm coming in from left field on this but it brought up something i've thought alot about and I think it's a good idea..just curious what you guys think. What if DFW allowed applicants to enter the number of point they wanted to use, up to their current max. If a guy has been waiting 18yrs to hunt G3 and it's no longer the hunt you expected, then why not enter the draw and use let's say 12 of your points for X5B and then next year you'll still have 6pts available to use. Had you hunted X5B when you had 11 points, you would still be at 6pts after a total of 18yrs so it doesn't give any advantage I can see. It just allows the max guys an opportunity to bow out and maybe get 2 consecutive X zone hunts after 20yrs of waiting. I don't know, may be this pandemic has allowed me to over think things..? Curious to hear what others think (about the PP topic).
You would see point creep in x zone increase with a very slight if at all drop in high profile regions such as g3 points. Colorado did this exact idea years ago. I wouldn’t be against it even though it wouldn’t benefit me if anything it would hinder me. I personally would like to see California go to a similar draw as Nevada but neither one of our ideas are going to happen in this stuck in its ways state.
 
Wiszard,

your points gathering is smart business.

we all save for retirement? I’ve built points since 1990 in several states. 7-8 years ago I made points part of my retirement plan. Retired in December. We (my wife and I) already have 2 good tags this year. I expect at least 2 more.
But you never know when a sheep tag, or Nevada elk tag will bless you.

stick with it, and hunt with your Dad as long as you can.
 

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