Agree, if the current CWMU tag ratio was changed from its current 9:1 ratio to say a 1:1 split and Utah stopped giving 200 tags to the Hunt Expo that would put more of a dent in point creep than switching to a 60/40 split on the draw. Looking at the 2021 resident LE elk applicants last year 56,078 people applied for 2756 elk tags. 8750 where first time applicants, a big portion our kids, that might not draw an elk tag for 35 years with the current point creep.
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There is one big thing we can do to reduce the points creep but people don't care to fix it.
#1 quit hunting spikes this will fix a lot of the problems
#2 Top tier point holders get the tags none of this 50-50 or 60-40 split at all if someone turns there tags back in it goes to a secondary draw which everyone can apply unless your on the waiting period...
Back to spikes
I'm going to try and explain it how I see it
So lets do Manti as an example
Manti age objective is 5.5-6.0
If we harvest 50 spikes every year that is 50 less bulls I Guarantee this is higher.
update it shows in the annual report that 188 spikes get harvested alone on rifle and 19 during muzzleloader and 51 during archery so the total is. 258 I still think this is a lot higher...
but if we save 50 bulls every year and x that by 5.5 age objective =275 more tags that could get allocated out in 5.5 years.
I know this isn't accurate by any means but i just wanted to show this
Now take 275 and x it by the remaining 29 LE units and the total is 7,975 more tags available to our LE hunters.
We currently offer 2,756 tags now if you add the 7,975 to that the total is 10,731 its pretty easy to get rid of points creep.. no more 5 year waiting period and no more waiting 20 plus years to draw a tag.
Utah can grow elk we just struggle with deer....