15 Year Elk Plan

[CiK]

I have a limited rifle hunt question.....

I got in late to the western hunting game. I am going to start buying points this year for limited hunts. With my age (42), I think 15 years is a realistic number for me to target in points before I cash them in on a hunt.

With that information, which of states would you recommend targeting?

Thanks for the help.

[Indian Summer]

Not Montana because regardless of how many points you have there are never any guarantees.

Max points in Wyoming is about 10 right now so that is a very good one. 15 years worth of points in Utah will get you good odds on a heck of a hunt. No doubt Colorado is worth racking up points for. I'm not up on the Arizona system but I know it's a state well worth planning ahead for.

Good luck and welcome to Elknut... er um, Wapiti Talk Forums!

[CiK]

Good luck and welcome to Elknut... er um, Wapiti Talk Forums!

Thanks! And to be clear, I plan on doing OTC archery hunts in Colorado, Idaho or Montana until that 15 year mark. Just looking for a state to target 15 years out in rifle.

[saddlesore]

I do believe that in 15 years, Colorado is going to revise the point system . Too many hunters with a bunch of points is cutting an entire generation out of drawing trophy bull elk unit , sheep goat, moose, etc. It took me 21 years to draw a Unit 201 tag and this past year, I drew a cow moose tag after 16 years.

By the time you have 15 points, which is in no man's land in terms of drawing a great area, that area is going to need 25-30 points and I don't think CO is going to let that happen.
I don't have a good answer, but would do a lot or research and look for areas that only need 5-7 points.

[CiK]

I do believe that in 15 years, Colorado is going to revise the point system . Too many hunters with a bunch of points is cutting an entire generation out of drawing trophy bull elk unit , sheep goat, moose, etc. It took me 21 years to draw a Unit 201 tag and this past year, I drew a cow moose tag after 16 years.

By the time you have 15 points, which is in no man's land in terms of drawing a great area, that area is going to need 25-30 points and I don't think CO is going to let that happen.
I don't have a good answer, but would do a lot or research and look for areas that only need 5-7 points.

I appreciate the perspective. I have been thinking about this now for a few years, but I never researched it. Now that I am researching it, my head is spinning. Its a lot to take in.

I am just trying to formulate a plan for myself and my wife (who wants to "hunt" when the kids are grown) that makes sense and takes us into retirement and beyond. For us, I am not sure if it makes sense to include states past the initial Rocky Mountain states. I believe we want to keep Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico (hard to draw) in play. Not sure if I would pass up those states for any of the others further west.

We aren't looking for trophy hunts per se, we just want to get into some game and harvest a few for the freezer from time to time. Hunting for the experience.......not so much the horns. Just thought earning points somewhere would give us something to look forward to.

[Indian Summer]

I was wondering what your goals were. You can do that on general licenses with no points. That would be a good idea anyway. You wouldn't want to rack up a bunch of points and then go burn them with no elk hunting experience. Keep buying those guaranteed general licenses in Montana and Wyoming while you buy points for areas where life is a little easier.

[otcWill]

15 years will do you some good in a few states. AZ is a great candidate for long term plans. I'd also apply for NM every year if I were you. Likely you'll draw a decent unit 2-5 times in that time or a really good unit once. As for the most popular elk states, WY, CO, and MT; INFORMATION > POINTS! Learning a unit or having some good intel passed on is far more valuable than any number of points IMO. By the time you've put in 15 years in an otc unit you'll be dang near as likely to kill 300+" bulls there than almost anywhere else. There are also a ton of good 0-2 pt units in CO. In WY I chased points for a few years until we started seeing and killing some bulls over 350" in a general unit. That'll do for me. I think too many guys believe that points will buy them a great hunt and from what I've seen, particularly in CO and WY, that just ain't true. The good news is that you don't have to wait 15 years for a great hunt. Simply do the research, ask for help from anyone you respect, and go hunt. Good luck!

[Indian Summer]

15 years will do you some good in a few states. AZ is a great candidate for long term plans. I'd also apply for NM every year if I were you. Likely you'll draw a decent unit 2-5 times in that time or a really good unit once. As for the most popular elk states, WY, CO, and MT; INFORMATION > POINTS! Learning a unit or having some good intel passed on is far more valuable than any number of points IMO. By the time you've put in 15 years in an otc unit you'll be dang near as likely to kill 300+" bulls there than almost anywhere else. There are also a ton of good 0-2 pt units in CO. In WY I chased points for a few years until we started seeing and killing some bulls over 350" in a general unit. That'll do for me. I think too many guys believe that points will buy them a great hunt and from what I've seen, particularly in CO and WY, that just ain't true. The good news is that you don't have to wait 15 years for a great hunt. Simply do the research, ask for help from anyone you respect, and go hunt. Good luck!

^^^What he said^^^


I totally agree that the quality of hunting on general licenses is underestimated and the quality of hunting in a draw area is overestimated. You heard what the man said... how many people thought bulls to 350 were possible on an easy to get general tag on a DIY public land hunt? There are 400 inchers running around too and a few of them drop down to the National Elk Refuge every year.

In 2013 just before the spot where we turn off the main road to begin climbing to a trailhead there was a bull standing on a small chunk of private property that went 370. Lots of people saw it and were talking about it in camp. I knew of a couple guys who had been hunting a 380 bull in that area for several years. All of the places I hunt every year have the potential for at least a 320 bull or I wouldn't be hunting there. They aren't ghosts either. I see the big boys every year. I think about them all winter long and about how I plan to be on them next year. That's one thing you can't do with a draw permit.... hunt an area where you have experience and at least some idea of what's going on.

[CiK]

Guys,
Many thanks for your replies. I am very appreciative. I am not looking to conquer the elk world, I just want to put myself (wife and kids too someday) in positions to see them. From what you guys are saying, it sounds like the only thing a draw unit really gives me is a little bit of solitude from the crowd. I am quite certain a 300" OTC/General Unit bull is going to be a giant to me....after a half dozen cows.

Tony

[Fridaythe13th]

I do believe that in 15 years, Colorado is going to revise the point system

Do you really think CO well change 20 PP X $50 a pop $1000 for basically doing nothing that is good money for the state. I'm going to burn my point next year on a muzzle loader tag and be done with CO elk. I still have 9 PP for a mule deer tag but don't have a clue where to go, but I have preference

[Old school]

Eric - I'm with you on the Colorado deal. I've got 10PP for elk and 7 for deer right now. Completely undecided what to do at this point. Back when I started, I wanted to do a unit 61 elk hunt. I still want to do it, but unless something changes, I'll never catch the point creep. I believe it took 11 points back when I started - it takes 18 now. So I've basically gained 3 points in 10 years... Thinking about burning them on a lesser unit, but about the time I do that, they will change the rules and I'll be kicking myself.

--Mitch

[Hill Hunter]

I'm applying for AZ, NV, WY, CO and UT presently. I'm most excited about AZ and NV, though you lose most of your money when you don't draw or only purchase a point, but there is a chance to draw each time you apply the way their point system works. Also, in NV for example.....if you draw a bull tag, you cannot get a bull tag again for 5 years. If you draw a bull tag and take a bull, you cannot get a bull tag there for 10 years....seems like that will keep bumping the ppl lucky enough to draw back down to the bottom and give others a chance...

[Lefty]

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Start killing my Idaho elk most years and in three to 5 years start applying for rifle elk in Montana, the draw odds are good where I plan to hunt.
Heck maybe even move to Montana after retirement

[saddlesore]

Colorado now has that Hybrid draw where they are taking tags out of the general drawing for a few guys that have less points. It is definitely a long shot, but it happens. Every meeting I go to there is continual head scratching about what to do with the point system because of the continual creep.

I did the dance for 22 years or so for Unit 201 and when I started you only needed about 10 points to draw that area. I drew in 2007 and have never tried to accumulate points since then. I elk hunted elk every year that I was applying for those 2 points and now I hunt two elk seasons each year with an "A" and a "B" tag. I have been very successful every year killing both bulls and cows, although not humogus bull.s

[Texasdan]

Be sure you have money in the bank.

It's something like 21k on a credit card in the peak of all these point and tag applications.

I've spent a lot of time studying this and trying to come up with a cohesive plan especially while I live abroad.

See what your tolerance is for money outlay and waiting and then go from there.