The Elk Thread

[ELKAHOLIC]

I suggested this to my wife and she said NO! Lol.. She wants to be able to see what Im spending the money on.. But luckily she is awesome and doesnt give me to much crap..

Lol after 22 years of marriage, it was my wife's idea! She said she doesn't want to even know how much I have or what I am spending! She also said it would be good for me to see how much I spend on hunting!
But...... We are also debt free and now what I used to pay on truck payments now goes into my account.

[drthornton]

I have a CC I use specifically for the draws. I pay off the non refundable and States I know I will get my refund by check. I set an alert which tells me when states like AZ, UT and NV hit my card.

Note that AZ started hitting CC last year around this time.

[ELKAHOLIC]

I have a CC I use specifically for the draws. I pay off the non refundable and States I know I will get my refund by check. I set an alert which tells me when states like AZ, UT and NV hit my card.

Note that AZ started hitting CC last year around this time.

If you don't mind. Let us know if you hear of any cc hits. That is how I found out last year.

[unclefish]

im just budgeting 1500$ a year for points/long shot tags.. The first year i will actually put in for a tag will be 2016.. I will have 4 points for elk and deer in wyoming..

Are you saying you spend $1,500 just to apply in various states and you don't get that money back?

[drthornton]

If you don't mind. Let us know if you hear of any cc hits. That is how I found out last year.

Will do.

The units I applied for are basically 0% since tags have not escaped the Bonus Pass in the past 5 years but there is always a chance a bunch of residents with high points applied in there. It's fun though!

[unclefish]

Is it possible to catch the point creep in some states? In Colorado there are units that I would never draw while I'm able bodied (I'm 44 now) because of point creep. Its becoming a race that cannot be won.

Between the non-refundable fees, PP costs, and point creep....I'm beginning to think that building a ton of points is totally not worth it. I could see building up a few points and hunting a decent unit every 4-5 years but can't see its worth building up 15-20 points only to have the unit I truly want to hunt still out of reach.

Any thoughts on this? What's it like in other states?

[ELKAHOLIC]

We applied for units that are not so hard to draw. After going last year, I can't wait to get back to AZ!!!! I don"t have to have the best unit, just have to be there in September.
That state gets in your blood quick! We hunted around Payson and met a lot of very nice people. It is a very cool town. I would move there in a heartbeat. I now want to take a trip there just to go 4 wheeling, lots of awesome trails and scenery there.

[ELKAHOLIC]

Is it possible to catch the point creep in some states? In Colorado there are units that I would never draw while I'm able bodied (I'm 44 now) because of point creep. Its becoming a race that cannot be won.

Between the non-refundable fees/licenses, PP costs, and point creep....I'm beginning to think that building a ton of points is totally not worth it. I could see building up a few points and hunting a decent unit every 4-5 years but can't see its worth building up 15-20 points only to have the unit I truly want to hunt still out of reach.

Any thoughts on this? What's it like in other states?

At 41 that is exactly my plan. units that take 3-5 years are perfectly fine with me. I think any one of those hunts would beat a unit in CO that takes 8-10 years. Plus the people in general and the overall experience is better IMO.

[Texans42]

I have a CC I use specifically for the draws. I pay off the non refundable and States I know I will get my refund by check. I set an alert which tells me when states like AZ, UT and NV hit my card.

Note that AZ started hitting CC last year around this time.

What I do to. NM, CO, AZ, NV and Okla. Although I opted for LO tag this year in NM.

[JTeLarkin08]

Are you saying you spend $1,500 just to apply in various states and you don't get that money back?

Yes thats what i budget for draws and raffles.. States like Arizona, Utah, and Nevada cost around 200$ each non refundable to put in for all the species and build points..

[ELKAHOLIC]

Yes thats what i budget for draws and raffles.. States like Arizona, Utah, and Nevada cost around 200$ each non refundable to put in for all the species and build points..

If you play UT right. You only have to buy the license every other year because they are good for one year from date of purchase. So buy the license and enter draw on say the 5th of the month, then the next year enter the draw on the 4th and your license is still good.

[unclefish]

If you play UT right. You only have to buy the license every other year because they are good for one year from date of purchase. So buy the license and enter draw on say the 5th of the month, then the next year enter the draw on the 4th and your license is still good.

Genius Terry!

[JTeLarkin08]

If you play UT right. You only have to buy the license every other year because they are good for one year from date of purchase. So buy the license and enter draw on say the 5th of the month, then the next year enter the draw on the 4th and your license is still good.

Ya I had read that..I am planning on that next year.. Hopefully i dont forget

[JTeLarkin08]

I think the Nevada Online applications should start soon

[drthornton]

Well, under the current draw systems you will very likely never catch the premium and ultra premium units. The only glimmer of hope is the fact that States can and do change draw systems when they get ridiculous.

Arizona is considering a change which would be implemented in 2016 which would force half the available NR tags into the 1-2 Pass of the draw. Units like 8, 9, 10, & 1 would actually be attainable by guys outside of the Max Point Pool.
At first look it sounds great but it could push AZ even higher than it already is. More to come on that.

CO is accepting ideas on what to do with their draw. There are simply too few, good limited units to cover the amount of points guys have and get. Under the current system you will never draw 2, 10 and 61 unless you are already close to max points as a NR.