Public Hunting Draw Texas

[sqiggy]

Ok first time ignorance, what is standby and how does it work you just show up with the money and say I'm ready if bob smith doesn't show ?

Stand-by is when drawn hunters didn't send in their payment. Then that spot or spots are open.
If I go as a stand-by, I always call the place a couple days before the hunt. Every place I have called, told me if they had spots open or not.
I hunted one place 3 yrs in a row as a stand-by, since it was only 45 min from the house.
In one of those years, they had one stand-by more than they had spots. Instead of sending one guy home, they opened up a stand they hadn't planned on huntin and we all got to hunt!!!

[big chris]

This sounds cool if its close by what's the harm right

[Cuz]

This sounds cool if its close by what's the harm right

I've met the same older, retired couple at a couple different draw hunts. They start traveling beging of the gun hunts, in their RV, and go draw hunt to draw hunt looking for standbys. They told me they never apply, they just do stand-bys and stay busy all hunting season. Pretty cool if you ask me.

[Etxbuckman]

I swear there could be 100 applicants for 99 permits somewhere and I'd be the one staying at home. My groups put in for almost 30 hunts over 9 years and been drawn once. This is frustrating...

[denowt]

Ok first time ignorance, what is standby and how does it work you just show up with the money and say I'm ready if bob smith doesn't show ?

Pretty much.
Some, not all, WMAs will always do at least 1 standby card.
Others decide they need more animals killed because of drought or better than expected fawn crop, etc. so they will allow more standby spots.

This sounds cool if its close by what's the harm right

If it's close by and/or your job is flexible, it's great.

[Falling]

Dang 0/3 so far.

[Flecha Fresca]

Just called automated pp#.
archery deer-strike 1
archery exotic-strike 2
crossbow-strike 3
gun pronghorn- strike 4
still got; exotic gun, gun anterless or spike, and gun either sex. Drew the chap archery last year with 6 pp and hill country natural area outside bandera for gun deer year before with 4 pp. Had bout 150 b&c buck coming in but javy ran him off last yr at chap. Passed on 125/130 8 pointer on 1st day n 2nd day.Same deer. One guy had 170 plus deer walk out 5 yards from his double bull blind n look inside blind n run off. He was on suicide watch rest of hunt.

[johnboy33]

Richland Creek for me!

[257]

Mason Mountain archery for me!

[Lethal Injection]

I swear there could be 100 applicants for 99 permits somewhere and I'd be the one staying at home. My groups put in for almost 30 hunts over 9 years and been drawn once. This is frustrating...

I feel your pain, been applying for over 14 yrs and drawn twice. Was drawn for a gator hunt at Sea Rim and did not get a lizard, the second and last time was about 8 yrs ago for the Chapparal Archery hunt.

[DesertDug]

first yr archery and no beginners luck, shucks and good luck to all who draw.

[Falling]

I swear there could be 100 applicants for 99 permits somewhere and I'd be the one staying at home. My groups put in for almost 30 hunts over 9 years and been drawn once. This is frustrating...

I think you have a lot better odds if you don't go in as a big group.

you have two factors going against you as a big group.
1) your average is diminished by the new guys, so the more new guys in the group the lower your probability.

Each person has their own Pref Points, but in a group your points are averaged.

example:
Person A--> has 9 pref points
Person B--> has 1 pref points

Total tickets entered for GROUP -> (9+1) / 2 = 5 tickets entered for this group.
where if Person A had entered by himself he would of had 9 tickets entered.

2) once the draw gets to a certain number, no way big groups can win anymore, but 1 man, and two man groups can still win. Thus even if your odds are outstanding a lower odd person can win out since your group size is too big for the spots that are left.

But in the long run your groups should still win, just worst odds is all.
--assuming it's the same guys entering with you the last nine years, you should have just the second factor lowering your odds, but if instead you keep getting new guys with 1 pref point, then you have both factors against your group.

Solo hunters have the best odds since often there is only 1 spot left in a draw, and that eliminates all but the solo hunters who entered.

I could be wrong too, just what I understand from the information they have given me over the phone. I'm one of the new guys lowering my uncle's odds as well hah...he took like 20-40 percent probability cuts so we could be on the same group.

The best approach i think, is when you 0 out (win a draw) find out if people want to start entering as a group the next year, and then stick to it, so you all have the same Pref Points. Then you only have the second factor of space left going against your group, after all it is more fun to hunt as a group.

[grizzman]

Yeah, I apply for the archery hunts by myself. Some of the gun hunts I put my BIL in with me, and this year I put my son in on a couple, in addition to the youth hunts. I think the smaller numbers have helped me draw ten hunts in ten years.

[topher5999]

I think you have a lot better odds if you don't go in as a big group.

you have two factors going against you as a big group.
1) your average is diminished by the new guys, so the more new guys in the group the lower your probability.

Each person has their own Pref Points, but in a group your points are averaged.

example:
Person A--> has 9 pref points
Person B--> has 1 pref points

Total tickets entered for GROUP -> (9+1) / 2 = 5 tickets entered for this group.
where if Person A had entered by himself he would of had 9 tickets entered.

2) once the draw gets to a certain number, no way big groups can win anymore, but 1 man, and two man groups can still win. Thus even if your odds are outstanding a lower odd person can win out since your group size is too big for the spots that are left.

But in the long run your groups should still win, just worst odds is all.
--assuming it's the same guys entering with you the last nine years, you should have just the second factor lowering your odds, but if instead you keep getting new guys with 1 pref point, then you have both factors against your group.

Solo hunters have the best odds since often there is only 1 spot left in a draw, and that eliminates all but the solo hunters who entered.

I could be wrong too, just what I understand from the information they have given me over the phone. I'm one of the new guys lowering my uncle's odds as well hah...he took like 20-40 percent probability cuts so we could be on the same group.

The best approach i think, is when you 0 out (win a draw) find out if people want to start entering as a group the next year, and then stick to it, so you all have the same Pref Points. Then you only have the second factor of space left going against your group, after all it is more fun to hunt as a group.

If the hunt is done by assigned blind then maybe the group thing is true, but if the hunt is done by compartment then it does not matter if your group has one or 4 they draw one card per compartment. If that card has one hunter then only one hunter hunts that compartment, if that card has 4 hunters then 4 hunters hunt that compartment. Has nothing to do with group size. Like I said this theory may be true from assigned blind hunts I have no clue. I have entered 5 years in a row with no luck and only 2 on my card every year. But I also have crappy luck to so who knows LOL !!!!!

[Bilbo]

If the hunt is done by assigned blind then maybe the group thing is true, but if the hunt is done by compartment then it does not matter if your group has one or 4 they draw one card per compartment. If that card has one hunter then only one hunter hunts that compartment, if that card has 4 hunters then 4 hunters hunt that compartment. Has nothing to do with group size. Like I said this theory may be true from assigned blind hunts I have no clue. I have entered 5 years in a row with no luck and only 2 on my card every year. But I also have crappy luck to so who knows LOL !!!!!

It has more to do with the number of permits than whether its by compartment or assigned blind. The computer draws at random and if there's 20 permits available and towards the end 18 have been taken, guess what? If the next app drawn is a group size larger than 2, it won't take it. The other guy is right.

I've always applied alone and usually draw at least one hunt, sometimes two a year.