So what are we applying for?

New Mexico
Sheep (all 3)
elk
antelope
mule deer
ibex
oryx

Wyoming
antelope
goat
cow elk

Idaho
antelope

Arizona
points

Utah
elk
deer
antelope
sheep
goat
moose
bison

The only thing I know I will draw will be antelope in Wyoming.

food stamps

I'm too lazy to do the math, nor do I want to try. Just out of curiosity, what is a ballpark figure of the upfront costs of these applications. BWW, hoping you will chime in.

Non resident antelope, cow elk, doe deer, doe pronghorn and mountain goat in Wyoming is $3850 for what I have maybe almost $900.

Utah is I think $100, plus 15 or 20 per application or point. Plus tags if you draw.

Arizona is $160 plus 15 or 20 per application or point. Plus tags if you draw.

New Mexico for me is $500 as a veteran. I think it would be $1000 as a resident non-veteran or close to it. They are really good about refunds though. I am also in two special pools for elk, deer, antelope and oryx the Mobility impaired group and the Iraq/Afghanistan Veteran group so my draw odds for those species are 25%

I think Idaho is $160 plus $450 ish for antelope.

I have points in Wyoming, Montana, Utah and Arizona.

New Mexico and Idaho don't have points.

Montana I will apply for antelope. I think this is about $400 up front.

So about $5500 ish all in. I'll end up with a total actual expense of $500-900 when I get my refunds in Utah, Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico and Montana paying for my Wyoming antelope tag and hunting licenses and application fees in all 5 states.

I usually apply for some state raffles too. Texas, Arizona, Montana, Wyoming and others. Odds suck, but they are really cheap as long as you only buy one.

I bought points in Arizona instead for antelope and elk instead of cashing in on a military tag program at one of the bases there. Just too many irons in the fire this year.

2023 I am going to start doing a guided hunt every year. Not sure what yet, either a moose hunt in Alberta, BC or Saskatchewan or a Namibia or Botswana plainsgame hunt. I have never hunted moose, and I haven't been to Africa hunting so I want to do something. Lots of things I haven't killed, so pretty wide open.

My odds on most of my applications are 1-15% I just don't have the points.

We are moving in a month, so finances will dictate what I actually end up doing. I have Wyoming elk application in, and I am done with Arizona for points. Utah might just end up being points, I had to renew my license last week.

Wow. Good luck with your draw.

I stopped chasing tags, points and applications years ago except for guaranteed draws.. I simply can't handle the short notice (less than a year) planning for major hunting trips. I generally have hunts booked several years in advance and suddenly drawing a tag could screw up everything..

It has become big business with all the application services and the realized revenue the states get from applications...

Total draw cost for what I do net at the end of the season is about $500-900.

Points programs for sheep, moose, goat I am too late to get into. Or was in and stopped because at 46 I will never draw them that way.

I don't smoke, drink alcahol but once or twice a year, don't drink $5 coffees, go to the strip club or anything else that eats money. The only thing I drink is tea and coffee that I brew and water.

We are finally moving to our forever place , so I will be able to plan our lives a little better, but I have been very transitional living all over the globe and all over the USA since 1993. 20 year military career spurred it along and trying to rise the federal soup ladder has kept it going.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:
Total draw cost for what I do net at the end of the season is about $500-900.

Points programs for sheep, moose, goat I am too late to get into. Or was in and stopped because at 46 I will never draw them that way.

I don't smoke, drink alcahol but once or twice a year, don't drink $5 coffees, go to the strip club or anything else that eats money. The only thing I drink is tea and coffee that I brew and water.

We are finally moving to our forever place , so I will be able to plan our lives a little better, but I have been very transitional living all over the globe and all over the USA since 1993. 20 year military career spurred it along and trying to rise the federal soup ladder has kept it going.

I feel for you dude.. We moved constantly for 20 years as well both being active duty! Actually next week will mark 40 years since I enlisted in the USAF UGH!!

It was nice to finally settle down in one place.. One thing you will soon realize - that is how much junk you accumulate when you aren't moving every 2 or 3 years LOL!!!!

I have reached a point where I always use an outfitter/guide and hunt private land with landowner tags if needed..

I have not been impressed with most USA "guides" but for me they are being compared to African PHs and European guides. So I am very careful with who I book with - been burned more than once with USA guides...

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:


I don't smoke, drink alcahol but once or twice a year, don't drink $5 coffees, go to the strip club or anything else that eats money. The only thing I drink is tea and coffee that I brew and water.

Man, I can see giving up most of that stuff, but strip clubs too??

Curious; why do you apply for points only in AZ?

I think we will just stick with NM this year. My son and I will apply for all eight species (elk, pronghorn, deer, ibex, oryx, bighorn sheep, Barbary sheep, and javelina). My oldest, who is now in college, has to be more selective due to her schedule, so she will likely only apply for oryx and antelope this year (maybe Barbary sheep). My youngest will try for elk, pronghorn, oryx, javelina, and probably bighorn sheep. The wife will go in for elk, oryx, and pronghorn. All in it will cost about 3 grand, but most will be refunded and I'll get 30 bucks worth of Cabela's points.

We may slip over to Texas to shoot a whitetail doe or hog on a buddy's place.

I will buy points in WY for pronghorn and elk for four of us. If the NM draw is particularly unkind, we may even try to cash in the pronghorn points this year.

The only out of state tag I'll apply for is WY antelope. We (group application) should have drawn last year but WY reduced the number of tags & we were just below the cut.

The big hunt this year is that Spanish Ibex hunt that I was lucky enough to win here on AR.

I get plenty of hunting here in CO. Plus there is the 2 weeks in AK salmon fishing every July

I am in a bit of a dilemma- a good dilemma!

I believe that I will draw a desert sheep tag and therefore, will likely just buy points this year (I might apply for a couple of tough to draw hunts). Here are the states me and my son will likely apply for:

Utah- Sheep, Elk, Deer (maybe a general elk tag)
Idaho- Deer, elk, antelope
Wyoming- Deer, elk, antelope
New Mexico- not sure which species we will apply for.
Arizona- Likely deer and elk, maybe more

We are thinking about starting in Montana, but not sure.

We have a lot of points in Wyoming and will start cashing them in.

quote:

Originally posted by Outdoor Writer

Man, I can see giving up most of that stuff, but strip clubs too??

Curious; why do you apply for points only in AZ?[/QUOTE]

Hookers and cocaine are just too expensive, inflation I tell you!

Points only in Arizona because I can hunt hunt both military bases and draw pretty much whenever I want to for coues, javelina and elk. Arizona applications for elk are due before New Mexico. If I drew a Gila or 34 tag, I wouldn't want to have drawn on Camp Navajo because of double travel and time off work.

I have enough points. Sheep and bison because the points are cheap and I am only 5 or 6 points in. So I am in the .03 percentage. I need to do the math before I buy sheep and bison points for the year to see if I can even physically draw. I know I'll never have a guaranteed draw for either one.

quote:

Originally posted by Big Wonderful Wyoming:

Hookers and cocaine are just too expensive, inflation I tell you!

Points only in Arizona because I can hunt hunt both military bases and draw pretty much whenever I want to for coues, javelina and elk. Arizona applications for elk are due before New Mexico. If I drew a Gila or 34 tag, I wouldn't want to have drawn on Camp Navajo because of double travel and time off work.

I have enough points. Sheep and bison because the points are cheap and I am only 5 or 6 points in. So I am in the .03 percentage. I need to do the math before I buy sheep and bison points for the year to see if I can even physically draw. I know I'll never have a guaranteed draw for either one.

Understand. But if it was me, in some cases I would be applying for the top tier hunts that provide even a remote chance to draw. That's especially true for elk. Just pick the same hunt # for 1st & 2nd choice & apply. Not drawn -- you still get your bonus point.

Kansas for deer.

Will be hunting Kansas (hopefully) and South Carolina.

Want to hunt Mule Deer but need to find a guide ect.

Mike

We've got trips to Ireland and Portugal this spring as well as plans to move across country for retirement so I only put in for Antelope in Wyoming. We didn't apply in 2020 because half of our group didn't want to travel during Covid and last year didn't get drawn. This year we have 5 points so we should be good.

I haven't told Wifezilla about it yet.

CA - everything
NV - Deer, Pronghorn (drew sheep and elk recently)
UT - Sheep, Deer, Elk, Moose, Pronghorn
AZ - Sheep, Deer, Elk, Pringhorn
OR - Sheep
ID - Sheep
MT - Sheep
WA - Sheep
CO - Sheep, Deer pts, Elk pts
WY - Sheep, Deer, Pronghorn, Elk pts
NM - Sheep, Deer, Elk, maybe Ibex

After required licenses, cost of points, and refunds, I'm probably in about $1500 a year on applications.

I still need my rocky mtn bighorn so I'll play the game for a while. Never thought I would draw desert sheep and got lucky in 2019 and two top-tier elk hunts in 2019 and 2020. So things have been paying off in recent years.
Sitting on a pile of points in most states. The only one I'm fairly certain I will draw soon is WY pronghorn.

quote:

Originally posted by Fjold:
We've got trips to Ireland and Portugal this spring as well as plans to move across country for retirement so I only put in for Antelope in Wyoming. We didn't apply in 2020 because half of our group didn't want to travel during Covid and last year didn't get drawn. This year we have 5 points so we should be good.

I haven't told Wifezilla about it yet.

Last year we had seven for WY antelop and got nothing.