Oregon controlled buck tag

[Irish_hunter93]

How bad are the hoops to jump through to get this tag? It seems pretty straight forward from what I understand. Pick 5 units to apply for, send in the application, hope you get drawn, and then if you do, buy your out of state license and buck tag. Am I missing anything? Hoping to do this so I can hunt around the family ranch in adel. I'm sure someone's done this process before. Kind of getting jumbled up with my steps or maybe I'm over thinking it. Clarification is appreciated. Thanks!

[bobcat]

You must buy the hunting license first, which is around $150. You really only pick one hunt, since the first choice is the only one that counts, unless you pick an undersubscribed unit for your second choice. Otherwise, that's about right. It may take a few years to draw, depending on the unit. If it's a unit that's mostly private land, you might draw it your first try with zero points. But most take at least one point.

[B.G.hunter]

You must buy the hunting license first, which is around $150. You really only pick one hunt, since the first choice is the only one that counts, unless you pick an undersubscribed unit for your second choice. Otherwise, that's about right. It may take a few years to draw, depending on the unit. If it's a unit that's mostly private land, you might draw it your first try with zero points. But most take at least one point.

What really sucks about Oregon is the fact that they have a very low 5% cap on non-resident tags.  What a resident may draw with 1 or 2 points may take a non-resident 4 or 5 points.  The 2nd-5th selection on the draw is for 25% of the tags (and a random draw), 75% of the tags go to the highest point applicants.  If the non-resident quota is filled in the 75% you have no chances of drawing in the random draw portion. 

[soccerguy]

You must buy the hunting license first, which is around $150. You really only pick one hunt, since the first choice is the only one that counts, unless you pick an undersubscribed unit for your second choice. Otherwise, that's about right. It may take a few years to draw, depending on the unit. If it's a unit that's mostly private land, you might draw it your first try with zero points. But most take at least one point.

What really sucks about Oregon is the fact that they have a very low 5% cap on non-resident tags.  What a resident may draw with 1 or 2 points may take a non-resident 4 or 5 points.  The 2nd-5th selection on the draw is for 25% of the tags (and a random draw), 75% of the tags go to the highest point applicants.  If the non-resident quota is filled in the 75% you have no chances of drawing in the random draw portion.

Which are virtually 100% of the good hunts

[bobcat]

BGhunter- that's not quite how it works. The first choice also can be drawn from the 25% random pool. They look at all applicant's first choices first. Only after they have gone through all applicants do they look at the second choices. So you will draw a second choice only if there are more tags than first choice applicants. That's why I said it's really only the first choice that counts.

[hogsniper]

Oregon is a tricky state for non-resident hunters. I would suggest bow hunting.   OTC tags and lots of deer compared to Washington.   

[Bigshooter]

Bobcat pretty much summed it up.

[vandeman17]

Oregon is a tricky state for non-resident hunters. I would suggest bow hunting.   OTC tags and lots of deer compared to Washington.

Learned this last year and 100% agree. Oregon seems to be pretty friendly to the bowhunter

[Irish_hunter93]

Well I applied for my tag, got my choices nailed down, fingers crossed but I'm not holding my breath. Who knows maybe I'll get lucky.  Put in for north warner, south warner, beattys butte, and interstate. Hoping something good can come out of that!

[Bigshooter]

Well I applied for my tag, got my choices nailed down, fingers crossed but I'm not holding my breath. Who knows maybe I'll get lucky.  Put in for north warner, south warner, beattys butte, and interstate. Hoping something good can come out of that!

You will draw none of those tags.

[Bigshooter]

You want to learn about OR check out this site.

https://sites.google.com/site/oregontags/

[bobcat]

Are you just wanting to build up points, or do you actually want to hunt this year? Because like Bigshooter said, you won't draw any of those.

You put North Warner as your first choice (which as I said before, is really your only choice, because you can't draw 2nd, 3rd, and 4th choices unless they are undersubscribed) but it only has 1 tag available for non-residents. If you had 16 points, you'd have a chance at it.

Your best bet with those as your choices, if you want a chance to draw this year, is put Interstate as your 1st choice. You could get lucky and draw out of the 25% random pool. There's really no need to put down anything other than a 1st choice.

[go4steelhd]

You will not draw the interstate unit out of the 25% pool either, unless the odds change from last year. The non resident quota gets filled off of preference points first. The only way you will ever draw out of the 25% pool is if there are more tags than non resident hunters with any preference  points left in the quota. So just for example if there is 10 tags that can go to a non resident and there are 10 non residents with one point in the draw you have zero chance in the 25% pool because the quota has already been met. So if you find a hunt that has 10 tags that could go to a non resident and only 7 non residents have preference points in that draw 3 non residents could draw in the 25% pool. Also when looking at the odds remember that outfitters get up to half the non resident quota before the draw even happens!!!

[nwhunter]

Hate to see anyone get sucked into the Oregon points game especially if you dont understand how it really works. Really do your research and know what you want to draw before you start because it can take a really long time, it ever, and get really expensive. There are defenitley better states to spend ten plus years of time and money applying for that are more nonres friendly with their quotas. There are some good sources of info online that give you the true odds of drawing so dont just go off of the state info that make you think you have a chance at tags that you really cant draw in likely your lifetime! Wish I had never started!!! nwhunter

[MtnMuley]

You will not draw the interstate unit out of the 25% pool either, unless the odds change from last year. The non resident quota gets filled off of preference points first. The only way you will ever draw out of the 25% pool is if there are more tags than non resident hunters with any preference  points left in the quota. So just for example if there is 10 tags that can go to a non resident and there are 10 non residents with one point in the draw you have zero chance in the 25% pool because the quota has already been met. So if you find a hunt that has 10 tags that could go to a non resident and only 7 non residents have preference points in that draw 3 non residents could draw in the 25% pool. Also when looking at the odds remember that outfitters get up to half the non resident quota before the draw even happens!!!

Hate to see anyone get sucked into the Oregon points game especially if you dont understand how it really works. Really do your research and know what you want to draw before you start because it can take a really long time, it ever, and get really expensive. There are defenitley better states to spend ten plus years of time and money applying for that are more nonres friendly with their quotas. There are some good sources of info online that give you the true odds of drawing so dont just go off of the state info that make you think you have a chance at tags that you really cant draw in likely your lifetime! Wish I had never started!!! nwhunter

Bingo

[blackveltbowhunter]

NW hit the nail on the head. I hunt oregon every year on a bow tag, but still do not apply for limited entry tags. Its mostly a mental thing and I simply dont want to get "tied" into that state. If your looking for a rifle buck hunt, several other states offer better odds, cheaper tags and better hunting.

[Opportunist]

Solid advice about controlled hunt draws in Oregon and Bobcat explained it to a T.

The only thing I might add is if the unit reaches the 5% non-resident tag cap historically then there is no chance for the 25% random draw because the 75% drawing is done first and your bumped out with the cap on that drawing. Oregons draw is as clear as mud in the regs, but once you figure it out, it is actually one of my favorite of the different states draw/points system.

 I've burned up most of my points in Oregon and now I target deer and elk rifle units that only take 1-2 points to draw and put in for the sheep hunts. I love hunting in Oregon even as bad as they bend over non-residents in costs and tag allocation, I've been hunting over there since I was a little kid and will probably continue to into the future. I have many friends who are in no-mans land with 10-12 points for deer and elk and are trying to find a hunt to go on, so they can burn their points and get out of the game. Since 2010 which was the big nonresident price increase the harder to draw units became harder to draw (as guys burn their point saver points) and the easy to draw unit became the same draw odds as residents (as guys don't want to spend the money on perceived lower quality units.) Each year Oregon continues to lose non-resident hunters as they use their points up, not a good way to manage their budget, but that is exactly what the Oregon resident hunters want.

[bobcat]

I haven't been applying in Oregon since the price went up, but I do still have 4 deer points I will try to use someday. And I have 12 antelope points, which is enough for a couple units and nearly enough for many others, so I will be using those as well in the near future. I may try to use the deer points and the antelope points the same year so I only have to buy the license once, and may not hunt Oregon again.

[Irish_hunter93]

Well thanks for the tips guys. Not holding my breath for the Oregon hunt at all. I have other areas to hunt if I do not draw. Hey you never know stranger things have happened..

[hogsniper]

Oregon is HORRIBLE! LMAO   Most underrated state out there! 

[salmonchaser]

Quiet, you don't want those pesky non residents getting a tag or two.

[hogsniper]

Hahaha!   Don't worry they already got it all figured out.    But for reals, a state where as a resident I pay $160 and can hunt and fish everything.  As a non resident you can do the same for about a $1000 and hunt branch bulls and bucks.   In Washington I spent about 1300 last year and they will let me shoot a spike with CROWDs of other hunters.  Uh no thanks!  Suckers got me since I have 16 points but once I cash a few in Im done up there.   

[Opportunist]

If I didn't live in Washington there is no way I would spend a dime in this state, this state screws non-residents in cost. $110 per application per species for non-residents is ridiculous let alone having to purchase the tags upfront. But the way it works in most of  the states it's the resident hunters who have the voice in their state. I just as soon Washington lowered the cost tag/application fees to entice non-resident hunters to hunt here and possibly plateau our resident costs to hunt/fish. But it won't happen and I'll probably get flamed for saying this. I have spoken with Dave Ware a few years ago about this and of course was told that is not the direction the game department is heading.  Flame on, don't care, just my opinion.