permit question.

[rosscrazyelk]

I still have no clue how they run the draws.  But I am wondering how many people have been drawn for their 2nd or 3rd choices?

[Westside88]

In 2006 my dad was drawn for his third choice on an elk permit. As it turns out it was a better hunt than the first two probably would have been.

[Tbar]

I believe all applicants in a given category are assigned a number via computer draw. The applicant with the lowest number will be assigned their first choice.  As the numbers ascend the choices begin to thin and you get to second, third choices.
 You want to draw the lowest number add that will give you the best chance.
That's my understanding.

[Biggerhammer]

I drew my second choice(Observatory) for Bull Elk in 2011 with 4 points.

[bobcat]

I've drawn more second, third, and fourth choices than first choices, and that's how it should be, if you put your choices in order from most difficult to draw to easiest to draw. I usually put a nearly impossible draw as my #1 choice and then after that hunts with more reasonable odds.

[Eli346]

 I drew Toutle elk with my 2nd choice last year. That was the first time I've been drawn for anything other than multi-season elk and deer and spring bear. Oh, got a cow tag a few years ago. Forgot about that one. That was a 2 day hunt in Winston. We got into the elk and got 3 with 3 tags, 3 shots.

[billythekidrock]

I drew Toutle elk with my 2nd choice last year. That was the first time I've been drawn for anything other than multi-season elk and deer and spring bear. Oh, got a cow tag a few years ago. Forgot about that one. That was a 2 day hunt in Winston. We got into the elk and got 3 with 3 tags, 3 shots.

I drew Toutle archery last year as a second choice with 4 points. Drew several (6 or 7) elk permits over the years.

[fair-chase]

I've drawn several 3rd and 4th choice hunts that were "guaranteed" tags. None of them were much of a hunt, but they did fill the freezer. Sometimes that's enough, sometimes it leaves you wishing for more.

[bowguy]

Both my dad and I have drawn on and 1st 2nd and 3rd choices for bull tags under archery. The first time it happened we put in individual I had 4 points he had 1 (he drew a  colockum tag 3 years before and quit putting in). Our hunt choices in 2005 were :
1   2161   NANEUM C   NOT SELECTED
2   2162   QUILOMENE C   NOT SELECTED
3   2166   GOOSE PRAIRIE C   SELECTED
4   2164   PEACHES RIDGE C   NOT SELECTED
It was a complete shock when we found out that we were both selected for hunt choice 3 goose prairie. The next year we decided to put in as a group because of fear that if drawn again we would have to split time in 2 different areas trying to chase bulls. Talk about making the right move because we drew again in 2006:
1   2172   GOOSE PRAIRIE C   SELECTED
2   2173   BETHEL E   NOT SELECTED
3   2170   PEACHES RIDGE C   NOT SELECTED
4   2171   OBSERVATORY C   NOT SELECTED
The next time we drew was in 2009
1   2314   Observatory D   SELECTED
2   2312   Teanaway E   NOT SELECTED
3   2313   Peaches Ridge D   NOT SELECTED
4   2315   Goose Prairie D   NOT SELECTED
So we have gad quite a run of drawing tags hopefully we can get drawn again this year and break this drought our group has been in. Good luck to you and everyone else out there can't wait to see results