Blues or Nooksack with your Quality Points?

[3nails]

 Two quick points. The Nooksack herd are NOT Roosevelts! All of the transplanted elk were Rockies. Also, even with max points the odds are against you from ever drawing this tag in your lifetime. That being said, I drew it in 09' with 4 pts. 

[willapawapiti]

There was a guy a couple years ago that helped figure out some drawing odds, can't remember who.  I think it worked out that even with my 37 points I only had like a 50% chance of drawing that year.  I passed on a couple "smaller" bulls (still big to this wetsider  ) the first couple days, then the snow hit.  Alot of snow!  The elk disappeared, I spent the rest of the week in desperation. My prescouting trips had plenty of bulls, but I wasn't ready for the snow, local knowledge woulda been key at that point.  I saw one spike the last day, ate my tag.  Fun hunt but not the ending I was hoping for with my 37 pts lol!

[cryder]

Blues or Nook , physical abilities ,odds, permits, terains,saveing , gambling, what the H  E double hockey sticks ? After 35 years of hunting elk , Ive never seen more reasons for people to not get out of there regular peramiters ,like the gym or the horse track or where ever this terrain place is found.It really just comes down to life as usual take the yearly hand you are dealt quit worrying and wineing about what you didn't get and prove you are a hunter , wich by the way is 80% shoulders up for you heemen .

[Wea300mag]

Over the last several years I have been going back and forth between the areas with no draw success. I like the idea of hunting out my backdoor but, as some have said, the "Quality" has been on a slow decline since they started giving out permits. A 320 is a great bull in the Nooksack these days. I'm still on the fence myself for this year. I will have 20 pts this year for both Quality & Bull Elk as well as several other species.

[trophyhunt]

There was a guy a couple years ago that helped figure out some drawing odds, can't remember who.  I think it worked out that even with my 37 points I only had like a 50% chance of drawing that year.  I passed on a couple "smaller" bulls (still big to this wetsider  ) the first couple days, then the snow hit.  Alot of snow!  The elk disappeared, I spent the rest of the week in desperation. My prescouting trips had plenty of bulls, but I wasn't ready for the snow, local knowledge woulda been key at that point.  I saw one spike the last day, ate my tag.  Fun hunt but not the ending I was hoping for with my 37 pts lol!

Ouch, 37 points and ate the tag. That hurts, sorry to hear that even if 20 points were given to you.  I would think with 37 points you could find a better tag to put in for(sorry I forgot you drew a blues tag), but then again, I know nothing about the nook.  I did the odds of drawing a few years ago and they are quite depressing.  With all those exponential numbers you have like  90,000 names in the hat for 10 tags.  I will look for my paper work on it but it makes sense why guys with higher points don't always draw.

[grundy53]

There was a guy a couple years ago that helped figure out some drawing odds, can't remember who.  I think it worked out that even with my 37 points I only had like a 50% chance of drawing that year.  I passed on a couple "smaller" bulls (still big to this wetsider  ) the first couple days, then the snow hit.  Alot of snow!  The elk disappeared, I spent the rest of the week in desperation. My prescouting trips had plenty of bulls, but I wasn't ready for the snow, local knowledge woulda been key at that point.  I saw one spike the last day, ate my tag.  Fun hunt but not the ending I was hoping for with my 37 pts lol!

Ouch, 37 points and ate the tag. That hurts, sorry to hear that even if 20 points were given to you.  I would think with 37 points you could find a better tag to put in for, but then again, I know nothing about the nook.  I did the odds of drawing a few years ago and they are quite depressing.  With all those exponential numbers you have like  90,000 names in the hat for 10 tags.  I will look for my paper work on it but it makes sense why guys with higher points don't always draw.

He drew a Blues permit. Not a nook permit.

[trophyhunt]

There was a guy a couple years ago that helped figure out some drawing odds, can't remember who.  I think it worked out that even with my 37 points I only had like a 50% chance of drawing that year.  I passed on a couple "smaller" bulls (still big to this wetsider  ) the first couple days, then the snow hit.  Alot of snow!  The elk disappeared, I spent the rest of the week in desperation. My prescouting trips had plenty of bulls, but I wasn't ready for the snow, local knowledge woulda been key at that point.  I saw one spike the last day, ate my tag.  Fun hunt but not the ending I was hoping for with my 37 pts lol!

Ouch, 37 points and ate the tag. That hurts, sorry to hear that even if 20 points were given to you.  I would think with 37 points you could find a better tag to put in for, but then again, I know nothing about the nook.  I did the odds of drawing a few years ago and they are quite depressing.  With all those exponential numbers you have like  90,000 names in the hat for 10 tags.  I will look for my paper work on it but it makes sense why guys with higher points don't always draw.

He drew a Blues permit. Not a nook permit.

Oops, I forgot about that, shoot I even read this whole thread!! 

[grundy53]

I get confused all the time too many posts.

[idahohuntr]

There was a guy a couple years ago that helped figure out some drawing odds, can't remember who.  I think it worked out that even with my 37 points I only had like a 50% chance of drawing that year.  I passed on a couple "smaller" bulls (still big to this wetsider  ) the first couple days, then the snow hit.  Alot of snow!  The elk disappeared, I spent the rest of the week in desperation. My prescouting trips had plenty of bulls, but I wasn't ready for the snow, local knowledge woulda been key at that point.  I saw one spike the last day, ate my tag.  Fun hunt but not the ending I was hoping for with my 37 pts lol!

Yes, it is pretty shocking on some good tags how even 37 points is not what you would think.  Your experience in the Wenaha is not a lot different than many folks.  For how hard tags are to draw I have been surprised at the difficulty of hunting.  I've hunted both the Wenaha west and east the last few years with guys that have their own stock and can pack in a long ways...we've killed bulls every time...but WAYYYYYY harder than I could have ever imagined.  My experience is most otc units in Idaho produce more opportunity (just not near the quality of bulls) than these units in Wa.  With the blues, you are either in very difficult terrain or dealing with private land/access issues it seems.  But on the bright side...there are great bulls to be had.

[willapawapiti]

I went into my W. Wenaha tag a bit over-confident, my brother drew the same tag a couple years earlier.  Opening day, 30 minutes down the trail, 2 bulls in the first canyon, he harvested a great heavy 6x6 320ish bull.  Like you said idahohuntr, I've since learned it's rarely that easy in the Blues.......

[D-Rock425]

I'd take a colokum tag and be happy with it.

[johnnyaustin44]

I'd take a colokum tag and be happy with it.

just as tough to draw it seems though.

[cryder]

I WILL JUST TAKE WHAT I CAN GET AS THEY SAY ,,,, im just hungry, and ill go hunting, sure would be nice to get another chance at a Rimrock bull and I don't mean a spike or what I call my neibors dog, good luck in the draws guys ,,not really .

[Pny365]

Well I live in Dayton. Would definitely hunt the blues. And I 34 points towards quality elk

[stew pidasso]

Not to depress anyone, BUT I had 36 elk points 3 years ago, yup 36, thanks to a couple poachers.  With that amount, I still didn't get drawn for the Blues first time.  I finally drew with 37 the next year, AND then drew my second choice behind Dayton, drew W. Wenaha.  Just goes to show how watered down the points pools really are 

I think I may have met you way out on sawtooth trail. Right at lady camp.Did you have a lot of snow that year?