Out of the points game

[Stein]

Not much to add other than I also wish we would go to a system where you can only enter for one permit.  Jack the price up to make it revenue neutral and the system would at least limp along for another few years before even that broke down.

Too many people, too few animals and both seem to be going in the wrong direction.

Good idea,Which one would you put in for?Oh and what makes it so everyone else doesn't pic that same one making odds much worse than they already are?  Same same every year,i want,me me me.NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE IN PARTICULAR.

I would likely put in for elk.  If everyone else put in for elk, all the moose, goat, bear, sheep and deer tags would have nobody applying and they wouldn't get assigned to anyone.  I would guess that the second year it wouldn't be a problem.

There is only one main way "fix" the system, you have to remove opportunity or it won't make any difference.  Points or no points won't change the math, too many names in all the hats come draw time.

Pick your favorite:

Only apply for one permit a year
Every buck and bull tag is OIL
Only apply every other or every third year
Raise the price until X% drop out
Bail and hunt another state until the problem happens there too

[Oh Mah]

Or harvest,Then out for a period before being able to reapply.Same from me and others every year.

example if you draw a cow tag no reapply for draw or points for 2 maybe 3 years.

[buglebrush]

I'm putting most of my application money out of state.  Applying for Elk in NM, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, and Idaho.  Mule Deer in Idaho, Colorado, and Utah.  Odds are better, Hunting is better, and I'm not giving money to the Idiots at WDFW.   

[BULLBLASTER]

I say one choice per species, either one oil species or deer/elk. And if you draw a deer or elk tag that is your hunt, your tag is no longer valid in General season hunts. And a wait after drawing before you can apply again. 

On another subject I wish they would split the deer into species options. You choose Whitetail tag you get Whitetail seasons and permit choices, same for Muley and blacktail.

Oh and quit charging for turkey tags, just make them small game under the small game license

I’ll always apply in wa and hunt deer as long as I live here. There’s a chance of a good tag every year

[Mtnwalker]

I say one choice per species, either one oil species or deer/elk. And if you draw a deer or elk tag that is your hunt, your tag is no longer valid in General season hunts. And a wait after drawing before you can apply again. 

And we shall call it... Utahntanadaho       

[M_ray]

Not much to add other than I also wish we would go to a system where you can only enter for one permit.  Jack the price up to make it revenue neutral and the system would at least limp along for another few years before even that broke down.

Too many people, too few animals and both seem to be going in the wrong direction.

Good idea,Which one would you put in for?Oh and what makes it so everyone else doesn't pic that same one making odds much worse than they already are?  Same same every year,i want,me me me.NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE IN PARTICULAR.

It would be impossible to have everyone put in for the same thing. Examine Idaho’s  System this is the way they are doing it currently and they don’t have that problem. You are never going to get everyone to agree if you tried.

When you are forced to pick one spiecies that takes hundreds of applicants out of all the categories thus increasing odds in each one. If this system existed the OP’s buddy wouldn’t be in the position of trying to get out in the first place 

I would rather draw a good tag every few years and plan what it is I’d like to hunt.

[Oh Mah]

M-RAY could you explain this better?How does Idaho do it?elk elk elk its almost all about the elk so try this again please.

Multi season tags prove this in this state anyway.

[snake]

Sadly not everyone is a winner.  The good thing is, we all can have a chance at getting drawn for just about any species EVERY year.  We all know people who drew awesome tags with hardly any points. Sure there is opportunity out of state, but start talking to people in other states they will mention "Point Creep" as well.

[Oh Mah]

Go to any state,Hang out at a sportmen's store you will find hunters and fisherman that don't like the way their states run the fish and game.

[meatwhack]

Washington’s point system took a drastic turn for the worse when they split each species into multiple categories and let people put in and build points in all of them. Essentially the year they did that the point pool for quality hunts doubled and is continuing to get worse. This is because before that change a lot of guys were happy drawing a cow tag every couple years and never really building points while others would be happy drawing a middle of the road bull tag and possibly drawing every 5 to 10 years. Now everyone is putting in for every tag and the tag numbers have gone down for the most part not up.

[Oh Mah]

when they made the change it gave hunters other categories to put in for instead of just hoping for the one.this did thin out the draws.it did not thin out the highly sought after tags and i don't believe any change will other than limiting who can put in for the draw ie if you get drawn you cannot put in for 2 maybe 3 years. 

[Skillet]

it did not thin out the highly sought after tags

I do not believe this is accurate. It blew up the quality tags, as well as all of the "lesser" tags.  Before, people were forced to choose and so chose based on what they truly valued. Now, those folks still put in for the same tags they wanted before - and all of the other tags, as "it's only $6 and I might get drawn."

Worst thing that ever happened to the draw in terms of odds, best thing that ever happened to the WDFW's coffers.  I don't think for a second they predicted how fat of a hog they cut with this one.

[BULLBLASTER]

it did not thin out the highly sought after tags

I do not believe this is accurate. It blew up the quality tags, as well as all of the "lesser" tags.  Before, people were forced to choose and so chose based on what they truly valued. Now, those folks still put in for the same tags they wanted before - and all of the other tags, as "it's only $6 and I might get drawn."

Worst thing that ever happened to the draw in terms of odds, best thing that ever happened to the WDFW's coffers.  I don't think for a second they predicted how fat of a hog they cut with this one.

[Stein]

M-RAY could you explain this better?How does Idaho do it?elk elk elk its almost all about the elk so try this again please.

Multi season tags prove this in this state anyway.

In Idaho, you can only apply for one species for their controlled (draw) hunts which includes deer, elk, bear, both sheep, moose and goat.  Thus, if you apply for moose, you can't apply for any other draw hunt that year.  You have to pick the species you want to apply for.  The result is much better odds across the board for any given tag, but a zero chance of drawing more than one tag any year or a tag for all but one species.

I think it's a much better system, admittedly they also don't have the people/animal ratio problem we have here.

[Oh Mah]

What keeps for example 10 TO 1 HUNTERS APPLYING FOR ELK?Thats how it would be here.