Montana's big game combo

[Stein]

They way I understand is preference point holders are ahead in line of non preference point holder.  If there 15k preference point holders for the big game combo all 15k will get it.  Then the remain 2k in combos will be randomly drawn from the non preference point holders.

Not quite.  75% of the tags go to the preference pool and 25% are kept in the random pool.   There are 17,000 big game combos, so 12,750 will go to the most preference point holders and 4,250 will go to the random pool (plus any leftovers from the 12,750 preference pool).

In your example, they would draw names in the preference pool and 2,250 people with 1 point wouldn't draw a tag.

Here is where I'm not sure.  The state's website says the random draw is for people with zero points.  So, do the 2,250 people with 1 point not go into the random draw then?  That's the way it is worded, but my guess would be that they drop into the random pool with the 0 point holders and have a second chance at getting a tag in the random draw.  Again, that's not the way the website says it happens but I do think they aren't going to penalize the people who buy a point by not being able to get in the random draw.

[wooltie]

I just called montana F&G.  The person I spoke with said that having a preference point "substantially increases your draw odds", and that "people with preference points are awarded tags first", citing that everyone with a preference point drew a tag last year.  She said the draw was still a random drawing, but in the same breath said that "if there are 15,000 tags, and 10,000 applicants with preference points, then all of the 10,000 applicants receive a tag and the remaining tags go to non-preference point applicants via the drawing."

I can understand them claiming that the draw is a random drawing, while the system is programmed to award tags to preference point holders first (until the tags or preference point applicants run out, whichever is first, and the remaining tags are assigned randomly.)

She also said Montana's bonus points system is like WA's, where bonus points increase the # of times your name is in the hat.

Glad I bought that point this year 

[Stein]

This is directly from their website:  http://fwp.mt.gov/news/newsReleases/hunting/nr_1511.html

Distribution of Licenses

Seventy-five percent of the nonresident combination licenses will be issued to individuals with preference points and 25 percent will be issued to those applicants who do not have preference points.

She is correct for 10,000 applicants with preference points, but if more people with points apply then 75% of the available tags, not all people with preference points will get tags and 25% of the tags will go to people with no points in the random draw.  This hasn't happened yet, so she may not be completely familiar with the eventuality.

Buying a preference point certainly increases your odds (100% last year) vs no points (about 50% last year), but they do give 25% of the tags to people without max preference points, no matter how many people with 1 point apply.  This will happen (<100% odds with max preference points) in the near future as the number of applicants grows and people realize you can currently hunt in MT every year if you just buy a point.

[grundy53]

I just called montana F&G.  The person I spoke with said that having a preference point "substantially increases your draw odds", and that "people with preference points are awarded tags first", citing that everyone with a preference point drew a tag last year.  She said the draw was still a random drawing, but in the same breath said that "if there are 15,000 tags, and 10,000 applicants with preference points, then all of the 10,000 applicants receive a tag and the remaining tags go to non-preference point applicants via the drawing."

I can understand them claiming that the draw is a random drawing, while the system is programmed to award tags to preference point holders first (until the tags or preference point applicants run out, whichever is first, and the remaining tags are assigned randomly.)

She also said Montana's bonus points system is like WA's, where bonus points increase the # of times your name is in the hat.

Glad I bought that point this year 

Only the draw units use bonus points. The general tag uses preference points. Yes last year everyone with preference points drew a general tag but that was because the total number of applicants was less than 75% of the quota.

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