Its added opportunity people not a guaranteed right. You've got general otc. Permits are extra.
And very good OTC at that. Our state may not have the highest trophy potential but if you’re a more meat-focused guy like me, it’s not hard to fill the freezer in WA.
I certainly wouldn't call our general seasons "very good." Not even good. Now, killing a spike blacktail buck isn't too difficult, as long as you have a place to hunt, which for many people means paying $350 to $400 for a timber company access permit. And elk? General seasons with success rates of around 5% on average. I wouldn't call that very good either. Or look at mule deer, for example, in Yakima and Kittitas county. Many units have success rates under 5%.
I think perhaps the sales of special permits is increasing because of the poor hunting in this state during the general seasons. So people are more willing to spend money for a chance at a decent hunting opportunity.
I kill a deer every year, and I don't hunt weeks at a time. I'm hoping to bump that to 2/yr this year. I haven't found my secret sauce for elk yet, but I am hoping to start saying in the next couple years I that I kill one of those every year as well
If you keep doing the same thing over and over, and only hunt one particular area that you know... Then yes, your odds may be diminishing.
But the truth is that we get to hunt deer, elk, cougar, and bear every year OTC with no quota. Might not be the best success rates, but the potential is there.
And like I said in my response - if you're going for points, WA OTC might not be for you. But if you're looking to fill the freezer...........
