22 points

[Stein]

I have double digit points in multiple categories with my highest being 17 for next year and would gladly give them all up today to go back to a purely random draw with no point system. Give me one deer choice, one elk choice and then one of the 3 OIL species with one choice and I would be happy.

 
Limiting entry’s to 1 oil tag or 1 deer category and 1 elk category would significantly improve odds and fix a lot of problems. Do it just like Idaho or even go to just 1 choice in only one category guys with high points would actually have decent odds. Once you draw you’re out of that category for 3-4 years. It’s a simple fix but still wouldn’t be great just a lot better.

When that is brought up there is typically a chorus of guys who want to be able to apply for everything and are very opposed to having to make that choice. 

If I were king, everyone would get one permit application per year.  Let hunters decide what is important for them.  That said, what seems to be important to more than a few is being able to apply for tons of stuff as opposed to actually being able to draw.  Anyone that hunts or fishes must be an optimist at some level I guess.

That is very true but I also don’t think those optimists really know how crappy their odds actually are by having all those categories. My assumption is that they believe that each additional point gives them much better odds. While it is true that it does give them better odds, when the unit they are applying for starts out with one point odds of like .3% then each additional point really doesn’t do squat.

I think one deer application so it could be buck, doe, second or whatever you choose. Same with elk being bull or cow. Let hunters choose their goals and decide on the odds they want to pursue. For OIL, only allow one species to be applied for and same principle applies for bull, cow, ram, ewe or whatever. If you wanted to go even farther, which I am on the fence about, front the OIL money.

Some don't know, some don't care.  Check out a casino on any given day and you will find a bunch of people who aren't playing the odds and coming back for more.  Guys will complain and then can't wait to enter next year, it's the addictive nature of points systems and gambling in general.

I don't think it will change because there would be an uproar over "losing" out on the ability to use points or apply for multiple species.  Like I said, from WDFW's perspective it is a near perfect system.

I don't personally play anymore, so I think it's great because that's other license revenue they don't have to bring in.  The only improvement would be to go to a WY system where you can buy even more "special" points and bring in more revenue.

[dilleytech]

The Wyoming draw system is great. I wouldn’t mind going that route. Spend more for extra points or Better odd’s if you want. Know your odds. Very user friendly.

[Oh Mah]

Turn Quality bull & any bull into oil tags.

[ne kid]

I have 20 points in all three oil tags and I am not putting in for any tags next year. I know the odds, and I will pass, I probably won't even buy any licenses from the state next year just a tribal fishing license and call it good.

[HntnFsh]

Turn Quality bull & any bull into oil tags.

I doubt that will improve odds much at all. But havent researched to see how many points that would take out of the system.

[Oh Mah]

At all?It would take out every person that tags a bull elk out of the draw.Over 800 tags for quality and any bull(2019).Every idea in this thread improves the odds to draw a tag.

The best 1 is 1 application per species.Take away the possible 800 hunters that were successful at tagging a bull odds go up even more.With hunters saying that getting drawn within 100 years i don't see anything wrong with making quality and bull oil tags.

over 50k applications went into the quality bull draw and over 40k went into the any bull drawing.That's almost 10% over a 10 year period out of the draws. 

[Rainier10]

This year there were 34,049 applications for quality bull and 27,254 any bull applications.

[Oh Mah]

Ok,and how many tags were given?

[Rainier10]

464 quality bull and 259 bull

[Rainier10]

I addition to those applications that actually applied for hunts there were people that just put in for ghost points.  1584 quality and 2043 any bull ghost points only.

[Ironhead]

How about 10 % of Quality Bull tags in a given hunt # go to top point holders the rest go into a random draw for anyone then if successful in the draw  there will be a 5 year waiting period before you can enter the draw again.

[Oh Mah]

Same math then,Almost 10% out of draw every 10 years.  add this to 1 app. per species and making a huge swing in the odds.Without the oil part there is no way to know who will still put in for a quality any bull or cow as their species hunt choice.If hunters that put in now for quality also put in for any bull 1 species choice could possibly take out half of the apps per choice that would make it 17k for quality bull and 14K for any bull.Making the oil change also would take out almost 20 percent of the applicants over a 10 year period.What would the odds of being drawn be then?How long would hunters have to wait to be able to hunt a big bull then?

[Oh Mah]

I addition to those applications that actually applied for hunts there were people that just put in for ghost points.  1584 quality and 2043 any bull ghost points only.

True,Very true.This makes the oil option that more appealing.The draw odds are rising.   

[vandeman17]

How about 10 % of Quality Bull tags in a given hunt # go to top point holders the rest go into a random draw for anyone then if successful in the draw  there will be a 5 year waiting period before you can enter the draw again.

I don't think that would do much good as a decent amount of the quality units already have so few tags. Even one that has 10 tags, that means 1 tag given to highest point holder

[Stein]

Most people act in their best interest.  If you proposed holding some tags for high points, the 95% of people without max points would flip.

WDFW would likely not see any additional revenue, so I would guess they would oppose it as well because they would be hearing all the griping and not getting anything in return.

You can't change the system so everyone wins and WDFW would get more revenue, so I'll stand by my prediction that nothing will change.