Preference points

[Stein]

What if you bought a ghost point?  Just asking.

[hughjorgan]

Has anyone heard what they plan to do with your preference points for spring bear? Will they refund the money or allow them to be switched to another category? How many others have bear preference points that are now useless?

Why should they refund your money or allow you to switch your points? It is a LOTTERY, you pay to play once a year. If you don’t draw no one is hollering at the WDFW to refund their purchase. You played the lottery and lost, it’s time to move on. Bonus points are a scam that sinks your hooks into you with the false hope that some how you have substantially better odds of winning a draw(LOTTERY).

Actually I used the points option and thus did not lose any drawing. The WDFW created the system that allowed the accumulation of points for future drawings that are now nonexistent for spring bear. They created the system, not me. Technically it is not a lottery as online lottery purchases are illegal in Washington. That is why you can't purchase their raffle tickets online.

You still played the draw and by their rules; it’s the chance you take whether you buy a point or enter the draw. It seems bonus points make people have a sense of entitlement.

[Pegasus]

Has anyone heard what they plan to do with your preference points for spring bear? Will they refund the money or allow them to be switched to another category? How many others have bear preference points that are now useless?

Why should they refund your money or allow you to switch your points? It is a LOTTERY, you pay to play once a year. If you don’t draw no one is hollering at the WDFW to refund their purchase. You played the lottery and lost, it’s time to move on. Bonus points are a scam that sinks your hooks into you with the false hope that some how you have substantially better odds of winning a draw(LOTTERY).

Actually I used the points option and thus did not lose any drawing. The WDFW created the system that allowed the accumulation of points for future drawings that are now nonexistent for spring bear. They created the system, not me. Technically it is not a lottery as online lottery purchases are illegal in Washington. That is why you can't purchase their raffle tickets online.

You still played the draw and by their rules; it’s the chance you take whether you buy a point or enter the draw. It seems bonus points make people have a sense of entitlement.

We are entitled according to the WDFW which allowed point accumulations without participating in the drawing. The reason they allowed point accumulations without participating in the drawing was to extract more money from the hunting population. If they had run the permit process without allowing the point accumulation for non-participants in the drawing they would have received a lot less money in their coffers. It was purely a monetary decision on the part of the WDFW to allow point accumulation for future years. Killing the spring bear hunt by the liberals has monetary consequences. I will put in a call to Phelony at the WDFW to see if they are going to refund the money or allow the points to be transferred to another critter.

[bobcat]

The points won't be, and shouldn't be, transferable to another species. That's just ridiculous. It wouldn't be fair to those who don't have bear points. And it's simply a bad precedent to set. What they need to do is to go back to issuing spring bear permits. They're losing a lot of money by not doing so. I've got ten points and I'm ready to use them. I suppose the other possibility if they want to go back to selling bear points is to make the general bear season a permit only season.    (I bet they've thought of it)

[Bob33]

Everyone still has their points. WDFW will argue they have value because there is a possibility of bear hunts in the future.

[idahohuntr]

The points won't be, and shouldn't be, transferable to another species. That's just ridiculous. It wouldn't be fair to those who don't have bear points. And it's simply a bad precedent to set. What they need to do is to go back to issuing spring bear permits. They're losing a lot of money by not doing so. I've got ten points and I'm ready to use them. I suppose the other possibility if they want to go back to selling bear points is to make the general bear season a permit only season.    (I bet they've thought of it)

Agreed.

Any proposal - no matter how well meaning - to allow any kind of transfer/sale/gift/redistribution of any points is just plain bad.

[Pegasus]

The points won't be, and shouldn't be, transferable to another species. That's just ridiculous. It wouldn't be fair to those who don't have bear points. And it's simply a bad precedent to set. What they need to do is to go back to issuing spring bear permits. They're losing a lot of money by not doing so. I've got ten points and I'm ready to use them. I suppose the other possibility if they want to go back to selling bear points is to make the general bear season a permit only season.    (I bet they've thought of it)

I doubt they would transfer the points to another critter(would not cost the WDFW anything) but they could easily refund the money we spent to accumulate the points for future years when we opted out of the drawings while following their rules.

[GOcougsHunter]

Has anyone heard what they plan to do with your preference points for spring bear? Will they refund the money or allow them to be switched to another category? How many others have bear preference points that are now useless?

Why should they refund your money or allow you to switch your points? It is a LOTTERY, you pay to play once a year. If you don’t draw no one is hollering at the WDFW to refund their purchase. You played the lottery and lost, it’s time to move on. Bonus points are a scam that sinks your hooks into you with the false hope that some how you have substantially better odds of winning a draw(LOTTERY).

Actually I used the points option and thus did not lose any drawing. The WDFW created the system that allowed the accumulation of points for future drawings that are now nonexistent for spring bear. They created the system, not me. Technically it is not a lottery as online lottery purchases are illegal in Washington. That is why you can't purchase their raffle tickets online.

  Really great point, actually.  And to add more fuel on this fire and has been pointed out in lots of other posts.. Conflict Goat, MasterHunter Moose, and others that the categories just disappeared and are no longer in points total in WildID    This is an arguable defect in the Washington system that hasn't been addressed (nor will be probably)  I really don't have an answer except that in the old draws in the 90's and 2000's there was a significantly better chance at pulling a cool tag as there were significantly fewer categories and lots of folks used their draws for cow/doe permits and such.  Cleaned out the points much faster.

[Ghost Hunter]

How about us that drew using our points and now don't have the opportunity to build points?  Maybe they should have left that on the board to keep money flowing in.   

[huntnphool]

How about us that drew using our points and now don't have the opportunity to build points?  Maybe they should have left that on the board to keep money flowing in.   

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,214387.msg2854669.html#msg2854669

Money still flows!

[Falcon]

I now have the official solution to this point dilemma……..

We all need to write Governor Inslee to man up and offer HUNTINPHOOL the next vacant game commissioner position 👊💥👊

[Ghost Hunter]

How about us that drew using our points and now don't have the opportunity to build points?  Maybe they should have left that on the board to keep money flowing in.   

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,214387.msg2854669.html#msg2854669

Money still flows!

A throwback and a good one!  I like it.