washington big game permits

[bobcat]

I guess what needs to be explained is the number of people applying for permits, lets say moose, you have 12,000 applying for this tag and 5,000 applying for this one, where do they get this number? do they count people in every drawing?If you applied for 4 choices are you counted in those 4 permit numbers? If thats the case and u had to pick 1 odds would be better, there were a few 2nd and 3rd choice pulls this year that would be eliminated and those tags would be the 1 choice people.I just dont get how someone pulls a tag with their 3 rd choice with 5 pts when a guy has 14 and his first.

I've tried to explain this countless times on this board. Every hunt you apply for counts as an application for that hunt. It doesn't make any difference what order you list them on your application. If you look at the Special Hunt Permit Drawing Summary, you will see that there was 21,407 people who applied for a moose permit. Now if they went to only one choice (or two) on the applications, the number of people applying is not going to change. The number of permits also being the same, then therefore the odds of drawing will remain at 1 in 155, without taking points into account. That's the overall odds for all moose permits combined, some will be much worse, and some better (like the youth or antlerless only permits.)  So all that would change is that some permits would be easier to draw, and some harder. The same is true of the deer and elk permits.

Here is a statement which is new this year at the bottom of the draw result summaries:

*Aside from the overall species total, "Total # of Applications" means the total of all occurrences of the hunt or hunt category having been applied for.

[Ridgerunner]

Odds on elk tags actually improved this year in some cases due to the new rut hunts.  Those drew people away from the other modern firearm permit seasons, in some cases in the Yakima units, the number of applicants went down by a couple of hundred people.  The problem is with your premium tags there will always be more applicants than tags, I'd like to see it limited to 2 choices, but most guys didn't want that.  Unfortunately I think odds are going to be worse next year with the changes they are going to have. 

[winston2789]

Bobcat I've been agreeing with you the whole time!!!  Instead of changing how many options, I would rather see something done for the max points holders!   

[HUNT]

What changes are they making for next year?

[winston2789]

I would also like them to raise the price for permit apps. and split some of the better units up for better draw odds.

[WDFW-SUX]

I've decided to make preperations for never drawing the permits that I want.

[bobcat]

It's hard to know how odds would change with only having one or two choices. For those with lots of points, I don't think much will change. Those people are still going to apply for the best deer and elk permits available. Other people, like myself, with only a couple of points, on the elk permits I would probably choose to only apply for cow permits. I like elk meat and I've already drawn good bull permits twice, so I've decided I'm not willing to wait 15 years between permits. My guess is that odds on the cow permits would be better. As far as the moose, sheep, and goat permits, with only one or two choices, odds would not change one bit. Except for possibly the antlerless moose and the ewe sheep tags may be easier to draw.

[Ridgerunner]

According to the new hunt regs they are going to seperate out the antlerless hunts from the antlered so people will be able to put in for both.   

[WDFW-SUX]

According to the new hunt regs they are going to seperate out the antlerless hunts from the antlered so people will be able to put in for both.   

Wow thats a terrible idea.

[bobcat]

Oh that's right, I do remember something about that now.

I'm not sure if that's good or bad.  

[Dry creek]

go to draw only like Oregon i think points would turn over a lot faster. 80% to max 20% to random it jump draw permits up to over 20,000 i bet and make you bye a hunting license to put in

[bobcat]

Dry Creek,  I agree with that but don't think it will ever happen. Well, at least not until our deer/elk populations drop drastically from what they are now.

[Dry creek]

make Douglas county region D  give out 600 permits it would make it a great quality hunt.

[Bob33]

From the 2009 regulation pamphet:

"Starting in 2010, hunters also will be able to apply for a greater variety of hunting permits. There will, for example, be separate application pools for antlerless permits as well as a separate application pool for second deer permits and for buck permits.
Under the new model, hunters will be able to purchase an application and apply for all three types of hunts – or any others for which they might be eligible. The bag limit will continue to be one deer or elk per year (unless the hunter draws a second deer or elk permit). These changes were widely supported by hunters during public
comment periods last summer."

What happens to existing points?  If someone has 12 points, which pool do they go to?   

This sounds like a "good" idea that will have terrible, unexpected consequences.

[bobcat]

I do like that they are having the separate pool for the 2nd deer permits. I have wanted to apply for those but wasn't willing to lose my points for a doe tag.