Preference point opinion?

[sneakysneaky]

Hey everyone. i just put in for the washington special draws and was wondering how many points any of you had when you drew a moose, goat or sheep tag? I have seven pref. points for all three and am wondering if it will actually help or is it just blind luck?

[rackattack]

More points certainly will help, but overall it's just blind luck.

[wastickslinger]

Hey everyone. i just put in for the washington special draws and was wondering how many points any of you had when you drew a moose, goat or sheep tag? I have seven pref. points for all three and am wondering if it will actually help or is it just blind luck?

I know someone who has been putting in for Moose, goat and sheep for 30+ years and has never drawn. I also knew a guy a few years back that drew moose with 1 point.

LUCK of the drawmy friend. Luck of the draw.

I cant even draw a decent elk tag with 7 points. I gave up on moose, goat and sheep along time ago!

[carpsniperg2]

in this state more bling luck seen my cosuins little bro draw a moose tag with no points first time putting in but yet my best friend has max points for goat and like 11-12 for sheep moose and 10 for elk and has never drew a tag in his life so more blind luck very random with this new system we will see if stuff starts to make sense. gl to you stop by the intro page and tell us about yourself and welcome to the site

[boneaddict]

Just for reference, its actually a bonus point system.  Preference points work differently and YOU DON'T want them.

[boneaddict]

sorry, got interupted....and yes they help you but it is blind luck. 

[bobcat]

Seven points definitely will help. It's much better than having only 1 point. They square your points so with 7, you have 49 chances. With only 1 point you have 1 chance. But you've got to think about how many other people have that many points or more. Lots of people who have been applying since the beginning (1996) have 14 points. It could be that the average number of points of people who apply for moose permits is 7. If that is true, it's as if every applicant also has 7 points, and in that case odds would be the same for you as if there were no point system at all. You'd be looking at odds of 1 in 155.

Bet I confused you more than I helped.   

[6x6in6]

Bet I confused you more than I helped.   

I had to read that twice. 

[Alan K]

My dad drew I think 4 years ago with max points, sister drew last year with 4.  Both antlered moose tags.

[sneakysneaky]

Bobcat_  you described the very concept that made me wonder if points even matter..... 

blind luck huh?  damn. I'm not a lucky kinda guy.

A couple of you mentioned "max points". Is there a set limit of points one can earn?

[pat2bear]

I think the WDFW has some data somewhere on their website that tells the average draw points. Like bobcat said the max points are 14 because that's when they started the points system so you aren't too far behind. I drew my sheep tag last year with 10 points but one of the other tag holders in my same unit drew with only 2. It's like gambling. It helps to play the odds but I'd rather be lucky.

[wastickslinger]

max points is the number of points that guys have accumulated since 1996 when this type of draw started and have not drawn anything.

[Bob33]

Here you go:

http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/permits/results/moose.html

Remember, we do not have a preference point system whereby those with maximum points get preference.  We have a bonus point system, whereby applicants get more names in the hat but do not get preference.  For example, in a pure preference system like Colorado, those with the most points in a drawing get all the permits.  Other states allocate a certain percentage of the permits (20%, for example) to those with the most points.  Washington simply squares the points but does not set aside a certain number of permits for those with maximum points.  Thus you can draw with 1 point, but your odds of drawing after ten years are 100 times greater than the first year (10 x 10 = 100).  That does not mean you will draw!  Look at the total number of permits, and the total number of applicants.  In 2009 there were 138 that drew moose permits, out of a total of 21,407 applicants.

[sneakysneaky]

Ya, Washington is getting pretty sad...  me and the old man put in for Idaho moose this year. last years 1-1 hunt gave non-residents 5 tags for that specific hunt and only had 50 or so non res applicants. 1 in 10 are my kinda odds.  But I'm still trying for those wash tags. Thanks for all the info guys!

[boneaddict]

2200 a pop, plus you can't pu t in for deer or elk if you put in for OIL AND you can only put in for one OIL per year is what gives Idaho their odds.