What's it like getting a special permit tag for the first time?

[SI Eagle]

Wouldn't know. 14 pts for Elk, Deer, Moose, Sheep and Goat. I can tell you what disappointment feels like. 

[Woodchuck]

The big issue is that with that many points, when you do pull that tag you have always wanted is the pressure to fill it 

[SI Eagle]

I would like to have that worry!

[dreamingbig]

I would love to have the pressure!  Bring it on!!!

[littlemac]

The first time I got drawn was for a cow tag. I killed a big old fat cow elk and loved every minute of it. As for getting the stink-eye from passerbys........I don't know, didn't really pay to much attention to that.

My first application was for antlerless elk in 328 during the last cross over season between deer and elk.

I got a 2 point mule deer and an antlerless bull that year.  The elk I took on the last of the three days in the afternoon.  Not much stink eye then, no one else was around since it was the end of deer season and general elk season hadn't opened yet.

The old timers then told me I wouldn't get another elk.  Well, they may have been right in Washington, that was '95 and was/is my only Washington elk.  Most of my serious elk hunting I do is in New Mexico where I have gone five for five on my trips down there.

[elk311]

Got my one and only bull elk permit in 1992. Blue Mountains Peola "A". I think that there were 2 or 3 permits that year. First time applying, first time elk hunting and after 9 days of hunting I got my 6x6 bull !

With 7 points and counting I'm still waiting for my next bull permit, 18 years later ! 

[bobcat]

I drew a late buck permit for Teanaway in 1992. I hunted one day, it was too foggy and so I didn't see many deer, gave up and went pheasant hunting for the rest of the week instead.   

Special permits just weren't that big of a deal back then.

[brew]

here are a couple pics (hopefully) of my 06 moose from 49 degrees north drawn with 2 preference points.  first pic is a small bull we saw a couple evenings before the opener.  the second is me messing with him.  we saw 4 bulls and 2 cows opening morning but it was so thick i couldn't get a shot.  that evening we were heading over to the area we saw the small bull when we ran into this guy.  hindsight i should have shot him with my bow as he was only 40 yards but the .338 did the trick. momma is happy.  it took 4 of us to put him on his back to go to work.

[brew]

funny ender to the story was one of the guys with us that trip had to go back home that day due to a previous engagement.  that night he was talking to another buddy of his at home who knew someone else who had got drawn in the same area.  he told him about the encounter with the small bull, the road we saw it on and the exact mile marker on the road.  that info got relayed to the hunter and a few days later the hunter was rolling up the road at the spot and saw some cars parked along side the road.  the hunter got out to see what was going on and some people were taking pics of a bull moose in the creek alongside the road.  you know the rest of the story...the camera operators got a ringside seat to a moose harvest.

[bowhunterforever]

Nice bull brew Hope i draw this year.

[billythekidrock]

I'm curious what folks' experience was like after drawing that first tag?  Was it what you expected? 

It was like hot apple pie!

[boneaddict]

with a touch of cream.......

Its unreal for awhile.  Takes awhile to set in.

WDFW (outdoor central)tried to ruin it with their draws and re-draws, but when you have the slip in your hand....

[Skyvalhunter]

It was like hot apple pie!

covered with ice cream!!

[julzzz]

I drew my first permit in 09 for Margeret bull and was very excited, went up opening day and found out the gates had been open 2 weeks before so most other permit holders were sitting on their bulls. Not to mention the amount of people coming in from winston creek (just wanting to see elk) thats what they said.  Saw about 30 vehicles a day in there, only 18 permits were given out, lots of lookers. Hang in there I waited 11 years, did get a decent 5x the wait was worth it.  I passed up more than 30 respectable bulls before i shot mine.

[Ridgerunner]

Moose hunts are AWESOME!!!!!  Much better than apple pie with ice cream.