one man's draw rant;Your story?

[BOWHUNTER45]

We don't have Bonus points we have Ghost points because the points just seem to mean nothing and disappear come draw time.

    You guys kill me 

[Bigshooter]

YOU WANT TO REALLY improve odds.   If you apply for OIL, you can't apply for deer or elk.

Won't happen.  They lose money that way.  I could see this working thou, if we could apply for either OIL tags or deer and elk tags and at the same time apply for points only for the other.  This way they don't lose money but odds will get better.

[bobcat]

sell off a testicle and buy the gov tag.   Pretty cheap compared to the rest of the gov tags, and consider it a hunt of a lifetime.

What if you want to buy 3 gov. tags? 

It feels like when you finally get more then a dozen points.....it doesn't really matter how many points. Seems like we would be better off cashing them in and starting over. I wonder what the ratio is for those who draw with less then 10 compared to those with more then 10.

this is a really good point here now ... everyone I know who drew a tag was with less than 10 pts including myself and my son .... You may have something here 

That's probably because the majority don't have more points than that. In addition to that fact, those who do have a lot of points, always have higher and higher standards every year as their number of points increases. Meaning the more points they have, the more they apply for the most difficult to draw hunts.

[Bigshooter]

sell off a testicle and buy the gov tag.   Pretty cheap compared to the rest of the gov tags, and consider it a hunt of a lifetime.

What if you want to buy 3 gov. tags? 

It feels like when you finally get more then a dozen points.....it doesn't really matter how many points. Seems like we would be better off cashing them in and starting over. I wonder what the ratio is for those who draw with less then 10 compared to those with more then 10.

this is a really good point here now ... everyone I know who drew a tag was with less than 10 pts including myself and my son .... You may have something here 

That's probably because the majority don't have more points than that. In addition to that fact, those who do have a lot of points, always have higher and higher standards every year as their number of points increases. Meaning the more points they have, the more they apply for the most difficult to draw hunts.

I agree with bobcat. 

[boneaddict]

I agree Bigshooter.    They won't change it to something where they will lose money.

Idaho has this and has THE BEST draw odds for OIL hunts ever.    I hear that is about to change though.....

[trophyhunt]

I agree Bigshooter.    They won't change it to something where they will lose money.

Idaho has this and has THE BEST draw odds for OIL hunts ever.    I hear that is about to change though.....

Say it isn't so? They thought about a point system a couple years ago but decided against it, are they changing their mind???

[Bigshooter]

I agree Bigshooter.    They won't change it to something where they will lose money.

Idaho has this and has THE BEST draw odds for OIL hunts ever.    I hear that is about to change though.....

What's ID going to change?

[RadSav]

If all my freakin' points were out of the draw everyones odds would go way up   So all Washington needs to do to improve peoples odds is draw my name.  That seems simple, Doesn't it?

[3nails]

The system is definitely screwed up big time. It was perfectly fine until they decided to change it 2 years ago. There's no need for a "buck" category and "quality deer" category. Now people who never would have applied for those whitetail permits, because they were applying for mule deer permits, DO apply for them, just because they can.

You did the right thing by deciding to apply separately, that should have greatly increased your odds of drawing. Keep trying, you'll eventually get it.

I completely agree. My hunting partner put in for Chewuch quality and Sinlahekin buck. He drew both but now obviously has to waste the buck tag. Would have been a good hunt. No way is the state going back though because thier making too much money this way. I also put in for both hunts but didn't draw either. Wish I could have his Sinlahekin tag!

[Bean Counter]

Plus it's tax deductible

 
 

[smdave]

Opening day 2011 regular rifle season in the 204 public land. I also have not drawn any good tags but there is plenty of opportunity.

[BOWHUNTER45]

The system is definitely screwed up big time. It was perfectly fine until they decided to change it 2 years ago. There's no need for a "buck" category and "quality deer" category. Now people who never would have applied for those whitetail permits, because they were applying for mule deer permits, DO apply for them, just because they can.

You did the right thing by deciding to apply separately, that should have greatly increased your odds of drawing. Keep trying, you'll eventually get it.

I completely agree. My hunting partner put in for Chewuch quality and Sinlahekin buck. He drew both but now obviously has to waste the buck tag. Would have been a good hunt. No way is the state going back though because thier making too much money this way. I also put in for both hunts but didn't draw either. Wish I could have his Sinlahekin tag!

Nails I would take that Chewach tag any day over that Sinlahekin tag 

[3nails]

The system is definitely screwed up big time. It was perfectly fine until they decided to change it 2 years ago. There's no need for a "buck" category and "quality deer" category. Now people who never would have applied for those whitetail permits, because they were applying for mule deer permits, DO apply for them, just because they can.

You did the right thing by deciding to apply separately, that should have greatly increased your odds of drawing. Keep trying, you'll eventually get it.

I completely agree. My hunting partner put in for Chewuch quality and Sinlahekin buck. He drew both but now obviously has to waste the buck tag. Would have been a good hunt. No way is the state going back though because thier making too much money this way. I also put in for both hunts but didn't draw either. Wish I could have his Sinlahekin tag!

Nails I would take that Chewach tag any day over that Sinlahekin tag 

Definately! But since you can get drawn for both I'd take it as a back up.

[steen]

I am with you on the draw, I have the full 17 points for all the elk categories.  This is good and bad, admittedly I am ghosting the cow tags now because I would hate to burn one if I was drawn for a bull tag.  For bulls, I have put in every year for modern rifle Margaret and Green River and never a draw.  My plan is to continue the same.  Sad to think that that I haven't been drawn for 17 years.............

If I were you I would ghost your bull tags until after you draw your cow tag then you could continue to accrue points for another cow. 

I hunt every year regardless of drawing.  The draw is a bonus.  I happened to draw two tags, buck deer in the Blues (I think) and 2nd deer , a  whitetail doe (in Alta I think).  I had plans for my blacktail this year for general season (backup plan in case I didn't draw or my first plan) and will have to wait til next year. (this year would be prime year to hunt my spot due to new logging and a bear I'd like to take.  Guess I'm going after just a bear this year or take my daughter hunting.

[ShaneTyTrey]

One easy way to improve the odds.  Would be to cut the amount of choices we get in half.  For quality go to one choice and for buck/bull go to two choices.  WDFW still get the same amount of money but the draw odds will get a better.

Doing that would improve odds for some permits, but make it worse for others. Overall, I believe it wouldn't help odds at all. Same number of people applying, same number of permits available = same odds. Right?

You want to really improve odds- make it so a person can only apply in one category per species. So for elk, if you want to apply for a quality permit, you can't also apply for a "regular" bull permit or an antlerless permit. Odds for the non-quality permits would go way up. Quality permits would probably stay about the same.

The other good way of improving odds is to make it more expensive. Well, they did that already. So there's not much left that can be done. Limiting the number of permits a person can apply for will decrease revenue to the state, so that will never happen. (expect maybe when/if the economy ever gets better)

Completely wrong, cutting the choices in half does make the odds better.  Think if you have 4 choices for 100 people that is potentially 400 different tags.  If they have 2 choices now that is only 200 potential tag differences.  It would make a huge difference, almost like the way it was before with 1 choice, either bull or cow etc....