Post by: ljsommer on December 17, 2018, 02:50:24 PM
I started thinking about this: Really successful hunters can't be spending the majority of their time on OTC tags, can they?
Post by: WSU on December 17, 2018, 02:57:17 PM
Edit to add: Draw tags are great. Put in for those too.
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 17, 2018, 03:06:44 PM
So I was thinking about this recently: Does it make sense to just put in for quality hunts in as many states as possible and just hunt those instead of wasting time hunting OTC tags in overly-hunter-populated GMUs? I am not at all satisfied with the GMU's I've been hunting but I have no idea where to go or what to do to improve my situation, and then it occurred to me: If I applied for quality hunts in enough states, I'd probably get something worth hunting and it would cut down on the amount of "hiking" I do.
I started thinking about this: Really successful hunters can't be spending the majority of their time on OTC tags, can they?
This sounds like a good strategy. I think you should put in for quality hunts in all of the states, EXCEPT the ones that I am putting in for.
Would you like me to send you a list..?. :chuckle:
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on December 17, 2018, 06:46:50 PM
Quality can mean different things to different folks. Everyone wants a mecca of monster bucks, swimming in a sea of "dinks" in dead rut, in good terrain, with nice weather, with no points, low cost, and no pressure. Prioritizing whats important to you will help decide where you want to spend your resources.
In a nutshell the more of those things you want in the hunt the more resources of Money, Time, or Effort will be required.
Many units that are OTC or easy to draw have good numbers of game. But season timing, terrain, or weapon restrictions require more time and effort to hunt with success. I would venture the majority of animals seen here are taken on easier to draw units or OTC by guys who spend lots of time and effort in the woods.
Post by: boneaddict on December 18, 2018, 06:07:51 AM
Post by: go4steelhd on December 18, 2018, 06:15:44 AM
Post by: go4steelhd on December 18, 2018, 06:42:16 AM
These are my two over the counter bucks from this year.
https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,219583.0.html
From last year OTC
https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,220600.0.html
Area that can be drawn almost every year
https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,202742.0.html
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,202687.0.html
Two years ago OTC
I know many others do very well in OTC areas also. I feel there are areas that are OTC that are better than the areas I hunt. These are all recent hunts public land DIY
Post by: huntnnw on December 18, 2018, 06:53:32 AM
Post by: ljsommer on December 18, 2018, 06:58:03 AM
Pick one state and one unit you can hunt every year or every other year. You will do better learning an area, what the animals do with weather or pressure. I have put in for quality deer tags for the last 11 years in 7 states and I have yet to draw one. I hope this helps.
11 years....7 states...yet to draw?!? What?! How is that possible?
Post by: go4steelhd on December 18, 2018, 07:00:59 AM
Post by: mburrows on December 18, 2018, 07:06:16 AM
So I was thinking about this recently: Does it make sense to just put in for quality hunts in as many states as possible and just hunt those instead of wasting time hunting OTC tags in overly-hunter-populated GMUs? I am not at all satisfied with the GMU's I've been hunting but I have no idea where to go or what to do to improve my situation, and then it occurred to me: If I applied for quality hunts in enough states, I'd probably get something worth hunting and it would cut down on the amount of "hiking" I do.
I started thinking about this: Really successful hunters can't be spending the majority of their time on OTC tags, can they?
Just because you draw a quality tag doesnt mean youll see a ton more critters from the road or even in easily located spots. There will be exceptions to this for sure but quality tags more or less restrict pressure but there is still pressure and you still have to put in just as much work. Really successful hunters probably spend 90% of their time in OTC or easy draw units, if not more. Im not even close to being in the category of really successful but the vast majority of guys that kill it year and year out are hunting OTC/easy draw units.
Quite a few guys on this forum and from WA kill a lot of animals every year on general or easy to draw tags that arent considered quality. To me its not so much the tag but the hunter. The guys that know animal behavior and have the best woodsman ship seem to be the ones doing the best out there.
Post by: ljsommer on December 18, 2018, 07:42:52 AM
So I was thinking about this recently: Does it make sense to just put in for quality hunts in as many states as possible and just hunt those instead of wasting time hunting OTC tags in overly-hunter-populated GMUs? I am not at all satisfied with the GMU's I've been hunting but I have no idea where to go or what to do to improve my situation, and then it occurred to me: If I applied for quality hunts in enough states, I'd probably get something worth hunting and it would cut down on the amount of "hiking" I do.
I started thinking about this: Really successful hunters can't be spending the majority of their time on OTC tags, can they?
Just because you draw a quality tag doesnt mean youll see a ton more critters from the road or even in easily located spots. There will be exceptions to this for sure but quality tags more or less restrict pressure but there is still pressure and you still have to put in just as much work. Really successful hunters probably spend 90% of their time in OTC or easy draw units, if not more. Im not even close to being in the category of really successful but the vast majority of guys that kill it year and year out are hunting OTC/easy draw units.
Quite a few guys on this forum and from WA kill a lot of animals every year on general or easy to draw tags that arent considered quality. To me its not so much the tag but the hunter. The guys that know animal behavior and have the best woodsman ship seem to be the ones doing the best out there.
I definitely don't want "from the road". In fact quite the opposite. I want to work for it. I regularly put in 10 miles getting to and from hunt spots in my local GMU's. Problem is, they're ghost towns now that season has landed. All year it was like a zoo in there, tons of game everywhere on cams. Season lands and they all vacated.
I also don't have friends/family that hunt so I am figuring all this stuff out on my own. In other words, I'll take whatever advantage I can get, however small.
Post by: WSU on December 18, 2018, 07:48:18 AM
Post by: ljsommer on December 18, 2018, 08:05:35 AM
I managed to find a small grove of trees tucked way back off a fire road on top of a mountain recently that had some fresh deer sign, and I'll be camping out on that in the evenings as often as I can before season end.
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 18, 2018, 10:40:44 AM
Pick one state and one unit you can hunt every year or every other year. You will do better learning an area, what the animals do with weather or pressure. I have put in for quality deer tags for the last 11 years in 7 states and I have yet to draw one. I hope this helps.
11 years....7 states...yet to draw?!? What?! How is that possible?
I am not doing 7 states, but I have yet to draw a quality tag in any state. I will have 19 points in Washington this coming year.
Post by: go4steelhd on December 18, 2018, 03:51:56 PM
Like you I have had poor luck in the deer draws. That’s why I was like heck with it I’m going OTC on at least one hunt every year. I’m glad to see your group had great success this year. Nice work
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 18, 2018, 06:09:55 PM
PathfinderThanks. You're right. That's EXACTLY what we did. Funny though that the guy I went with has drawn both Quality Elk and Quality Buck in WA (and scored on great animals with both). I'm still sitting on points in almost every category. I drew a "buck" tag a couple years ago and a muzzy cow tag a few years back. That's the only thing I have ever drawn in WA.
Like you I have had poor luck in the deer draws. That’s why I was like heck with it I’m going OTC on at least one hunt every year. I’m glad to see your group had great success this year. Nice work
Post by: idahohuntr on December 18, 2018, 06:36:58 PM
Somewhat related...I occasionally see guys fall into the mindset that its not worth hunting until/unless you get that good draw tag...what happens is they don't hunt a lot, then they draw a good tag, and they are ill-prepared to take advantage of the opportunity. For example, I know a few folks who put in for Quality Elk in WA but don't ever hunt elk if they don't draw. Well, after a dozen years or more of not really elk hunting - they draw and more often than not they have a tough go of it because they simply haven't done much elk hunting.So I was thinking about this recently: Does it make sense to just put in for quality hunts in as many states as possible and just hunt those instead of wasting time hunting OTC tags in overly-hunter-populated GMUs? I am not at all satisfied with the GMU's I've been hunting but I have no idea where to go or what to do to improve my situation, and then it occurred to me: If I applied for quality hunts in enough states, I'd probably get something worth hunting and it would cut down on the amount of "hiking" I do.
I started thinking about this: Really successful hunters can't be spending the majority of their time on OTC tags, can they?
Just because you draw a quality tag doesnt mean youll see a ton more critters from the road or even in easily located spots. There will be exceptions to this for sure but quality tags more or less restrict pressure but there is still pressure and you still have to put in just as much work. Really successful hunters probably spend 90% of their time in OTC or easy draw units, if not more. Im not even close to being in the category of really successful but the vast majority of guys that kill it year and year out are hunting OTC/easy draw units.
Quite a few guys on this forum and from WA kill a lot of animals every year on general or easy to draw tags that arent considered quality. To me its not so much the tag but the hunter. The guys that know animal behavior and have the best woodsman ship seem to be the ones doing the best out there.
So...if you are going to apply in multiple states one strategy I think makes sense is to select a few top tier units, but make sure you are applying or hunting OTC on a consistent basis so that you are prepared if/when you draw those really hard to draw tags.
Post by: ljsommer on December 18, 2018, 06:51:31 PM
Somewhat related...I occasionally see guys fall into the mindset that its not worth hunting until/unless you get that good draw tag...what happens is they don't hunt a lot, then they draw a good tag, and they are ill-prepared to take advantage of the opportunity. For example, I know a few folks who put in for Quality Elk in WA but don't ever hunt elk if they don't draw. Well, after a dozen years or more of not really elk hunting - they draw and more often than not they have a tough go of it because they simply haven't done much elk hunting.So I was thinking about this recently: Does it make sense to just put in for quality hunts in as many states as possible and just hunt those instead of wasting time hunting OTC tags in overly-hunter-populated GMUs? I am not at all satisfied with the GMU's I've been hunting but I have no idea where to go or what to do to improve my situation, and then it occurred to me: If I applied for quality hunts in enough states, I'd probably get something worth hunting and it would cut down on the amount of "hiking" I do.
I started thinking about this: Really successful hunters can't be spending the majority of their time on OTC tags, can they?
Just because you draw a quality tag doesnt mean youll see a ton more critters from the road or even in easily located spots. There will be exceptions to this for sure but quality tags more or less restrict pressure but there is still pressure and you still have to put in just as much work. Really successful hunters probably spend 90% of their time in OTC or easy draw units, if not more. Im not even close to being in the category of really successful but the vast majority of guys that kill it year and year out are hunting OTC/easy draw units.
Quite a few guys on this forum and from WA kill a lot of animals every year on general or easy to draw tags that arent considered quality. To me its not so much the tag but the hunter. The guys that know animal behavior and have the best woodsman ship seem to be the ones doing the best out there.
So...if you are going to apply in multiple states one strategy I think makes sense is to select a few top tier units, but make sure you are applying or hunting OTC on a consistent basis so that you are prepared if/when you draw those really hard to draw tags.
Good point. What I might do is view my OTC hunts as "practice" and my quality hunts as "the game". I'll be able to stay fit, lean, and hone my craft when there's no animals around so that when I can get into a unit with animals I'll be able to put those skills to work. I like it.
Post by: grundy53 on December 18, 2018, 06:53:48 PM
Solid advice. You have to hone your skills. Even if you are unsuccessful. Just think of it as practice for your good tag you draw in the future.Somewhat related...I occasionally see guys fall into the mindset that its not worth hunting until/unless you get that good draw tag...what happens is they don't hunt a lot, then they draw a good tag, and they are ill-prepared to take advantage of the opportunity. For example, I know a few folks who put in for Quality Elk in WA but don't ever hunt elk if they don't draw. Well, after a dozen years or more of not really elk hunting - they draw and more often than not they have a tough go of it because they simply haven't done much elk hunting.So I was thinking about this recently: Does it make sense to just put in for quality hunts in as many states as possible and just hunt those instead of wasting time hunting OTC tags in overly-hunter-populated GMUs? I am not at all satisfied with the GMU's I've been hunting but I have no idea where to go or what to do to improve my situation, and then it occurred to me: If I applied for quality hunts in enough states, I'd probably get something worth hunting and it would cut down on the amount of "hiking" I do.
I started thinking about this: Really successful hunters can't be spending the majority of their time on OTC tags, can they?
Just because you draw a quality tag doesnt mean youll see a ton more critters from the road or even in easily located spots. There will be exceptions to this for sure but quality tags more or less restrict pressure but there is still pressure and you still have to put in just as much work. Really successful hunters probably spend 90% of their time in OTC or easy draw units, if not more. Im not even close to being in the category of really successful but the vast majority of guys that kill it year and year out are hunting OTC/easy draw units.
Quite a few guys on this forum and from WA kill a lot of animals every year on general or easy to draw tags that arent considered quality. To me its not so much the tag but the hunter. The guys that know animal behavior and have the best woodsman ship seem to be the ones doing the best out there.
So...if you are going to apply in multiple states one strategy I think makes sense is to select a few top tier units, but make sure you are applying or hunting OTC on a consistent basis so that you are prepared if/when you draw those really hard to draw tags.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Post by: Bigshooter on December 18, 2018, 07:21:34 PM
Post by: lemondog on December 18, 2018, 09:25:43 PM
Post by: ljsommer on December 18, 2018, 10:23:04 PM
Speaking of pumpkin parties, I feel like if I could somehow get in touch with the other people that hunt my GMU we could have some sort of potluck in the woods or something. Might as well make it a party, ya know?
Post by: JimmyHoffa on December 18, 2018, 10:39:15 PM
Post by: huntnnw on December 18, 2018, 10:49:59 PM
Post by: ljsommer on December 18, 2018, 11:01:05 PM
the deer tags I have drawn outta state dont even compare to WA on any level and makes it really hard to get motivated to even hunt this state for muleys. I have had hunts outta state where I have seen over 50 bucks in a week and some were even higher than that.
.....
Man if you can't get motivated for muleys in WA I don't know how I am supposed to get motivated for blacktails in WA. At least you can *see* muleys.
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 20, 2018, 02:51:45 PM
the deer tags I have drawn outta state dont even compare to WA on any level and makes it really hard to get motivated to even hunt this state for muleys. I have had hunts outta state where I have seen over 50 bucks in a week and some were even higher than that.
.....
Man if you can't get motivated for muleys in WA I don't know how I am supposed to get motivated for blacktails in WA. At least you can *see* muleys.
Aww heck.... You didn't tell us you were talking about blacktails... :chuckle: