Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: treeclimber2852 on May 10, 2019, 10:08:42 AM

Title: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: treeclimber2852 on May 10, 2019, 10:08:42 AM: So I was one of the lucky few who was able to buy an A tag this morning...however, my hunting partner was 10 seconds behind me and was SOL. I'm really bummed right now because we had spent several hours planning and scouting with OnX and Google Earth. I felt like we had a solid, fun game plan, but now it's all up in the air. Anyone else get the Sawtooth tag?
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: WapitiTalk1 on May 10, 2019, 10:15:03 AM: A HUGE congrats treeclimber! That is an awesome tag mister.
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: lord grizzly on May 10, 2019, 10:32:18 AM: the rush for these tags crack me up. i live an hour from the unit if not a little less depending on where id want to go and i don't even bother. i dont know if its some clever marketing ploy to get traffic to tags or what with F&G but really if they want the tags to be controlled numbers on this they should just make it a draw. i can just about grantee if they did after the first year of everyone realizing it wasn't worth drawing there would be leftovers and anyone wanting one could get one.

its a fun place to bang around but dont go feeling like you won the elk lottery. shoot the first rag horn that gives you a chance...
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: Cleetiswillfeedus on May 10, 2019, 09:06:02 PM: I got one. Same thing happened to me. Buddy was 4 seconds to late I guess.
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: BUTTER on May 11, 2019, 08:38:43 AM: I agree with Lord Grizzly. I had the tag 3 years ago before it was really hyped up. It was decent and a fu area to be but is not worth there bs black Friday sale. Be in good shape those mts are huge
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: 3dvapor on May 11, 2019, 08:50:19 AM: I had the tag last year with a couple guys. Its some great country to hunt and look at but most of it as perfect as it looks dont hold very many elk or any at all. Other than the cap on hunters its not any better than the over the counter units that I usually hunt. On a positive note i still was able to locate and call in several bulls. Im going back but just to take the family rafting and hiking.
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: Mr Mykiss on May 11, 2019, 11:10:31 PM: Threads titled “Sawtooth _____” don’t help. Neither does IDFG blasting press releases about it every month or so. My buddy hunted 7 days last year and never heard/saw an elk. Go get em tiger!!
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: BULLBLASTER on May 12, 2019, 07:52:37 AM: I wish they would just make them controlled hunts. The guys that try for them would take some pressure off the other areas in the draws.
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: lord grizzly on May 12, 2019, 10:27:46 AM: Quote from: Mr Mykiss on May 11, 2019, 11:10:31 PM
Threads titled “Sawtooth _____” don’t help. Neither does IDFG blasting press releases about it every month or so. My buddy hunted 7 days last year and never heard/saw an elk. Go get em tiger!!

What people apparently don’t understand is it’s a capped unit for reasons. One is low elk numbers, other is low elk numbers for proximity to Idaho’s population base. Nether is quality. But boy is it a rush to get those tags, tags by the way they raise the cap on this year
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: idaho guy on May 12, 2019, 02:13:28 PM: Quote from: lord grizzly on May 12, 2019, 10:27:46 AM
Quote from: Mr Mykiss on May 11, 2019, 11:10:31 PM
Threads titled “Sawtooth _____” don’t help. Neither does IDFG blasting press releases about it every month or so. My buddy hunted 7 days last year and never heard/saw an elk. Go get em tiger!!

What people apparently don’t understand is it’s a capped unit for reasons. One is low elk numbers, other is low elk numbers for proximity to Idaho’s population base. Nether is quality. But boy is it a rush to get those tags, tags by the way they raise the cap on this year
.

:yeah: getting the tag has become a win in itself for some people. I can’t believe the number of people that put in for some draws that are no better than otc units. But I guess it feels like you won when you see “successful “ even if you only “won” the opportunity for a mediocre hunt. I have seen tags that were otc go draw and you get more applications than there was original hunters when you could just buy a tag. But if I draw a tag I won right? Not always
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: Crunchy on May 12, 2019, 02:44:27 PM: Feel lucky, act lucky, get lucky. Go shoot a nice bull.
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: WapitiTalk1 on May 12, 2019, 02:52:20 PM: Don’t let em get you down treeclimber. It’s not a bad tag (the Selway is a bad tag). I’ve known a few folks over the past few handful of years that tagged out in the Sawtooth, you’ll get er done.
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: Dan-o on May 12, 2019, 03:05:37 PM: Best of luck to you, Treeclimber.

After all of this feedback, I hope you find a masher.
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: idaho guy on May 12, 2019, 03:50:47 PM: I wasn’t trying to beat up on your hunt at all. Super cool Country and you will have fun and good chance you will get a nice one! It’s not a bad hunt Its good just not better than a lot of areas where you can just buy a tag.I was just ranting on the psychology of more the western state draw permits. Which I am getting sucked into a little bit :chuckle:. I can’t believe the time and money people commit to what looks like average units. Some I am familiar with are ridiculous how many people put in.
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: bearpaw on May 12, 2019, 04:18:11 PM: Some of my guides have hunted that unit a lot, it may not be like some trophy units but it's good hunting, elk are coming back since the wolves started being hunted, there are some decent bulls and more numbers of elk again, congrats and good luck!
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: lord grizzly on May 12, 2019, 04:35:58 PM: Oh there’s elk to be had. Buddy killed a 320 6x6 I there last year and another buddy killed a real heavy 5x5. The tags still not worth the hype is all. Guys “get lucky” and get a tag and think they have a elk in the freezer already. You don’t, and out of state you probably won’t. Like I said kill the first rag horn you see
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: huntnnw on May 13, 2019, 06:35:33 AM: Quote from: treeclimber2852 on May 10, 2019, 10:08:42 AM
So I was one of the lucky few who was able to buy an A tag this morning...however, my hunting partner was 10 seconds behind me and was SOL. I'm really bummed right now because we had spent several hours planning and scouting with OnX and Google Earth. I felt like we had a solid, fun game plan, but now it's all up in the air. Anyone else get the Sawtooth tag?

your buddy will have a chance when the unsold outfitter tags go on sale Aug 1
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: Mr Mykiss on May 14, 2019, 06:01:57 AM: I and a lot of others wanted to see it go to draw for many reasons, oh well. You can getcha a bull.
Get a wood tag or two.
If you hear woofs bail, run, drive 20 miles in the opposite direction!!
Plan 24 spots to hunt and move if you don’t get into em within 5 hours at a given spot.
After your hunt email IDFG and suggest that it goes to draw :)
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: theleo on May 15, 2019, 09:57:21 AM: Quote from: Mr Mykiss on May 14, 2019, 06:01:57 AM
I and a lot of others wanted to see it go to draw for many reasons, oh well. You can getcha a bull.
Get a wood tag or two.
If you hear woofs bail, run, drive 20 miles in the opposite direction!!
Plan 24 spots to hunt and move if you don’t get into em within 5 hours at a given spot.
After your hunt email IDFG and suggest that it goes to draw :)
What's the reasoning behind wanting it to go to a draw instead of it remaining under a limited quota?
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: Mr Mykiss on May 15, 2019, 08:46:44 PM: Personally?
1. What 50+ year old NR has a snowball’s chance in hell of acquiring a tag within 3.5 seconds?
1a. This demand is at least 84% due to the fact that IDFG makes mention of this hunt once a month in blast emails or posts on their website

2. It would level the playing field

3. It would take 4-5 thousand applicants out of the current controlled hunt pool...because they’d be applying for Sawtooth A/B
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: Dan-o on May 15, 2019, 10:35:06 PM: Thanks for explaining that.

It makes sense to me.
Title: Re: Sawtooth Tag
Post by: lord grizzly on May 16, 2019, 06:24:20 PM: Quote from: Mr Mykiss on May 15, 2019, 08:46:44 PM
Personally?
1. What 50+ year old NR has a snowball’s chance in hell of acquiring a tag within 3.5 seconds?
1a. This demand is at least 84% due to the fact that IDFG makes mention of this hunt once a month in blast emails or posts on their website

2. It would level the playing field

3. It would take 4-5 thousand applicants out of the current controlled hunt pool...because they’d be applying for Sawtooth A/B

Personally I think it should go to a draw to make it easier for the people who want one to get one ( to your point 1) and I’m not in that group. like I said and you echo the tag rush is all hype. After the first year of it being a draw there wouldn’t be as many applicants as there are current tag numbers because it’s not worth the draw. Locals could pick up the none drawn ones as leftovers and probably take there time doing it.

All in all though the system of hype probably benefits guys like me. This “ premier capped” unit gets a couple thousand elk hunters In it and the OTC units I hunt hover around 400