Free: Contests & Raffles.
Thank you for the encouraging replies! My hope is simply food on the table and a nice “calm” experience. I’m sure someday age and antlers will become more exciting but for now it’s not the goal.
Shorter answer, depends on the state.
Does the OP still have his Montana points?Seems they have some convoluted system where if you don't apply on the second year you lose them, and you cant have more than 3 points. I don't think you can just buy points for 2 years. From Gohunt:As of 2022, preference points are now $100 each and applicants must apply every other year or the state will zero any accumulated preference points. No one may hold more than 3 preference points.As to the question. Yes, I think living in Washington its better hunting in many of the surrounding states.
I echo the depends on your expectations crowd. I’ve hunted a few different states off & on for over 30 years with varying results. That said I always enjoyed the trip with friends & family no matter what the results. The difficulty today is the rapidly rising costs from tags to fuel, larger numbers of applicants/hunters & the inability to draw tags from year to year. Those things have changed my opinions of it the last few years. Good luck in your endeavors.