I've not even applied this year. Have for the last 4 years. The last 2 years were bad enough due to the drought. Giving them a break this year. May go further south for something else (Colorado OTC elk or New Mexico)
We bumped into a few while pronghorn hunting in Wyoming. It seems certain types of hillsides with brush tend to hold more rattlers than the open grassy areas. I dunno. But we had 3 different ones rattling around us while we were busking through some sage on a hillside. We beat a hasty retreat to...
...have you thought about applying for doe tags? You could keep building points, and use a doe tag to learn an area and bag a doe. That's what we've done for the last 4 years now.
We might be in 37, just to the south, chasing a cow elk, IF the leftover draw works in our favor. Looks like a lot of dark timber, some open meadows, and a few rocky areas, but not too many. Trail access looks doable, just depends on the weather.
Some of us aren't into that game anymore, not at those rates, besides, I gotta keep buying 'points' for tags! I'm old enough now, that I don't need to 'keep up with the Jones's', and I'm still young enough that I can crawl under my ride and work on them. Replacing wheel bearings and CV axles...
Just stop issuing points, let those who have them make the draw until points are 'used up', then go to a straight random draw. That'd be most fair. The points game sucks for newcomers.
Ok, I get that..except, it list's a 'quota', and the numbers on 1st choice are way under the total quota. That's what's confusing to me. I ain't upset, she drew some doe deer tags, and we've put in for a leftover cow elk tag. We'll be hunting either way.
I mean, I understand there was a tag reduction, set AFTER the draw period opened. With that said, is the reduction not reflected in the draw summary posted? Within the draw summary, there was a higher 'quota' than tags issued.
Looking at the draw results for Wyoming antelope. I put in for a couple of doe antelope tags and drew. My kid applied for a buck antelope tag, in unit 73, first choice (YOLO), and unit 109, as 2nd choice. She's sitting on 3 antelope points...she didn't draw unit 109. Yet, the draw results show...