Btw I second Mixed bag’s statement. My favorite episodes are those hunts which are easy to draw and reasonably affordable (relative terms I know).
Me too. Which is why most of the hunts on the board are easy to draw and reasonably affordable. For anyone thinking that whiteboard is full of hunts for the rich and famous or for someone with dozens of bonus points, here are some details on the hunts you see on that board. Pretty attainable for most the hunting folks I bump into.
MT archery elk - Anyone reading this could buy the tag right now. Not saying the NR tag is cheap, but it is within budget of most people.
MT rifle elk - I did luck out and draw a limited tag this year, but if I had not drawn, we would have done this as a general rifle tag. In fact, guys on this site consistently kill bigger bulls on some of the MT general units than what come off many of the limited entry units. In MT, most limited entry units are not the ticket to huge bulls, rather are desired because of fewer hunters and that results in a better overall experience.
MT deer - This can be bought today by anyone who logs in to the FWP website, and can be bought as a combination tag with the elk tag listed above, or as a separate tag. The combo tag for MT deer and elk is about what you would pay for the same combination in most other western states.
CO elk - This will be an Over-The-Counter 3rd Season elk hunt. Anyone reading this could buy the tag and go hunt the public land of CO.
CO deer - The area I hunt can be drawn with 2 points. You can combine it with an OTC elk tag and have a nine-day deer elk combo hunt. To do that hunt every third years is in the budget for most guys I know.
UT deer - This is a general UT deer tag. Last year, most the archery hunts could be drawn with 0 points, with a few requiring 1 point. Only one or two of the UT general deer hunts require more than 1 point.
AK bear - The draw odds on this tag were 100% last year, for the island I applied for. Some areas are not even on a draw and some on a draw have left over tags. This entire hunt, including flights, tags, license, and transporter is easily under $2,000. Hard to think of a more reasonably priced Alaska experience than a week hunting bears for less than $2,000.
AK deer - This is an OTC tag. You can make it expensive or inexpensive. You can fly to POW, hike to the alpine, and hunt deer. You can do all of that for far less than $1,500. And maybe even toss in a wolf tag while you hunt some of the SE islands.
WY bison - This is a cow bison hunt. Last year there were more tags than non-resident apps for cow bison. This year, the odds got worse, something like 25% odds. The cost is $1,100, which is not out of hand for what most will find to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It is all public land, can be done by staying in a motel. You will get about 300 pounds of bison meat. To buy that at the store will cost more than the tag. And it is some of the best meat you will ever eat. I understand that some would only go if they could shoot a bull bison; not me, I want to hunt/eat them and a cow bison makes both much more affordable and attainable.
NM pronghorn - There is no point system in NM. This is just the luck of the draw. It does cost a $60 license fee that is fully refundable if you do not draw. The tag is about $280. Add all of that together and you get to chase some of the biggest pronghorn in all the world, for less than $350, plus the gas to get there. We will be camping on BLM and eating out of coolers.
Except for the NM elk hunts, which I will not be a hunter, rather a helper, every tag on that board is well within the reach for anyone who has few points and a few bucks saved. I know there are always some people for whom even a couple hundred bucks is "make or break." Yet, I would guess that 95% of the people on this board can afford any of those hunts above with a little thought and priority. Anyone who is subscribing to a cable package and watching our show is probably shelling out $600-$1200 per year on a cable/satellite TV subscription. If they can afford that TV package, they can afford any of the hunts listed above.
