Apparent explosive growth in applicants. Any ideas.

[Goatshoes]

I copied Blacktailbc's comment below from the Wyoming 2016 thread.

The draw moving to May 31 hurt draw odds for Non-residents IMO........I understand why they moved it, but I think it increased demand. In March, people have other draws out there.... aren't thinking about hunting as much.... and tend to put in for more 'long shots" in Wyoming. By May 31, people are realizing "I didn't draw crap!", and are more interested in a tag, any tag. One of the reasons I think for the doe/fawn tag demand increasing by a bunch. People in May are putting in for more "sure things" in WY, and trying to get a doe tag to go along with a buck tag.

In the zone where I applied, the number of first choice applicants grew over 20% for NR "Any antelope", "Doe/fawn antelope" and "Special antelope" and on the resident side of things the first choice applicants grew by over 50%. That is heavy! I am curios to know but don't have the time to see if that is consistent across the board.

The argument that Blacktailbc raises is the best I have heard so far. Are there any other explanations for this explosive growth? Perhaps improved economic conditions allowing people to budget hunts? I'd like to hear what others think. Do you expect this to repeat in 2017?

 

[npaden]

I know that I switched from one of the red desert units that I applied for on a long shot last year to a central unit that I thought was a sure thing this year because I was in a tag drought from other states. The sad thing is that I still didn't draw!

 

[marksjeep]

The quota for the doe tags we put in for went from 57 to 34. The first choice apps went from 70 to 465. We were not among the 34 that drew.

That's quite a change in application numbers.

 

[5Speedjim]

A bunch of mild winters in a row and the herd in better shape made me burn my points

 

[EBOLAVIRS]

Wyoming goat hunts are probably the most "sure thing" out there in big game hunting these days. That explains the antelope applicant boom, but the increase in deer aps probably can be attributed to the change in draw dates. I know I put in for a second choice deer that I figured I would probably draw because I got nothing in all the other states I apply for....

 

[1_pointer]

Lots of folks focusing on WY for pronghorn since other states (MT, ND, etc) have become much harder draws a few years back is a factor I think as well.

 

[BuzzH]

Just last night, the local biologist from Laramie gave a talk about pronghorn tags. He said that after the 2010/11 winter, the GF cut 13,000 pronghorn tags statewide. Since then, they have been slowly raising quotas but conservatively. Tag numbers are still not at the levels they were prior to 2010. The biologists here are working very hard to find that sweet spot where they can issue consistent tag numbers, maintain strong harvest, and avoid the peaks and valleys caused by huge population swings.

I give them (WY GF) credit for being conservative and allowing the pronghorn numbers to rebound. Its about a 180 from how the Montana FWP would do things. Montana would wait until 2-3 years after a bad winter to even drop permit numbers, then issue 3 tags for every 1 pronghorn...and wonder why the population isn't rebounding.

 

[TheDudeAbides]

Wyoming goat hunts are probably the most "sure thing" out there in big game hunting these days. That explains the antelope applicant boom, but the increase in deer aps probably can be attributed to the change in draw dates. I know I put in for a second choice deer that I figured I would probably draw because I got nothing in all the other states I apply for....

It is becoming one of the most popular hunts in the west.

High success and a lot of fun.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I also think this could have something to do with the point system WY has. You can sit on the sidelines for years collecting points without ever being incorporated into the draw odds, and then swoop in and snatch up tags.

The data is all right there, someone would just have to crunch all of those numbers.

 

[teej89]

man that's a pretty darn good point.... don't shoot me but especially since I was one of em... didn't draw NM and had a week of vaca to burn so decided to draft up an antelope hunt.

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

I think the flow of information definitely has an effect, in that Antelope are a very attainable first western hunt and Wyoming has a very simple draw and points system to figure out. You can read a few articles and figure out what you need to hunt them and can do it every year. When I was first learning the western state process I started buying Wyoming points 2 years before I intended to go because hey just send us $30 instead of send us $600 and we will refund $585 in 3 months. I also don't think the Wyoming draw is really mature in that you have other states with 20 points for antelope tags while Wyoming max is 10 right now.

To me a funny thing is a lot of articles were written around the 2010 peak of tags which paint a rosier picture of the ease of getting tags which really changed with big tag drops 2013-14. I'm sure the whole world screaming $35 doe tag leftovers has had a real effect.

People are definitely getting displaced from their sure thing hunts, but it isn't really unique to Wyoming. Anyone who views big game lotteries as static is setting themselves up for failure.

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

I also don't think the Wyoming draw is really mature in that you have other states with 20 points for antelope tags while Wyoming max is 10 right now.

I agree with this, and I also think this can be a source of frustration for people who get to the 3-4 point level, are no closer to drawing the top tier tag and they just burn them because they had no intentions of playing the long game.

 

[RUT JUNKEY]

I guess I must have been super lucky in the past.... I got my first PP this year as we didn't draw in what I thought was a shoe in... unit that we have hunted 3 seasons...well anybody have any recommendations on where/what to hunt this fall?? LOL

 

[vanish]

The quota for the doe tags we put in for went from 57 to 34. The first choice apps went from 70 to 465. We were not among the 34 that drew.

That's quite a change in application numbers.

That's the same one we put in for.

Why did you decide to put in for that particular hunt?

To us, it looked like good odds with a good amount of access.

All I can figure is it was a relatively new hunt in 2015, and so people didn't realize it was out there. Then this year, people did the math.

Was there something else that possibly triggered the numbers insanity for that unit? Did a magazine say "Go here to shoot a doe!" ?

 

[LCH]

I think the flow of information definitely has an effect, in that Antelope are a very attainable first western hunt and Wyoming has a very simple draw and points system to figure out. You can read a few articles and figure out what you need to hunt them and can do it every year. When I was first learning the western state process I started buying Wyoming points 2 years before I intended to go because hey just send us $30 instead of send us $600 and we will refund $585 in 3 months. I also don't think the Wyoming draw is really mature in that you have other states with 20 points for antelope tags while Wyoming max is 10 right now.

I think this is an excellent point. You don't have to invest too much to get started in Wyoming.

Another thing is that most other tags are just so much more expensive. A complete pronghorn hunt can be done for a few hundred $$ with multiple tags (buck and doe).