CO Home state hunter. Where else to start buying points?

[FYT]

Hi all,

I live in central Colorado and hope to be here for a long time. I plan to invest a lot of time getting to really, really know the unit in which I live and I plan to hunt it every year. I prefer to hunt 1st rifle season (at least until I get into archery) and unless "point creep" really goes crazy, I should be able to get 1st rifle in my unit almost every year (unless I get really unlucky, in which case I can go OTC), but applying for that tag each year means I can't build points in CO and I'm OK with that.

However, I do like the idea of building some points in another state while I learn my unit here over years (in addition to getting a lot better as a hunter).

I'm curious if people here have suggestions for what state(s) I might want to look at to start buying points. I simply don't have the money to start buying points in every western state.

Any suggestions on where I should hone in?

 

[Backcountry Hunter 2]

I buy points in WY. It costs me $50 a year.

 

[CubsFan]

I would be interested to hear other people's opinion because I am in the exact same situation as you except I am in Denver and don't have a home unit per se. Currently I am only building points in Wyoming. My hunting experiences in WY have been far better so far than Colorado.

 

[LWC55]

I started 3 or 4 years ago. I buy points in CO, WY, and AZ. I plan to hunt CO and WY every other year-ish and AZ every 6-8 years. After doing a lot of research, those states seemed to give me the most bang for my buck. I will hunt elk most years, but not every year. When not hunting elk I'll mix in a mule deer hunt and a pronghorn in WY.

 

[HighDesertSage]

For a Non Res DIY guy I think AZ and WY offer some great opportunities. CO is a given. That being said if you are looking to apply out of state, NM and ID cannot be overlooked either as they don't have any point schemes. Utah can be good too, but you're in it for the long haul. No experience in MT, probably won't until wildlife management improves. NV has great hunting but incredibly low draw odds. CA, OR, WA suck.

Hope that helps.

 

[jrabq]

You need to be realistic with your goals. Points are mostly just a racket to soak money from non-residents. How long can you wait? How much money you can flush down the toilet every year? Will you settle for a mid-tier or easier to draw hunt?

If you would be happy with a general tag in WY (1-3 points now, might keep climbing), then $50/year seems reasonable. You are too far behind any of the premier units to justify the cost, IMO. There is always a chance to draw a random tag, but points do not affect your odds (they are pure preference points, not bonus points) until you have whatever the maximum it is taking that year.

UT is "relatively" cheap for now, you have to buy a hunting license (~$85/year) but if you time it right you only have to buy it every other year. Odds are terrible but for ~$53/year you get in the game for an elk application. As with WY you might never get in the top pool, unless you can wait a very long time, I'm talking 20 years or more. But in the meantime the UT points are "bonus" points so your odds should get better, or at least tread water. And once you buy the license you might as well apply for everything else you are interested in for $10/species.

AZ is more expensive than UT, and you have to buy the license every year (~$160). If you settle for a lesser unit you might be able to draw in under 10 years, as it stands now. You also get two choices (that really count) so you can apply for a premium unit 1st choice and something you would settle for as your 2nd. I got real lucky 2 years ago and drew a tag that normally takes 14 points (for now) when I only had 5; odds were about 1% so obviously you cant count on that happening.

NV is similar to AZ, but it will end up costing you ~$200/year for even worse odds. Yes, they square your points but your odds will be very small for a very long time because there are so many people ahead of you, and they issue very few tags.

Also keep in mind all of these costs are likely to increase faster than inflation, at least that has been the recent history.

And they might change the rules on you along the way, which might screw you or help you depending on how many points you have.

Good luck whatever you decide.

JR