Colorado Pref. Points- Point of diminishing returns?

[beginnerhunter]

Do you have to buy points every year to keep them? Like I have 3 points and don't want to keep building but might not want to use them next year. Are there any states where they empty the bank if you don't keep buying points?

 

[thusby]

Sitting on 7 right now and don't think it will be much longer before I pull the pin on a unit that doesn't need as many. Don't have much flexibility since I don't hunt archery or muzzleloader. I'll just need to eat a couple of those points.

 

[davinski]

Do you have to buy points every year to keep them? Like I have 3 points and don't want to keep building but might not want to use them next year. Are there any states where they empty the bank if you don't keep buying points?

Not every year, but I think evert like 3 or 5 years in order to keep your accumulated points. It's in the book. Not sure about other states. CO did that one year where they only took the minimum points required, then they quit never to do it again.

 

[jt13]

I'm fearful what the future will bring in regards to CO point creep with the lowered hurdles to applications and points by not requiring remittance of the entire license costs and fees coupled with lower elk populations statewide.

I imagine in time all of the OTC units will slowly change over to limited entry with OTC eventually disappearing completely. Somewhere in the middle point creep will get so high that they will need to change over to a split random/pref draw like Arizona to keep people interested and willing to apply.

Throw some wolves in there and the whole thing is kinda spooky to think about

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Do you have to buy points every year to keep them? Like I have 3 points and don't want to keep building but might not want to use them next year. Are there any states where they empty the bank if you don't keep buying points?

Most do at some point.
I would have to look them up but it's usually somewhere between 2-10 years I think Az requires every year?

 

[Bluffgruff]

Do you have to buy points every year to keep them? Like I have 3 points and don't want to keep building but might not want to use them next year. Are there any states where they empty the bank if you don't keep buying points?

Colorado is 10 years. Wyoming is 2 years. Those are the only ones I know off the top of my head. Arizona does its loyalty point keeping you in the game yearly, but not sure if they purge your points or not, maybe someone else can chime in before this gets way off topic.

Colorado, for residents, never wait more than 2 years to go hunting, too much good hunting to stay on the sidelines.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

Colorado, for residents, never wait more than 2 years to go hunting, too much good hunting to stay on the sidelines.

Really no reason to not hunt deer and elk every year.

 

[Pelican]

we always put that as first choice with PP as second choice.

I’m not certain, but putting the preference point code in second choice may have gotten your application disqualified. I vaguely remember something along those lines being an issue at one time.

 

[Western Traveler1]

Most do at some point.
I would have to look them up but it's usually somewhere between 2-10 years I think Az requires every year?

Yes, Arizona requires an application every year to retain your loyalty points and accumulated points.
I burned several more points than I needed for a Colorado Muzzleloader tag this year. Don’t know if I’ll ever buy another Colorado elk tag. I’ll have to see how I fair there this year, but with Arizona my bottom is always 2 due to loyalty point and Arizona hunter safety lifetime point. Knowing Arizona doesn’t require harvest reporting there are a few sleeper archery units available with a handful of points...

 

[Tikka06]

I have 3 elk and 3 deer points and I’m cashing in the elk points next year for sure. Now that you have to buy the small game license and point creep it makes it hard to justify. I will buy a deer point next year and then get to hunt two years in a row. Makes it easy to plan in advance that way.

 

[Bowhuntrben]

I would burn points at 4-5 points or less. I had 11 points going into this year's draw and wish I had been burning them long ago. Now I feel like it's a waste to use them on a lower point unit but won't ever catch up to a higher point unit. I will likely just burn them on a lower point unit soon. I wish I had done it sooner and could've hunted that unit a few times by now...

 

[Western Traveler1]

I had 11 points going into this year's draw and wish I had been burning them long ago. Now I feel like it's a waste to use them on a lower point unit but won't ever catch up to a higher point unit. I will likely just burn them on a lower point unit soon. I wish I had done it sooner and could've hunted that unit a few times by now...

Just how I felt, where I was and what I did...

 

[Kiwi]

I have 4 elk points. Not sure when I'll hunt CO but might be a year or two. Will keep buying points until I hunt, and this year also purchased pronghorn, deer and bear as it seemed like a good idea after buying the annual licence.

 

[kentuckybow]

i cashed in all my elk points last year and will not purchase another until the state goes all draw. anything more than 2 or three points is a waste imo.

 

[Western Traveler1]

I have 4 elk points. Not sure when I'll hunt CO but might be a year or two. Will keep buying points until I hunt,

....and that is how I ended up with 11 CO elk points. So many other states I hunted over that period, just didn’t get to it.

 

[88man]

The big hit and inflation came when they took ranching for wildlife away from NR and then the NR draw tag quotas got reduced also.

 

[huntin24/7]

We have 5 points for deer. I'd cash them in now if we had the time, but realistically. Well have 7-8 points when we use them. If I had time, id pick 2-3 states to chase long term tags and a few other states with otc or tags that took 2-3 years to draw.

 

[AvidIndoorsman]

The big hit and inflation came when they took ranching for wildlife away from NR and then the NR draw tag quotas got reduced also.

When was the quote reduced... and what was it before? It's currently 35% for limited units up to 6 points 20% for those above 6 and the effective % of NR OTC tags is 41.2%

I have the license sales data back to 2010, NR have been getting the same % of tags since then, and in 2018 actually had the highest percentage of CO elk tags since 2013.

Honestly I think as the country started to recover from the recession people had more discretionary income to put into the points game, and that coupled with the marketing of western hunting through social media is really what caused the point inflation.

 

[Trial153]

>1= diminishing returns at this point sadly

 

[88man]

When was the quote reduced... and what was it before? It's currently 35% for limited units up to 6 points 20% for those above 6 and the effective % of NR OTC tags is 41.2%

I have the license sales data back to 2010, NR have been getting the same % of tags since then, and in 2018 actually had the highest percentage of CO elk tags since 2013.

Honestly I think as the country started to recover from the recession people had more discretionary income to put into the points game, and that coupled with the marketing of western hunting through social media is really what caused the point inflation.

From my memory pre 2006. I thinking 2001-2006 in that time frame. The upto 6points was not in the deal back then> Hence the inflation with the higher Point holders or increased demand and less than 50% of the previous supply of when the 18Pt holders and higher started the game.