No Tags

[Zim]

Anyone else shutout of tags so far? Gettin late!

I am O-fer-24 so far, with just six 1%ers left, ~30% chance for Oregon elk, & ~30% for Wyoming deer. That is it. Otherwise it will be OTC Colorado archery elk for me. Never had to go to that extreme before in 20 tears. But it would be an interesting experience from all I've read. Would backpack in deep for starters, and set sights low.

 

[naturebob]

You could allways buy a Super Tag!............BOB!

 

[The Hedgehog]

There's a 10 week season and tons of great hunting all across the state of MT on the leftover deer/elk combo tags available.

 

[naturebob]

Greenhorn. I hunt Montana every year since I moved From AZ. to N. Dakota for work. I think its a great tag for a general hunt .many Guys don't wanna pay the fee. I think they are missing out. I hunt Muleys ,,havn't done Elk but I think the Muley tag is great. Just My OP. Thanks..............BOB!

 

[MtnWest]

Never drawn a elk or deer tag myself. Sure I throw my name in the hat but I think most people would be shocked how good OTC hunting can be with a some effort.

Good luck to all. Time to hit the hills and prepare for the fast approaching season.

 

[Big Fin]

If archery hunting is your gig for elk, you will be hard pressed to have a better OTC/general archery hunt than archery elk in Montana. If the Montana archery elk tag was a limited entry hunt in some of the other states I hunt, it would take 3-5 points to draw it.

And, you get six weeks to hunt. If schedule allows, you can come back in rifle season for five more weeks. The cost to add deer and bear is not that much additional cost, once you pay the elk fee.

Since you can get it as a leftover, the tag has the stigma of being below average. That makes me laugh. Look at the B&C records of elk entries in the last ten years and see how many of those MT bulls, and there are a lot of MT bulls entered, are taken on general tags and the date of harvest show it many bulls to be taken in archery season.

For lots of elk, hard to beat Colorado. For good numbers of elk, with a really good mix of older bulls, hard to beat Montana. I've not hunted Idaho, so I can't speak for that general/OTC tag.

 

[dmandoes]

0-fer-27. thank god for otc tags.

 

[jlmatthew]

And, you get six weeks to hunt. If schedule allows, you can come back in rifle season for five more weeks.

Thanks for rubbing it in

 

[MN Public Hunter]

PLease help me understand this….You put in for 24 tags? Who does that other than rich people and TV people ? What would you have done if you got even 5 of them, are you retired?

 

[Zim]

So what results come out next? Oregon or Wyoming? Those will seal my fate.

Randy, Ya we kicked around Montana leftovers, but my buddy is bringing his kid and Colorado has the better price for him. I don't really care. Already taken some nice trophy elk so a meat hunt would be OK with me.

 

[BuzzH]

I'm 1-23 so far in the draw...lonely bull elk rifle tag in the breaks in MT.

Still waiting on:

MT Moose, sheep, goat, elk b
WY pronghorn, elk, deer
AZ deer, Rocky Mountain Bighorn

Probably points only for deer in AZ, odds of drawing anything else are long shots.

What I'll have for sure:

MT elk/deer
WY 3 elk tags, 2 buck pronghorn, bear, buck deer

 

[naturebob]

Buzz, according to a previous post You must be rich too! Just buy the Damn Tags!.....LOL.......... You can't win if You don't play..............BOB!

 

[LopeHunter]

I was shut out through May last year so grabbed leftover alligator permit in Florida and burned my AZ points for a Coues hunt. Drew a CO Mountain Goat tag this year. Nothing else yet. Most of the tags I put in are tough odds so average 2 - 4 tags drawn per year the last decade.

 

[schmalts]

If you're serious about hunting you don't have to be rich. Just need your priorities in the right place and a savings account set just for hunting apps. 10k should cover it.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

I had a little hot streak last week.
NV archery bull
NV rifle cow tag
CO deer

Still have WY antelope in the hopper and may throw my hat in the ring for ID deer. AZ deer won't likely draw. I'll probably grab a MT combo tag and head out for a good old fashioned Griswold family hunt since work is way overrated when muleys are rutting.

 

[Khunter]

PLease help me understand this….You put in for 24 tags? Who does that other than rich people and TV people ? What would you have done if you got even 5 of them, are you retired?

24 is not all that man to apply for.

 

[BlakeA]

If you're serious about hunting you don't have to be rich. Just need your priorities in the right place and a savings account set just for hunting apps. 10k should cover it.

Exactly. Work hard and make sacrifices.

 

[MN Public Hunter]

If you're serious about hunting you don't have to be rich. Just need your priorities in the right place and a savings account set just for hunting apps. 10k should cover it.

24 is not all that man to apply for.

Exactly. Work hard and make sacrifices.

I guess I do have other priorities, but still 24 is not high? 10k a year on hunting for sure will not happen at my house and I'm pretty sure not many houses.

 

[HighDesertSage]

I'm always amazed at how many hunters I talk with that say they cannot afford to hunt out of state. However, those same hunters have no problem going out to eat and dropping $20+ bucks on dinner, or $50 bucks on booze for the weekend. That adds up to thousands every year. There is your tags.

 

[MN Public Hunter]

I'm always amazed at how many hunters I talk with that say they cannot afford to hunt out of state. However, those same hunters have no problem going out to eat and dropping $20+ bucks on dinner, or $50 bucks on booze for the weekend. That adds up to thousands every year. There is your tags.

If you were referring to 1 or MAYBE 2 tags I would agree. Let's see if I have this correct, cause maybe I'm wrong as I don't apply for this many tags and just started to hunt out of state 2 years ago...

Don't you front all the cash for tags all up front and wait to draw? If so, 24 tags of unknown costs and if some of them are elk, moose, sheep....We are talking $5,000- $20,000 dollars?

Then, you don't draw you get the credit (months later), minus pref point money....so...24 tags - pref point money...there again...some pref points are cheap and others are not, I'm told sheep can be $250? So.....24 tag pref points lets say is $1000-$2000? And you still have no tag....

Now....if all of this is correct above and you don't draw tags for 3-20 years....WOW...

I'm not poor by any means and my priorities are different and to each his own....I just thought 24 seems high....maybe it's just me, but that seems like a rich, or richer than me, mans game.