Ollin Magnetic Digiscoping System

What is the best quality OTC tag in the west (mule deer, elk, pronghorn)?

All of them.
None of them.

I suspect you need to narrow it down a bit to how you like to hunt, what terrain you like to hunt, what season and likely weather you prefer, whether you have access to private land or only public, whether you are hunting solo or with a group, how far away you are and whether you are driving or flying, whether you are camping or moteling, how far you are willing or able to walk/pack, whether you have livestock, are worried about grizzly bears, how much licences cost, what time of year you can get off from work and for how long....etc....etc!

If by best OTC hunt you are referring to trophy potential, well you can assume somewhat that the hardest hunts might have the best animal or two tucked away from the crowds, and of course lightning can strike anywhere. hard work can pay dividends on any hunt, but you should set your expectations at “average” and be willing to be surprised from there or perhaps willing to compromise further.

Idaho can have some good general mule deer and elk opportunity. Pick a unit and try, but be prepared for hard work. You have to buy your tags quick these days before they sell out. sales began weeks ago.

CO has ample OTC elk, some OTC archery antelope, but not OTC deer, although many additional tags for deer and elk could be relatively easy to draw.

Wyoming is draw, any antelope hunt you have access to is probably good. For elk/deer/antelope, you have from small to decent chance in certain draws and could hunt every few years with points although its getting more competetive each year.

Montana has a general tag that you can apply for and probably hunt every couple years.

Other states can be more complicated, you might find easy tags for whitetails, archery deer or archery pronghorn here or there But you have to research the finer details.
 
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The ID tags that sell out in minutes (already sold out)

CO elk private land

NE MD private land

Edit: This is for NR
 
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All of them.
None of them.

I suspect you need to narrow it down a bit to how you like to hunt, what terrain you like to hunt, what season and likely weather you prefer, whether you have access to private land or only public, whether you are hunting solo or with a group, how far away you are and whether you are driving or flying, whether you are camping or moteling, how far you are willing or able to walk/pack, whether you have livestock, are worried about grizzly bears, how much licences cost, what time of year you can get off from work and for how long....etc....etc!

If by best OTC hunt you are referring to trophy potential, well you can assume somewhat that the hardest hunts might have the best animal or two tucked away from the crowds, and of course lightning can strike anywhere. hard work can pay dividends on any hunt, but you should set your expectations at “average” and be willing to be surprised from there or perhaps willing to compromise further.

Idaho can have some good general mule deer and elk opportunity. Pick a unit and try, but be prepared for hard work. You have to buy your tags quick these days before they sell out. sales began weeks ago.

CO has ample OTC elk, some OTC archery antelope, but not OTC deer, although many additional tags for deer and elk could be relatively easy to draw.

Wyoming is draw, any antelope hunt you have access to is probably good. For elk/deer/antelope, you have from small to decent chance in certain draws and could hunt every few years with points although its getting more competetive each year.

Montana has a general tag that you can apply for and probably hunt every couple years.

Other states can be more complicated, you might find easy tags for whitetails, archery deer or archery pronghorn here or there But you have to research the finer details.
yea that was a poor question. I should state that I value less hunting pressure, scenery, and opportunity for shots over trophy class. and let's focus only on deer
 
You asked what the “best” OTC tags are. You’re not screwed just because you can’t obtain or hunt the “best” tags. There is all kinds of opportunity.

Go and buy an ID MD tag today and go enjoy yourself. Plenty of the remaining ID tags are in places you can find significant solitude. Do some research on units and come back and ask questions when you need to. Opportunity for shots might be a little harder to come by but it is what it is.

Seeing as the only OTC NR MD tags are NE and ID, you might want to consider the numerous draw options for MD in many other western states.

Is somebody holding your feet to the fire forcing you to do an OTC hunt? A majority of people here had to learn a draw system to go on a hunt they wanted. There is a learning curve but if it’s important enough for you to figure out you will do it.

 
You asked what the “best” OTC tags are. You’re not screwed just because you can’t obtain or hunt the “best” tags. There is all kinds of opportunity.

Go and buy an ID MD tag today and go enjoy yourself. Plenty of the remaining ID tags are in places you can find significant solitude. Do some research on units and come back and ask questions when you need to. Opportunity for shots might be a little harder to come by but it is what it is.

Seeing as the only OTC NR MD tags are NE and ID, you might want to consider the numerous draw options for MD in many other western states.

Is somebody holding your feet to the fire forcing you to do an OTC hunt? A majority of people here had to learn a draw system to go on a hunt they wanted. There is a learning curve but if it’s important enough for you to figure out you will do it.

And you can find states with general tag rifle mule deer draw odds in the 50% range with just 1 point purchased at time of application, and even more where there are units you can draw with just a few points. So I wouldn’t necessarily limit yourself to just OTC state.

Get GoHunt, do some web research, watch some of Randy’s draw videos and then you’ll be able to ask more specific questions that will lead to more informative answers.
 
The Highest Quality OTC tag is the one that is minutes from your house where you know the lay of the land intimately and you can spend off season watching the bucks and bulls.

Seriously. These DIY-Public Land guys who kill big mule deer consistently? They aren't going to a new state and unit every year. They invest the time in a unit less than 3 hours from their home and they hunt it and scout it for years, even decades. Case in Point: David Long, and Robbie Denning.
 
Well, there are no OTC public land rifle tag antelope tags, as far as I've ever found so that solves that.

Washington black tail is the best mule deer OTC hunt.

AZ verde valley is best OTC rifle elk hunt
 
The Highest Quality OTC tag is the one that is minutes from your house where you know the lay of the land intimately and you can spend off season watching the bucks and bulls.

Seriously. These DIY-Public Land guys who kill big mule deer consistently? They aren't going to a new state and unit every year. They invest the time in a unit less than 3 hours from their home and they hunt it and scout it for years, even decades. Case in Point: David Long, and Robbie Denning.
Couldn't agree more, seems like the guys with the most "luck" are putting in the most time. And often aren't in the know prime areas.
 
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