Out of state boondoggles?

timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
Since the weather has been pretty awful lately, it's given me too much time to play around on the internet, reading draw stats, forum posts and such. It's also caused me to spend a lot of money on big game drawings!!!

Alaska is the first to announce. That should come out tomorrow. For the last couple years I have applied for some Hail Mary tags there. Kenai Caribou, Roosevelt Elk on Raspberry Island and Bison. My best odds are less than 5% on the elk. Caribou and bison are less than 1%!! But, you never know. If I happen to draw one of those tags then off to the Last Frontier I shall go.

Next is Arizona. They usually announce around 1st or 2nd of March. I had a couple points there, so I applied for some late archery elk and rifle hunts. Not the glory tags that everyone dreams of (I will never get one of those, since most require 20+ points), but I'm not the type of person to wait a lifetime for a hunt. I have a good shot at drawing one of these tags, so early November archery elk hunt or late November rifle hunt could be in my future.

Colorado is my next state. Deadline isn't until April, so if I luck out in Alaska or Arizona, I will just take a year off there. But, if I don't draw elsewhere, Colorado it is. I have a few elk and deer points. I'm really contemplating burning my deer points on a September high country rifle tag. I would love to hunt the area I elk hunted last year for mulies, but it's a 8pt tag for non-res 2nd rifle, 10 points for 3rd. I can't wait that long. I should draw the high country unit I have my eye on. My elk points are a different story. Kind of sitting in a bad place. I would hate to burn 5 points on 1 point hunt, but there really aren't any 5 point hunts out there worth a crap. If I draw the high country deer tag, I may just grab an OTC archery elk tag. Or, I may switch gears and burn my elk points on a Flat tops archery tag. We shall where the chips fall. All else fails I will go back to where I rifle hunted last year.

And then there is whitetail. Never really put much effort into out of state whitetail hunting. But, do have some Iowa points, it's really the only state I would put the effort into going to for whitetails. I have until summer to figure that one out. It could be a busy fall.

Anyone else have plans?
 

Moose

Administrator
Staff member
Contributor
Turkeys in Virginia and Maine are on my list for this spring. Also I'm a subpermittie on my buddy's moose tag application for maine I hope he gets drawn. This is the last year I have to sit out of the maine lottery.
 

Ceehawk37

Ten Pointer
Put in for the KY elk draw again this year along with the wife. Been looking at buying preference points in some different states just to start the process. Got one more year before my vacation time will allow me to do one of those further west boondoggles no matter what so may as well start building points.
Top of the hit list would be mule deer, so if anyone has some suggestions of states that would be more fruitful in terms of public ground and draw odds I’d be grateful for a suggestion or starting point. Not trying to get unit specific info, just in general ideas of where to look. Looking to go DIY for any out West trips.
 

timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
Put in for the KY elk draw again this year along with the wife. Been looking at buying preference points in some different states just to start the process. Got one more year before my vacation time will allow me to do one of those further west boondoggles no matter what so may as well start building points.
Top of the hit list would be mule deer, so if anyone has some suggestions of states that would be more fruitful in terms of public ground and draw odds I’d be grateful for a suggestion or starting point. Not trying to get unit specific info, just in general ideas of where to look. Looking to go DIY for any out West trips.
Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
 

Buxndiverdux

Old Mossy Horns
Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming are on my list every year. I should draw Montana this year. I had a 75% chance last year and didn't draw. Talk about bad luck...
 

ncscrubmaster

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I’m going back to Missouri for whitetail in late November early December. If all goes well I may go back after first of the year. We bow hunted there last year and I’m ready to go back. I need to start working on an elk hunts or at least buy some points. May try to squeeze in a hunt in Nebraska but don’t have it planned yet.
 

timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
Arizona, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming are on my list every year. I should draw Montana this year. I had a 75% chance last year and didn't draw. Talk about bad luck...
I feel your pain about draw odds. I put in for a tag last year that, based on previous odds, I had a 100% chance of drawing.....

I didn’t draw the tag.
 

Castle Oak 2

Six Pointer
I applied for archery elk in AZ. NM and MT are next on the list-I wait till the last minute since you have to front the tag fee to apply. I have a fair number of points in AZ and WY but I'm going to wait at least one more year for WY. Odds ain't good in AZ and NM but there is still a chance.
 

Loganwayne

Ten Pointer
i put in for KY elk, Maine moose. looking at getting some points in a couple states out west to start building for out there. possibly somewhere in the mid west for whitetail this year.
 

ncstatehunter

Twelve Pointer
Applying for WY deer again for October, dragging @Smarr28 and @cloningerba along this time with us (They really should thank me for my 3 points bumping up the group average) . Then there’s a list of hunts I want to go on that will depend on whenever I can get back to a normal project at work so I can cover them with extra $ earned. CO Archery elk and/or SD antelope in September, midwest hunt in November, AZ archery deer (or rifle coues if I decide to apply and get lucky). Wanted to start building AZ elk points this year but that was a no go unfortunately.
 

appmtnhntr

Twelve Pointer
This year is a points year for me.
Colorado for elk deer and pronghorn. Wyoming for deer and pronghorn.
I always throw a couple chances in for Kentucky cause that would just be tits to draw any of those tags.
 

Matty

Six Pointer
Contributor
Will be hunting VA/TN for turkeys, then off to WY in SEP for Muleys (still buying pref points for Elk/Speedgoats), and whitetails will be fairly local for most of the season (NC, VA, TN) then off to TX for whitetail, and anything else that moves come first week of JAN.
 

pcbuckhunter

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Since my job looks like it’s gonna keep
me in the Midwest this fall, Ne, Mo, and maybe Ks are possibilities, otherwise it’s the same ole same ole for me, NC, Va, Ga, and WV
 

timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
Didn’t draw any tags in Alaska. Not surprised, all very low odds. Waiting on Arizona next. We will see how bad my luck is. Based on last years odds I have about 90% chance of drawing.
 

timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
Arizona's draw was a cluster this year. Credit cards should have been hit 3 weeks ago, they finally hit yesterday. No tag for me in Arizona. Point creep must have got me, I had pretty good odds for my 1st choice. Oh well.

Now it's Colorado time.
 

np307

Ten Pointer
Unless WY general tags jump more than a full point I'll draw that. Got a buddy who is also in for a cow tag there. That's the only trip planned for this year. If for some reason I don't draw and he does, I may look to pull a deer tag or we will get a load of antelope doe tags.
 

appmtnhntr

Twelve Pointer
My buddy that I hunt with out there will have 18 elk points in Colorado next year. I have like 4. Trying to find a quality unit to burn his bull points and I can use mine on a cow tag or a cow tag on leftovers. Just be a guide and packer for him with a bonus ticket in my pocket.
 

appmtnhntr

Twelve Pointer
My buddy that I hunt with out there will have 18 elk points in Colorado next year. I have like 4. Trying to find a quality unit to burn his bull points and I can use mine on a cow tag or a cow tag on leftovers. Just be a guide and packer for him with a bonus ticket in my pocket.
Soooooooo.
if anyone wants to chime in on that perfect unit mentioned above..........
 

timekiller13

Old Mossy Horns
Soooooooo.
if anyone wants to chime in on that perfect unit mentioned above..........
Is he a resident or non-res?
18 pts is no mans land. He could maybe draw unit 76 1st rifle tag.
All the other top units like 2,10,201, 61 are all 22pts or more for non-resident for rifle, archery and muzzleloader tags.
 

appmtnhntr

Twelve Pointer
Eff me.
Is he a resident or non-res?
18 pts is no mans land. He could maybe draw unit 76 1st rifle tag.
All the other top units like 2,10,201, 61 are all 22pts or more for non-resident for rifle, archery and muzzleloader tags.
Eff me. It’d be a musket or rifle hunt. He really wants to go up to 10 but he doesn’t get the creep problem.
Down around 60/61 is gorgeous country if you can pick up the tag. We aren’t looking for 400s. Just a place with good access that has some pretty bulls around.
 

ncstatehunter

Twelve Pointer
You could hope to hit in the random portion of the hybrid I guess. Definitely no man’s land like tk said. Might just have to take the hit and be the point creep driver and burn it on a unit he could have drawn with 10 pts.
 
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