The Game

[jofes]

After arriving home in KS from the Rio Grande Gorge in NM, I decided to start getting after the Bighorn draw info, those things are everywhere down there. I'm 25 and you have to apply to get one so they say.

Between NM, ID and WY its close to 7600 out of pocket for a few months with a total of 220 ish not refunded.
CO is 220 for a Bighorn no refund, AZ 175.
I haven't done all of the states up yet but it looks like i might be better off putting 500-600 in a specific tag lottery every year with WSF or something similar than doing the state draws.
The only states worth building points might be CO and its the most expensive. Not really sure I have solved anything but I'm starting to lean toward putting my eggs in one draw per year basket vs all of the other rigmarole...
Any thought?
Also I plan on saving for Dall hunt on the side just to guarantee a sheep hunt in the future.


I'm fairly sure I check the sheep meat pole 10 times a day during season, its freaking awesome.

 

[USMC-40]

Welcome to the obsession that is commonly referred to as ‘sheep hunting.’ Endless obsession over tags is the most frustrating aspect (2nd would be getting socked in on the last day of the hunt). If I weren’t as invested in tag acquisition I would play the lottery raffle game - which is an entirely different ‘game’. Best of luck, and I mean it.

 

[jofes]

Welcome to the obsession that is commonly referred to as ‘sheep hunting.’ Endless obsession over tags is the most frustrating aspect (2nd would be getting socked in on the last day of the hunt). If I weren’t as invested in tag acquisition I would play the lottery raffle game - which is an entirely different ‘game’. Best of luck, and I mean it.

Thanks man, Its overwhelming starting out but im sure next year will be easier once the plan is in place. If you had to do it over would you still have done the points system or only applied where there there were it was a truly random draw states/raffles?

 

[USMC-40]

Good question. I’d probably stay on the same track, but hard to say - I spent 8 years in the Marines, so during that time I just collected pref points as I could not have done a raffle hunt due to schedule

 

[cbeard64]

The eternal question.
I started 20 years ago and have applied in just about every state since that time. Because it didn’t cost that much more, I also applied for moose and mountain goat in WY. This started out costing me about $400 permanently out-of-pocket and now costs about $1600.
The good news is that I have beaten the odds 3x - drew a random WY moose tag in 2005 (240:1 odds), a NR AZ desert sheep tag in 2014 (who knows the odds?? - a lot), and a WY mountain goat tag in 2017 (250:1 odds).
So I am ahead of the game with zero complaints.
If I were just starting out now it might be an entirely different story. The facts are the facts - and they are not good for newcomers to the game. Basically, every state draw will be like a long-shot random draw for years and years if you are just starting out. Maybe forever. Objectively, the money outlay every year doesn’t make sense given the odds. But it remains true that (as everyone says) you won’t draw if you don’t apply.
To me, it comes down to this: how badly do you want a chance to hunt sheep in the Lower 48? I wanted (and still want) to do so badly, so I play both the draw game and the raffle game. My rationale is that the money (mostly) all goes to sheep/wildlife conservation anyway. So I decided to play - and it has been a good decision with 3 hunts of a lifetime as the result so far.
Your priorities may be different.Which is fine. It’s a very personal decision.
Good luck and hope it works out for you!

 

[NUGGET]

Focus on having a career that makes you lots of money.

 

[Cheesehead]

Recommend double checking your math on nonrefunded amount for NM, ID, WY combined.
Sheep hunting is not economical. But if you wanted to, your most economical approach is to do unlimiteds every year. After that, ID is clear winner.

 

[cbeard64]

Another tip: if you do apply in one or more states, go ahead and apply for top-notch units for other species (elk, mule deer, etc...).
I ignored elk and mule deer and antelope for years and could have been on several once in a lifetime hunts for those animals by now. Big mistake.

 

[as.ks.ak]

By titling this thread “the game”.

You made many of us just lose the game. Thanks so much.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NUGGET]

If pulling a sheep tag from a raffle is something you think may happen you might as well play powerball with that 600 dollars

 

[cbeard64]

If you invest $100 or so in each of several raffles, you will have better odds than drawing almost any sheep tag in the country. Especially as a NR. This includes most of the state raffles.
The issue with raffles is the vast majority are for thinhorns (Dalls/Stones). A few for deserts and just a handful for Rockys.

 

[jofes]

Thanks for the info, sounds like joining WSF is the place to start and then pick a state or two to go for broke in, all the while penny pinching. I also plan to do some more high county mulie hunts just to be in the same country.