Wyoming point problem

[robby denning]

I guess I should clarify what I meant.
Most draw units are over-valued if you really consider other options.

No unit is worth 10 points considering that the average hunter can kill as good of buck in way lower point, all the way to zero, in other units if he works at it and scouts. Although there may be more top end bucks in the high point units, driving the points required up, the average hunter won’t hold out for them. So that’s why I say they’re not worth 10 points. He’s building more points than needed for a buck he’ll shoot when he sees it.

But if you don’t mind over spending your points, then go hunting. Just don’t equate a point level with the size of buck you’ll likely shoot.

Hope that makes sense. Reading it, it barely does to me, sorry.


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[Muley Buck]

Very well said Robby. I couldn't agree more.

 

[robby denning]

Very well said Robby. I couldn't agree more.

Yay! It made sense to at least one person


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[Muley Buck]

Yay! It made sense to at least one person


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After repeated seasons in a handful of states it has become very apparent to me that generally speaking, most "good tags" are not worth the price of admission. That is, coming from a "point" based standpoint. I have never drawn a tag in my life with more than 4 points in any state. I doubt I'll ever get more than 5 or 6, and that would only be due to not being able to go for whatever reason. I know of a couple guys that have spent 10+ points on a tag and have brought home younger/lesser bucks than I have on 0-2 point tags. The difference between the two? Knowledge, experience and effort. It is my belief that if I can get any given tag for 0-2 points my effort will make up the other 8 points, allowing me to feel like I had experienced a 10 point hunt. There are great bucks across the west in a variety of terrain. Hunters, to a greater extent, romanticize and glamorize all these "dream buck units" and the reality is usually they don't live up to the hype and are just as hard if not harder to hunt than OTC units, all due to lack of experience and knowledge. I have learned to just pick country I like to hunt then look for suitable, bucky habitat. Oh ya, and don't give up!

Yes! It certainly makes sense to me Robby! Thank you. This idea and train of thought is also very clear in your book. A little bit of advice fellas, when the Legend speaks you should listen.

 

[Jacack]

Yay! It made sense to at least one person


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Made sense to me also , I have way to many points in a few states due to only being able to swing one or two hunts a year living on the east coast and my work schedule I had for 6 years, now I can swing longer hunts or two a year and have plenty of points to supply myself with a few years of good hunts in a lot of states.

 

[robby denning]

Sounds like some good times ahead Jacack!


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[Jdog]

yep...floating here with 9 as well...trying to decide

 

[T3clay]

I guess I should clarify what I meant.
Most draw units are over-valued if you really consider other options.

No unit is worth 10 points considering that the average hunter can kill as good of buck in way lower point, all the way to zero, in other units if he works at it and scouts. Although there may be more top end bucks in the high point units, driving the points required up, the average hunter won’t hold out for them. So that’s why I say they’re not worth 10 points. He’s building more points than needed for a buck he’ll shoot when he sees it.

But if you don’t mind over spending your points, then go hunting. Just don’t equate a point level with the size of buck you’ll likely shoot.

Hope that makes sense. Reading it, it barely does to me, sorry.


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Do you think the same applies to Wyoming Elk? Or is that a different story?

 

[robby denning]

Do you think the same applies to Wyoming Elk? Or is that a different story?

T3clay, while I'm not much of an elk hunter, I still think that same dynamic applies to elk. I've seen 340-360 bulls in OTC units while scouting for deer yet I hear no buzz about those places, just the high point AZ/UT/WY/ID/NV/etc units where most guys who ever will draw those "end up" shooting a bull of that size and not the top end bulls that are driving the demand for points.

I might be stepping out of bounds on this, so I'll defer to any hard-core elk hunter out there who plays the draws/OTC

 

[blackdog]

Sitting on max Wyoming points and don't know what to do with those. And not really enough time to use them anyway. I get about enough time off from work and family to do one solid (10-14 day) out of state hunt per year. And with having been gathering points for 14 years now, I feel like I have lots of really good options but no really incredible options. Hopefully this year I'll be drawing a Wyoming elk tag with max points, then next year I'll have to decide what to do? Colorado 3rd season mule deer with 15 points by then? WY max mule deer hunt? Utah elk hunt with 15?

I guess there are worse problems to have but I'm afraid none of these hunts will be worth waiting nearly two decades for. But then again, with my itchy trigger finger it's not like I'll be holding out for 190" deer and 350" bulls either so I'll have a good time regardless.

 

[Southforkguy]

Sitting on max Wyoming points and don't know what to do with those. And not really enough time to use them anyway. I get about enough time off from work and family to do one solid (10-14 day) out of state hunt per year. And with having been gathering points for 14 years now, I feel like I have lots of really good options but no really incredible options. Hopefully this year I'll be drawing a Wyoming elk tag with max points, then next year I'll have to decide what to do? Colorado 3rd season mule deer with 15 points by then? WY max mule deer hunt? Utah elk hunt with 15?

I guess there are worse problems to have but I'm afraid none of these hunts will be worth waiting nearly two decades for. But then again, with my itchy trigger finger it's not like I'll be holding out for 190" deer and 350" bulls either so I'll have a good time regardless.

Dude awesome! Why wait if its not worth it?! I know where id be burning a 3rd season tag! Theres got to be some 4th season hunts you could draw with 15 points.

 

[Whip]

I'm in the boat with black dog. Max points for WY deer and no idea what to do with them. I didn't save them for any special reason - is just that I'm an elk addict and have always focused my efforts there. I know that if I had wanted to hunt deer I could have probably had a great hunt long ago. I guess this will probably end up being my contribution to the point creep problem.
2019 might be my year to burn these but I'm going to start a separate thread and ask for some feedback.

 

[Nick87]

You can take me and we can average 6 points that way. Seriously tho if you want to hunt burn em if you want to wait do so. There your points I personally don't have the patience to build points that long.

 

[madmoose]

I was just in the same situation as you, not enough points to draw a top end rut hunt and too many(I felt) to burn on a low end unit. I ended up burning 11 points on unit 34 October 15-31 hunt. Had a good time, saw no other deer hunters, saw lots of deer and some decent bucks, just no bucks over 160. I ended up hunting really hard and on the last day shot the same caliber of buck that I could have shot on the first day (160 inch 24 inch wide 4 point). I do think if we had better hunting weather instead of the 60-70 degree highs I experienced, it would have been a “better” hunt. In summary, I will never bank anywhere near that many points in Wyoming again, I’ll try to draw as many times as possible in some general areas like g or h and go hunt. I don’t think points for deer in Wyoming get you a guarantee of a chance at bigger bucks(unless you have max points) it just gets you into an area with less hunting pressure. This is coming from a guy that lives in southeast idaho that has/had time to scout the unit and put in the time to hunt hard. Pm me if you want any other opinions on the unit I hunted, as you could probably draw it. I’ll even give you the $35 map I bought for it. Good luck!

Im kinda sitting in the same boat. Wife and i want to off our points this year and looking at 34 and 89. Folks say go with G. I just don't want to hunt that terrain. Rather have a cat and mouse, where's waldo expeience out in the rocks and sage. I can have G experiences here in idaho with no draw..
But it is a sh@#$y realization it seems that a decade of points building doesn't get ya anything other than reduced hunter numbers.
For us, the points just seemed to accumulate the past 6 years due to other draws and shoulder surgery, and starting a new biz. Yada,yada, yada
Would love to hear more about your 34 experience Beaver.

 

[BeaverHunter]

Im kinda sitting in the same boat. Wife and i want to off our points this year and looking at 34 and 89. Folks say go with G. I just don't want to hunt that terrain. Rather have a cat and mouse, where's waldo expeience out in the rocks and sage. I can have G experiences here in idaho with no draw..
But it is a sh@#$y realization it seems that a decade of points building doesn't get ya anything other than reduced hunter numbers.
For us, the points just seemed to accumulate the past 6 years due to other draws and shoulder surgery, and starting a new biz. Yada,yada, yada
Would love to hear more about your 34 experience Beaver.

Pm me and I would be happy to talk to you all about it. It’s a fun hunt for sure.

 

[KGParker]

Hunt G and take a friend is great advice...your friend will need a few points though, as I don't think an average of 5 points will get the tag now.

I have 7 and will hunt G in 2020

 

[wrkn2hunt]

Hunt G and take a friend is great advice...your friend will need a few points though, as I don't think an average of 5 points will get the tag now.

I have 7 and will hunt G in 2020

With 7 you could hunt this year in 19 if you wanted to. I have been building points and finally pulled the trigger. Had to go with the special but figured I would burn em before the winter kill cycle comes around. Which is getting closer. I have a friend in Afton who encouraged us to burn em now and not wait.

 

[Oregon]

WY averages points so find a unit that takes 5 or less and take a friend.

I’m burning my points this year with a buddy who didn’t have squat. Goal is to find a fun hunt to do every 3rd year. I’m actually eating 4 points. Don’t care anymore.
I’m setting my life up to have a quality mule deer hunt every year in 4 different states, just keeping them rotating. Years I get Colorado I can do 2 a year.
Biggest mistake I made was banking mule deer points for years and years.
I’ve learned a 170-180” deer can easily come out of any unit, regardless of points required.

 

[Jsc]

I decided to cash in 11 points on unit 90 a couple years ago. I wanted to hunt with my dad while he could still get around. Region G and H were not hiker friendly for him and I was worried about the winter kill back then. This year is looking like it could be tough one too. We scouted 90 on a few trips and killed the biggest bucks we could find. Both were around 160 ish. Never saw another hunter and had a great time with dad. Is 90 worth that many points, probably not. Would I bank that many points again hoping for the winters, permit numbers, and management to aline for a bigger buck. nope