How should I start banking points?

I am a new hunter. I have hunted twice for deer, once for elk, and once for duck, all in my home state of Colorado. This year, I plan on hunting more big game. Elk, Deer, and out of state (WY) antelope. My question: as a new hunter, should I start building preference or bonus points in other states? For instance, I really am not planning on hunting NM this year, and probably not next year, but is it a bad idea to apply and just take a bonus or preference point so if I do decide to hunt there, I will have a better chance of drawing?

I am thinking I want to start doing at least one new hunt a year. This year I am doing two new hunts, but I want to keep hunting new areas and new species and I think the best way to do that is to do at least one hunt (new area/state/species etc) a year. Having said that, is there a strategy to start putting points in the bank right now knowing I will cash in on them at some point later on down the road?

New Mexico doesn't have a point system. I would suggest going to Randy's YouTube channel and watch his videos about each states system. Then you can decide from there.

The link is the one above that says YouTube channel.

I have listened to Randy go into great depths about the various point systems out there. My question is more about advice. If you, as an experienced hunter who knows the different draws well, were to start all over again, what advice would you give yourself as FAS as gaining points?

I only started 3 years ago on the point game. It's all about preference as to where to build points. I'll say that it never hurts to have the points there just in case you decide to use them. Some states cost a lot more money to build points. It isn't worth it to me to build points in those states as I am funds limited. However if you can afford it then it's typically well worth it as they are some of the better trophy states.

Man there's a ton of these threads popping up this year. Must be the explosion of vendors like HF/EJ/HT/GH/Epic/Toprut. With the plethora of newbies I know exactly what the states have in store for the vets.

OP there's so many new threads on this topic this year I'd just Google or search the archives on a few different sites including this one. You should have no problem finding fresh info. It's becoming a booming business. Not the sale of actual tags, but the sale of chances.

Personally I do a blend in my applications / points. I'm going to go hunting somewhere every year, but I also have the goal of going on a really cool trip every few years, and hopefully a moose/sheep/goat tag eventually.

How much can you spend a year with no guarantee of drawing a tag that year? How much money can you float from when an application is due until the refund shows up?

I now plan to hunt one or two times each five years. I used to hunt 2 - 5 hunts each year. Would apply for several dozen hunts in a dozen states with most of those hunts worse than 1 in 100 odds or was applying for point saver rather than an actual hunt. Was around $1000 a year in fees and licenses to apply a decade ago and now was closer to $2000. Have been times during the application season when had around $20,000 on deposit with various states waiting for refunds. Now can use a credit card for about all applications with Colorado non-resident sheep/goat/moose one of the last applications going to credit card in 2018.

I drew tags and some were over $1500 when drew so that money was not being refunded and was thrilled to have drawn a great tag.

The ugly truth as a non-resident is a decade of points does not do much beyond improve your odds to snag a nice pronghorn tag and middling deer and elk unit tags in many states that have preference points. In bonus point states that square the points then you actually see your odds shrink for several years as you wait for those in front of you draw. Sheep/goat/moose are not a given even if you apply 50 years.

You might snag a primo tag in a state with bonus points or if there is a bucket of tags awarded randomly but odds are long. Idaho and New Mexico are the fairest systems as any other system that awards points is by design discriminatory against the youth. When you hear someone complaining they never draw a tag but their neighbor has drawn twice in five years then usually the complainer is putting in for 1 in 50 odds tags while the neighbor is putting in for 1 in 5 odds tags. Statistics have outliers but usually expected outcomes are the outcomes.

Want to see a train wreck? Look at WY non-resident sheep or CO non-resident deer. Those "fair" systems have proven what happens when demand exceeds supply. a point system can't "fix" that. No extra animals are generated. So, now a kid in their first year of eligibility is aced out of the bulk of WY sheep tags for the next 50 years and CO deer primo tags for 40 years. The guys in max or max-1 pools did nothing to deserve the good fortune of being placed at the front of the line except for the luck of the draw, literally.

Go to Vegas and tell the pit boss you deserve favoritism because you have been coming to Vegas for 12 years and did not win a jackpot yet. That is what hunters say to justify a point system. Vegas will kick your butt out. States will smile and start collecting your money each year to collect points. Vegas is smarter than states.

Good luck and hope you draw some tags that lead to memorable hunts. You can draw a Colorado deer tag every year that can be memorable. Not likely to see large critters and land access may be tough or may encounter a lot of orange vests. You can hunt.

The point system in the west is rather dynamic as well. Arizona just changed their system last year.

There are some different strategies for point accumulation. I've heard of some hunters putting in/rotating for points for different states every other year. In states like AZ, you can get additional points with Loyalty and AZ hunters ed. When I first started looking into point systems, I was all gung ho that I was going to accumulate a bunch of points over the years and do some epic hunts. But, after looking at things more clearly and listening to guys like Randy talk, there may be little marginal value in saving for 20+ years to get that elite unit hunt. The hunt/quality may not be that much different with hunts I could draw with fewer points. .02c

How much are you willing to flush down the toilet each year in non-refundable app fees each year? That's the biggest question.

Wheaty17 said:

The point system in the west is rather dynamic as well. Arizona just changed their system last year.

There are some different strategies for point accumulation. I've heard of some hunters putting in/rotating for points for different states every other year. In states like AZ, you can get additional points with Loyalty and AZ hunters ed. When I first started looking into point systems, I was all gung ho that I was going to accumulate a bunch of points over the years and do some epic hunts. But, after looking at things more clearly and listening to guys like Randy talk, there may be little marginal value in saving for 20+ years to get that elite unit hunt. The hunt/quality may not be that much different with hunts I could draw with fewer points. .02c

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Haha yes "dynamic" that's a nice friendly word to use for it.

I totally concur with your "marginal" synopsis. Especially when you have folks like SFW siphoning off the tags you set out for 20 years ago. Just one example.

I started hunting in 2012 so I was in a similar boat a few years ago, my strategy has been geared towards hunting as much as possible, right now and for the foreseeable future I am only building points in states where I want to hunt in the next couple of years and only ever build a couple of points and then burn them, there are plenty of great opportunities to hunt that don't require 10+ points.

That said for sheep, goat, moose I'm building in 4 states and look at them as lottery tickets to benefit wildlife and expect to never draw.

wllm1313 said:

I started hunting in 2012 so I was in a similar boat a few years ago, my strategy has been geared towards hunting as much as possible, right now and for the foreseeable future I am only building points in states where I want to hunt in the next couple of years and only ever build a couple of points and then burn them, there are plenty of great opportunities to hunt that don't require 10+ points.

That said for sheep, goat, moose I'm building in 4 states and look at them as lottery tickets to benefit wildlife and expect to never draw.

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You doin that in Wyoming? If so your nonrefundable annual donation just went up by 50%. Glad I dumped, cashed and got out long ago!

In Wyoming I'm only doing pronghorn points and plan on blowing those once I get 3-4... I apply to the big three in MT, CO, UT, and Idaho (obviously not all three in ID)

LopeHunter is right on with his synopsis. I jumped in the points game seven years ago across three and now four states. I jumped in behind many of the max point holders. With limited tags and increasing applicants I've realized I'll be chasing the coveted tags that I originally signed up for and was hoping to grab one day. While I am getting closer to drawing some good tags, point creep has extended the years it has taken to even have a chance. I currently am collecting points for about 15 different hunts but I figure it will take potentially 20 years or more to use them up. While I haven't calculated the total cost of building points for 15 hunts plus a tag when I do draw, I would think it might make economical sense to buy a landowner tag or hunt in BC or Africa every couple years for a similar cost with the added benefit of being able to decide when and where you hunt.

That said, there are still hunts that require minimal points to hunt and or sleeper hunts. If you are just looking for opportunity then jump in. I know a guy in this forum that drew a coveted bull elk tag his first year of applying, when it should have taken 10 years worth of points, so there is always that chance in certain states. If you are looking to hunt the cream of the crop then just buy landowner tags in primo areas as much as I hate to say it.

I think you should put more emphasis on going hunting, and less on building points. I started in the points game a while back and much has changed over the years. Since you are a Colorado resident, I would focus on that state plus Wyoming. Draw and/or build points in each with an eye on burning them soon.