Application Strategy Opinions

Alright guys. Here is one that I chew on every year and I'm curious what others think.

I put in for all the trophy tags in Montana (as well as in two other states) and I never seem to draw anything special. I enjoy hunting mule deer and elk general units so it's not heartbreaking, but I'd like to hunt moose, sheep and goat some day while I'm still fit and able.

I'm always torn between the top tier hunts with miserable draw odds and the less desirable limited hunts with realistic draw odds. Take moose for example: With my 12 Montana points, I have about a 3 percent chance of drawing a stellar unit where I know I'll see lots of nice bulls and have a good chance at finding one over 45". Or, I could put in for a less desirable unit with 9 percent draw odds where I would likely have to spend many days in the field just to find a couple bulls, regardless of size.

While my draw odds will continue to climb, 3 percent is pretty bad. I'd love to hunt a great unit, but I'd also like to hunt moose at some point. 9 percent is way more realistic. With that said, I'd hate to hunt a mediocre unit, see nothing much, and be frustrated that I burned all of my points. Therein lies my dilemma. I'm near the top of the pack now and I don't want to sacrifice my position, but being near the top of the pack guarantees me nothing.

How do other folks approach this?

A young guy like you needs to exercise patience. Old guys like me need to be in a hurry.

Not the same state, but my strategy in CO is to apply for the units I really want to hunt. I chased odds when I was younger, and am really not disappointed that I didn't draw back then. I drew the sheep tag I wanted in CO last year. There really are not many good odds choices for moose, so it doesn't make much difference. I agree with Fin...be patient.

With the direction Montana's big three tags have been decreasing, and applicants have been increasing, I think you're better off getting your tag when you can. Some guy had a quote once about hunting when you can, not knowing what the future held. I liked it.

My plan has been to only consider the 5 easiest to draw units in the state. Once I have those five isolated, I picked the one with the best harvest rates.

Randy11 said:

With the direction Montana's big three tags have been decreasing, and applicants have been increasing, I think you're better off getting your tag when you can. Some guy had a quote once about hunting when you can, not knowing what the future held. I liked it.

My plan has been to only consider the 5 easiest to draw units in the state. Once I have those five isolated, I picked the one with the best harvest rates.

Click to expand...

I agree . I'm only in my low 30s but I just live to hunt, so I put in for tags I think I can draw , except montana elk because there are some great general units . But it's hard to hunt without a tag is my point . Get the tag , go out and hunt

If I had never shot or drawn any moose, sheep, or goat tag...I would apply for the best odds I had.

Things change so much over time that I just don't think its prudent to "wait for next year".

That said, is there really THAT much difference in 3% VS. 9% draw odds???

I'm in a pretty good place where I've had the luxury of hunting moose, sheep, and goat and have drawn them all. That changes your strategy on where you apply and what you want quality wise from here on out.

If I didn't have all 3, I can tell you for sure I'd be putting in for the best odds I could find in units that weren't complete crap...points are for burning, not acquiring.

If you are only happy chasing a trophy, why would you risk drawing a tag where are few to no trophies?

My mantra was to hunt every fall. I put in for a lot of big game tags in a lot of states and my opinion is it is better to hunt more often that less often. I drew the line at wanting no less than 50% harvest rate on the Big 3 with animals on public land but once those two prerequisites were cleared then I could care less whether 7" vs 10" goat in the unit, 140" vs 200" sheep or 36" vs 50" Shiras moose. When odds for a resident are 3%, odds for the non-resident are not 3 in 100 but more like 1 in 600 to 2000. We are all non-residents except for a single state.

I drew 2 goat tags, 1 moose tag and a bighorn ewe tag. No bison tags. No bighorn ram tags but did draw a tag in Texas where got an Aoudad ram. Drew oryx in NM before the quota for non-residents got whacked. If I held out for a top tier Big 3 unit then most likely would only have the ewe tag as it was a 2nd choice in CO plus the Aoudad and Oryx.

3% is a tag every 33 years you apply. 9% is a tag every 11 years you apply. On average. I like the 11 year horizon as 33 years is a long time for laws to change, herds to change, health to change, etc. You, on average, will save application fees and whatever else you would spend to plug along from Year 11 to Year 33.

I cringe reading stories where someone waits 20 or more years to claw to the top of CO deer or elk unit preference points or AZ pronghorn unit then the antler growth is subpar or Feds go on strike closing forests or wildfires close a unit or the hunter cracks an ankle a month prior to the hunt, etc. After waiting 20 plus years, some hunters expect to pop a 200" deer or 400" elk or 18" pronghorn and a lot of primo units have tags go unpunched or on the last day an average critter is knocked over. Nothing wrong waiting 20 years just have the proper perspective.

You are a resident, so you should be able to put in the scouting time needed to find an animal, even if it isn't the best unit. Go for the better odds.

Thanks, guys. Appreciate the opinions. More to chew on.

I'm probably going to stick with a premo tag for sheep, but am considering bringing it down a notch for moose to increase my odds of pulling a tag. One of the nice things about living in Montana is that I don't feel the same pressure with deer and elk because I can hunt them every year.

Big Fin said:

A young guy like you needs to exercise patience. Old guys like me need to be in a hurry.

Click to expand...

This, especially for a coveted tag like Moose.