900-15 Archery Elk Tag

[Elkwhisper]

So forgive me if this has been discussed already.... I have been working waaaaay to much lately.

I need to get my aps in for this year and am having trouble wrapping my head arround the new 900-15 tag. Normally I put in for a rifle tag as first choice and then an archery tag in my chosen district as my second choice and have never been burned. I always draw one or the other.

Now that they have lumped all these units together for a total 3700 tags, I am not sure if it is still a safe bet to put the archery permit as my second choice. I cashed my points in last year, so would like to start rebuilding them for the posibility of another good rifle tag at some point. BUT..... I need to make sure I draw that darn archery tag so I can hunt this year.

Has anyone crunched the numbers yet?

Thoughts?

 

[PFUNK]

So forgive me if this has been discussed already.... I have been working waaaaay to much lately.

I need to get my aps in for this year and am having trouble wrapping my head arround the new 900-15 tag. Normally I put in for a rifle tag as first choice and then an archery tag in my chosen district as my second choice and have never been burned. I always draw one or the other.

Now that they have lumped all these units together for a total 3700 tags, I am not sure if it is still a safe bet to put the archery permit as my second choice. I cashed my points in last year, so would like to start rebuilding them for the posibility of another good rifle tag at some point. BUT..... I need to make sure I draw that darn archery tag so I can hunt this year.

Has anyone crunched the numbers yet?

Thoughts?

I crunched them the other day. I lumped together the 8 different permits from last year into one. 1,607 resident first choice applicants had 100% success. 2,290 second choice applicants had 73% success (1,673 successful). Still pretty decent odds if you wanna build points, but definitely a little risk involved. I am sure a lot of people are in the same boat, so the number of 1st choice apps will probly be higher this year.

 

[sweetnectar]

I think I'll use 900-15 as my first choice this year. Two years ago I was unsuccessful drawing an eastern montana archery permit as my second choice and had to go to Bozeman to hunt elk. There is nothing wrong with going west to archery hunt if you don't mind the travel time and gas so if you don't get an archery permit for the eastern part of the state then go west....something to think about.

 

[wingman1]

I think I'll roll the dice and 2nd choice it.

 

[Stubaby]

sweetnectar

What do you care??? You won't even pull the trigger on an elk with the rifle tag...let alone with a bow

 

[sweetnectar]

Sometimes I get just as much rush off a pretend trigger pull as a real one....I think I'm sick in the head.

So what would you do stubaby...go for the archery fist choice or go like Wingman and role the dice? Now I'm thinking of going the wingman route...he seems to get a lot of elk. If I fail I'll just go west to archery hunt.

 

[Elkwhisper]

I crunched them the other day. I lumped together the 8 different permits from last year into one. 1,607 resident first choice applicants had 100% success. 2,290 second choice applicants had 73% success (1,673 successful). Still pretty decent odds if you wanna build points, but definitely a little risk involved. I am sure a lot of people are in the same boat, so the number of 1st choice apps will probly be higher this year.

If I add 10% NR tags to your totals I come up.with 3608 total tags last year.... which i am guessing was actually 3600..... this year there are 3700 tags which should help the.odds a little bit more.... still torn on what to do.

 

[Big Fin]

I'm in the same boat. I would love another chance to hunt that area with a rifle, but want to make sure I get to hunt it, whether with a bow or rifle.

I just love to hunt elk and hunting them with a bow is more fun, even if less likelihood of success. I'm not taking any chances. I am going with a first choice on that hunt.

I have drawn four limited entry bull tags in eight years. No need for me to get another one (at least not in Montana).

See you all on the mountain.

 

[PFUNK]

If I add 10% NR tags to your totals I come up.with 3608 total tags last year.... which i am guessing was actually 3600..... this year there are 3700 tags which should help the.odds a little bit more.... still torn on what to do.

Actually there were 401 successful nonresidents last season, which is more than 10%.Reason being is that for a couple permits there were excess available because so few residents put in. 401-15 gave out 80 NR permits even though the listed quota was 35. 500-15 gave out 23 NR permits even though the quota was 18. I added up all the permits given out to residents and nonresidents and came up with 3,681. The remaining 19 were probably landowner permits, which I didn't add up.

 

[Stubaby]

2nd choice for me. I'll take the odds. Besides a Muley in velvet with a bow trumps a stupid elk any day anyway : )

 

[Stubaby]

Btw.....if randy gets that rifle tag this year I'm calling foul.......... : )

 

[Lawnboy]

Isn't the downside of trying Archery as your first choice losing the chance at a bonus point? I've always put in as second and I think I'll do the same again. It's a lot less risky for those of us that live by elk. You guys out east "have" to come west if you don't draw now that it's all lumped.

 

[MTbowhunter84]

Isn't the downside of trying Archery as your first choice losing the chance at a bonus point?

That's correct you can miss 1 year but after that you lose your points.

 

[Stubaby]

If you put in for 900-15 as your first choice, aren't your points whipped out no matter what?

 

[PFUNK]

If you put in for 900-15 as your first choice, aren't your points whipped out no matter what?

Yup... don't see why they wouldn't be. Way I understand it is your bonus points will be used if you draw your first choice, even if there is 100% success.

 

[Elkwhisper]

If you put in for 900-15 as your first choice, aren't your points whipped out no matter what?

Yes that is correct.... and the reason I asked the question in the first place. Currenlty I have 0 points ofr elk, but would like to start rebuilding them so I can again draw a good rifle tag some day. So really the only thing I am gambling is the "chance" to gain a single point.... If i was sitting on a bunch of points it would be an easier decision to put in for the rifle tag first and roll the dice on a second choice archery permit.

All that said, I went ahead and rolled the dice... wish me luck!

Sweetnectar put it in perspective for me.... If I don't draw I just go west and kill a big bull over there instead of over here.... then maybe all the haters will quit giving me crap about hunting a sweet private place. Might be time to do it the "hardway" again to rebuild some street cred anyway!

 

[Big Fin]

My app was finished last night. No worry about me drawing a rifle tag. First choice is archery.

I will be there standing to greet them as they come to bed each morning. Will be fun sharpening broadheads, building new arrows, and practicing all summer. This is the year I find a good one.

 

[shoots-straight]

My app was finished last night. No worry about me drawing a rifle tag. First choice is archery.

I will be there standing to greet them as they come to bed each morning. Will be fun sharpening broadheads, building new arrows, and practicing all summer. This is the year I find a good one.

I'm applying for archery as well.

 

[Lawnboy]

If I don't draw I just go west and kill a big bull over there instead of over here.... then maybe all the haters will quit giving me crap about hunting a sweet private place. Might be time to do it the "hardway" again to rebuild some street cred anyway!

I've done it most of my life on Public but when an opportunity comes up for an invite on a sweet piece of land then you're a fool not to take it. Life's too short to be "too proud" to hunt on some private or use spinners and bait for fishin

 

[shootxs]

Archery only for me. I've got 5 bonus points year so I'm hoping to finally get lucky this year on my limited draw, be my 10th time putting in there. So 900-15 is my second choice. If I'm not mistaken this same hunt was 411-15 last year, unless they changed it at the last minute. There were originally 23 units and 900 permits to be bundled and put in for as first of second choice only. This was in the paper regs and were listed as all tentative regs. At any rate a friend and I both drew 2nd choice.