 |
|
| Phone: Rich LaRocco 801-451-6755 | |
| Antelope Bison Black bear Brown bear Caribou Elk Exotics Grizzly Moose Mt. goat Mt. lion Mule deer Sheep Turkey Whitetail deer |
Africa Archery Blackpowder Other species Fishing Contact us |
| Note: To talk with any hunt provider, join Hunts.Net free of charge. All information on this site and our literature is provided under the condition that the customer accepts our terms. | |
The Drawing Game: Jump in Headfirst
by Rich LaRocco
To hunt the best public areas and some of the better private areas in the West, you must apply for and draw a hunting permit in a state-run computerized lottery drawing. If you will settle for nothing less than a trophy animal, and if you can't afford a hunt for which you're guaranteed a tag, it's time to play the drawing game.
To play the drawing game successfully, jump in headfirst. In short, apply for quality tags in five or six states. Don't worry about drawing too many tags. Would you rather have two permits or none at all?
If you're looking for a guided hunt in a limited-entry area, call us before you apply. We can put Hunts.Net members directly in touch with outfitters we think they should consider.
 |
||
| Hunts.Net Customer Kevin Higgins of Nebraska took this 36-inch mule deer on a trip we lined up for him in Colorado. The B&C score was a bit over 220. Hunt MD21. |
Not only is the QHUS system convenient but it also allows you to take advantage of the experience, research and knowledge that we have accumulated ever since we started consulting hunters in 1986.
If you draw a good tag, don't make the mistake of going unguided. An outfitter who knows the area and has access to parts of the unit you'd never find can increase tremendously your chances of taking a trophy-class animal.
The best hunting within a limited-permit unit might be on private land controlled by the landowner or leased to an outfitter.
Also, know that if you draw a quality tag without making arrangements before you apply, you may be unable to procure the services of the guide or outfitter you want.
 |
||
| Hunts.Net agent Rich LaRocco got this 7x7 elk on a limited-tag range in Utah. A guided hunt in this unit costs $2,500 to $3,500, depending on length. Utah gives bonus points to unsuccessful applicants. |
Apply for the best Dall sheep hunts in Alaska
There are ways to improve your chances of drawing the tag you want.
However, sending extra money as a bribe or appending an M.D. to your name will not do the trick, contrary to popular opinion. Here are the best ways to improve your chances of drawing a good permit:
1) Choose an area that offers higher drawing odds. For example, your chances of drawing an early-season rifle elk tag in Arizona are miniscule. Yet the late-season tags offer excellent drawing odds in units that have just as big bulls. We have an outfitter who knows how to hunt just such a unit and produces a high success rate on fine trophies. Another example, your chances of taking a big muley buck are about as good in some Wyoming wilderness areas as in the better units in Nevada, Colorado or Utah, but the odds of drawing in Wyoming are much better.
 |
||
| Hunts.Net agent Rich LaRocco got this whitetail in a limited-permit zone in eastern Colorado. If you apply for a tag in this area and don't draw, you'll get a preference point. |
2) Buy bonus points or acquire preference points if available.
3) Be sure your application is error-free, and send it in well in advance of the deadline so that errors can be corrected (some states allow that).
4) Apply for new quality hunts that have not been publicized.
5) Apply in areas with a lot of private land or wilderness that is inaccessible to many do-it-yourself hunters.
6) Set realistic goals and choose hunting units accordingly. In other words, if you would not pass up a 6x6 bull elk that would score 250-300 B&C points, you shouldn't waste your time applying for a New Mexico Unit 16-D tag or an early-season Arizona permit. Instead, apply in units with a lot of 6x6s but very few record-book bulls that would score 350 plus. Keep in mind that your odds of drawing the highest quality tags are typically 1% or less.
7) Consider bow or blackpowder hunts. It's often far easier to draw a quality primitive arms permit, and many bow and muzzleloader seasons are during seasons when trophy animals are easier to hunt, such as rutting periods.