MT Draw Question
General Topic
Your best bet is to call them. 406-542-5500. They want bite you to hard. Hunt
Yes, if you draw a BGC you will lose your PP.
Scenario 1 - My understanding is if you draw the BGC you lose your PP regardless if you elect for the refund.
Scenario 2 - No. You would still get your BP if you purchased one at the time you applied regardless of your success of drawing the BGC. The application for BGC and LE permit is made at the same time. As long as you check the box to purchase the BP and pay for it, you will get the point.
Scenario 3 - You don't have to draw the BGC to apply for the LE hunt because both are done in the same application. If you are successful in the BGC you will burn the point, even if you are not successful in the LE draw. Basically yes you are out the $220 if you do not want to hunt on a general tag. I believe this was part of the reason that MT now allows the purchase of both PP and BP during the summer. (only if you did not apply for a license in the regular March draw).
You may want to repost this on MT sub board as well. Hope this helps.
Correct, you technically have to get drawn for a general tag before you are entered into the limited entry or special license draw, however if you elect to purchase a BP at the time of application you will receive said BP even if you do not draw the general tag. My point was that your "application" for both general and LE is submitted at the same time.
For example, I applied for the General Elk Combo (NR), and applied for a Limited Entry Archery Permit. I also applied for a PP and a BP. I did not check the refund box, because if I don't draw the LE Permit, I would like to keep and hunt on the General Tag. If I draw the General Tag but not the LE Permit I will lose my PP and gain an additional BP. If for some reason I do not draw the General Tag I will gain both a PP and a BP.
Hope that makes sense? The process is certainly confusing.
You can certainly choose to look at this way, but no one is forcing you to apply, as there are many other Western States that have different systems that you may find more appealing. MT's General Tag used to be a sure thing to draw with zero points, but last year you had a 51% chance to draw with zero points. I imagine this will continue in the next few years and the general tag will become more difficult to draw. If you are set on hunting a LE unit, check some of the draw odds providers (Top Rut, Go Hunt) and have a better idea of when you will be able to draw the particular unit you want to hunt, bank a BP each year (you can now buy in July) until you think you will have the best chance to draw.
A few things to consider:
First the General Elk Tag is a pretty damn good tag, that allows you to hunt approximately 80% of the big game units in MT and is good for both archery and rifle seasons, which in essence allows you to hunt from the beginning of Sept through November (6 weeks of archery and 5 weeks of rifle), not many other States allow for the kind of opportunity. If you have the time and commitment there is no reason not to harvest an animal or at least have a fantastic hunt. Most if not all of these general units have excellent trophy potential, good access and millions of acres of public land just waiting for you! I have hunted a few of the LE units and general areas, and I can tell you I have seen some incredible animals in some of the general units.
No offense, but if draw odds for BGC are only 50% you've basically used that PP to even get in the LE draw. And then if you don't draw the LE tag you want your chance to get in the next year's LE draw increased back to where it was? That would be unfair to those who didn't even draw a BGC , regardless of whether they were going to enter the LE draw.
If you have bonus points for a LE unit going into the draw, draw the General but not LE, didn't request the 80% refund at time of application but decide in May you want to turn the General back in for the 80%, do you lose your bonus points?
It's got nothing to do with "fair" and it's got nothing to do with how other states do things. MT's system for NRs is ridiculous and they should change it. Their big 3 + bison don't run this ridiculous and convoluted system. KISS.
Washington state has a similar system and it's also ridiculous. You have to buy a general tag to put in for the LE tags. Who wants to hunt WA state for elk in an OTC unit? It's ridiculous.
You guys need to put in for the elk only combo and not the elk deer combo its $200 cheaper and it has not sold out you have no need to buy the preference point just the LE bonus point
Montana deer hunting is poor at best if my deer tag didn't cost me $12 I would not buy one
If I remember right you have to buy an archery permit at the time of application also if your LE is for archery season.
Yep, another $10.00 for the Bow & Arrow License, which as mentioned above has to purchased prior to.
Because of the system, MT is the only state where I just buy elk points with the goal of putting in years down the road. Everywhere else with BPs, I put in every year where there's even a small chance and I've drawn some good tags. But MT's system, unless you plan on hunting the general season, makes it not worth it to put in for a LE tag unless you've got a lot of points, which I don't.
Interesting when I applied it still made me purchase the bow permit this year .
You still need a bow and arrow license if you are going to hunt archery in an archery only season/district, so you need to purchase this prior to applying for an archery LE tag.
