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How's Arizona draw work?

Wife's cousin lives in Arizona and I'm thinking about applying. Question is how does it all work? I've looked on website but can't figure it out(probably just me)? Can I buy points?

You can buy points, but they will be costly and you need to do it during the application period. You will be in a random bonus point draw for the next 15 or so years (assuming low-mid demand unit) at which point you could possibly have a guaranteed tag in the preference point part of the draw.

At my link...

I read the link and am apparently not smart enough to uderstand what is being said. Question, for the 1'st pass they refer to "maximum bonus points". What are maximum bonus points? I am a non-resident with one regular point plus an Az hunter safety point. So, I assume I have 2 points. When it comes time to draw in the 2'nd pass, do I get 2 random draw numbers? And a hunter with, say, 10 points gets to have 10 random draw numbers and therefor have a 500% chance of having a lower random draw number than myself? What I would like to know, do I have a chance each year to draw, and the more points I have gives me the better chance to draw? Thanks if you can clarify this. Steve

There are some detailed vids on the subject on YouTube that would help explain the process.

No, that is not how it works. You apparently have one point for that species from a previous unsuccessful draw plus your hunter safety point. So, next time you apply for that species you will have two pts going in. Max bonus pts are associated with those hunters who have been putting in for many years and are up near the maximum pt level (think upper twenties). They will of course be favored in the draw. The computer's first draw runs through the max pt holders and and selects those who are applying for that hunt (as their 1st choice). On hunts like elk, this might fill some but possibly not all the tags. The computer continues the first run through remaining 1st choice applicants (who are tiered by their points), until all tags are gone or all the applicants have been run through on this first pass. Then you have a second run where remaining unsuccessful applicants get to go through their second, third, fourth, or fifth choice. This usually depletes all the remaining available tags. The most highly desired hunts are usually filled with the first draw. However, even with just two points you still might just get extremely lucky and draw a tag, so it is not totally dependent on having max pts. However, as a nonresident you are also constrained by a 10% cap on NR tags for certain in-demand hunts like elk, sheep, antelope. If you cannot hunt during a given season you can purchase a pt for that hunt to keep in the pt game. If you keep applying regularly for a species you will earn a loyalty pt , which like your hunter safety pt will keep active as long as you keep applying or buying pts for that species.

"When it comes time to draw in the 2'nd pass, do I get 2 random draw numbers? And a hunter with, say, 10 points gets to have 10 random draw numbers and therefor have a 500% chance of having a lower random draw number than myself?"

This is correct and you also have 2 random numbers in the Bonus Pass (1st draw), keeping only the LOWEST. Additionally, at a minimum, half the nr tags are available in the 1-2 Pass (2nd draw).

Read the explanation at Midwest's link.

Rich, I'm not sure why you said that the OP was incorrect, when in fact most everything he said was correct. Some of what you said was not. The only error I see from the OP was that he asked if he would have two random numbers assigned if he had two bonus points when he applied. He would actually have three, one for the new application and one for each of the two bonus points. Also, unless the procedure has been changed very recently and I have not heard, Rich misstates that the maximum point pass only looks at an applicant's first choice, when it fact it looks at the first and second choice just like it does in every other pass.

It needs to be clarified that the person(s) with maximum bonus points will vary for each and ever hunt number. Maximum points refers to the applications that have the highest number of bonus points among applicants for that particular hunt number. Therefore, the application with the maximum number of points applying for Unit 9 might be 20, while for Unit 4A it might be 10. Also, just to clarify, at least 5% of the total number of permits allocated on any given hunt number should be available to NRs randomly regardless of how many points you have. Therefore, there is always a chance to draw any hunt, even for a NR.

They still look at both choices for the Bonus Pass and 1-2 pass draws. I always forget about that app random number.

Some Sheep tags are gone in the first pass to those with max points making it impossible for others to draw.

But for NM.....

.....only the Shadow knows

8)

This is how the AZ big game draw really works, every year I give them around $200 and every year they break my heart.

Dink made sense if it all. At least for us non residents.

I only gave them $15 but they'd prefer I didn't tell you that.

Do you get a loyalty point in your fifth draw or after your fifth going into your sixth?

Points are awarded after the draw because you need to "successfully" apply, so you need to come out the other end without being bounced from an error. You will go from 4 to 6 because you'll get 5 and then the loyalty point.

Here is how it really works, if you have more than 6 total points they don't even put you in for the draw. Since you have been either crazy enough or stubborn enough to apply and send the $175.00 every year they know you won't give up and quit, so thanks for the yearly donation! I will be at 15 going into this year for NR elk and don't expect to draw.

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