And Nevada Just Got Tougher
Elk
Didn't see this posted yet. Nevada non res archery elk tags down to 20 total from 27 in 2021. Pretty much all species had tag reduction from the prolonged drought going on, burros, horses and predators. Being 46, with 12 points, my odds of ever bowhunting elk in Nevada are slim to none and slim just left the building.
Sad news. I drew elk, sheep and deer in NV and dropped out. Luckily. Not sure how many points you have but if it is around 20 or above your odds are actually pretty good if you do not pick the top units.
The only positive is that the better part of it comes from cutting the 072-074 unit quota. That unit has been running only about 12-15% archery kill success in recent years. The other 10 units available to NR's are generally holding more or less about the same.
Yup 072-074 was cut in half from 8 to 4.
Wasn't the 072-074 archery season pre-rut with the rut catching the muzzleloader season? That seems back asswards as a muzzleloader is more deadly at longer ranges.
Thiers an unexplained issue goin on in that unit to. Some sort of I’ll Ed’s in the elk listen to the huntin fool podcast latest edition the game and fish guy explains it in thier
I know it’s hard but, put the bottle down WI.
Spell check got me it’s suppose to be an unexplained disease. Thier monitoring collared elk and when they have a fatality signal biologist are dispatched to try to figure the reason of death. Funny the whole podcast he does mention the wild horse problem but never says what thier gonna do to address it
Lol I drew a 111-222 NR archery elk tag in 2006 with 6% draw odds and scored a 350" bull. Now I apply but only because I apply for all other species, and for the worst tags. Gave instructions to an Idaho guy who listened to me and shot a 399" in 2020. Wished I had known a bit more when I went there. Also would have been in the big ones. But did pass on a ~390" & ~400" during my hunt due to quartering toward shots. What a hunt. But those days are long gone with squared points. Odds are now literally Powerball Lotto.
The bad news doesn't end with the elk in NV.
Good point Brett.
That block of units isn't on my desired hunts though.
I remember your hunt/pix Ken, what a Dandy bow Bull man.
Good luck, Robb
WI Shedhead. I believe the disease issue you are talking about is in unit 6 and mostly centered in 62 itself. There is something on the winter range that is killing the elk when they come out of the mountains. There’s also a little bit of the problem in 66 with the herd that winters there. I talked with the biologist for that area in February.
WI Shedhead. I believe the disease issue you are talking about is in unit 6 and mostly centered in 62 itself. There is something on the winter range that is killing the elk when they come out of the mountains. There’s also a little bit of the problem in 66 with the herd that winters there. I talked with the biologist for that area in February.
Well, I pulled an archery elk tag in 2016 with 8 points, so it's possible to be one of the lucky few. Unfortunately I was one of the 72-74 guys that did not fill a tag that year. THe elk were there, I just wasn't good enough to make it happen.
That very well could be thier was a lot of info to digest in that podcast
It can definitely be done on less points. I drew it 2017 with 12 points. I put in for a unit that just opened up to non residents as my 5th choice.
So if I draw 72-74, I should just turn my tag back?
Quotas haven’t been set and won’t be until May. See link for the recommendations that’ll go in front of the game commission for review, a few adjustments and approval. All that said, the commission doesn’t normally make too many changes to what’s being proposed but they do make some.
Edit: I just reviewed and noticed there’s a resident Rocky Mt Bighorn sheep tag in the Ruby Mountains for the first time since the die off 12 years ago. The tag will go to an active or former military member who drew the last time tags where available but was deployed before the hunt took place so they’re first in line for the next available tag and it’s now available. I think it’s pretty damn cool NV honored this a decade later for our military members! Lastly, if the herd stays healthy and continues to grow there could be a non-resident tag offered a few years down the road for those non-residents who’ve been holding points since the die-off.
Edit #2: If you applied for mule deer in the eastern part of the state around Pioche take note of the drastic reduction in tags for all seasons.
They proposed raising the MT Goat quota to 14, which if I'm not mistaken may mean they could offer a NR license again. But I'm guessing that won't be this year due to the draw deadline.
Midwest, if you draw that 72-74 tag, there’s a lot of elk to hunt. There’s also a lot of hunters in that area imparted to other units in Nevada.
Im not sure how the odds could get worse. I have either 19 or 20 points for elk and many of the top units I’m at .44% according to Go hunt. The best odds are in 2 units, still less than 10%.
It is what it is….it just not a system that rewards loyal applicants.
If I had to do over 20 years ago I would’ve put that money towards lotto tickets.
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Beendare,
With 20 points you’ll get 401 random numbers assigned which gives you 400 more chances of drawing a low number than first year applicants. The lowest numbers get the tags so there is in fact a reward for hanging around although that might still mean you never draw….. The thing I like is first year applicants still have a chance unlike preference point states where you have zero chance until you get way up there.
I’m a resident and I’ve only drawn two tags since 2012, have been applying since 1976, so I feel your pain.
See link for quota recommendation rational that’ll be discussed at the commission meeting in early May. Scroll to the bottom of the page for links to PDFs with species specific detail. It can be very helpful, for example here’s the detail on the elk unit (072, 073, 074) that they recommended for a decrease in tags.
An abbreviated survey was flown in this unit this year to allow for more aerial time in surrounding units. Survey emphasis is planned for this unit group during the next round of surveys. The 3-year average antlered elk harvest metric of 50-inch main beam or better length has been below the managment objective of 25-35% for 4 years in a row. As a result, bull tags will be lowered again with the intent of moving toward objective and increasing the average age of bulls harvested. The population estimate for this unit group (which includes the population objective of 100 in Unit 075) is below population objective. As a result, antlerless elk quota recommendations are being reduced to allow this herd to move toward population objective.
Good stuff Tilzbow.
Thanks for the links,
Robb
I drew a late rifle tag in 72 - 74. In the wilderness I heard there are a ton of bulls. Very few cows. Once I got it 3-4 miles and climbed to a ridgetop I saw more elk sign, and more bull elk rutting sign then I have ever seen anywhere. It was that way for over a mile along the ridge top. Unreal. For some reason there are very few cows back in there.
If I had an archery tag I would protect myself. Like get safe in some rocks then blow a cow elk call. I would think 10 bulls would run you over in a couple minutes.
This was 2018. Given what I saw if offered any archery elk tag anywhere I would have picked that tag. I have hunted 15 & 36 in NM, 27 in AZ, 76 in CO and 62 in WY twice. Hands down I would have picked archery 72-74. They kill 380 bulls in there.
Easiest tag to draw..................
Thanks, Don. That should help my already shitty odds.
Guys,
If you aren’t aware NV allows you to change your draw choices after you submit your application. Based on the information in the links above I changed my choices or order of choices for elk, antelope and deer. It’s super easy and takes only minutes. Just log in to the draw system, pull up your application, click the drop down on the species, scroll to the bottom and there are links there to change, cancel, etc.
Double check your Bow Bull dates as in many units, the Muzzy Muley Buck dates start/overlap during the Last week of many Bow Bull units.
Good luck, Robb
Tilz, Yep they square your points, you make it sound great- Its Not!
21 years of Apps and buying the license…..that still only gets me a 1% chance of drawing in many units!
My best odds….after 21 years of applying is 1 in 5 chance in 2 units, 1 in 12 chance in one other.
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I love squared points!!!! I've drawn deer, elk, antelope, Cal. sheep & Desert sheep as a non-resident. Mark
Beendare,
What’s a better option? You shouldn’t complain without offering a better alternative. So what’s better?
I feel like Nevada has the best system out there. Never a guarantee, but always a chance the gets exponentially better every year.
Nevada's bad odds are not a product of their bonus point system, but rather a product of their low tag allotment for the purpose of making their hunts a higher quality and because of their limited herd sizes.
The odds are horrible, for sure. More than $200 per year for dismal odds. The only reason to apply is if you're in it for the long haul. The way I look at it is, I put in for my entire life and I hope to get one fantastic tag, but I could get a few or zero.
The problem is that so many new people keep putting in, that your odds don't go up much year after year. But that's the case everywhere.
Iddy,
There are going to be plenty of us die or get too old to hunt, with boo-coo points still in many states.
Good luck, Robb
Beendare, What’s a better option? You shouldn’t complain without offering a better alternative. So what’s better?
Please read my previous post, I’m not complaining it is what it is.
I think a priority system is better, where the guy with the most points gets the tag.
Do you really think it’s fair to apply for 21 years and still only have a 1% chance of drawing a good tag? Thats ridiculous.
As Ike already pointed out, the obstacle to hunting elk in NV is the very limited resource coupled with an extraordinarily high demand. It doesn't matter what kind of lottery system they use, only a small percentage of those applying today will ever get to hunt any of their high-demand units in their lifetimes. Worsened each year by hundreds of new applicants who continue to be encouraged by social media sources and by the hunt application services shouting apply-apply-apply! There are two realistic choices....1) buy your way in with a LO tag, or 2) just keep using NV as tiny piece of your scatter-gun strategy in a life-long effort to eke out a good tag or two somewhere in the west. Just know it probably won't be NV but there's always that tiny chance. And it can only happen if you're in the game.
Starting to wonder if winning the lottery and buying a LO tag may be better odds than drawing a NV tag.
I feel for you guys in NV and everywhere else. I turn 51 this year and did a lot of great hunts the past 20 years. If I had started applying now that would not have happened. It is night and day from a decade ago, and 2 decades ago a lot better.
I hope you get to hunt NV
I received my license in the mail yesterday, worst case scenario, I can jump the border and go hunt Chukars again this fall......Pilot Mnt. area on each side.
Nick, those Nv. LO tags sell very Fa$T! See my link.
Good luck, Robb
Whats the going rate for an eastern NV landowner tag these days for a unit like 231?
Probably $15k plus.
Not sure what the 231 tags are currently going for but guessing they would be well north of $25K if not even $35K. Huntin Fool has a 231 deer tag listed for $36K and a 241 deer tag for 40K
Unit 231 isn’t what it was. Wild horses and drought have severely impacted the deer numbers, trophy quality and hunter success the past few years. Resident archery tags are proposed to be reduced from 40 to 8 tags this year. As far as horses, I feel we have as good of a chance of lowering wild horse numbers as we do impacting rainfall amounts.
Based on what I know and have been told I moved 231 to my last choice behind 194 (three different seasons and hunts) and 241. With 8 resident points it would’ve nearly been a sure thing for me to draw had tags remained at last years numbers but I’ve been holding out until I retired to apply there so I’d have a full season to try to find and kill one of those “Ulmer” bucks. Unfortunately it appears I waited too long….
As far as preference vs bonus point systems my issue with preference points is those just starting out have zero chance of drawing for years. In NV a young non-resident might be looking at a lifetime with zero chance of ever drawing an elk tag. At least with NV’s bonus system everyone has a chance, although slim in many cases, and squared bonus systems inarguably give those in the game longer a higher mathematical probability of drawing a tag than non-squared systems. Yeah it sucks and even as a 56 year old lifelong resident I’ve only drawn 1 bull elk tag and 1 desert sheep tag with over 40 years of applying.
If a guy could find a tag available @ a Conservation type Banquet or something like that, at least you could get some co$t relief from the charitable tax % deduction.
Good luck, Robb
For some reason, I assume tons of money from Vegas, LO tags in NV are much higher then other states. I believe when I drew 72-74 tags were $25k. The best Gila NM tags are less then half that.
IIRC, one thing that pushes up prices of NV tags is that they allow the hunter to hunt all open seasons throughout the fall.
"I believe when I drew 72-74 tags were $25k. The best Gila NM tags are less then half that."
Have you looked at the price of Gila LO tags lately, Don?
Tilz, Sorry man…I realize that was the ‘pro’ argument for squaring bonus points- that anyone could draw- but in reality the odds of a new applicant drawing is something like a 3,000-1 shot.
That literally is the same as no shot. Then it screwed the loyal applicants like my self who have been applying for 20 years and still have a less than 1% chance of drawing.
It sounded good in the beginning but in reality its a terrible system.
As to wild horses, Ive driven through the NW corner of the state and they are DEMOLISHING HABITAT at a huge rate. That fragile high desert is being destroyed. Some of those water holes are trampled into dust without a scrap of foliage within 1/2 mile. Its criminal they won’t control those. Then the Antis have folks watching those horse herds out on the highway so no one takes it into their own hands…..
The deer are all seasons, the elk are Pick your Weapon season only.
Just a Heads-up,
Robb
