sick of not drawing!

[jdinny]

Arrow em,
didnt mean to personally attack you. People at times wonder how I can apply for 6 out o state tags, they think I'm made of money. I'm an ave American with an average income that loves western hunting particularly goats and mule deer. I love the quality of bucks ND has now with fewer tags so instead of sitting and waiting I have multiple points for multiple species in multiple states. I have a plan in when I hope to draw. Granted some years like 2 years ago I pulled more tags then I planned but that's a good thing.

Poont of the rant don't let out of state costs fool you have a plan build points strategeliy and you can hunt western states yearly.

Good luck. When you go to the western states and have land as far as you can see to hunt with minimal pressure you realize why guys do it

 

[riverview]

I haven't had a rifle or muzzy license in 4 years. I started bow hunting again and have gotten deer every year. Starting to not miss rifle season

 

[Trip McNeely]

Arrow em,
didnt mean to personally attack you. People at times wonder how I can apply for 6 out o state tags, they think I'm made of money. I'm an ave American with an average income that loves western hunting particularly goats and mule deer. I love the quality of bucks ND has now with fewer tags so instead of sitting and waiting I have multiple points for multiple species in multiple states. I have a plan in when I hope to draw. Granted some years like 2 years ago I pulled more tags then I planned but that's a good thing.

Poont of the rant don't let out of state costs fool you have a plan build points strategeliy and you can hunt western states yearly.

Good luck. When you go to the western states and have land as far as you can see to hunt with minimal pressure you realize why guys do it

then add the fact that a lot of the units out west are limited quota meaning western states know how to manage deer and hunters. kinda like our. . . . ah nevermind what the hell was I thinking. I got a crisp $20 that says with this mild winter they over do the tags again next year to appease the masses, then we can repeat this cycle again

 

[arrowdem]

Arrow em,
didnt mean to personally attack you. People at times wonder how I can apply for 6 out o state tags, they think I'm made of money. I'm an ave American with an average income that loves western hunting particularly goats and mule deer. I love the quality of bucks ND has now with fewer tags so instead of sitting and waiting I have multiple points for multiple species in multiple states. I have a plan in when I hope to draw. Granted some years like 2 years ago I pulled more tags then I planned but that's a good thing.

Poont of the rant don't let out of state costs fool you have a plan build points strategeliy and you can hunt western states yearly.

Good luck. When you go to the western states and have land as far as you can see to hunt with minimal pressure you realize why guys do it

no worries, i didnt feel attacked maybe i came off defensively, not my intention, i do want to get into buying pref points in other states and getting into other outs of state areas and broaden my hunting from what i have already as my only out of state hunts thus far are idaho, wyoming, minnesota, ontario manitoba, but my biggest things i need to do is to start figuring out who is going to be coming with me and where to go, need to have a sit down with a few buddies and start the pref points buying....

 

[fnznfwl]

In all seriousness, if you are looking to find a unit in western ND, (on the fringe or not) where you can find an abundance of public land, still draw every few years, and get a chance at an average to decent muley. I think you are going to be disappointed. A combination of all those things don't really exist. Hell, two of the three is difficult.

 

[arrowdem]

well if i do 4f according to last years data i have almost a 90% chance of drawing at least for this year and i can get to know the area, not a lot of public land but it looks to be a few really big chunks of public land with some mule deer holding capabilites so im thinking im going to give that a shot

 

[jdinny]

heres another story....haha I hunted a yellow chip unit in Wyoming for goats year in and year out as my 2nd choice ( can no longer do it as a 2nd choice) anyhow I took a 76" goat and 78" goat on a 2nd choice unit for the plain and simple fact that I knew the unit like the back of my hand. you can and will shoot big bucks ( maybe not a consistent as blue chip units) on fringe units if you take the time to learn the land plain and simple.

good luck! it sounds like you do a fair bit of out of state hunts. I would grab the eastmans book ($60) for no other reason it has all the data in one book and can speed the process up of what states to look at etc

 

[Bowhunter_24]

heres another story....haha I hunted a yellow chip unit in Wyoming for goats year in and year out as my 2nd choice ( can no longer do it as a 2nd choice) anyhow I took a 76" goat and 78" goat on a 2nd choice unit for the plain and simple fact that I knew the unit like the back of my hand. you can and will shoot big bucks ( maybe not a consistent as blue chip units) on fringe units if you take the time to learn the land plain and simple.


This is probably true. I shot a 180 class buck in a "fringe" unit a few years back. I found him opening weekend tending does on a chunk of private ground that had public butting up to it. Well I honest to God hunted that exact hill the entire season. Every single morning and night. (I was in college and muley tag was more important than class)

The last Saturday of the season I finally saw him again. He walked across the wide open flat of the private and was raking the sage the whole way. He was all alone this time and was heading my direction. He hopped the private fence at 270 yards and I clicked off the safety and pasted him

All I can say is hunting that small chunk of land for 15 days straight and not seeing anything sucked! So now I apply for the units with big chunks of public so I can wander all over the place.

p.s. I hunted the same fringe unit the next year. I drew two years in a row. And it was aweful hunting.

 

[sweeney]

So it is ok to practice QDM on your land, but then head to the badlands or another state and shoot a 150-160 inch deer? maybe that is whole other thread.

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;:;hijacked

 

[arrowdem]

So it is ok to practice QDM on your land, but then head to the badlands or another state and shoot a 150-160 inch deer? maybe that is whole other thread.

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;:;hijacked

pretty sure last time i checked there isnt much for QDM on public land...

- - - Updated - - -

#sorryyoureanidiot

 

[sweeney]

lol you are such a renob

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In general it sucks for everyone the guys who want to hunt their unit can't get a tag there and after 3 years they say wtf lets go to the badlands we got 3 points, so us guys who grew up hunting out there and has been the only place we have ever hunted now have to compete with a couple hundred more applicants now it goes from drawing once every 3-4 years to 5-8. personally I haven't had a buck tag since 09, but that is just the way it is now.
The thing is there are the number of 3-4 year old 140-160 inch bucks that get shot up, along with the occasional 170-190 that may be out there, that puts a strain on growing big deer out there on public land. To me it's a deer I don't really care that much, I just think its funny how when it is public land not near as many people care about QDM. But its not something that is going to really change until the 2e 2c etc units have a viable amount of buck tags again, and people can get their tag every year or every other year. Honestly I think everyone should hunt in the badlands at least once, I just hope they don't.

sorry for any butthurt passed along the interwebs

 

[arrowdem]

when you hunt out of your core area whether it be other side of the state or out of state you are putting in the time money and energy to get out there and hunt and big the biggest most mature animal that you can, more often then not, if that is the case and people are harvesting mature deer that would be QDM would it not?

 

[Bowhunter_24]

Damn Sweeney you are right. It never even occurred to me that the reason it's gone from 4 to 8 years is exactly what u r saying. That does suck.

So I hope the eastern whitetail population explodes so I don't have to wait ten years for my next Muley tag.

Btw I'm not mad at anyone for doing that or blame them. I've just never realized that is what is happening

 

[sweeney]

yea I guess it all comes down to what is a quality deer, and that is in the shooters eye only I guess

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I don't blame them either I know a lot of guys that say shit I got four points already I'm heading to the badlands, if I was them I'd do the same thing probably

 

[Whisky]

I'm one of those guys. I hadnt applied for a mulie tag all my life until i got denied 3 years in a row in my home unit. Sorry I know it does suck. In my defense I do spend a lot of time out there with my bow as well. I do love the badlands and mulie hunting. The more time I spend west, the more boring the east becomes.

Last year I carried a rifle in MT for elk and it's the first time I've rifle hunted big game since 2010 or 2011 I think. I got enough bow and bird hunting to keep me busy so I can hold out. I suspect if I didn't bow hunt I'd be after a whitetail tag a lot quicker. So there is another reason to keep the bow tags the way they are

 

[dean nelson]

Damn Sweeney you are right. It never even occurred to me that the reason it's gone from 4 to 8 years is exactly what u r saying. That does suck.

So I hope the eastern whitetail population explodes so I don't have to wait ten years for my next Muley tag.

Btw I'm not mad at anyone for doing that or blame them. I've just never realized that is what is happening

Yeah it definitely wouldn't have anything to do with the number of mule deer tags going from 8,000 to under 2,000....its definitely the guys from out east!:;:stirthepot:

 

[sweeney]

Mostly the hippies

 

[2400]

Not being able to just buy a point is baffling. Less people would enter the draw and it'd be more revenue for the g&f

AZ does that now. You have to have a hunting license, then can just buy a point. Or you put in for which area you want and if you don't get drawn G&F sends your money back less $13.00 for the point.