Paper chase for West big game, Part 1
Editor's note: Look for tag deadlines for Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Washington in part 2 of our Western big-game applications series.
It won't be onto a floatplane bound for the bush.
It will be to your nearest mailbox, with a completed license application to postmark, months before you ever head to the field in search of whopper bucks and bulls.
Like many modern things of value, the payoff is the result of tedious paperwork, and that completed application is your ticket to the big dance.
Actually getting selected, or drawn, for a big game tag is a complicated affair, requiring equal parts diligence and luck, and there are few guarantees.
Forget to complete a required box on a hunting application and your chances of chasing a trophy can dissolve quickly, as a Booner bull can fade into black timber.
You may have dotted all your 'i's and crossed every 't,' but unless you have Lady Luck in your corner, chances are slim that you'll be drawn for the most popular trophy areas.
Then there's the cost of hunting another state, deer and antelope tags, the most reasonable categories, run about $300 on average.
But if you want to hunt moose, bighorn sheep or exotic species such as buffalo, plan to shell out well over $1,000 and up to $3,000. And that's just for the piece of paper.
Still, there's a great incentive to apply.
Most of the West's big game hunts occur on public land, so the biggest costs are the price of the tag and gas to get there.
Then there's the sheer variety of the West's animals.
Luck into the right tag and you can hunt critters as varied as desert bighorn sheep and antelope, mountain goats and mule deer.
You'll have to do the work, and conjure good fortune, but here's a good start toward hunting another state this fall.
California
2005 application deadline: June 2.
Getting started: Write DFG, License and Revenue Section, PO Box 989035, Sacramento, CA, 95798-9035.
Tentative 2005 hunting license fees: You need a prerequisite hunting license, which costs $32.80 for residents, $113.95 for nonresidents.
Resident deer licenses go for $20.75; nonresidents pay $191.65. Resident elk licenses are $298.75 and sheep permits go for $281.50.
Nonresidents pay $500 for sheep. Elk tags aren't available for nonresidents.
Preference points: Yes, but it's a hybrid system.
Ninety percent of tags in any zone are awarded on the basis of preference points, which rewards repeat applicants.
The remaining 10 percent are allotted in a pure random lottery, so first-time applicants have at least some hope.
Hunting outlook: Probably the best blacktail habitat in the West is in northwestern California's Deer Assessment Unit 3, where the population is estimated at more than 130,000 head.
For trophy bucks, apply for a coveted X10 tag.
This unit boasts California's highest percentage of harvested bucks with more than 4 points.
You need to know: Southern California's wildfires have charred a wide swath of deer habitat, mostly in zones D11, D14, D15 and D16.
Not only will hunting be poor, but neighboring zones are likely to be crowded with displaced hunters.
Hunter education: Required of all first-time California hunters, regardless of age; equivalency course offered at DFG offices.
Wildlife agency: California Department of Fish and Game (916-227-2245).
Montana
2005 application deadline: March 15 for nonresident elk and deer; May 1 for all moose, sheep and goat hunts; June 2 for special permits, including both resident and nonresident antelope.
Getting started: Call (406)444-2950.
Tentative 2005 hunting license fees: A resident fee increase is before the legislature, so expect big game license fees to increase if it gets the nod.
Nonresident fees remain the same as last year, $640 for the elk/deer combination, $590 for elk and $340 for deer.
The guaranteed outfitter-sponsored tags are likely to change. Last year they were $977 for both deer and elk, $877 for elk and $777 for deer.
Preference points: Not preference, but rather bonus points, which allow unsuccessful applicants another throw in the draw in subsequent years.
Cost is $2 for residents, $20 for nonresidents per application.
Hunting outlook: It's bound to be a banner year for elk hunters, but only if there's weather during the rifle season.
The state's elk herd is growing way beyond population objectives in many areas, including much of the Bitterroot, Little Belts and Gravelly mountain ranges, but wherever you find wolves, you find slumping elk numbers.
That's especially true outside Yellowstone Park and portions of the Bob Marshall Wilderness.
Odds for drawing antlerless tags will be good. Deer numbers are spotty, but best in central Montana and in irrigated bottoms statewide.
You need to know: Montana's two-tiered deer and elk application process is confusing to some.
Nonresidents must first draw the general tag, then apply a second time for special-permit areas.
If you know you're hunting with a licensed outfitter, consider paying more for the guaranteed tag.
Hunter education: Youth hunters, 12 to 17, must have graduated from program and all first-time hunters born after Jan. 1, 1985, must be certified.
Guides/outfitters: Call (406) 444-3738.
Wildlife agency: Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (406-444-2535).
Nevada
2005 application deadline: April 21.
Getting started: Call (800) 576-1020; or write Wildlife Administrative Services, PO Box 1345, Fallon, NV, 89407-1345.
Tentative 2005 hunting license fees: Hunters must buy a prerequisite hunting license, $24 for residents, $111 for nonresidents.
Then residents pay $30 for deer, $60 for antelope and $120 for both sheep and elk. Nonresidents pay $240 for deer, $300 for antelope and $1,200 for either elk or bighorn sheep.
Preference points: Yes.
Hunting outlook: The north-state Jarbidge mule deer herd is still rebounding from drought and fire, but the elk population in the northern tier of counties is booming.
Good elk in the Ely area too, and great antelope hunting, though population densities are fairly light along the eastern border.
You need to know: Nevada is one place where would-be trophy hunters should apply now, building preference points for a decade hence.
The state has some wonderful elk, decent deer and great antelope, but you'll need serious preference points to get drawn.
Hunter education: Required of all hunters born after Jan. 1, 1960.
Wildlife agency: Nevada Division of Wildlife (775-688-1500).
New Mexico
2005 application deadline: April 26.
Getting started: Write NM Game & Fish, PO Box 25112, Santa Fe, NM. 87505; or call (800) 862-9310.
Tentative 2005 hunting license fees: Nonresidents must choose one of two licenses types, $481 for standard elk or $766 for mature (trophy) bull areas, $196 for standard deer or $316 for oversubscribed units.
Sheep will set you back a cool $3,016. Resident fees are $69 for elk, $39 for antelope, $32 for deer and $99 for sheep.
Preference points: No.
Hunting outlook: World-class antelope in the southeastern corner of the state, around Roswell.
And great trophy elk prospects along the western border, away from Indian reservations.
You need to know: Want to hunt an exotic? Don't book a Texas game farm; instead, hunt New Mexico's free-ranging herds of oryx, Barbary sheep and ibex. The White Sands Missile Range is a good spot for a trophy oryx hunt.
Hunter education: Required of all hunters under age 18.
Wildlife agency: New Mexico Game & Fish (505-476-8000).
Utah
2005 application deadline: Jan. 31 for anything with horns or antlers along with many antlerless hunts.
Getting started: Go to www.wildlife.utah.gov or call (801) 538-4700.
Tentative 2005 hunting license fees: Resident deer tags sell for $40; general bull tags are $65, but if you're interested in limited-entry deer and elk permits, the costs go up.
A premium bull tag this year is $280 for Utah residents. Nonresidents pay $388 for a general elk tag, but $795 for a premium limited-entry bull permits.
Deer tags cost $263 for a general nonresident opportunity, $1,508 for either sheep or moose, and a whopping $3,105 for an Antelope Island bison permit, one of the rarest trophies in the West.
Preference points: Yes.
Hunting outlook: Utah has been fiddling with its elk hunting structure for several years now, but the result has been decent odds on a general-tag spike bull and better age structure in its permit units.
Manti elk should be great and the Fish Lake herd is rebounding, thanks to conservative harvest.
Deer are rebounding from drought, and if the winter is easy, buck survival should be excellent.
You need to know: Some of the state's legendary units, such as the Paunsaugunt and Book Cliffs, have lost some trophy production.
Good alternatives are Henry Mountains and Rich County for mule deer and Monroe Mountain and Vernon West Desert for elk.
Hunter education: Required of all hunters born after Dec. 31, 1965.
Wildlife agency: Division of Wildlife Resources (www.wildlife.utah.gov).
Wyoming
2005 Application Deadline: Jan. 31 for nonresident elk, March 15 for nonresident deer and antelope.
May 31 for resident deer, elk and antelope. Feb. 28 for all moose, sheep and goat hunts. Getting started: Call (307) 777-4600.
2005 hunting license fees: Nonresident prices are $493 for elk, $273 for deer, $238 for antelope.
Bighorn sheep licenses are $1,913, $1,213 for moose and $1,813 for goat. Residents pay $42 for elk, $26 for deer and $95 for sheep.
Preference points: Yes, but only for moose and sheep.
Hunting outlook: Drought is hurting antelope and deer populations, but elk herds are generally thriving.
Consider Hunt Areas 12, 13, 14, 15 and 21 in the Snowy Range for general-tag elk or the Bighorn Mountains (Areas 36 and 37).
You need to know: If you can't afford the high-priced sheep and moose permits, you can still buy a preference point for $7 and remain in the game while you save your pennies.
Another budget way to get in on Cowboy State hunting is to apply for a reduced-cost deer, elk or antelope tag.
These are cow/calf or doe/fawn permits and are generally high-odds permits in areas with abundant populations, though access may be difficult.
Hunter education: Required of all hunters born after Jan. 1, 1966, and you must carry proof of hunter ed in the field.
Guides/outfitters: Guides are required in most of Wyoming's backcountry hunting units. Call Wyoming Board of Outfitters (307-777-5323 or 800-264-0981).
Wildlife agency: Wyoming Game & Fish Department.
Material from Fishing & Hunting News
published 24 times a year.
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