doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT: the bane of online licenses

Makes me glad, in a bass-ackwards way, I live in MI--sure I lot different than when I grew up in the pheasant rich )even quail) farmlands and CRP acreage of the Ike years-- you bought a small game license, a Federal duck stamp and you were good to go--RWTF

Why did you wait until the last day?

Good question and one my bride asked as well.

It boils down to analysis of all the options. Understanding what has changed from last year, what the new requirements are (and there are always new requirements). Understanding the latest hunt codes and the new season dates (the real estate hasn't changed, but the names and access requirements have) and determining the availability of folks to actually go (winter hunting in the Rocky Mountains usually requires, at a minimum, 2 4x4 trucks to safely traverse most of the areas we now hunt). Moreover, some people are aging out, new hunters are joining the fray, and season dates always seem to overlap w/lots of critical dates for other family and personal needs. Colorado & many other states have clearly monetized the big game seasons out here. One doesn't just whistle up a tag and go hunting anymore (if you want to have any hope of success). A review of the 70 plus page regulations booklet will affirm that one very quickly. Also, an elk is a fairly big creature (small cows go 350lbs) and 60-plus year old hunters need to approach the process with some amount of caution. 3 miles back in rugged country with a downed 450 lb animal is a serious dose of reality for most of us.

Elk hunting isn't a hobby, it's a lifestyle. You need the scoped magnum rifle (tuned to it's ammo), and the cloths, and the boots, and the binoculars, and the 4x4 truck, and the freezer. Then you will need lodging and a viable tag (many aren't) and often, the money to pay for trespass. If you aren't familiar with an area, you'll likely need a guide. Sounds like fun, eh?

The points system is beyond frustrating. Sure, each year you gain another preference point but, it seems you need another point to expect a draw, meaning you never catch up. I have 5 antelope preference points this year and it probably will not be enough. I shot a buck last year so it will probably be another 2-3 years before I draw another deer tag in my unit. Realistically all I can hope for is a cow elk tag this year. A moose or goat tag seems impossible but I play the lottery.

Takeaways from the analysis of options:

I need an RV. Trying to stick to the unit where I have access to a cabin is too limiting.
Expand to hunting neighboring states and Montana.
Odds are good when you do get a tag. I shot a deer last year and an elk the year before. Only a dumb mistake kept me from getting an elk last year.
CO is stacked to favor archery
NO! We do not need more hunters!

I still hunt elk alone. Not sure how much longer I can do that.

Most states have made the decision to manage only for deer and turkeys. The rest of game is either left to fend for itself or must try to overcome ineptitude by those who should be making it successful. And money is always the end result and what the goal seems to be for them.

Why does a small state like Maryland need 244 sworn NRP officers and 78 civilian support staff? That’s almost an average of ten per county. I guess the would say that they spend most of their time in non law enforcement work. But it seemed like I saw a game warden every time I went hunting. They certainly are not helping any game, other than deer and turkeys. And deer and turkeys are spreading like wildfire. I don’t think they need any help at all.

Last year we went to online drawing for everything in Ohio. KY also did much the same. Their system was never designed for the volume they received. License were purchased online and are digital now. But when you have a problem with the system you are going to be on your own most of the time. Glad it worked out for you.

Just re-reading all of this again makes me realize why I so-appreciate small game hunting, especially for birds. Even with all of the challenges being put in place by the various regulatory agencies, it is still way-simpler, cheaper, and argueably... way more fun. My hunting partners and I have always had to approach our elk hunts with the seriousness of planning a military campaign, and I have always seen an elk as a significant component of my larder and have worked hard to maintain that protein stream. Maybe too hard?

When I'm afield with a scattergun, it's always pure pleasure. Just me and the day. A good gun, a vest, a few shells, and maybe a trail lunch of an apple and a few nuts. Nothing is very heavy, nothing is very serious. It can become a numbers game at times, but it usually doesn't, and as long as you can cover a fair-amount ground on foot, you'll have a reasonable chance of enjoying yourself and even actually succeeding at bagging something. Very few barriers and very few risks by comparison. I'm fairly certain I'll be doing birds a lot longer than the other.

Big game is subject to restrictions because if it weren’t, there wouldn’t be any to shoot.

I’ve elk hunted CO 6 times, Wyoming 4, and don’t find the process that onerous. A bunch of other state, Scotland and the UK as well.

Maybe 15 years ago I did get caught up in the hunter safety card having to be stored in Colorado in order to buy OTC tags.

It wasn’t hard to fix, I ended up paying them five dollars to keep my information in perpetuity,

Due to the necessity of draws, If you were going to build points to be able to hunt in a trophy managed area, rather than just stay random cull areas, you have to pay attention to it all year around.

Every state has different rules.

I am unlikely to attribute my own lack of preparation to someone else, and then drag them through the mud.

Part of the consideration is to define what a trophy is. Many of the really big Colorado trophy elk come off of private ranches where a pretty penny buys preparation. Think of the resources that could have been allocated to big game management, if who ever is responsible for online licensing were tasked to eliminate the need for live one on one support by a paid employee. Agreed, if someone wants to play their game, play by their rules.

Apparently, you weren’t alone, Lloyd. I see they extended the deadline until tomorrow evening due to “volume related technological issues.”

FCF: Saw that. No surprise, I also allows them more applicants which equals more $$$.

CZ: You're right. My problem is multifaceted. I had it really good here for many years. Multiple hunt options every year. No crowding, cheap and pentiful tags. For almost 20 years, we had access to a private ranch of 20k acres ( Talk about heaven!). Another facet that I find disturbing is my own physical limitations with seem to compound at an alarming rate. Probably why old guys are always so crotchety. Still.....the programming behind these systems we're forced to endure now is usually not ready for prime-time when it is first deployed. This experience was no exception.