Hunting different States

[Viking]

For those of you that do this what is the protocol...are there OTC tags availiable or is it all draw? What exactly is the process (differing per state?) and your experience with it? I may move down to the US in the future but honestly the hunting is a bit of a deal breaker for me if I can't make it work reasonably.

[LckyTylr]

I'm certainly no expert, but I finally branched out this year and hunted out of state for the first time.

In Idaho, you have more opportunity for OTC units than for Draw units. Draw units are luck-o-the-draw, your odds are just as good as anyone else in the state (which is really annoying if you live here and have your heart set on hunting one specific unit once in your lifetime, you might NEVER get to hunt it). If you are fortunate enough to draw, good for you, but if you don't draw, you show up at a 24-hour Walmart (my LEAST favorite place) and buy a tag for whichever general unit you desire.

I hunted out-of-state in Wyoming. You apply for preference points and can build them up to better your odds of drawing the better units. You have a really good chance of drawing the "general tag" as a non resident with just one point, so you could hunt it in 2016 since you just BARELY missed your chance to buy a preference point for 2015. For those of us (me) with no patience, you can pay extra to basically purchase yourself a preference point and apply for the general tag and have a 90% chance of drawing it all in the same year.

I don't know anything about other states.

[AZ Vince]

In Arizona is a draw.
Depending on the unit you could draw with no points and I've seen nine points not get drawn. The bad thing about Arizona is if you draw a tag, even if it's not your first choice, you lose all your points. The other bad thing is you have to buy a combo hunt and fish license to purchase a point.
You can purchase your license when you purchase the point. The elk draw closes in February of I recall correctly.

[Indian Summer]

Montana is a guaranteed license every year. 1 point gives you good odds in Wyoming and like LckyTylr said if you want to pay more you can get it without a point AND gain one. OTC tags in Idaho. All states have areas where with some points you can enter draws for quality permits. But make no mistake the general units all have some really good hunting.

We had a thread that went over the details of every state. I believe Phantom created it.

[ABQ_Chica]

New Mexico is all draw, unless you're willing to fork over big $$ for a landowner tag. Those range from $500 for the bargain-basement garbage units to $15,000 (or more) for a bull tag in a prime unit. Wish it were different, but that's the system we've got...

[Viking]

Wow ok, so it sounds pretty varied and across the board so far. What I hear though is it is the same costs and chances for residents of different states to hunt in another..correct? Its a very different system than what I am used to eg; Buy a tag for species...hunt almost anywhere not private unless with premission. Also you require a person from the province in question to hunt with you and its a long drawn out process. I would guess that bringing meat back to your respective State would require you to process it before returing home?

I will try to find that other thread as well thanks IS.