Why Do You Choose A Draw Unit?

by **ElkNut1** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 1]

Interesting question here guys! I've talked to ones in the past & they've mentioned to me that they choose a draw unit to elk hunt just to have less pressured elk but are willing to take the first legal animal. Who here chooses for this reason? No doubt most hunters choose such units to fulfill a dream of tagging a nice bull but not all feel this way & that's cool too! (grin) Where do you stand?

ElkNut1

by **Fridaythe13th** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 2]

For me, we started hunting this unit in 2004 and the DNR switched to a draw unit or the number of people that hunted it when up / animals went down. It just the zone I know. Now we hunt the years we don't draw, in other state's which is fine. When we use are points, my guess that well be it for applying for points

by **Trophyhill** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 3]

Here in NM it's draw only unless you buy a LO tag so that's what we have here. In CO I apply for a draw unit every year for the reasons mentioned. This may change slightly if I draw this year. still undecided if I want to continue my quest with the mindset that any legal elk will do or bull only. No ego here and I love eating elk. I guess I'll make that decision when confronted with the opportunity to shoot or pass any legal elk

by **elkmtngear** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 4]

The unit I put in for has about a 90 percent chance of success...so it's really more like OTC.

Maybe a little less pressure than some OTC units, but it does seem to be getting more popular :evil:

by **Swede** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 5]

I feel very sorry for our State Fish & Wildlife Department, and put in for tags as a charitable contribution. I have no idea that I will get a quality hunt in before I am 75 years old. The units I have enough points for are hardly any better than where I can go with my OTC tag.

by **JES_Wisc** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 6]

I put in for PP for a chance at a tropy first, but not running into other hunters is a very close second. Elk hunting in Colorado was fun but all the other hunters is a big reason I am starting to look for other places to hunt. In fact I would probably sacrifice seeing a few elk rather than bumping into other hunters everywhere I go. Then again I havent shot a ton of elk so I am not that picky.

by **one_elk** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 7]

I put in for draw units for the simple fact of limited number of hunters, of course I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a larger animal, but I enjoy the meat and the fewer folks I have putting pressure on animals in the unit I am hunting the better…..there is simply no doubt that the more folks you have in a unit the more elk are going to move to inaccessible areas including private lands or other areas where hunting is not allowed.

by **Elkduds** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 8]

1. Higher odds of success @ least in CO, in the limited units I love to hunt, like 40 and 61.
2. 1/5th the hunting pressure in draw units compared to adjacent OTC units, like 61 vs 62 last year.

by **easeup** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 9]

My favorite elk state is all lotto and pretty hard to draw for a NR.
Then next closest state is CO. I play the PP game to accrue enough points to hunt some of the better bull units before my legs give out.
The OTC hunt then is what I do just so I can hunt the beast of the Rockies.
Trailering the horses to WY of MT would be tons of fun; but a very long and expensive drive at 7mpg fully loaded. However unless someone gave me the inside play on a great hunt those states are really kind of far from here.

by **Indian Summer** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 10]

I don't have a problem with hunting pressure where I hunt. For me it's all about Bigger Bulls.

by **ElkNut1** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 11]

Everyone has their reasons & it's great to see the diverse thoughts among all of us hunters as to what's important to us personally & that's what counts here, we only have to answer to ourselves! (grin) No matter the pursuit always be happy & proud of ones accomplishments, we should never feel we need to apologize for a kill because it may not meet someone else's standards! Good stuff here! Let's have fun out there! (grin)

ElkNut1

by **slim9300** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 12]

I put in for low percentage draw units all across the West in hopes of someday killing a 350"+ bull. Since the odds of drawing are so low, I hunt OTC units in WA and MT every year just to be able to kill elk!

I have seen quite a few 350"+ bulls in MT but I have yet to hit one with an arrow.

Some day!!

by **WapitiTalk1** » 04 08, 2014 • [Post 13]

slim9300 wrote:I put in for low percentage draw units all across the West in hopes of someday killing a 350"+ bull. Since the odds of drawing are so low, I hunt OTC units in WA and MT every year just to be able to kill elk! I have seen quite a few 350"+ bulls in MT but I have yet to hit one with an arrow. Some day!!

Until then, you'll just have to settle for the little ones like you have on your back :shock:

Man I love that photo!

by **elk-n-walleye** » 04 09, 2014 • [Post 14]

simple answer for me is the draw units I apply to are essentially out my back door in WY. And I've had success getting an elk when I draw which is beating the avg harvest rate for the unit. I'm still more of a meat hunter so applying for the units that produce bigger bulls really hasn't peaked my interest yet.

by **rowdycwby1** » 04 09, 2014 • [Post 15]

The ones I pick are within 3 hrs off me and I know one unit really good and there elk population is really good.

by **Lefty** » 04 09, 2014 • [Post 16]

I don't put in for a draw. My area is not a draw unit for archery and often has depredation hunts because of damage to crop lands. Those depredation hunts have very low success even on cow calf. The area has a low value to most hunters because of the low density of elk. And our Fish and game doesn't really manage the unit for hunting just opens it up to reduce the populations. Not because of elk populations filling habitat but rancher/farmer complaints
Management is all about keeping ranchers and farmers happy :evil:

by **slim9300** » 04 09, 2014 • [Post 17]

Phantom16 wrote:
slim9300 wrote:I put in for low percentage draw units all across the West in hopes of someday killing a 350"+ bull. Since the odds of drawing are so low, I hunt OTC units in WA and MT every year just to be able to kill elk! I have seen quite a few 350"+ bulls in MT but I have yet to hit one with an arrow. Some day!!

Until then, you'll just have to settle for the little ones like you have on your back Man I love that photo!

by **pointysticks** » 04 09, 2014 • [Post 18]

I'm a hunter just starting out. I think it is super difficult. OTC land is tough. Last time in Idaho we only found a single elk. One! Eight days or so, no elk noises, no elk sightings but one. We were clearly doing it wrong. Or not right. We were blessed that one elk was spotted at 18 yards.

I think a draw tag would get us more encounters. I'd shoot the first legal anything. I need the encounters to learn anything. You can't learn much from an empty forest

by **BrentLaBere** » 04 09, 2014 • [Post 19]

For MT, I do it to build my bonus points in case a close friend or family member wants to hunt the breaks or something like that (apply as a party)
For Wyoming, its because I dont know where to go and have heard of some top notch units that take up to 7 points....Ill keep buying them until I figure it out.

by **ishy** » 04 10, 2014 • [Post 20]

It's for a bigger bull for me. I have a fair amount of points to cash in and should be a once in lifetime tag as I probably wouldn't hold out ten plus years again so my chips are all in for one tag.

by **baddaddy** » 04 11, 2014 • [Post 21]

To build preference points so one day I can hunt 61 or 10.

by **Screaming_btf** » 04 14, 2014 • [Post 22]

To hunt in areas with higher Mature Bull - Cow ratio's, less hunting pressure, and have a higher chance at hunting a much older ELK that I can harvest.

by **Slow1** » 04 15, 2014 • [Post 23]

I only put in for one unit, but I’m almost afraid to draw it. Because it would be hard to go from 6 bulls or more a day to 1 bull ever other day (that can tell you which brand of calls you are using

). With 3% draw odds it probably won’t be a big concern though.

by **Gselkhunter** » 04 23, 2014 • [Post 24]

The unit I put in for is just an amazing place. It has it all: elk, deer, sheep, pronghorn, bear, cats, grouse, ptarmigan and more types of wild flowers. The mountain slopes go from gentle to nasty. There are open meadows that turn into aspen to dark timber pockets of pine, spruce and fur. The creeks tumbling off the mountains have brook and brown trout in water that looks like flowing glass. The night skies are so star filled it is hard to identify constellations. I can't think of a place in CO that can refill you as well. Having a high elk concentration doesn't hurt. Being 2 hours from my door makes it perfect for my weekend warrior status. The one and only draw back is I can't draw it every year anymore. The perfect place for my last elk hunt