Planning 1st Elk hunting trip....NEED HELP

[Red Sparky]

I am a resident and always apply in the 84% resident pool;but the OP is a non resident.He can only apply in the non resident pool so his odds are 6 out of 100 or 10 out of 100-better odds.The only good odds are to contact an outfitter or rancher and buy a tag.A tag may be ranch only or unit wide.What I have never understood is if there are 100 tags for a hunt and ranchers in the unit get 50 tags are those 50 deducted from the 100.If so then non residents may end up getting first shot at 50%-50 tags + 5 guided + 3 random draw .
I just apply every year and if I do not draw I try to get a cow tag because I enjoy elk hunting and elk meat.

Anybody can buy a landowner tag, resident or non-resident. The landowner tags are not put into the draw. The number of tags a landowner gets depends on size of ranch, number of animals, location of the ranch, and other items the G&F look at. Ranch only tags are just that. They are good on the ranch only and public land can't be hunted. Public land hunters can not hunt the ranch without written permission which usually means paying a trespass fee. Unit wide tags means any hunter who has a tag for that species in that unit has access to that ranch along with public land and any hunter with a unit wide land owner tag can hunt public land off the ranch. This is usually smaller ranches where the animals are part of the year eating and impacting the rancher but are not there all year long. The rancher has to decide unit wide or ranch only.

Page 6 of the regs. show that elk and antelope tags under the private land use system are not applicable under the quota so the landowner can sell all his tags to residents or non-residents if they choose. They can also sell them on first come first serve to anybody. The quota does not apply to them.

Let's look at the draw. Contracting with an outfitter or guide in the draw does not guarantee you a tag or "greatly increase" your chances. It is 10% of the available tags in the draw for that hunt choice and residents can put in for that pool as well. You also have to have a signed contract with the outfitter/guide before you apply to that draw pool. You can't draw and then say oh crap I have to contract with an outfitter now. The only thing that "greatly increases" your chances are to buy a private land tag, which are not part of the draw, under the quota of the draw and cost more than draw tags.

Hope this helps clear up the post from 2-17-15.