March is here. Fifth season coming up. Winter goes away, then Mud season, Spring after that, then Summer, then Fall. March is great. Our club will have a booth at the Bighorn show. And there is basketball that some vendors (not many) will resent because attendance at the show is lower when games play and are really more noticeably lower when Gonzaga plays. I look forward to seeing many of you, as I plan to spend time at the NWSC booth and the WWC booth. We welcome help at either booth if you can make time.
Big Game Draws - New Mexico applications are due March 22nd New Mexico does not have a point system, so everybody has an equal chance. You can apply for antelope, deer, elk, desert sheep, Rocky Mountain sheep, aoudad, ibex, and oryx. New Mexico is well managed and trophy quality is available depending on where you apply. The hunting license is only $65.00 and the application fee is only $13.00 per species. I am running out of good parts; Now the bad. They have very restrictive limitations for percentage of tags for non-residents, and you must front the entire tag fee for whatever you apply for. “Quality” tags for deer and elk cost more than “Standard” tags. The upfront $283.00 fee for antelope doesn’t bother anybody, but oryx and ibex at $1623.00 or sheep at $3173.00 gets one’s attention.
Montana applications for Elk and Deer are due April 1st Montana is not far away, so it is a popular state to apply for. But Montana is tough if a really big one is your obsession. First, you must draw a general permit. That money is gone unless you apply, as I usually do, a partial refund. If you draw a combination license, then you have a chance at a quality area. A general deer license is over $700.00. A general elk license is over $1000.00. a general combination license that includes deer and elk is over $1200.00. But the seasons are generous and there are a lot of places to hunt, so you usually get one. Chances are that it won’t be an older age animal if you don’t hunt private land or draw a special permit. There is a point system for limited entry, but they square the points like Washington does, so the pool grows to numbers like the national debt. You need to get the points so you will have a similar chance as others, but your odds won’t be as good as they were last year, unless you apply for an area that fewer folks apply for. Don’t get me wrong. I have shot a number of deer on some very enjoyable hunts in Montana. Those season dates for deer run from late October through Thanksgiving can make weather forecasts vary. I remember hunting in a short sleeve shirt, but I also remember keeping a sandwich in an ice chest to keep it from freezing solid at 30 below
Colorado applications are due April 4th
Stay tuned for the next update See you at the Bighorn Show
