Does anyone else......

[desertdog]

This is the age old question I guess. Bide your time while putting in for the highly coveted late December hunts in your favorite unit, or put in for your favorite unit or second unit with early hunt dates.

 

For me I am not at the point in my hunting career that size is my main priority. I would rather be in the field with a gun in my hand and a tag in my pocket, and have a chance at a animal than waiting for a late tag. But thats just me. I understand waiting for what you want and I also understand were seeing NOT DRAWN for several years in a row gets to you. I feel your pain Coues 'n' Sheep but you know the odds and when it is your time I have a feeling you will make up for it.

[RoughCut]

This is the age old question I guess. Bide your time while putting in for the highly coveted late December hunts in your favorite unit, or put in for your favorite unit or second unit with early hunt dates.

 

For me I am not at the point in my hunting career that size is my main priority. I would rather be in the field with a gun in my hand and a tag in my pocket, and have a chance at a animal than waiting for a late tag. But thats just me. I understand waiting for what you want and I also understand were seeing NOT DRAWN for several years in a row gets to you. I feel your pain Coues 'n' Sheep but you know the odds and when it is your time I have a feeling you will make up for it.

I'm definately with you desertdog, I would rather have a tag in my pocket every year, than hold out for a late tag. All the bucks running around in December were there just the same in the oct and nov. hunts. I think taking a trophy in the early hunts is all the more credit to a persons hunting acumen and skill. I would bet that a determined hunter that has ten tags in ten years will end up with more "trophys" (if trophy hunting is your game) than someone that waits ten years to get one Dec. tag. Just my opinion.

[308Nut]

This is the age old question I guess. Bide your time while putting in for the highly coveted late December hunts in your favorite unit, or put in for your favorite unit or second unit with early hunt dates.

 

For me I am not at the point in my hunting career that size is my main priority. I would rather be in the field with a gun in my hand and a tag in my pocket, and have a chance at a animal than waiting for a late tag. But thats just me. I understand waiting for what you want and I also understand were seeing NOT DRAWN for several years in a row gets to you. I feel your pain Coues 'n' Sheep but you know the odds and when it is your time I have a feeling you will make up for it.

I'm definately with you desertdog, I would rather have a tag in my pocket every year, than hold out for a late tag. All the bucks running around in December were there just the same in the oct and nov. hunts. I think taking a trophy in the early hunts is all the more credit to a persons hunting acumen and skill. I would bet that a determined hunter that has ten tags in ten years will end up with more "trophys" (if trophy hunting is your game) than someone that waits ten years to get one Dec. tag. Just my opinion.

 

You both are very correct. I have felt the same way over the years but lately for me it has been about a quality experience. After last year I will never be the same. From 2002 through 2007 I had access to some AWESOME sheep country and over the counter tags to boot. The problem is that so did every body else. Now I was blessed enough over the years to harvest some nice rams and one really nice ram despite the heavy competition. In 2008 it moved to drawing only for that area. I was blessed to draw 1 out of 5 permits on the first year. 2% odds. I didnt see a single soul on that trip. It was unlike any hunting experience I have ever had. I had the whole freakin drainage and then some all to my lonesome. Most of the early coues hunts have an ungodly amount of hunters in the field. The late hunts these days offer very few tags and subsequently a quality experience. Even so, if I lived down there, I would probably apply for the late hunts 1st and the early hunts 2nd. This would ensure many early tags in my pocket and if blessed, a couple late tags over the years. Besides, the is always the archery season. The late WT tag I have this year affords me to have only 24 other hunters in the entire unit and one of those is my cousin. No more December archery in the unit. It will be very lonely. It will be a high quality experience. Well worth the wait. Besides, I have traditionaly came down in January and hunted a week while "waiting" for my "quality" tag. Everybody has a strategy and that was mine. The next hunt I hold out for will be a desert muzzle loader mulie hunt while I bowhunt coues in January while I "wait" for my tag.