End Bonus Points!!

[plang00]

End the bonus point system!!....adjust the tag fees slightly for "premium" or "early" hunts and do away with bonus points!! Luck of the draw, if you aren't lucky then tough!! Everyone gets his name in the hat ONCE!!.......it's pretty simple......it would also end this "bonus pass" horses*#t for max point holders.......and do away with the one two pass then 3, 4,5 pass.......run an app 1 through 5 if you're drawn you're drawn if not then not.............maybe that way we can get some timely draw results! unlike this current bs system G & F is running.....2 weeks since the card was charged until I knew what hunt I had is inept as far as I'm concerned.

[Couzer]

What tag did you draw?

[plang00]

In the 27 years that I have been able to apply for elk, I have been fortunate enough to draw 8 bull tags........This year I did draw a 22N late tag. I have never liked the "bonus point" system.

[plang00]

Excuse me, I've been drawn 9 times for bull.

[jcarter]

Plang so did i pm inbound!

[YoungHuntr]

While it would make things much easier and there is some sense behind it, it will never happen. Consider all of the people with 10-20 bonus points currently. One or more decades of drawings/purchasing bonus points was put into those. When they have enough and/or get lucky they'll receive that once in a lifetime tag. If the game and fish got rid of bonus points, how could they do it without outrage and being unfair to those with decades put into them? It would take a long, long time to phase out the system and be fair to participants.

 

That is just one of the problems with getting rid of something like this.

[azgutpile]

Let me get this right... Your upset that you had to wait two weeks to figure out what hunt you drew? You also appear upset that you've drawn a bull tag 1 out of every 3 years?

 

Please explained in more detail why you think the system sucks.

[bonecollector777]

Someone grumpy? Of all people how can you complain when you're hunting bull elk every couple years? Some of these guys don't get tags for 20 years and are patiently waiting. I don't see the big deal with how the draw is working right now. No matter what there will be luck involved whether we keep the current system or switch. Then you'll hear people complaining when they still aren't getting drawn. One of the few things I actually agree with AZGFD is the draw system. You can't make everyone happy. And it's amazing to me that someone like you who gets drawn quite regularly is the one starting a post about it. At least they changed the draw where we know that were getting elk and antelope tags by the beginning of April. Unlike in the past when deer, elk, antelope, sheep, buffalo were all together and we didn't know till July. Waiting 2 weeks after a card is charged to find out isn't a big deal. There are hundreds of guys who would give anything to have seen that charge on their card this year and would have been willing to wait 2 months to find out as long as they got to be out there hunting. Personally I think you should consider yourself fortunate with the amount of tags you get. With the current system if you want to hunt and don't care where or when there are plenty of hunts with high draw% and you can almost hunt every other year. If you want that once or twice in a lifetime rifle bull tag in unit 9,10,23N,1,27 etc. . then it should be expected to have to wait a lot longer to draw it. Yeah some guys end up getting lucky with 2 bonus points but for the most part those that are diligent will get the tag they want and when they get it will forget all about those years of not getting to hunt. Those hunts are once in a lifetime for a reason. . so basically no matter what people are going to get lucky no matter how you look at it. At least with the BP rule no matter how bad of luck you have at some point in time you no longer rely on luck but are guaranteed a quality tag and hunt you will never forget.

[singleshot]

I like the bonus point system. I have had four unit 1 archery elk tags in 24 years of applying. It sucks, but the average of every six years is better than the odds. At least every year my name is in the hat and I have the chance to draw back to back tags. We don't want to end up like New Mexico with back to back to back bull hunts based on alleged quality and high demand. The last time I drew I had 13 points for elk, I drew unit 1 archery. Their is a guy on here who has drawn 4 archery bull tags in unit 1 in the last six years, and several before that. I wish I was that lucky but I'm not, at least with the current system my name is in the hat every year.

[Coues79]

Apply for new Mexico and you can have your go with no bonus points.

[Old Buck]

All bonus or preference point systems are just a customer loyalty programs. Arizonas isn't perfect(I did draw an elk tag this year) but I like it. In Colorado if you draw your second choice you get a tag and a preference point. I like that. In Nevada you get a point for each year you don't draw and they square your points and assign you that many random numbers, but here is no set aside pool for maximum points. Thats good but not great. As has been pointed out New Mexico has no draw point system. The benifit here is that on the first year I have the same odds of drawing as someone that has applied for 30 years. All these states have good points and limitations. I have drawn great tags over the years in all the states I listed. The trick is to do some research and apply in several states.

 

10 years ago when I turned 50, it hit me, I may only have 30 or 40 more years to hunt elk! I began putting in in several states each year for elk, mixing bull and cow choices. I have only blanked on a couple of years and have drawn 1 to 3 elk tags the other years. It is really fun to have 3 elk tags in one year!

 

My recommendation is for frustated hunters(those that haven't drawn a tag) is to do something proactive and research other states and apply for other hunts, in addition to Arizona, rather than try to change the bonus point system. It has done wonders for my frustation level!

 

 

[elpepe25]

NO.

[Mthomas]

I think the system is ok the way it is. It's still luck of the draw no matter what. And if you have 15 points you should have a better shot of getting a tag. Sounds like 9 bull tags in 27 years is pretty good luck to me. I've had 4 in 25 years. I drew in 2000, 2002, 2012 and 2013. I only put in for premium archery tags. I also have kids that have been putting in for junior hunts for 5 years now and never drawn a single tag. So it all comes down to luck of the draw anyway. I don't have a problem with the system.

[DesertBull]

Arizona is the first state to get results out. I applied in Utah in Feb and won't know until the end of May. They don't even tell you how many tags are available until AFTER the app deadline. Colorado has not even ended their app period yet and we alrady have results.

[NoBull350]

By no means am I a fan of the Arizona Game and Fish dept but from what I understand they had around 550 cards get rejected !! That's why it took so long to get results out. In my opinion they need to do away with the credit card system. Go back to all paper if you have the money your in if not your sitting it out . I know I took advantage of the credit card system this year ! I have a daughter that wants nothing more than to harvest a Trophy bull and refuses to kill a cow! To up her odds I put my ex wife and her parents in knowing that if they drew they could sign the tag over to her. If I had to come up with green bills I would never have been able to do that. I'm one of the lucky guys that has had my fair share of early archery tags (: . However if I had 15 bp and they took the bp system away I just might go postal!