kennyazman Report post Posted May 2, 2014 So I've made up my mind that I would rather take my chances on a late December coues hunt rather than waiting for a kaibab tag. I've got 5 points and I know I'm not in the bonus pass yet but my odds are pretty good. I like unit 21 for my first choice. I'm torn for my second choice though. I've been looking at the bonus point reports and succes rates and all the numbers and statistics and I've narrowed it down to the late dec. 6A hunt or the unit 8/6B hunt. What do you guys think would be a better quality of hunt? Better country to glass and find some rutting bucks? I think I know which one I want but I'd like to hear your guys' thoughts. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ThomC Report post Posted May 2, 2014 I always put in for unit (bleep) as my second choice. There are huge deer in there some over 180. One in particular lives on a hill. The coordinates are(bleep) and (bleep). I got this info from a guy on a Iowa website. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sandman Report post Posted May 2, 2014 None of those hunts are a walk in the park. They have low densities in some rough country. It will take a lot of work Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SunDevil Report post Posted May 2, 2014 For Dec, I would look for the units with as few a tags during the earlier seasons (youth, Oct, Nov, early Dec, archery, muzzle loader, etc). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snapshot Report post Posted May 3, 2014 I have drawn a Premium December hunt with my second choice, and no bonus points. That was 10 years ago, and that was extremely lucky. I hunt unit 27. Good bucks to be had, but certainly not the numbers of the southern units. There used to be alot more December tags in unit 27, but since they increased the October hunt numbers the December tags were cut back to 40, I think. Much tougher to draw. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kennyazman Report post Posted May 4, 2014 I appreciate the replies so far. Being a mule deer hunter all my life I definitely have a craving for switching it up with a coues deer. With 5 points I have almost no chance at the late kaibab tag I want but looking at the bonus point report shows me that I've got a decent shot at a late dec coues tag in certain units. After seeing that it didn't take long for me to change my mind. I'm excited about venturing out into a new unit if I am to draw a tag. I'm leaning towards 6a. That hunt looks like it's got the potential for a quality December tag combined with decent draw odds. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Presmyk Report post Posted May 4, 2014 Bonus points are a croc IMO my buddy mom got the 6a dec tag twice in three years my brother pit his buddy in drew strip archery tag first time ever putting in And the next year drew a archery bull tag in 9 sept with no points. Me and my dad drew 2 of the 8 35a goulds tags first try with 2 points . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joeeden Report post Posted May 4, 2014 Bonus points are not a crock. Aside from being in the max point pool for a hunt, each bonus point is like a raffle ticket. Just because I have more tickets than you do, doesn't mean you won't draw while I stay home. What do you mean a crock? Its not perfect but its obviously very misunderstood Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Presmyk Report post Posted May 4, 2014 Max points would Make a differnce other than that I think they don't make a big difference 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joeeden Report post Posted May 5, 2014 Ok. You can figure out exactly how much difference it makes on any hunt in the state. It is not subjective. The only variable would be more or fewer applicants in the new year compared to years prior. It is your luck of the draw. More points gets you more chances but that's it. I have horrible luck so I have to wait until I'm max points it seems. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Presmyk Report post Posted May 5, 2014 Where is that and how much the odds change per point? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joeeden Report post Posted May 5, 2014 I use hunterstrailhead.com. It's about $25.00 per year for the subscription. A forum member did the math himself and helped out a lot of folks on here with draw odds. That's both very impressive and gracious! hunterstrailhead has the math done for guys like me with less time and less brains. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alpinebullwinkle Report post Posted May 25, 2014 The current bonus point system can be improved. I've used a "black belt" data specialist that used to work for me to analyze AGFD data. We demonstrated the benefits of squaring or even considering tripling the bonus points to have more impact and tighten up the bell curve. For some reason AGFD has not been interested in the enhancement, and when suggested formerly on this website, surprisingly most hunters preferred that we keep the same system (with more luck than math in the equation). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildwoody Report post Posted May 25, 2014 any of them, all of them Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PRDATR Report post Posted May 31, 2014 I have not hunted 8/6B but I have been in 6A and the weather can be a big factor if it gets dumped on with snow and the roads become soupy. For this reason I prefer some of the other units but with most opportunities for a December tag getting limited to a fraction of what there used to be and the massive pounding some of these units take from back to back to back hunts under the guise of increased hunter opportunity (AKA increa$ed moola for the boys @ G&F)can be disheartening. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
