Cover photo: Lewis Bailey showing off the biggest mule deer he has ever killed
By Kevin Orton
WTA Application Service Manager
Well, the 2012 season is not exactly here, but if you are serious about putting a hunting plan in place and then executing that plan, then the time to do that is now. It has truly amazed me how many hunters have called this fall to try to find a last minute tag, as if September is the best time to start thinking about the hunting season. So what I want to do in this article is get you thinking about your 2012 season and help you start the process of planning your hunting schedule for next year. There isn’t enough space today to talk about every aspect of your hunting plan, so I want to focus on two main areas, which are your application strategy and landowner tags.
David Bailey with his last day buck in Colorado.
Lets start with you application strategy. I don’t want to come across as bossing you around or a guy who should be minding his own business, but I truly believe if you are not “playing the bonus point game” with applications in multiple states, you are missing a HUGE opportunity. How can you consider yourself a serious hunter if you are not taking advantage of this enormous resource given to all of us that love to hunt? Have you ever heard the statement, “If you only knew what you were missing?” I say that because I remember when I used to hunt only the general season deer hunt in my home state of Utah. Sometimes I would even pick up a spike or a cow elk tag to supplement. I had no idea just how incredible the hunting could be with some well placed bonus points in my home state as well as others. Now that I have drawn tags in various states and can see just how incredible the hunting can be with the right tag, I can never go back to the hunter I used to be. I would never consider getting out of the bonus point game for as long as I can physically hunt. It is just too good.
So I know some of you are starting to kick around the excuses right now as to why you don’t apply for bonus points or why you think you can’t apply. Truth is, none of your excuses hold water. There simply is not any argument out there that you could tell me that would make me say in your case you should not be applying for tags. I know I have heard them all because I used to use them for myself when I wasn’t accumulating bonus points. One of my favorites is, “I will never draw”. My answer is that is only 100% true if you are not putting in. Every year people beat crazy odds to draw unbelievable hunts of a lifetime. Not to mention if you don’t draw in a particular year you are building points that increase your odds in the upcoming years. Eventually you will draw the tags you want and when you do it will give you some of the greatest outdoor experiences of your life. I also like, “I can’t afford to apply”. Are you kidding me? There is not a cheaper way to hunt in our great country than to draw a tag. That is exactly why I play the bonus point game as hard as I do. If I could afford to just buy tags everywhere I wanted, I would because I have an addiction called hunting. But I have to get my tags in a more practical way and the draws provide that for me (I have to admit, knowing what I do, even if I could buy any tag I wanted, I would still put in the draw to get even more tags). I also hear things like, “It is too confusing” or “I don’t have time to put in” or “I can’t remember when the deadlines are” or “I don’t know what states and units to apply in”. All of these reasons are really just insane and should never keep you out of the draw process.
Here at Worldwide Trophy Adventures the process of applying for hunts and collecting bonus points is one of our specialties. You have heard us say, “It’s what we do” and that certainly applies in this case as well. Not only do we have extensive experience in applying ourselves and others for bonus points, but we do it for the most competitive price in the industry. We develop a personal strategy for each individual hunter. We will discuss each state and the opportunities that are available and match those up with each hunter’s interests, time constraints and budget. Once we have that finished we will load your profile into our computer software system and you are done. From there, you don’t have to worry about anything, as we will manage your profile and make sure you are applying for exactly what you want every year. You will have to deal with those ever annoying “SUCCESSFUL” letters that will begin to come to you over a period of time. I am sure you will be able to handle that and if you need help once you have drawn we can always direct you to the best outfitters in the business or give you detailed information for your DIY draw hunt. The bottom line is, once we set your account up with your hunter profile, you can just put your application process on auto pilot and not have to worry about a thing. We will literally take care of everything for you from there on out. Whether you start this process on your own or you get us to help you, do not let another season go by without putting your hat in this ring. It will be the best thing you have ever done for your hunting career and you will never regret it.
The second phase of your hunting plan that I want to address is landowner tags. As a brief reminder for those of you that may not be familiar with them, remember that landowner tags or vouchers vary from state to state as far as rules and who can use them. Generally, the states that have the most opportunity with these tags and vouchers are Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah. Those are the states that we focus the most on here at Worldwide Trophy Adventures. In most cases, you are allowed to buy a landowner tag which in effect means you bypass the draw process for that area and all you need is the license and you can hunt. It is a fantastic way to supplement the draw process each year while you are waiting to draw the tags that you want. This does require a bit more of a budget than just applying for hunts, but it is far less expensive than buying guided hunts. And with a good plan in place, you can acquire these tags every 1 to 3 years, depending on your budget and schedule.
Sixteen-year-old Mason Bailey and his father Lewis with Mason’s first ever mule deer.
But what is really hard to do is find the landowner tags you want if you start looking in the summer of the year you want the tag or voucher. Yes, you can still find tags then, but the truly smart way to get the tags you want is to get a deposit in to us for the unit or tag you want. We will then put you on our list and when the tag is available we call you and get the tag or voucher to you. Now there is no risk as your deposit is completely refundable for any reason and at any time. Sometimes the tags are easy to get for the unit you want, but sometimes from year to year a particular tag or voucher is very difficult to get and if the tag is not acquired you can have a refund of your money or just roll the deposit over into next year. Either way the only time your money is used is when you say you want the tag or voucher we have found. Because the process is 100% risk free, my best advice is to get your deposits into us no later than January of the year you want to hunt. It is for sure the best way to guarantee yourself a shot at the tag or voucher you really want.
Since landowner tags mostly start at $1000 and go up from there, the deposit amount we require to put you in the system and look for a tag for you is $1000. If the tag ends up costing more, you would just pay the difference at the time we acquire it for you. Of course, if it costs less, you would just get a refund of the difference. Over the last 10 years, I have purchased several landowner tags to supplement my draw hunts and I have had a fantastic time hunting on these tags. Call us today and get your deposit in and your name on the list for the unit and state you want to hunt. When we get the tags we just go down the list of people with deposits and get the tags out, so the closer you are to the top the better chance you have with the tag or voucher you really want.
Using just these two methods of your hunting plan on a yearly basis can provide for some really awesome hunting. I honestly cannot think of any hunter that should not be participating in one or both of these methods. The pictures you see are of a deer hunt I took with my high school buddies and one of their sons in October this year. They drew the tag with two points and I bought a landowner voucher so I could go with them. We weren’t hunting for giants, just a good time and the hunt was all of that and more. There are plenty of vouchers and tags in areas where there are giants if that is what you are looking for as well. Please visit our website at www.worldwidetrophyadventures.com to look at the list of tags we had for this year. It will give you an idea of what we will have again for 2012, so you can get your deposit in and attached to the unit you want.
It is never too early to start thinking about next years’ hunting trips. Give us a call at Worldwide Trophy Adventures (435-656-0205) and let us help you get started with a plan that will keep you in the field doing what you love for years to come!
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