Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska T-Minus 10 Days . . .

. . . until draw results are posted

You gotta ask yourself: do you feel lucky? Well, do you pards?

Not sure if I feel lucky.

I put myself, my wife, and my oldest daughter in for grail goat and elk tags. Maybe one of us will draw.

Grail = Cleveland?

Myself Cleveland. The females Ketchikan.

I am lined up with a pilot for goats regardless of the draw.

I don't get near as excited as I use to for draw results, I remember when it was almost like a 2nd Christmas when it rooled around. If I draw i'll be going sheep hunting, if I don't, I won't.

Doubt I’ll get anything as always.

Since I had HUA syndrome about then dealing with things, I know that I will get nothing.

Any of yous put in for the Zarembo elk tag? It's the only elk tag I put in for this time around; that'll be an interesting one.

Yep

All in for me and the females.

I did buy some raffle tickets for the governors tag on Etolin. Probably better odds than the Z and C tags will be.

I only put in for moose and goat, doubt I will draw either being they are some of the lowest odds hunts.

For the past 40 years, we've paid an extra $5 for each bison drawing application with that money to be used to support the Delta Bison Range. Some of those funds were not utilized for that purpose so Rep Mike Cronk has introduced a bill to eliminate that extra $5 fee.

Luck in drawing tags is a weird thing. I understand all of the concepts of regression to mean, law of averages, even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then, and so on. I've been more fortunate than ever I've expected and look forward to the possibilities of 2024 regardless of the tags that are drawn. Even so...it is a bit like Christmas!

After having drawn five tags last year I'd caution anyone else with a modicum of responsibility and multiple tags that it can certainly weigh you down! I worked my butt off to stay in shape, scout, shoot, and to plan extensively for my hunts. Some worked out better than others and all were adventures with great scenery, good hunting companions, and many small wonders. Like finding water coming out of the side of a mountain peak and disappearing six feet below into a rock slide...and you've been out of water for the last hour!

Good luck to you all in your 2024 hunting adventures! It's still the Greatland!

My wife will get lucky long before I will........which means I might get lucky enough to take her hunting.........

YAHOO! Just hit on Kodiak BB after 4 plus decades of failure!!!

Oh crappola... wait... what time is it...

Drawing too many tags is a good problem to have

That seems to be my luck. Years of donation followed by multiple tags in one year.

I should have legally changed my name to ABNER ABBoTT out of high school. They can deny it all they want, but folks with those A.A. initials are luckier than Steve Rinella.

Link to the results please

Usually posts about 8:15am when they press the button.

We need to tally up the % of tags non res getting the Etolin archery tag. Curious about that.

Whats the deal going on with NR getting tags?

On Porto Rico time!

That tag seems to be gaining popularity on some Internet forums. If the non res starts ratio gets out of control and local residents can’t draw, it’s time to throw in a proposal.

Results are out

No for me and the females. I really need to start putting in for tags with greater than 1% odds. grin

20% of those tags went to non-residents. Not horrible.

trapper, you suck. LOL

That's a good one.

Nothing here.
Another $300+ down the drain, but that’s alright…

No

Nothing in my house, nor local pards.

15th straight year of nothing; my streak continues.
Disappointment day 2024 did not disappoint.

Nada

WYO, CO, UT and NV yet to go. These states are a little easier to predict a tag draw as it's not a random draw every year. Bonus and preference points come into play and I got lots of them

Negative here too.

Nothing here. Per usual. Same for all the buddies.

Goose egg here!

Riley drew a caribou tag on the Kenai. This is at least the 5th 'bou tag for him...

Nothing for me or anyone i talked to

Yeah no complaints from me this year

Only interest in bison,,,no go as expected!

No caribou tag here.

Well I got DM920 on the Dalton Highway Corridor. There are 9 nonresidents and 11 residents drawn for the tag. I betcha that somebody is going to catch hell for that. Two of the tags went to Nick and Stephanie Muche so at least there are a couple of people I know.

Yeah that's ridiculous. On low tag #'s, it should be 10% non resident or residents only.

Keep checking resident/non resident ratios. Board of game needs to hear about it.

I bet RHAC would help on that. Can't stand that group Yup thats a tough one to call. I see both sides really easily. Its a big circle of hate at times.

Rost,

It's just the new normal unfortunately. The archery hunt I was referencing had a hunt video on a monetized YouTube channel filmed on it last year by non-residents (elk101) that has 2 million views. Only 25 tags are given out, and residents and non residents can both apply with same odds. This year a rokslider (non res) was almost killed on that hunt so maybe that talked a lot of guys out of it. Lots of exposure though in a hunt normally hunted by residents of the surrounding islands. I am not anti non res by any stretch of the imagination, I just seek to have a good healthy tag ratio between res/non res.

Etolin elk and a Chugach sheep tag for me. Was due for another Chugach tag, 3 years since my last one.

I was not saying anything much other than its a tough deal. So many factors involved.

The dang media stuff gives so many places wide open. Films are even worse. I wish we never took people that filmed and youtube it. Its a huge part of ruining whats there.

And then all the sides start hating on each other. I don't hate films I just wish some of this stuff was a bit more level headed like you note.

And this is all part of the reason I tend not to post much, post pictures. Etc. It can all be used against you lol

As to odds it is what it is, but I wish all places had preference points. Or do I. ?

Good thing I"m old LOL.

There's a party at the double shovel in Kodiak tonight to facilitate the collective drowning of sorrows aptly called to Draw Result Party. Probably not a good idea to show up if you drew anything😆

One thing that drives me nuts about people applying, resident or not, are those that apply just to apply with little intention to hunt the tag if drawn. It may be legal and a person's right, but it still annoys the hell out of me.

I think of the 15 DE711 tags, only 11 actually hunted it in 2023, and that was more than normal. Quite often it is closer to half. Family and health emergencies aside, I find that way more annoying than non-residents drawing hard tags. Why even apply if you're not dead serious about trying? All you're doing is diluting draw odds. I suspect some start researching how physically tough some of the hunts are after they draw and decide it isn't worth it. Others apply just in case they 'feel like going, if they draw'. I wish the YouTube videos really emphasized how physically demanding some hunts are, and especially the Alaskan elk hunts.

It is what it is, I guess. Other western states are just as bad.

Couldn’t agree more.

You do know fish and game would give out less tags if everyone hunted it?

It’s not all black and white why people didn’t hunt. Last year we sat in Ketchikan for 5 days and not a single plane took off so we couldn’t get to our area to hunt. After the 5 days the pilot had other people ahead of us and by the time he could get to us we would only have 3 days to hunt. The best part is he kept our 2000 deposit. Said he has a family to feed and can’t control weather. Lots of people draw multiple tags too and can’t hunt them all. It’s happened to me and I get unlimited PTO. And on the late season hunts a lot of those guys use those as back up hunts. Draw a late season moose to only fill it if they don’t get one in the regular season. Smart move, and it happens.

Those with tags just like that skew the hell out of success ratios that the biologists and board use at times to sway seasons etc... its nuts, stupid, etc...
Unfortunately Youtube, like any filming, only generally shows the good things. No one wants to see me crawling into a wet sleeping bag with wet clothes After taking my rain gear and waders off and being cold most of the night and knowing there are 10 more days ahead and no easy way to get dry or relief etc... I can only imagine the elk hunt after reading some about it. No way I'd even apply. Would be a waste of my time and a waste of the tag.

Yes, I am aware they factor hunt success and/or hunter days into tag numbers. That isn't rocket science, nor anything groundbreaking. I was speaking in generalities.

I could have given a few more examples of 'acceptable' reasons why a person doesn't actually hunt, to include weather but for the purposes of what I am talking about, I consider those situations to be 'hunted' or at least attempted. If you notice, I wasn't referring to those who just check the 'did not hunt' box on the harvest report form. I specifically stated: "those that apply just to apply with little intention to hunt the tag if drawn" and "why even apply if you're not dead serious about trying?"

I too know of a guy who had an ultra rare elk tag on Etolin last year that sat in Ketchikan for several days and never could get to the island. I felt pretty bad for him and certainly didn't lump him into those who didn't try. I seriously doubt a person would apply for the trophy bull elk hunts to use just in case they are not successful in one of the cow registration hunts. Moose and caribou situations? Sure, but I suspect those are relatively rare occassions, and again not what I am referring to.

Alaska is somewhat unique in that a guy can hold a draw tag and also hunt that particular species on a general tag. That isn't the case in a lot of states like Idaho and Wyoming where this is also an issue. Idaho started its 2nd draw because so many rare draw tags weren't being bought, let alone hunted.

A friend and I drew Afongnak in 2018, and pulled two mature bulls out. It was an absolute ball buster. That was one of the years only about half of those with a permit even attempted it.

So you acknowledge your gripe is based 100% on speculation really isn’t even an issue. Got it.


You’re full of chit and talking out your ass. “Rare” tags? Hahahaha

Since you’re but hurt why don’t you pick up a tag in Alaska ‘s leftover drawing? What? You didn’t know there’s one? Same as WY, where they just get rid of the leftovers.

Etolin is basically in my backyard. The “problem” we have with that hunt is the first rifle season happens to fall in the best time to be moose hunting, which has really taken off. And moose hunting, albeit just as miserable, has much better odds of success and you aren’t looking at a ridiculous pack out if you boat in. For most of good spots, you are looking at 4-5 miles with no trails. 3-4 trips to get a bull out for 2 guys unless you pack a lot of weight which is risky in that country. In a few years I will get pumped up for elk again.

I can’t imagine trying to fly in and out of Etolin in early Oct. It’s absolutely hammertime for weather that time of the year. I make my 200 mile boat trip annually that first few weeks of Oct and the weather windows are really small.

You don't actually know how many people attempted it. And why are you complaining? If everyone hunted it you would see people. You want to see people on your hunt? I wouldn't call afognak a "ball buster" On the level of difficulty it would be a 3 out of 10. Maybe a 2. Afognak and raspberry elk hunts should be reserved for old people or locals of kodiak etc

Exactly. I have the late hunt this year and access via plane (my only realistic option) is dicey at best. Got to give it hell though....

Instead of worrying about whether people hunt tags or not I would be more concerned with the following:

Tags available in the draw in 2021 - 9,502
Tags available in the draw in 2024 - 5,364

We've lost around 46ish percent of our tags.

So sorry if I can't sympathize with one's fixation on someone not hunting a tag. I wish more people wouldn't.

Afognak is. Much harder than you think. I've deer hunted there and the elk we saw would have taken 2 guys 4 or 5 days to get out. There are spots where i have seen elk in easy country ( Seal Bay) but a lot of it is really steep and nasty. A Rosey is a big, big animal coupled with arguably the meanest brown bears in Alaska its not a walk in the park.

Yeah having brown bears can't make that any less stressful. I need an AK elk one of these years, just trying to figure out the least painful way to do it.

You’re a feisty one…and sure come up with a lot of odd (and wrong) ‘conclusions’. I’ve noticed that about you on a couple of threads now. I could (re) find how many attempted that particular hunt that year, if I cared to. It is public info. There were 3 other camps that I saw on the same lake, and had a guy shoot a rag bull out from under me (which was a blessing in disguise). No biggie as none of those other hunters went where they needed to, to get the herd bulls. My buddy and I did.

It seems our definition of ‘butt hurt’ differs too, and that’s OK. I have no need for a leftover tag right now, in any state. I’ll have plenty of tags as is and am struggling to get my fall planned out without even knowing what draws I may have coming from other states.

I noticed you didn’t even attempt to address my points…and just came up with more accusations. Rock on Eddie, I guess.

It took us 5 days to get those 2 Roosevelt bulls no more than about 2 miles on NW Afongak. Had bear problems (of course) to add to the brush, rain and bug fun. By comparison, the 2 bull moose we spent 10 days packing out of the Togiak this last year were ‘easier’.

Afognak is a damn mess, for multiple reasons.I love it…

3/10 at best for difficulty.

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 hope you get to go back soon

😂😂😂

Got a “scolding” text from a temporarily forgotten pard for being left of the local pard list.

SOB drew a moose and a goat. 🤣🤣

If he scolds you for forgetting him as a hunting partner, it sounds like you should be guaranteed a spot on the hunt and a share of the meat if ya help out.

Glad i never did any of those 4-10 difficulty hunts

About 15 +/- years ago I drew a south Kodiak spring bear tag. I couldn't pull it off - mostly due to not having hunting pards who could pull off the time, which I estimated to be 10 days total, including all travel, standby, WX , etc. So, I called up ADF&G and told them I wasn't going to hunt the tag and I wanted to return it so someone else could hunt it. They said they don't do that - e.g. reissue the tag to the next person in line (like pretty much all Lesser 48 states do). They said they figure in the amount of "no-hunt' into the original tag quota. You still are filling out a hunt report, even if you don't go, so they have the data.



I don't think so. In Alaska, you're only out the tag application fee - let's say ~ $30. If you draw down south, you are charged the full amount for the tag when you draw which would typically be in the $500 - 800 range. Most folks aren't going to eat that kind of money. You can typically return the tag and get a refund (lose your points) or return the tag and keep your points (no refund). If AK made NR's pay the full price of the tag with no refunds this would end pretty quickly IMHO. Either way, they certainly do re-issue the tag, so they are no 'wasted" tags.

I was referring to my breakfast pards. Missing pard and I drew the same moose tag a few years back, and hunted it together. I probably missed another name or two as well. 🤦‍♂️

That was my quote, not Seldom’s.
Anyhow I gotta disagree to some extent. There are plenty of folks who apply for lower 48 draws just ‘in case’ they decide to go though I am sure having to pay the full price up front helps somewhat.

Idaho doesn’t charge the full amount up front which I suspect like you indicated is partly why they have so many ‘just in case’ applicants. There were so many that now Idaho take those tags that aren’t bought by Aug 1 and redistribute them through a 2nd draw. There are a lot of basically once in a lifetime tags drawn there every year that aren’t even picked by who drew it.

It isn’t the end of the world, but annoying. I’d take 2 weeks off work if I drew a lot of the tags that many people who draw don’t even attempt to try to fill. There can for sure be reasons such as your bear hunt example to not go and that’s fine, but lots of ‘reasons’ are simply because they don’t feel like it, to include sheep tags. I know of a few of those instances in states other than Alaska. Some folks just don’t take the sport as serious as others and that’s fine. That doesn’t mean I don’t get somewhat annoyed by how it shakes out.

Apologies for misquoting you T_Inman. I was trying to get two quotes from one post and rearrange the order of them - my bad.

Figured so.
No biggie. I’ve done it too.

Loputz proved he was an idiot years ago. Nothing has changed. He is not worth the wasted electrons. And he obviously has little, if any, Afognak experience.

+1

Muzzleloader moose here.

I totally understand, stuff happens. I don't think I would want to do a bear hunt solo because to me spring bear hunting is booooorrriiiinnnngggg. Now a sheep/goat draw tag? I don't care if my buddies bail, I'm going for sure!

Are you positive there are that many states doing reissuing of tags? I just did a quick talley and I could only come up with 10 out 50. I'll have to take your word for it...

How do you know the backstory of why the tag wasn't hunted? You were ok with muskeg's excuse, do you know the excuse for every tag? Maybe everyone has an excuse why they didn't hunt it that would suffice your parameters on if its ok to not use a tag. What then will you bitch about?

If everyone hunted the tag you would then complain about seeing so many people in the field. You would cry they give out too many tags.

You want to get upset about something get upset we have 46% fewer tags in the draw than just a few years ago. And its going to get worse.

Oh look its the joe biden of 24hourcampfire. Good to see you're still alive?

Damn dude….you’ve got quite the personality.
Let is go…it isn’t a big deal to me, just an annoyance.

My Dream Hunt DI450. Mountain Bison of the Chitina River disappeared. No word why. No real discussion. It just doesn't exist anymore.

Big enough deal you get in here and cry like a little bitch?

There was bad winter kill over there. Also the access is virtually all but gone. A friend had that tag last year and got one but numbers were way down.

There is something in the water in Delta.

Ha!
You’re an interesting one….

Don’t forget that you’re the one with an issue with what I said, and also can’t let it go for some reason.