aBlane13 said:
LEJ said:
Quote:
But I am glad they went away from paying full tag prices for point only applications.
You may be singing a different tune in a couple years.
You might be right. I haven't given that angle any thought honestly. I will be curious to see if there is truly that big an influx of point only applicants. Without much thought and zero research I feel like the number of hunters deterred by the full price/refund process isn't super large if those same hunters can already afford the hunt when the time comes. Maybe this will allow people to build points and save money for the hunt, who otherwise wouldn't have bothered with points with the old system. Probably should consider nailing down my timeline for cashing in my points in case they do start losing value. Thanks for spurring me to think about it a little more in depth.
It is one aspect to consider, for sure. But there are multiple sides to any argument. Just don't look at the draw results today, and see something that draws around 10 points, and expect it to still draw at 10 points in 10 years.
I spoke with a local warden today, and he said they only saw an increase in applications of 25%- which is still significant, but not as much as they were expecting. I'm not sure if he meant for our units or state wide.
He also said they were considering raising the "fee" in the future to try and strike a balance. So it might be $10-15 next year instead of $3. I don't think that will have much impact.
I think you will continue to see a jump in applicants each year, as new kids become of age. Now, out-of-state parents can get their kids in the game for a couple of bucks, instead of loaning CO DOW $661 per person every year. I think it will be decidedly harder for my kids to draw.
Another option would be (if you can) to bank a couple hundred dollars each year and go with a guide. Then you know when yuh can hunt, instead of chasing a lottery you may never catch.
That said- I'm not discouraging anyone from jumping in and buying points. The more people interested in hunting, the better! Especially kids!!!!
