TPWD draw hunts open for apps

'Thought I saw this on here, but can't find it. I got an email that the TPWD draw hunts are now open for applications. I did my usual ones. Y'all watch for me on that bighorn hunt this year.

I just got on a lease with some limited mule deer opportunities, but I didn't want to lose my points, so I put in for mule deer again. I'll probably draw this year. If I remember correctly, you don't use your license tag for a drawn hunt kill, do you?

I don't know on the tag. I don't think you do but could be wrong.

I'm 0-9 this year... What's a couple more donations lol

I've gone on a couple deer hunts and as I recall my tags were never used, the game manager tagged the deer.

I sure plan on entering...

Talking ta some of guys working at OSBWMA years ago during deer archery only hunts, was asked why didn't do gun draw hunts, was told they give tag's... So unless they changed things ya. Ya dont use your tags... asked about doing volenteer work their, ya have ta sign bunch of papers & want life history... never did good on tests... Will work, got the aches & pains ta prove it... Edit: it doesnt show it below, but am postaddic

On pulling the appropriate tag from your License for a kill on the Lottery Hunts...the answer is NO, your TX Hunting License & Tags remain intact and Lottery Hunt Harvested Critters are not charged against the License.

TPW issues you a seperate Permit Letter, and tags the harvested critter with a metal strip indicating to a TX GW or Processor the origin of the harvested critter...and I assume the same holds for out of state Lottery Hunt participants too. BHDT lots of times and never got a cross eyed look from anyone.
Ron

Time for my annual donation to TPWD!

I haven't been drawn for hunt in a few years. Hope this year I get selected.

It still $5.00 for every entry ? Every little bit helps, been getting the anual permit since it was $40.00, several years back it went ta $48.00 still cheap for what ya get.. Makes hunting afordable for those, low income hunters, tryen ta keep the family feed...

So It's worth actually applying? I'm just looking at some right now. Do you see game? Is there actually a chance of killing something? It's $3 for most and $10 for some.

Absolutely. Go for it. In my limited experience, if you hunt hard, slow, and patiently, you will see game. And the state employee that's in charge will do everything possible to ensure you have a good experience. This is exceedingly rare in a government employee. It may take a few years, but apply.

Cool. I should have started applying last year. Youth hunts are only till age 16, and I'm turning that later this year!

You'll go far my son. Keep applying. And as soon as you can, start applying in the western mountain states, MT, WY, UT, CO, etc.

Just applied for 10 of the youth hunts. Lol.
Going to apply for some more either later or tomorrow.

Honestly, I'm not sure if I want to. Isn't it super expensive, gear wise and all? I'd rather just hunt in TX.
Then again, the way the draw works over there, I'll probably be a successful lawyer by the time my number is up, and I won't have to worry about that! Lol.

Draw hunts; the hunter does not use his or her tags. Tags are issued by the site. They generally take data, weight, age etc. then provide a tag for the harvested animal. All harvest must be taken the check station for that reason. In most cases the area is shut down to other hunters during the draw hunts.

Its a draw system, I know a guy who applied for 15 and got none, another guy applied for 12 and gets picked for 3...go figure.

I've got 12 pts for Exotics and 10 points for gun deer either sex and I think about 15 for Pronghorn. Some are luckier than others!!!

Hey, thanks for the pick-me-up.

Is it really a random draw? Are you saying if I've never applied before, I could get picked? What is this point system some speak of and how does it work?

Yes, you could get picked. Link>> Loyalty Points

Josh and I entered 28 total drawings. My history with youth was excellent, we have been drawn on one general hunt in last 7 years.

How far in advance are people notified if they have been "drawn?"

You have to pay for the permit, they normally only allow 10-14 days for that, if you don't pay the permit fee that draw goes back into the pool for a second draw, in most cases. Hunts your selected for may 4-8 weeks out when your selected, but again, pay for that permit in the time allowed, TPWD does offer any allowances paying for the permit.

I'm so disgusted with the number of hunts and permits cut this year I may just not apply!!!
Yall have fun with it!!!

Squiggy....Fewer Lottery Hunts & Hunting/Fishing opportunities over all are a direct result of the Lege Asylum Political Class in Austin's continued raiding of the Funding Budgets of TPW & Federal Tax $'s on the Self Imposed Tax $'s allocated by Outdoor Sports Folks on purchases of Outdoor Equipment supposedly dedicated to TPW et al ... to offset and feed the General Fund instead of where the General Fund $$'s are supposed to come from ....aka just another cookie jar to steal $$'s out of revenue source being directed away from the intended usage that was being paid for by the User Class with a small voice and no Ballot Box Impact price to pay, by the Political Class.

Remember this at the ballot box sometime, if the loss of Outdoor Resources means something to you. If you think it's bad now, just wait ...'cause nothing will change this continuing redirection of supposedly dedicated funding until.....Read my sig line's again ...
JMHO & YMMV
Ron

But...they said the lottery was going to fix EVERYTHING. And, I'm still waiting for Ann Richards to lower my auto insurance rates.

CR...and they said if we voted to support more $'s on our Fishing License's they'd build more Hatcheries too... been a loooong time since Ann Richards had anything to do with anything in Texas and the way it's been run since then since she's been dead for 20 years, ya need to look at the last 20 years of who's been running the Lege Asylum to see who's in charge of the woodpile...

I'm still PO'd about Texas's failure to use the same system of PP's that the Western states use...at least this last name change on PP's to "Loyalty Points" is more indicative of a Madison Ave Adverstising terminology designed to obsfucate and obliterate any common sense in the Lottery System...and DOAN'T get me started on Non Res vs Res License Cost and Permit Access issues..."When *&^% is gonna happen, jist lie and back and enjoy it..." ummm as said by who?? Sure wasn't Ann Richards was it ??

Might have been the LAST Time we had a Balanced State Budget was when Ann was in Office and dinnit need to cook the books and play hide the peanut accounting games with the State's Budget.

I was born at nite like most of us...just Not LAST nite. One of the few benefits of being over 70 with a fair to middlin memory is remembering who said what when.
Ron

Could you please provide some links.
I did a google search on this and came up with nothing. I would love to know where most of the draw money goes cause it's sure not going back to the State Parks and WMA's.
Thanks

I hear ya! I wish a bunch more folks thought like you. I might have a chance then. 😀

I should have just saved the money I have spent on drawn hunts, and paid for a guided hunt.
And all of the money I give them kids for gun raffles, I should have kept it all and bought a new gun.
I have the have terrible luck in drawings.

Me too. At least I'm at the age where the poor young ladies selling the raffle tickets to pay their "enhancement" operation bill no longer have much of an affect on me, since they're all younger than my youngest daughter now.

Me too, terrible luck on these draws. I have not been drawn for any TPWD hunt since 1986! Put in every year but nothing. I apply for whitetail & mule deer (they used to be in the same category) and the antelope. I'm 60 this year so I think this is the last time I will apply. I own a ranch with whitetail hunting and have paid to hunt both mule deer and antelope but a hunt on State land would be nice in that I have been a resident of this State my entire life.

I know a lot of people all over this country, all hunters, that have often evaluated employment offers in Texas vs. other states. I've always told them to leave the hunting out of their evaluation or choose a state with better public hunting opportunities. Several of these individuals have come here and actually given up hunting because they are frustrated with the lack of opportunity. Several have left because of the same.

Pondering how many hunters have become non-hunters because of TPWD and their practices.

You just haven't figured out the system!!!
Not bragging, but I've been drawn on 5 archery deer hunts, hunted 3 as a stand-by for a total of 8. Drew one exotic archery hunt, but only took me the 2nd year to draw, which was 2 years ago. Been drawn 5 times on a gun deer hunt and 3 times on spring turkey hunts. All since 2001. On youth hunts for my son, he drew 5 years straight of at least one deer hunt. Couple of years, he drew 2 hunts. From 9 years old till he turned 16, he drew a total of 8 hunts.
With that said, I would always keep my booklets and go back 2, 3, and sometimes 4 years and look at the number of applicants on each hunt. I usually could see where I needed to apply for the best chance of getting drawn. I never put in for the Chap or places like that. Odds are just too high. But I found that you can have just a good hunt at any of those other places. And some of the deer I've seen on some of these out of the way places, would put the Chap to shame.
But with the new on-line system, where you can apply as many times as you want in just one category, I'm afraid those days of getting drawn here and there are gone.

Sqiggy
Go look at the Hunt archives on line for the same kind of info.

I did the same kind of research that you did, but had no interest in archery where there were lots fewer folks putting in App's than in the Gun Hunts.

I also agree that te "Good Old Days" are now history in this new system, that is only designd to milk more $$'s out the Hunter Base.

I've never seen where if an Applicant was drawn multiple times in the same category, he'd get all of the Permits in say just the GDE Category that he'd been drawn for. Inquiring minds 'd be most interested in THAT ?? I'd think. Oh Well it was fun while it lasted.
Ron