I have always wanted to shoot a bull elk but have never been able to understand the way you obtain the tags. Does anyone here do this regularly? I know I'm probably too late for this year. Id be most interested in Colorado or New Mexico.

Colorado has over the counter bull tags for the 2nd and 3rd rifle season for various hunting units. We have bought ours at Walmart in Durango ... just have to be sure you have your hunter safety education card.

Colorado OTC or leftover tags would be your best option for this year and make for good fall back hunts year to year if you don’t draw.

New Mexico is a good place to throw your name in the hat next spring as everybody is on a level playing field in the draw.

Idaho has OTC tags on a quota, so they sell out, but not immediately. So that would be another good option for next year.

Wyoming General tags take a point or two to draw, you have until the end of this month to buy a point for next years draw.

There are some landowner and cancellation hunts I have seen pop up here and there depending on your budget and if you want to go DIY or guided.

So Colorado doesn’t do the draw? I guess my confusion comes from the draw. What’s the difference between OTC and the Draw tags other than the way you get them?

Colorado has draw for certain seasons and some areas, generally the 1st and 4th season. Availability can also vary if you have access/coin to private land. Also the "draw tag" is an either sex tag and you app soon after the new year.

You can review it all and app online, yoiu can also ask that you're sent a hardcopy if they still do that

WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! I grew up in CO and this is in error.

Not all draw tags in CO are for either sex. Some are but there are also draw tags for cows and draw tags for bulls. You have to look at the individual tags to see what they are for. The info is in the regulations and the due date for the draw is normally in Apr.

They went specific on certain units. I know 78 archery draw was three specific tags. Bull only, cow only, and either sex

True, I'm primarily talking about the rifle seasons and it varies by units. There isn't a hard rule state wide in every unit, it is all in the brochure, or online.

Unfortunately it also gets thicker every year

Yes there are actually a few of us. If you just want to hunt this year CO probably only thing with tags still. Idaho may have a few, and you may be able to pick up a few landowner tags still in NM, Utah, Nevada, and CO.

LO tags are usually in much better units with higher success odds but can be very expensive since they byepass the draw.

I usually put in for premium units in NM, CO, AZ, UT, ID, ND, WY, Okla, KY, to build points or hit a random lottery tag, then use OTC hunts in CO or ID or LO tags as back up.

On a limited budget I’d target NM, WY, CO, ID draws first then Az, UT, NV, and Montana in that order, with CO and ID being your back up. ID is better hunting IMO but 24hr one way Drive.

If I am old enough to not need the Hunter's Ed class in Texas, do I need it anywhere else?

YES!!! All the above, but TEXAS’s is reciprocal