Hunting Draws (Province to Province)

Alberta's system is pretty good. Mind you, it's been general tags for whitetail in my area since I can remember, and whitetail are very scarce compared to Mule. You're lucky if you see a whitey when you're out every November after a muley. And yet, Mule is still done by draw. Makes no sense to me :p

Then again, I'm no conservation officer.
 
cantgetright said:
Same here. Only once in the last 30 years has it dropped below 100%. It was about 5 years ago and there was a noticeable increase in applicants to the area and it dropped to 96% and one hunting buddy was lucky enough to be denied.

The moose hunt is a mess. Stopped applying about 10 years ago. But since brother bought property we started applying again last year. Slim chance of drawing an adult tag but if we ever do we will go but not interested in going just for calf. The area has steadily added a few more tags each of the past few years and getting moose pics on the trail cams so now just need a bit of luck.
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I stopped giving my moose donation for a number of years, but started again this year. The WMU where my camp is has no guaranteed group, and a minimal chance at a tag. I was never interested just going for calf. This year I decided last minute to hunt a buddy’s WMU which has a higher chance. We still applied as individuals this year as it was last minute and we weren’t organized with time off, but next year we are going as a group.

As a side note, I saw 3 different cows with their calves while fishing last week at the camp. My wife also saw a bull on the drive in the one day. That was along maybe an 8km stretch.
 
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The draw system in Newfoundland has improved quite a bit over the years, though it does seem a little too complex than needed.

There are nine priority pools, Pool 1 being the highest (or best) and Pool 9 the lowest, with applications ranked on participation and success in previous draws. The intention is to give folks in the draw for the longest period of time, without a license, a better chance of getting one.

Parties (two hunters) also have a better chance of getting a license than individuals, though you immediately drop to the lowest ranking of the co-applicants. The draw is also prioritized based on your hunting area of choice, with either-### licenses awarded first, followed by female only (or calf) and then male only (or calf).

So if you're a party of two hunters willing to take a male only license in a remote area, chances are pretty good you will get a license.

Pool 1: Hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous seven years.
Pool 2: Hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous six years.
Pool 3: Hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous five years.
Pool 4: Hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous four years.
Pool 5: Youth applicants and hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous year.
Pool 6: Hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous two years.
Pool 7: Hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous year.
Pool 8: New applicants and hunters who held a party licence in the previous year.
Pool 9: Hunters who held an individual licence in the previous year.

There was some grumbling about the higher priority pools for new youth hunters (those who turn 16 on or before August 31), who get to enter at Pool 5, but really I think if you want younger people to get involved in hunting, you cannot expect them to practically wait until they become an adult before they can hunt.

The biggest issue is still too many licenses. 29,160 moose licences (including 17,650 either ###, 11,035 male only, and 475 Not-for-Profit licenses) and 575 woodland caribou licenses on the island.
 
hearing about other provinces system make me happy to be in Alberta.

I am pri 12 for antlerless elk as I have just been deferring every year till I know when I can get a good season.

bull moose I'm pri 3 and calf pri 1 so next year I will be able to get a moose tag, depending on the zone I choose. Likely I'll go for calf in 510, never had a problem filling a calf tag in that zone.

I can always get the general White tail and the supplemental antlerless White tail tags so there will be meat in the freezer this fall.

Its good to have a system that is easy to understand and all the stats of the draws are published for each zone, transparent and easy to plan you hunting.

as for group tags I think that is a dumb idea, but you can apply for partner tags, but the regulations say you have to be in verbal communication with anyone with the partner tag. The COs have interpreted that as within shouting range, not radio or cell. So for me that has no advantage as I prefer to hunt solo and not have to babysit anyone else in the woods. But to each their own.
 
woodchopper said:
as for group tags I think that is a dumb idea, but you can apply for partner tags, but the regulations say you have to be in verbal communication with anyone with the partner tag. The COs have interpreted that as within shouting range, not radio or cell. So for me that has no advantage as I prefer to hunt solo and not have to babysit anyone else in the woods. But to each their own.
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In Ontario party hunters must be within 5km of eachother, and able to communicate. In most cases, you do hunt solo.
 
In Saskatchewan if you are new or were drawn last year you start in the D pool. Then C,B,A and into the “super A” pool. Everyone in super A has the same odds. After 10 years in super A you go into a “legacy” pool that has highest priority. You need to be in super A to have a chance in most draws.
 
starvin said:
In Saskatchewan if you are new or were drawn last year you start in the D pool. Then C,B,A and into the “super A” pool. Everyone in super A has the same odds. After 10 years in super A you go into a “legacy” pool that has highest priority. You need to be in super A to have a chance in most draws.
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wait til you see the draw results published and were the pools were drawn from.
you will be right pissed off when you see tags issued for folk out of pools A B and sometimes C
 
Not at all pissed off. Some species in some zones are a more desired hunt is all. I pulled either ### mule tags out of A pool. The zones I would prefer to hunt have about a 15 percent chance out of super A. I really like mule
Deer country and will get to know a zone that I can hunt every 3 or 4 years for a nice buck rather than maybe every 10 or so for a chance at a gagger. Some guys here get pulled for moose every year. Tough zone to hunt with low numbers but their camp is there and they love the country.
 
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crash277 said:
i paid for the doe draw in ontario 5 years, have received 1 tag, this year will be my 6th time applying. Find out in a few weeks if i was successful.
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The doe draw is free....when you buy your antlered tag.

In 82B if you do not get a antlerless tag it is because you did not apply.
Everyone on my group (that applies) gets one every year
 
3macs1 said:
Moose draw in Nova Scotia is a joke and 30 years behind what other province do
6 in our group of guys applying like 34 years and never a tag and others on their 5th tag
Cheers
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Over 20 years and I never got picked. It's a lottery and I think that I will win the 649 lottery before I get a Moose tag.
 
I’ve lived/hunted in 3 provinces,born n raised NB,5 years Ontario in the 90’s,back to NB,in Alberta now since 2011.
Alberta is by far the best system/most fair system I’ve seen.With the priority system in place,it’s more of a waiting game then a lottery other then once in a lifetime tags (goats/bison) and for the most part quite predictable when you will draw the tags you’ve been saving points for.Easier to plan hunts farther in advance,and nice to be able to defer the draw and just build points instead of having to take your chances on everything in a lottery type system only to find out in July that you drew elk,moose,and a sheep tag in the same year.Instead one can stagger their hunts when you know you are close enough in priority,maybe put in for bull moose this year and cow elk next year etc so you are not overwhelmed with meat and burning up vacation days etc etc.
NB Moose draw gets a lot of criticism,mostly from the 93% that aren’t successful in the draw every year,but it is what it is.....when you have 60,000 residents applying for 4000 tags,do the math.....your odds are on average 1:15,slightly better in some WMZs,much worse in others.The pool system in place in NB for the last 25(?) years is a vast improvement over the straight up lottery luck system prior to 1995(?).....every 5 years unsuccessful in the draw you move up to the next pool and triple the ballots so 1 ballot 0-4 years,then after 5 years 3 ballots,10 years 9,then 27,81,243 etc.....it’s not perfect but you will get drawn eventually.....much sooner if you are smart enough to apply in zones that traditionally have higher tag quotas and fewer applicants.....but after 25 years of the system in place you still have boneheads whining that they haven’t been drawn in 30+ years,probably because they are applying in zones with a quota of 80 tags along with 3500 other boneheads that don’t understand how to play the game.
 
CV32 said:
The draw system in Newfoundland has improved quite a bit over the years, though it does seem a little too complex than needed.

There are nine priority pools, Pool 1 being the highest (or best) and Pool 9 the lowest, with applications ranked on participation and success in previous draws. The intention is to give folks in the draw for the longest period of time, without a license, a better chance of getting one.

Parties (two hunters) also have a better chance of getting a license than individuals, though you immediately drop to the lowest ranking of the co-applicants. The draw is also prioritized based on your hunting area of choice, with either-### licenses awarded first, followed by female only (or calf) and then male only (or calf).

So if you're a party of two hunters willing to take a male only license in a remote area, chances are pretty good you will get a license.

Pool 1: Hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous seven years.
Pool 2: Hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous six years.
Pool 3: Hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous five years.
Pool 4: Hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous four years.
Pool 5: Youth applicants and hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous year.
Pool 6: Hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous two years.
Pool 7: Hunters who submitted an application but did not receive a licence in the previous year.
Pool 8: New applicants and hunters who held a party licence in the previous year.
Pool 9: Hunters who held an individual licence in the previous year.

There was some grumbling about the higher priority pools for new youth hunters (those who turn 16 on or before August 31), who get to enter at Pool 5, but really I think if you want younger people to get involved in hunting, you cannot expect them to practically wait until they become an adult before they can hunt.

The biggest issue is still too many licenses. 29,160 moose licences (including 17,650 either ###, 11,035 male only, and 475 Not-for-Profit licenses) and 575 woodland caribou licenses on the island.
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Another positive point is the length of the seasons.

In some provinces it's literally days, whereas here you can generally hunt moose from mid Sept to the second week of January; Caribou from mid Sept to the first week of December, and Black bear from mid Sept to the first week of November, and again from the first of May to mid July. (Dates may vary according to areas).

You can also hunt coyotes from mid Sept to mid July.
 
I have been 999 for yrs ,this yr I got a turkey and antlered mule deer in the zone I live in, next yr I should get a bull moose tag,next yr should be a antlered elk on the prairies,the next will be trophy antelope,and after that archery antelope .Im set up for the next 3-4 yrs,
 
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Titan 08 said:
In many Alberta WMU zones, such as 504 where I do most of my hunting I just buy my OTC general Whitetail tag, good for buck or doe and then buy my OTC supplemental doe tag. No draws required. In some zones you can get two supplemental doe tags, in others none. Our system works well,I get my bull moose every three years like clockwork, or I can defer it to when it is convenient for me. It is a good system and fair for everybody, unlike a lottery.
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Where I do most of my hunting I buy an over the counter mule deer tag, over the counter whitetail tag, over the counter moose tag, over the counter elk tag, and if I want a black bear that’s over the counter also. There’s antler restrictions on moose, elk, and mule deer in some areas and times, but other times it’s any bull/buck. But the LEH is a lotto system. I’m not completely sure how you manage to be sure you’ll pull a moose tag every three years? What if the number of allotted tags goes down, or the number of applicants goes up? Depending on where you put in here the differences are astounding. One bull draw near Kamloops had odds last year of 17somethiing to one, so if everyone waited to be drawn it would take almost 180 years...... other moose tags are undersubscribed, everyone that applied got a tag... I’m not sure how one would take those kind of numbers and make them “fair”.
Neither my wife or myself drew any LEH tags this year, but most years one of us manages to draw something, some years more than one. All in all it seems that if you continue to apply for the same draws, you seem to get draw more or less on track with the odds. But saying that, I did get back to back bull draws once......
For us the LEH are bonus hunts for the most part, except for moose, then the LEH just makes life a lot easier. “ANTLERS”.. BOOM..... no messing around counting points. We’ve passed on quite a few that I’m 98% sure were legal. But 98 isn’t 100
 
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Bigbubba said:
The doe draw is free....when you buy your antlered tag.

In 82B if you do not get a antlerless tag it is because you did not apply.
Everyone on my group (that applies) gets one every year
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ok.. shall i go and edit it? so it says i paid money in time to have my name submitted for a doe tag?
 
barry1974w said:
Where I do most of my hunting I buy an over the counter mule deer tag, over the counter whitetail tag, over the counter moose tag, over the counter elk tag, and if I want a black bear that’s over the counter also. There’s antler restrictions on moose, elk, and mule deer in some areas and times, but other times it’s any bull/buck. But the LEH is a lotto system. I’m not completely sure how you manage to be sure you’ll pull a moose tag every three years? What if the number of allotted tags goes down, or the number of applicants goes up? Depending on where you put in here the differences are astounding. One bull draw near Kamloops had odds last year of 17somethiing to one, so if everyone waited to be drawn it would take almost 180 years...... other moose tags are undersubscribed, everyone that applied got a tag... I’m not sure how one would take those kind of numbers and make them “fair”.
Neither my wife or myself drew any LEH tags this year, but most years one of us manages to draw something, some years more than one. All in all it seems that if you continue to apply for the same draws, you seem to get draw more or less on track with the odds. But saying that, I did get back to back bull draws once......
For us the LEH are bonus hunts for the most part, except for moose, then the LEH just makes life a lot easier. “ANTLERS”.. BOOM..... no messing around counting points. We’ve passed on quite a few that I’m 98% sure were legal. But 98 isn’t 100
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The cycle could change if they increase or decrease the number of tags. But it has remained constant for the last nine years, it seems to be locals who hunt the area for the most part. If it changed we would simply rotate our tag applications, this year we have two bulls and a cow tag. It works quite well, the moose population has remained consistent, I average one or two moose sightings every time I go onto my property, many of the bulls are different based on their size and antlers. Hard to tell on the cows though. We also see lots of calves and it is not unusual to see three or four moose at a time. During the rut I always see bull / cow pairs.
 
Titan 08 said:
The cycle could change if they increase or decrease the number of tags. But it has remained constant for the last nine years, it seems to be locals who hunt the area for the most part. If it changed we would simply rotate our tag applications, this year we have two bulls and a cow tag. It works quite well, the moose population has remained consistent, I average one or two moose sightings every time I go onto my property, many of the bulls are different based on their size and antlers. Hard to tell on the cows though. We also see lots of calves and it is not unusual to see three or four moose at a time. During the rut I always see bull / cow pairs.
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Must be nice to have good moose numbers. Ours are currently in the toilet, seasons have been cut and LEH tags greatly reduced. Not all that many years ago the majority of cows you saw in the summer or fall had calves. Not any more, it seems that most cows are dry by hunting season now.
 
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