20% Bonus Pass CAUTION

[Red Rabbit]

 

20% Bonus Pass Caution

 

With the Arizona Elk and Antelope application deadline approaching and applicants may have several bonus points, this is something to know. Some are aware of this, and some are not. An applicant can draw his second choice in the 20% Bonus Pass and thus not have his first choice considered in the regular 1-2 Pass of the draw. There may even end up being leftover permits for the first choice, as this has happened with deer and javelina.

 

How the 20% Bonus Pass works, from http://www.azgfd.gov/eservices/BigGameDrawingProcess.shtml

 

"Twenty percent of authorized hunt permit-tags in each hunt number for deer, antelope, elk, turkey, javelina, and spring bear may be issued in this pass. Twenty percent of the total authorized hunt permit-tags (all hunt numbers combined) for both bighorn sheep and buffalo may be issued. Although 20 percent are available, the 10% nonresident caps are still in effect.

 

Each valid application is assigned the lowest random number from those generated for that application.

The application file for each species is sorted by group bonus points in descending sequence and then by random number within the bonus point groupings.

In the Bonus Pass, the first and second hunt choices for all applications with maximum bonus points are looked at first. If permits are still available from the 20% allocation, then the next lower bonus point category is looked at; and so on, until all of the 20% allocation is issued or until all applications with 1 or more bonus points are read. Applications with zero bonus points will not be included in the 20% Bonus Pass of the Draw.

 

As each application is read, the first and then second hunt choices are checked to see if there are any permits available as part of the 20% bonus point allocation. If there are enough permits available for each applicant on the application without exceeding the 20% allocation or the nonresident cap, the permits are issued to that application. If not, the next application is read and the first and second hunt choices are checked until the entire application file is read. Any un­issued permits from the "bonus point pass" will be returned to the available permits for each hunt. The Drawing will then continue to the next two passes."

 

 

So, if you do not have enough BP to draw first choice in the bonus pass, you can draw your second choice in the Bonus Pass if you do have enough BP to draw that hunt. So when you apply,

1) Put a first and second choice that you would be happy to draw either way

or

2) If you only want to be considered for the first choice in the bonus pass and would not want to draw a lesser second choice in the Bonus Pass, but want to put in choices for 3, 4, 5, put the same first choice hunt number in both the 1st and 2nd choice boxes on the application. This way your first choice may be considered in both the Bonus Pass and the regular 1-2 Pass, giving you two opportunities to draw your first choice. Then you can put choices for 3, 4, 5 (but if you draw one of these, you lose your BPs)

or

3) Only apply for one desired hunt until you have enough BP to draw or are lucky in the regular 1-2 Pass. This way your first choice may be considered in both the Bonus Pass and the regular 1-2 Pass, giving you two opportunities to draw your first choice.

 

To see if your number of BP might get you in the 20% pass, you can use these 2 to help:

20% Bonus Pass report for Elk and Antelope (hunt numbers are from the 2010, not 2011, so pull out the old regs you saved)

http://www.azgfd.gov/eservices/documents/2...yHuntNumber.pdf

 

HuntersTrailhead Draw Odds

http://www.hunterstrailhead.com/huntsearch.php?ST=AZ

 

Doug~RR

 

[tjhunt2]

No one has to tell me I'm not the smartest apple on the tree or even close to being but where did you get all this information. Did I miss it in the regs? I never heard of such a thing. Is this just for non-residents? I read what you said and if I got it right they start the draw from whoever has the most bonus points and work down until 20% of all issued tags are gone. Then the rest of the tags are thrown back in the pot and if I have 10 bonus points then I get 10 numbers issued to me and a person with 1 gets 1 number issued to him. If the person with 1 has a lower number than my 10 then he gets drawn before me. Am I making any sense here?

 

TJ

 

 

[Coues79]

This exact thing happened to my wife in this past year's deer draw. Drew her 2nd choice, as she was in the bonus point pass for the December hunt she drew. She was not in the bonus point pass for her first choice, so she was never really even given a shot at her most sought after choice. I realized this after she put in and had figured before the results came out that she'd get to hunt in December regardless; which of course isn't too bad of an occurance. Is it?

 

Yes, do be cautious. Good information Doug.

[tjhunt2]

There was 1 sheep tag in 24bw this last year. Those with the most bonus points would be in the 20% draw first if I'm right from what you are saying Doug. So how does a guy with 2 bonus points get the tag? Surely there were more bonus points in for that hunt I would think. Then maybe not.

 

One other Question.......we can put all 5 choice boxes for our 1st choice? I'm loosing it!

 

TJ

[Red Rabbit]

There was 1 sheep tag in 24bw this last year. Those with the most bonus points would be in the 20% draw first if I'm right from what you are saying Doug. So how does a guy with 2 bonus points get the tag? Surely there were more bonus points in for that hunt I would think. Then maybe not.

 

"Twenty percent of the total authorized hunt permit-tags (all hunt numbers combined) for both bighorn sheep and buffalo may be issued. "

 

TJ, 20% of the total sheep tags are issued in the bonus pass, but not by individual units since some units have less than 5 permits. So 20% of the permits may have been drawn, but did not include anyone wanting 24BW.

[tjhunt2]

Thanks Doug for all the information you have given here.

 

just when I thought I knew it all when it came to the draw. I'm not 100% with it yet but I think I will not try and figure it out since I've only gone 1 year never getting a deer tag in my entire life here in az since the yearly 70's, always a pig tag, and somewhere around 25 elk tags with an elk tag the last 20 years straight. I love this system even if I don't understand it.

 

TJ

[Tines]

Thanks for the info, Doug!

 

IF I'm understanding this correctly... Why would someone apply for the same hunt for their 1st and 2nd choice but actually consider a 3rd, 4th and 5th in seperate units? Sort of defeats the purpose of it all, right?

 

Doug, how about the next time I'm in Flagstaff you teach a farm boy how this all works so I can finally draw an elk tag??

[DubTee]

Tines, you are correct, putting more choices after the same first two kind of defeats the purpose. Here is an example of what I will do this fall for deer. I have 7 bonus points, I know various units for coues but I love unit 33 and I want a late december coues tag for there. 7 points may put me in the 20% pass for late 33, it may not. I will put 33 late as my only hunt choice, if I get it in the 20% pass great, if not I will have a chance in the 1-2 pass. If I put any other coues hunt as my second choice I may draw it and I'm not sure I want any other coues tag for 7 points. If I don't draw, then I may need to consider waiting on the strip

[Red Rabbit]

Why would someone apply for the same hunt for their 1st and 2nd choice but actually consider a 3rd, 4th and 5th in seperate units? Sort of defeats the purpose of it all, right?

 

By entering the same number first and second choice, they prevent from being drawn a lesser hunt in the 20% pass if they have enough BP, but not enough BP to draw the first choice in the 20% pass. The first choice is then considered in teh regular 1-2 pass for the remaining 80% of the tags. In other words, they are insuring they have a chance to draw their first choice in the draw and not drawing a different second choice in the prior 20% bonus pass.

[tjhunt2]

Now I'm completely confused.

 

TJ

[Santana Outdoors]

 

 

Doug,

 

Let me make sure I understand this. If I want to hunt in one unit (one hunt number only), I should put it in for both first choice and second choice, Correct!

[DubTee]

If I want to hunt in one unit (one hunt number only), I should put it in for both first choice and second choice, Correct!

 

 

In your case, just put the only hunt number in the first choice and you are done. I think the putting the same hunt number for first and second choice really only matters in certain circumstances such as putting in for hunts that traditionally are not filled in the 1-2 pass and/or have leftovers and you also want to put in for a 3rd or more hunt choice. For instance, let's say I have a couple of bonus points going into the draw (pretty much average). I really want to hunt the early November 36B hunt, I also think that heck might freeze over and the early Nov. 36B hunt might be filled in the 1-2 pass and I want to protect myself because ultimately I just want to hunt, so I will fill in some 3rd, 4th, and 5th choices as well. In this case, I will put early Nov. 36B as my first and second choice, then some other hunts as 3rd, 4th and 5th. If I were to put a second choice such as late Nov. 36B, I might draw that tag in the 20% pass, even though there are leftovers for my first choice. As Doug explained earlier, I did not have get my first choice in the 20% pass, so they looked at my second choice and there were tags available in the 20% pass, so I got one. People question how this can happen because they look after the draw and there are 250 leftover tags for early Nov. 36B and ask how did they not draw the hunt as they had it put down as first choice. If a person only wants one hunt and nothing else, just put that hunt number for your first choice and you are done. If you really want a hunt but a more popular tag would be good problem to have, then take a flyer at a hard draw hunt as your first choice then put the hunt you would really like as your second choice. Unless you absolutely need to be guaranteed a hunt, I'm not sure why anyone would put one of these early boarder unit coues hunts that traditionally have quite a few leftovers as one of their hunt choices right now. I would to take some flyers at late hunts in these units or something else hard to draw, then just apply for one of the leftovers and build some points.

 

[kennyt]

DubTee,

 

If you are interested in the Strip why not put it first choice then 33 second. You might just draw that strip tag, or you could end up in the 20% for 33 and draw that with your second choice.

[DubTee]

DubTee,

 

If you are interested in the Strip why not put it first choice then 33 second. You might just draw that strip tag, or you could end up in the 20% for 33 and draw that with your second choice.

 

Kenny,

 

I agree with your philosophy 100%, I am interested in the strip, just not this year. I will be hunting a different state during that hunt in 2011. I figure the 33 late hunt is worth the 7 points, and it perfectly fits my schedule hunting the final 6 days of the year. If I don't draw 33 late this year, then I might consider waiting for the strip as I'm not sure 33 late is worth 8 points and at 8 points I would start to see the light at the end of the strip tunnel.

[AZLance]

This is just stupid... We need to change this!