Success percentages

[Guy Miner]

Do you guys ever look up hunter success percentages? Can be pretty interesting and even educational. Washington State just put the 2010 statistics on line and here's some stuff I pulled from it.

Statewide success on deer hovers around 24%. Interestingly the success rate is about the same for muzzle loader, archery and modern rifle hunters. Yes, we have to choose here, can't hunt with more than one type without a special permit. About 30,000 deer were taken statewide in 2010. The info is also broken down by area. No more than one per hunter, unless a special tag for a second deer is drawn. I manage to tag a mule deer about 50% of the time, so that makes me feel like I'm doing pretty well, when the state average is about a 24% success rate year after year.

Statewide success for bear hunters is about 8%. Spring bear hunters do much better, but that's a draw hunt only.

Elk success rate was about 10%, with the archery & muzzle loader hunters easily doing better than the modern rifle guys. ML hunters had a 13.7% success rate, archery was at 10.9% and modern rifle hunters only managed a success rate of 8.7%. I carried a modern rifle for elk last year and didn't get one, so I'm in the unlucky 92% of rifle toting elk hunters who didn't tag one.

The state breaks it down further, and some interesting things can be learned by poking around the stats a bit. I also find it interesting that guys who draw the "once in a lifetime" bighorn ram permits, come in at 100% success. There aren't many of those permits drawn, and once drawn, a hunter can never be drawn again - so those lucky tag holders put a LOT into their hunts. I know that I would, given the chance. Yes, I applied for a tag again this year, waiting on the results of the draw....

What's the success rate where you hunt?

Guy

 

[hardpan]

Yep, makes a lot of sense. In Ca, we are closer to 10% and they even give the info on the number of points... IE most people get forked horns, and about 5 % get 3x3s or better. (6 points for WT hunters)... I use that data when talking to hunters about hunting my ranch.
Hardpan

 

[Greg Nolan]

Same here.
California has a 6 to 13% on it's non draw hunts for deer. Most seasons I don't even see a legal buck(forked horned). Elk is about 20 to 100% success but it's purely draw with the most of the bull hunts running in the 10 tags for 2000+ applicants range. I figured about 5 to 11% chance of draw for the cowtags. We have three varieties of elk. Roosevelt, Rocky Mountain and Tule. We have a point system that helps the first time but once you use your points you'll never catch up with the other applicants for a second draw because of the number of applicants in California. Lots of bear but I'm not sure of success % without dogs. Probably about 2% to 10% depending on area. Pig are numerous but 99% of them are on private land.
I usually hunt a few days here and save my vacation for a out of state hunt where I stand a decent chance on the over the counter tags.
Greg

 

[Elkman]

As Guy knows and most of you I hunt in the same state that he does among others. I really look at stats, including as he pointed out kill success but also draw success. We have ELK hunts in WA that have over 2,000 applications for 1 tag. Also there are less Muzzleloader hunters in WA than Archery or Rifle. Most of the units I hunt in for elk, (or attempt to hunt in ) have a 22% or so success rate. Other than in WA I do not hunt general season hunts. I have made a decision that if I am going to shell out the bucks for a license and application fee I am not going for the big money without a limited entry tag. It does limit my opportunties but my success ratio is way over 22%. My .02