Didn’t want to highjack the other thread. Alabama should do like Iowa and just allow you to buy preference points for the SOA hunts. Then once you have say three points you automatically get drawn for one of the hunts. I’ve been buying points for Iowa for the past 2 years with a buddy. I figure by next year I can almost guarantee a tag due to the points I’ve accrued.

I don't do points. I even got out of the points game out West after a few years.
It's a Pyramid scheme. Sooner or later you have more maximum point holders
than you do tags.

It’s still working for Iowa and in order to get drawn for the good areas you just about have to have 3 points.

That being said I agree with you but an Iowa hunt is on my bucket list and I’m willing to play the game to get there.

Gosh, you sound like you're *entitled* to a tag with all those points.


Iowa, Colorado and other states have been doing the points deal successfully for years without, best I can tell, any significant issues or problems. Always clear-cut, you know what's happening, and you know once you earn or buy 3 or more (depending on the species tag) then you'll probably have a great chance of drawing.

What wrong with first come first served for tags? sounds like this point system is BS!

I still hunt out West fairly regularly. Lots of hunting to do without
jumping through flaming hoops. I got really tired of buying a hunting
license I never used. (Have to buy to apply)

Not in Iowa. $50 gets you a point, and you can buy one each year.

Georgia does a free point system that is identical to Iowa. Everything is above board. There is no luck of the draw. You do your time, then you get to go hunting. I wouldn’t mind the Iowa system though. It would significantly cut down on the applicants/ wait times to be drawn, while increasing revenue to buy more soa’s.

Rumors are here that three guys have hunted the crow creek soa several different times. Their names were actually drawn multiple times, not just invites from others. Kinda jacked up if that’s true. I’ve been putting in since it first came available, never even been drawn as an alternate.

There is nothing successful about Colorado’s point and draw system. Unless, success is determined by political power, financial extortion, and government overreach.

If CO polled their customer satisfaction, it would be dismal. But they would never consider doing such, they don’t give a shucks...until the money dries up from hunters, guide networks, and lobbyist.

If Alabama ever followed CO, I’d sell my hunting rifle.

I saw this multiple times when I would put in for waterfowl reservations while stationed in CA.

You would see that same ID# getting drawn over and over again. Some people hypothesized that the computer program somehow favored those numbers in some kind of "loop theory." You were lucky to draw 1 or 2 ressies per waterfowl area per year. It was really frustrating.

The best way to beat the system is to have buddies who are also applying, but everyone needs to have some kind of "deal" deciding who gets to go as the extra.

Another consideration would be the "sweat line" option. AL would issue less that the maximum SOA hunts, and allow people to show up and wait for the open spots. We used to show up at least 3-4 hours early, around 11pm, to put our names on the sweat line list. People are going to say, "that sucks it's a waste of time," but if you don't want to hunt that bad, I bet someone there does.

Just my thoughts.

Iowa system would avoid that.

You accumulate points until drawn, "spend"/lose all your points when drawn, go to the back of the line to start over.

Correct my thinking if I'm mistaken. When you apply here you apply for a specific WMA and date. So there are XXXX number of actual lotteries to be drawn from. If you apply for different hunts each year then you do not get a preference point. My example is I've applied for the primitive weapon on Portland and Cedar Creek as well as the last hunt of the year on both since the system started. I have acclimated points for those 4 different hunts, which in my eyes is 4 different lotteries. If I apply for the same 4 next year and do not get drawn, I should be given another point to add to my total. If I apply for the Jan 10-13 hunt at Portland, and don't get drawn then I should only have 1 point for that hunt and lottery. Is that not correct?

Iowa is not stupid. Here’s is what they made just off of people drawing tags for 2019. Points were $50 then now it went up to $60
Archery. Points used to draw $ amount of points
1. 251 $12,550
2. 265 $ 26,500
3. 950 $ 142,500
4. 510 $ 102,000
5. 86 $ 21,500
6. 19 $ 5,700
7. 7 $ 2,450
Total. $313,200

Gun
1. 1932 $96,600
2. 235 $23,500
3. 70 $10,500
4. 36 $ 7,200
5. 2 $500
6. 3 $900
7. 4 $1,400
Total $140,600
Total ALL $453,800
Points is big business. Not bad money for not doing anything.