tag question

[njbuck22]

Being from new jersey, we dont have much to hunt other than deer, turkey, bear and small game. All these permits you can buy over the counter, well bear you have to take a class first, but then you can go after them, and turkey you have a lottery for, but you always get drawn, maybe not your first pick, but you can find somewhere to hunt. My question is why are there draws and lotteries for most of the states out west? Is in cause there is not enough game and the states are limiting the amount of hunters? If this is the case, why not have tags for all, but once the quota is filled, the season is over, kinda like they have for some big game fish species, like blue fin tuna? Whats the deal with the draws?

[G-Daddy]

Well I kinda like the draws. If'n I get drawn I can hunt. I plan for a western hunt for a long time. Book a hunt, schedule vacation, make hotel reservations, rent cars, buy airline tickets. I would hate to arrive and be informed that it's too bad - the quota is filled and the rest of the season is cancelled.

[KodiakArcher]

By going to a drawing hunt it limits the number of participants so that the ones that do draw have a more quality experience. If it was a registration style hunt that caps out when the harvest level is reached there would be too many people in the woods chasing too few animals and degrading the experience for everyone, not to mention the potential environmental considerations (4-wheelers, and horses in potentially sensitive areas) and increased stress on already stretched enforcement resources.

[*Hiker*]

It would be a ZOO, with all the hunters. Many of the areas are a long ways from a phone so we wouldn't know when the quota was met. Most states do have a quota for Mountain Lions and we have to check with Game & Fish the night before we go hunting them if we are in a unit that is near the quota.