Welcome to the forum. I'm from Trumbull county in north east ohio. Where abouts are you from....


In short, you need to go to some state websites and do some reading. Wyoming, Colorado, and I'm sure other states allow you to buy a preference point only. This year I bought preference points only for mule deer and antelope in Wyoming. Next year I'll begin buying points in Colorado for elk... Doing it this way allows you to accumulate points, so that you can be drawn in future years for the hunt you want.... Some hunts are OTC, some hunts are drawn with just a few points, and some trophy areas require allot of points.... you'll need to do allot of reading to figure out all that....


My suggestion to you, being a new hunter, is put in for some points somewhere for something that you're interested in hunting. And plan on hunting there a few years out. In the meantime, continue to get whitetail experience. And practice with your gear. Shots out west can be allot farther than what you'll typically encounter in Ohio. Allot can be learned here in Ohio chasing whitetail, turkey, coyote and even small game. Learn how to hunt, add experience, and when you have the points you need for bigger stuff, then you'll be ready to go.


-Jake