Fellas, please help, being from NJ, the only big game animal i can hunt is whitetail deer. We also hunt turkey. Ive hunted black bear and loved it, but now im thinking its time to try some new species out west. I know nothing about it other than you have to draw a tag in most areas. Please help and give me some direction. Once you decide what species you would like to pursue, how do you typically decide where you want to hunt them? I would like to go with an outfitter the first time or two out west since i have never been out there. Is it wiser to choose an outfitter first and then try to draw tags for that area or pick an area and draw the tags? Any info and experiences you have all learned would be a great help. Thank you.

It's not that clean cut on tags, some states/areas are OTC, but sometimes only for certain weapons, some
are draw, some are OTC until they are gone, some have outfitter/landowner tags.

If you are going guided, here is what I suggest, in this order:

- Decide how much $$ you are willing to spend, things to add on top of what the guide costs:
- the tags/license, this will run you upwards of $500 - $1000 for a license and tag
- you need to get there somehow, airfare, car/hotels etc
- butchering is typically not included and this also means additional "luggage" to fly home

- Once you have that, figure out what weapon you want to use, this decides what time of year. Typically archery comes first and includes more bugling and calling.

- What part of the country do you want to hunt?

- Now find outfitters, if you are doing a "special" weapon like archery make sure the guide understands what this means!

- find the outfitters, check on here and other sites, hunting/fishing expos, etc. This is the long drawn out part, you need to be comfy that you are not getting ripped off, there are many outfitters that will give you an excellenet hunt for all price ranges, but there are some who will rip you off.

- CHECK REFERENCES, make sure to check unsuccessfull references as well as the list the outfitter gives you, if he won't give you more, then run and find another one.

Everything Bob said plus....New Mexico is draw only for tags, no bonus points or, you can buy a landowner tag. The price is set by the landowner so it gets very expensive.

Arizona is draw only with a bonus point program, very hard to draw an AZ elk or deertag.

Montana is a draw state but you can go with an outfitter with guarenteed tags.

Wyoming is draw, then you can buy left over tags to some units.

These are the states I've hunted in, maybe someone else can help you with the other western states.

Thart leaves Colorado, a lot of OTC and leftovere tags. Application deadline for big game is April 1st.