Improving your odds for getting drawn
By Tom Cadden, public information officer, and Leonard Ordway, game branch chief, Arizona Game and Fish Department

Each year, thousands of hunters within and outside Arizona plan their strategies for applying for Arizona’s fall big game draw. Some have already applied for this year’s draw, others are putting it off until the last minute. Regardless of where you are in this year’s process, here are some insights into how you can approach the draw and increase your chances of going hunting each fall.

Assess your hunt objective; utilize the department’s hunt information

The first thing you need to do is assess your hunt objective. Are you happy just for the opportunity to get out and hunt? Or do you only want to go after a premier hunt opportunity? You also need to factor other variables into your decision, such as geographic location, time of year, weapon type, and who you want to hunt with. While you’re sorting through these considerations, you should take advantage of two invaluable resources offered by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

The first is the Arizona Hunting and Trapping Regulations. The regulations not only include all the information for the upcoming fall hunts, but in the back you can find last year’s draw odds and success rates by genus (deer, elk, etc.), unit and weapon type. The 2006-2007 regulation booklet is available at all license dealers, department offices and online at azgfd.gov.

The department also offers for sale a publication called “Hunt Arizona.” The 2006 edition includes statistics on all big game hunts from 2001-2005, broken down by genus and weapon type, and including for each hunt the following information: hunt type (for example, bull or antlerless elk), season dates, the number of permits authorized, the number of first choice applicants, the number of permits actually issued, draw odds, number of hunters in the field, how many days they hunted, how many animals were harvested, and the hunt success.

Once you’ve digested all this information, you’re ready to put in for the draw. For those of you new to Arizona or unfamiliar with the draw system, here is a brief overview of how it works.

The application process

Demand for big game permits usually exceeds availability, so the department uses a lottery-style drawing system to allocate permits for the fall hunts. Hunters can apply for the draw either online or by filling out a paper application. To use the online option, go to the department’s Web site at azgfd.gov, click on the big game draw icon, and follow the instructions. Paper applications, available at all seven Game and Fish offices and at license dealers statewide, can be mailed in or hand delivered.

Up to four people can apply on the same application, but they must all apply for the same hunt numbers and in the same order of preference. You can only submit one application per genus in a calendar year, except as otherwise specified by Commission Rule A.A.C. R12-4-104. The application form lets you list up to five hunt choices for that genus. You can apply for more than one genus, but you must use a separate application form and envelope for each genus.

For paper applications, be sure that all information is entered correctly and that all fees are included. Errors will cause an application to be rejected. This is where the online application option offers some advantages. The online program prompts you if you’ve made an error, minimizing the chance your application will be rejected.

Each year you submit a valid application and are unsuccessful in the draw, you earn a bonus point. You can also have bonus points for hunter education as well as draw loyalty. Bonus points come into play during the draw process described below.

Remember, you need an Arizona hunting license in order to apply for the big game draw. If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to request to purchase one when you’re applying for the draw.

How the draw works

Within weeks after deadline day, the draw is run by computer. There are actually three separate passes made during a drawing. The first is for hunters with maximum bonus points, the second is the “regular pass” for first and second choices, and the third is for third, fourth and fifth choices. Each application is randomly assigned a number. You also receive an additional random number for each of your bonus points for that particular genus (bonus points for group applications are averaged). The lowest of all your random numbers is the one assigned to your application for that genus for the draw. The lower your random number, the better your chances are of getting the hunt you want.

For the first pass, the computer sets aside 20 percent of the available permits for each genus for applicants with maximum bonus points. It groups the applications by the number of bonus points they have (for example, all applications with 17 bonus points go into one group, those with 16 go in the next, etc.), and then sorts them by random number within the bonus point groupings.

As each application is read within each bonus point grouping, the first and then second hunt choices are checked to see if there are any permits available for those hunts as part of the 20 percent bonus point allotment. If there are enough permits available for each applicant on the application without exceeding the 20 percent allotment (and without exceeding the 10 percent nonresident cap), the permits are issued to the applicants. If not, the next application is read and the first and second hunt choices are checked again. This continues until the entire application file has been read or all tags have been issued, whichever comes first. Any unissued permits from this first pass will be returned to the available permits for each hunt. The draw then moves to the second pass.

In the second pass, all applications, including those unsuccessful in the bonus point pass, are assigned new random numbers and sorted in random number sequence within genus. The first application–the one with the lowest random number–is read, checking the first and then second hunt choices for available permits. If there are enough permits available for either of the choices for each applicant on the application, without exceeding the 10 percent nonresident cap, the permits are issued. The application with the next lowest random number is then checked for available permits, and this continues until the entire file is read.

In the third pass, all applications unsuccessful for their first and second choices are assigned new random numbers. They are once again sorted by random number within genus, and each application is then read, checking the third, fourth and fifth hunt choices for available permits for all applicants on each application. When permits are available for each one of the three choices without exceeding the 10 percent nonresident cap, they are issued to the applicants.

After the entire draw is completed, applicants who submitted valid applications are awarded an additional bonus point for each genus for which they were unsuccessful. The bonus points for each successful applicant are zeroed out for the genus for which they were issued a permit (with the exception of the permanent hunter education or loyalty bonus points, which remain intact).

Strategy for “premier” hunts

Generally, premier hunts have poor draw odds. For example, for the 2005 early bull elk hunt in Game Management Unit 1, there were 8,103 first- and second-choice applicants and only 40 permits issued. The odds of getting drawn for that hunt were less than one percent. Similarly, for the late antlered deer hunt in Game Management Unit 12A West, 5,837 first- and second-choice applicants vied for 175 permits–draw odds of only four percent.

If you only want a premier hunt, here are some tips that may help you.

• Never apply for any hunt you don’t want to participate in. You’ll lose your non-permanent bonus points when you’re drawn.
• Realize it may be years before you are drawn—be patient and persistent.
• Don’t make a mistake on your application when you have lots of bonus points.
• If you are applying using a paper application, apply during the correction period so obvious mistakes may be fixed. If a paper application submitted before the correction period deadline contains an error, the department will make three attempts within a 24-hour period to contact an applicant by telephone in order to correct the error. The end of the correction period for the 2006 fall draw has already passed (it was May 31).
• One way of minimizing mistakes is to apply online.

Strategy for just having the opportunity to hunt

A hunt with good draw odds often means it is considered by some hunters to be a “less desirable” hunt. On the other hand, many other hunters have the philosophy that any opportunity to hunt, get outdoors and spend time with friends and family is highly desirable. So, if you just want to go hunting and aren’t as concerned about where or when, here are some tips:

• You can pick a higher-demand hunt for your first choice, but back it up with a hunt choice with better draw odds as your second choice.
• For elk, pronghorn and bighorn sheep, choices 3-5 are not likely to play much of a role. These hunts will fill up long before third choices are considered.
• For the best chances of getting drawn, pick hunts with good draw odds for both first and second choices.

Good luck, and may you have great success in choosing and conducting your hunt!