And yes, I've used the eRegs and I am left confused AF.
I think it is just so foreign to how MD does things.
But if anyone has a good resource, please pass it along. I am not looking for the nitty gritty, just the high-level overview. I am mostly interested in deer and elk hunting as a resident. It is years away, I know stuff is likely to change/adjust, but my wife and I are seriously looking at retiring/moving out there in likely about 10-15 years. Just trying to get some idea of what I am getting myself in to. Yes, I know no state is going to be as generous as Maryland's "kill as many as you possibly can, and then please kill some more". Especially for Central Maryland. With my kids grown up and moved out, a couple of deer sized game a year is probably plenty.
My takeaway is this, as a resident, you get a license for the appropriate big game. Does that automatically get you a tag? Or do you have to separately apply for a tag and is there a lottery? I saw the section on special tags that appear to be for a second deer in a license year, with varying degrees of average points need, how many people typically apply, and how many tags are issued a license year, with a cap of, I think it was, 4 tags you can apply for (I am fuzzy on if you can only bag one deer extra total? Or if it is one per special license you win?)
Is Elk pretty much the same way? Or are all Elk tags by lottery, even for residents?
I guess it might almost be easier to convey that as a resident of almost anywhere, it would suck BAD if I basically get told by the state "oh sorry, you didn't luck out and you can't hunt any big game this year". A guaranteed deer (well, if I connect), great. More is fantastic. It would especially suck if I was a private land owner and the state tells me "oh, too bad, you can't hunt on your property because you didn't draw a tag in a lottery this year".
I'd be less mussed if Elk was by lottery, so long as there was a reasonable chance I could hunt one every two or three years.
Basically, I wouldn't want to move west, only for my own private land not mean much for hunting, and effectively be stuck with only public land (yes, I know it is much nicer public land out there) on top of basically needing to enter a ton of state lotteries just to have a chance of drawing a tag. Somewhere. And maybe needing to enter lotteries in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, etc. and spend a LOT more money, and drive hours and hours away just to be able to keep hunting.
And staying in Maryland is about a zero chance for me (and not likely to be staying nearby either).
I think it is just so foreign to how MD does things.
But if anyone has a good resource, please pass it along. I am not looking for the nitty gritty, just the high-level overview. I am mostly interested in deer and elk hunting as a resident. It is years away, I know stuff is likely to change/adjust, but my wife and I are seriously looking at retiring/moving out there in likely about 10-15 years. Just trying to get some idea of what I am getting myself in to. Yes, I know no state is going to be as generous as Maryland's "kill as many as you possibly can, and then please kill some more". Especially for Central Maryland. With my kids grown up and moved out, a couple of deer sized game a year is probably plenty.
My takeaway is this, as a resident, you get a license for the appropriate big game. Does that automatically get you a tag? Or do you have to separately apply for a tag and is there a lottery? I saw the section on special tags that appear to be for a second deer in a license year, with varying degrees of average points need, how many people typically apply, and how many tags are issued a license year, with a cap of, I think it was, 4 tags you can apply for (I am fuzzy on if you can only bag one deer extra total? Or if it is one per special license you win?)
Is Elk pretty much the same way? Or are all Elk tags by lottery, even for residents?
I guess it might almost be easier to convey that as a resident of almost anywhere, it would suck BAD if I basically get told by the state "oh sorry, you didn't luck out and you can't hunt any big game this year". A guaranteed deer (well, if I connect), great. More is fantastic. It would especially suck if I was a private land owner and the state tells me "oh, too bad, you can't hunt on your property because you didn't draw a tag in a lottery this year".
I'd be less mussed if Elk was by lottery, so long as there was a reasonable chance I could hunt one every two or three years.
Basically, I wouldn't want to move west, only for my own private land not mean much for hunting, and effectively be stuck with only public land (yes, I know it is much nicer public land out there) on top of basically needing to enter a ton of state lotteries just to have a chance of drawing a tag. Somewhere. And maybe needing to enter lotteries in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, etc. and spend a LOT more money, and drive hours and hours away just to be able to keep hunting.
And staying in Maryland is about a zero chance for me (and not likely to be staying nearby either).
