Hey guys,
I know I'm jumping the shark a touch here, but when does TP&W post online the eligible hunts and drawing slips for the following season? I know I filled them out and mailed them in early August this year, but was curious when are they posted? I'd like to get them in a little earlier this year.

Thanks
Mitch

Public Hunt Drawing Booklets are sent out in July for the upcoming season.

Yep, I always look for mine mid-summer.

Thank you for the responses fellas. Mid summer it is.
Cheers

How do you get on the mailing list?

PM me info please

Enter one year and you are on the list after that. Wouldn't do much good to request the booklet now since all the hunts have already occurred for this season. Here is information from TP&W website:

Each hunting season, TPWD publishes this booklet which contains program rules and regulations, hunt categories and schedules, procedures for applying, hunt area descriptions, Regular Permit Hunts, and application cards. To request a printed copy, please call 1-800-792-1112.

And this link goes to a email subscription service if you want on their mailing list for different things. Not sure the public hunts book is included though
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXPWD/subscriber/new?[/color]

You can also access it online before it is delivered in your mail box.

As this summer, there will be no hard copy draw hunt booklets - they will be only online submission. Look for them the last week in June on the TPWD website under Public Hunting, Drawn Hunts.

About time

I will miss the book. I was cleaning out an old file cabinet and found I had in my files almost every year's tpwd drawn hunts booklet from the middle 1980s to present. And may have older pre book photocopy lists of drawn hunts from when they mailed actual application cards instead of a book. I think I will bind them and put it on the bookshelf with my other hunting related books.

[quote=Sniper John]About time

No better source than Kyotee!

Glad to hear they are finally online. Now if the wait time to complete them online isn't as long as the wait time to phone in for results it will truly be successful!!

The negative I see for those of use that religiously put in for hunts is that I believe more people than ever will start entering the drawn hunts. The online convenience factor and impulse applications following news releases will bring out many more hunters. The largest increase being non residents entering the more primo hunts. Non residents have nothing to lose since no prior license purchase is required and because non residents pay the same small entry fee as residents. The hard to draw hunts will become even harder. Hope I am wrong.

Since it will be online do you think there will be a big increase on the number of hunters putting in for the drawn hunts? I'm going to like it better myself but I'm thinking since it will be easier to enter online and hit submit as opposed to taking the time to write an address on an envelope and send in a check the numbers will increase. Thoughts?

Sorry Sniper John, you answered my question before I got it typed up!

Sniper, I think you are right and I had the same thought.


If that is the case it may also create more standby opportunities. I think standby odds are lots better than being picked in the actual drawing and I've always managed a standby hunt or two to the last few years. I usually find two or three hunts close together in a week period and try to plan being off around that time.

Sniper, im afraid you are going to be right.

Kyotee, when is TPWD going to start jacking the prices WAY UP for non-residents like all the other states do? Why do they not do this?

Well if that is true, the good thing is it will generate additional revenue for tpwd.

Kyotee, currently how many years can one not apply in a hunt category before they lose their preference points?

And any chance of a preference point only option with the new online system?

I really wished we had this option. It would be great for years that we cannot afford to take time off from work, recovering from injuries, etc. Right now, if you know you can't hunt and want preference points, you just have to apply for the high profile hunts with the lowest odds and hope you don't get drawn.

Or like me with over 20 preference points in a category, If I can't hunt a given year, I really don't want to risk applying for a high profile hunt hoping not to get drawn, because I might just get drawn. Thus why I would like to know how many years we can go without entering a category before we lose the points. Unfortunately there may be no other choice but to use that strategy as a way for someone to retain preference points. I am surprised they have not seen the problem before now. It would be an easy fix.

It would be nice too if each hunt date had it's own code, so you could give three choices by hunt code rather than being limited to one area with multiple dates. Thus three choices that could be on the same date rather than by area. Most people really can't hunt every date option on an area without planning for it in advance. That way one could apply 1st choice for a high profile hunt, 2nd choice for another hunt on the same date, 3rd choice for a lower profile hunt with greater odds of getting drawn again on the same date. It would make vacation planning much easier and decrease the number of no shows created when people choose the any date option and get stuck with the date range on an area they later find they can't get off work for.

Dang, yet a another "Christmas" catalog lost forever. This will be Joshua's last season as a youth, so the drawing will surely get a lot tougher.