The Wildlife Commission has adopted a number of changes
in the state's bonus point program since the program was
first enacted. The following is provided to assist you in
understanding how that program now operates.
Residents and nonresident tag applicants receive bonus points
for all hunts that have a quota set by the Wildlife Commission
when they are unsuccessful in drawing a tag through the
computerized random draw system. In addition to deer, elk,
antelope, sheep and goat, applicants also receive bonus
points for swan and wild turkey.
Bonus points are awarded by specific species categories,
each encompassing all separate weapons hunts available in
that category. Those categories are:
Those points cannot be transferred to another person or
into another species category.
Applicants are only able to accumulate one bonus point
per species category each year. So, if you applied for any
legal weapon tag and were unsuccessful, and then applied
for an archery tag, and were unsuccessful, you still only
accrue one point because these are both in the antlered
deer category.
However, if you apply for any legal weapon tag, and are
unsuccessful, and then apply for a doe tag, and are unsuccessful,
you would receive a bonus point for each because they are
in two different categories- antlered deer and antlerless
deer.
Those applying as a "party hunt" will have their
points averaged (total points of all hunters in the party,
divided by the number of hunters) and rounded to the closest
whole number. Bonus points are squared by species category,
resulting in the number of draw numbers that an individual
hunter or hunt party will receive in that drawing.
A hunter's bonus points revert to zero in a particular
species category when he is successful at obtaining a tag
or fails to apply for two consecutive years.
Bonus points are not earned if an applicant requests
and receives a hunting license refund.
View
past Bonus Point Statistics.
The
tag hunt process is administered by Wildlife Administrative
Services. If you have questions about a tag or your online
application, please contact them at Wildlife Administrative
Services Office, 1-800-576-1020 or (775) 423-7577, or
by email.
