. . . . . . I'm tired of putting in on some of these hunts I've been on.

Big Wes, Not to hijack your thread but do you or anyone else know of anyone who has ever gotten drawn first time around? It seems like the preference points are a must in order to hunt there. Is that the case?

That be the sentiment of many, who believe many of the TWRA-managed WMA's are managing mainly for target shooters instead of hunters, i.e. the targets mainly being young bucks, most of which cannot live to the age of 3 1/2 due to the high yearling and 2 1/2-yr-old buck harvest.

I'll backtrack a bit and say the TWRA-managed WMA's overall may have offered the best overall quality deer hunting in 2009 there's ever been --- so this is not meant to be an "attack" on TWRA at all --- just one man's opinion who's been observing it for a long time.

I'd also ask how much of the WMA statewide improvement has come from the many hunters who just stopped much of their WMA hunting as they apply exclusively for President's Island? I know many hunters (myself included) who use to apply and be drawn for one or two quota WMA deer hunts annually ---- but have applied only for PI now for nearly a decade, forfeiting all those annual quota hunts we went on prior to PI becoming a WMA.

So why can't there be a little more opportunity offered that is somewhat akin to the President's Island experience? Just one more little WMA managed similarly to PI could cut that 8-yr wait time down to 4 years by moving many in the line over to a different WMA.

Wes, such a very true statement. I use to always go to these hunts that you are refering too. I've been to numerous WMA hunts and finally decided I would like to start applying for PI after seeing the kill pics from this years hunt. I know there has to be other WMAs that could manage a hunt like the PI hunt.

_________________________________________________________________

WesParrish: The orginal old Wes, not to be confused with any other Wes

so this "drawing" is not really a true random drawing.

It is a true random drawing.
However, those who were not drawn in the prior year will be drawn (randomly) prior to those who were drawn in the prior year.

And in the case of President's Island, since there are thousands of hunters applying for a handful of permits, you can only expect to be "randomly" drawn if you forfeit being drawn for all other TWRA-managed WMA quota deer hunts, and then, you can expect to be drawn (for the buck hunt) only once or twice in your lifetime.

Each year you are NOT drawn for a quota deer hunt, you get a "preference point" in the next year's drawning. Preference points are cumulative, and it currently takes several years of preference point build-up to have any chance of being drawn.

IMO, the preference point system is the fairest way to conduct these random drawings.

All the more reason TWRA should manage some other WMA's similarly to PI. Keep in mind PI is a relatively small WMA, and the biggest difference (sorry, it's not the soil) is TWRA LIMITS hunting pressure until the rut is in full swing, and then is greatly protecting yearling bucks ---- especially when one considers there is only 3 days of buck hunting annually.

Wouldn't you like to hunt a place that only receives 3 days of annual hunting, and has, and is maintaining an advanced buck age structure? This PI experience is akin to how it would be if the National Park Service opened up Cades Cove for a single weekend of hunting annually on the last weekend in November, but only a handful of hunters would be drawn for a permit.

More than any other factor, it's the relative LACK of hunting that makes the PI annual hunt so good.

ot abit but....From going to cades cove my whole life and looking at the harvest pics from PI, I am just not convinced the bucks in the cove has near the overall average inches on thier heads that the island does...maybe thru herd reduction/managment in the proper direction that could be improved..but in the natural setting I just don't see it...but thats jmo...