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Five states. Three species. Dozens of draw systems. The complete map of what every post in The Assay Office covers, and where to start based on where you are in the draw game.
Tag Prospector Videos
Every western state gives zero-point hunters a real shot at a tag. Most hunters don't know how, or when, to use it. A state-by-state breakdown of WY, UT, CO, AZ, and NV.
Read the Post →Applying in multiple states doesn't mean you have a strategy. A real draw portfolio assigns every state a role, and the draw system tells you exactly what that role is.
Read the Post →Last year's draw results are a snapshot of a moment that no longer exists. Here are the seven forces actively reshaping your odds right now, before a single application is filed.
Read the Post →You have points. You could burn them. But there's an OTC option that keeps them intact. Here's the framework experienced hunters use to decide which move is actually right for their situation.
Read the Post →A residency strategy guide for western hunters: whether you're a resident thinking about going NR, or a nonresident already in the game, here's how to actually run the numbers across all five states.
Read the Post →A point-band breakdown of what is actually drawable at every level from zero to 20-plus points, across all five states and three species, using real 2025 draw-floor data.
Read the Post →The thinking layer between raw odds and a real decision. Nineteen named draw Plays across all five western states, each scored by the Hunt Quality Score with an honest confidence tier.
Read the Post →Point creep feels infinite because the number always rises. It is not. Where the curve bends, why the points floor tells you nothing until it moves, and the five numbers that turn dread into a verdict.
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“Points ain’t gold till you spend ’em on the right claim.”
– Percival
Five states, five different draw systems. Point floors and how each system works for Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada, with the data on what your points are actually worth before you apply.
Read the Post →Arizona runs every applicant through three passes every year. A hunter with 3 bonus points accessed 53% of all NR deer tags in 2024. Here’s what the data shows for mule deer, Coues, elk, and pronghorn.
Read the Post →Colorado is pure preference through 2027: highest points draw first. Here's what the numbers show for deer, elk, and pronghorn, and what changes in 2028.
Read the Post →You didn’t draw in the primary. That’s not the end of the season. Colorado’s secondary draw opens June 18, runs on no preference points, and puts every applicant back on level ground. Dates, mechanics, and how to play it.
Read the Post → Featured Blog Post
“Every state hides its gold different. Know the ground you’re diggin’.”
– Percival
The 2026 numbers are in. Which units crept, which opened up, and why nearly half of Colorado's nonresident hunts still drew at zero or one point.
Read the Post →Colorado's pure preference draw system is being replaced by a 50/50 Split Draw. The change is approved, the date is set, and the math on your Colorado strategy just shifted.
Read the Post →The Tag Prospector modeled Colorado's 2028 split draw against Utah's live 50/50 data: what the random half could mean for your points by tier, and why 2028 is the year to apply.
Read the Post →Nevada squares your bonus points: 10 points means 101 entries versus 1. But the draw closes May 13. Here's where NR hunters actually stand for deer, elk, and pronghorn in 2025 data.
Read the Post →Nevada squares your bonus points to generate draw entries. What that means, why early accumulation compounds faster than anywhere else, and how to build a strategy around it.
Read the Post →Utah runs both a bonus point system and a preference point system. Low-point nonresidents draw limited entry elk and deer tags here every single year. Here's what the 2025 data actually shows.
Read the Post →Utah runs two different point systems for deer: preference points for the general-season draw and bonus points for the 50/50 limited-entry draw. Here is how each one works, and which fits the points you are holding.
Read the Post →Wyoming guarantees 25% of NR tags go to zero-point hunters in a fully random draw. That's why mule deer NR odds sit at 50% with no points. Here's what the 2025 data shows for elk, deer, and antelope.
Read the Post →The 75/25 preference and random pool, Special versus Regular licenses, species ceilings, and why zero-point nonresidents draw Wyoming deer about half the time.
Read the Post →OTC access, point floors, bull versus cow tags, and how to build a multi-state elk strategy across all five western states, with the units that actually fill tags.
Read the Post →Where the deer are, how each draw system treats them, and what your points are worth, with the highest-success mule deer units in the five-state region.
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“Every critter plays a different game. Learn its ground.”
– Percival
Every western hunter hears the term. Fewer can say what it means or how fast it’s moving on the hunt they want. The definition, the cause, and real draw-floor data from four states, including a Colorado elk unit that went from 4 points to 16.
Read the Post →Point creep hits Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada differently, because their draw systems work differently. Here's the state-by-state breakdown and a real framework for deciding when to stop waiting.
Read the Post →Everyone is watching the floors climb. But across five states and three years of draw data, a meaningful subset of hunts went the other direction. Here's what the data actually shows. And what hunters with modest point totals can do with it.
Read the Post →New to western draws, or just starting to accumulate points? Here's how the five state systems actually work, what points do in each one, and the one move every new hunter needs to make before this season closes.
Read the Post →Elk grow eye-guards. Pronghorn have horns, not antlers. And the rut runs on daylight, not temperature. The field biology every new western hunter should know before stepping into the field.
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“Every old hand started with zero points. So can you.”
– Percival
Your real odds aren’t the number at the top of the report. The four numbers that matter, the overall-odds trap, the resident vs nonresident split, preference vs bonus systems, and why last year’s cutoff isn’t this year’s.
Read the Post →The free public data most hunters never open. What each field means, how to read it state by state, and how to turn it into next year’s application plan.
Read the Post →Every 2026 application deadline, draw result date, and OTC sale window across all five states in one place, with a simple system to never miss a deadline.
Read the Post →Draw odds tell you whether you can get in the field. Success rates tell you what happens when you do. A five-state breakdown of 2024 and 2025 hunter harvest data for elk, deer, and pronghorn, side by side, with sample sizes worth trusting.
Read the Post →Draw odds tell you if you can draw a tag. The Hunt Quality Score tells you if it's worth it: the composite scoring model behind every TTP report, explained.
Read the Post → Featured Blog PostGoHunt, Huntin' Fool, onX Hunt, and The Tag Prospector compared side by side: price, states covered, what's included, and which tool is built for your hunting situation.
Read the Post → Featured Blog PostGoHunt, onX, and Huntin’ Fool cover a lot of ground. What they don’t offer: a 5-year draw strategy, hunt quality scoring, cost-of-ownership projections, or a personalized PDF with no subscription required.
Read the Post →Full-service application consultants charge real money. Some hunters get exactly what they paid for. Others are overpaying for work they could do themselves. Here's how to tell the difference.
Read the Post →Twenty questions covering how the five-state draw systems work, what draw analytics can tell you, and where the data runs out. Includes state-specific mechanics for Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada.
Read the Post →Get Percival's free guide (5 things the state draw reports don't tell you) plus new posts when they drop.
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