3-Year Hunt Strategy
For Jeff Quaglino
2025 – 2028
Your Tag Strategy
This tag strategy is built on a 5-year plan for western states that offer quality hunting experiences during the September and post-Thanksgiving timeframes. Preference is given to states that are closer to home base, and there are only rifle and muzzleloader applications included in these recommendations.
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First, strike out to Wyoming on your first rifle elk hunt in September. Then, take a trip to Colorado for a late rifle mule deer hunt on the plains.
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Try to burn your bonus points in CO on a quality muzzleloader hunt in September. Return to the area you hunted previously with a late coues hunt in AZ. Possibly add the Utah antelope doe hunt if it fits your schedule.
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Burn your preference points on a WY pronghorn tag in September with family. Then, go on a late rifle elk hunt in Arizona where you can find good success for an elk hunt. Apply for NV if it fits your schedule to possibly draw.
2024
COLORADO | 3rd Season Mule Deer
Preference Points: 3
Unit Recommendation: 75/751
Season Dates: Nov. 9–15, 2024
3-Year Harvest Success: 52%
OVERVIEW
Get ready for a classic Colorado mule deer hunt with oak brush and sage brush rolling hills that meet up with the big aspens and dark timber forests. Expect a fair amount of hunting pressure, but quite a few deer as you usually have to manage the private/public game since that’s where the refuges are. It’s got the chance to turn up a special buck, but a nice 4-pt would be a reasonable goal on this hunt regardless.
ALL OTHER STATES
NEVADA | Late Muzzleloader Mule Deer
Choices: 1. 081 Late Muzzle | 2. 114 Late Muzzle | 3. 021 Late Muzzle | 4. 181 Late Muzzle | 5. 201 Late Muzzle (All Low Odds)
UTAH | Late Muzzleloader Mule Deer
Choice: SW Desert Late Muzzleloader, 1.4% Drawing Odds
CALIFORNIA | Continue Your Current App Strategy
COLORADO | Points For Elk, Pronghorn, and Apps for Moose, Sheep & Goat
WYOMING | Points Only
ARIZONA | Points Only
2025 | To Reconsider Post-2024 Seasons
WYOMING | Rifle Bull Elk
Preference Points: 4
Unit Recommendation: Area 97, Type 1
Season Dates: Sept. 26 - Oct. 31, 2025
3-Year Harvest Success: ~25%
OVERVIEW
This is limited for residents and nonresidents with September 20th starting rifle dates. These dates are great for catching bugling bulls while you have a rifle in your hand. The largest drawback is that there is a large part of the unit that is federally designated as wilderness that nonresidents cannot access without a guide or resident. That said, there is still a large area of the unit with elk that is accessible to nonresidents, and that holds good populations of elk. You also still have the ability to get more than 2.5 miles into the backcountry up Sweeney Creek, and into good, rugged country around Fayette Lake. For a first-time elk hunt, plan on learning a lot and enjoying being in the Wind Rivers on this hunt. Bring your fishing rod.
ALL OTHER STATES
ARIZONA | Points Only
NEVADA | Apply for late tags, however, do not expect to draw
UTAH | Points Only
COLORADO | Points Only Except Mule Deer
COLORADO | Rifle Plains Any Deer
Preference Points: 4
Unit Recommendation: Area 97, Rifle Late
Season Dates: Dec. 1 - Dec 15, 2025
3-Year Harvest Success: 79%
OVERVIEW
The eastern plains of Colorado are consistently producing great deer, and this hunt has the makings of being a diamond in the rough with this OTHER area 97. You will have to make sure your OnX is working well, but there are at least a half-dozen Walk-In Hunting Areas here, opening up good access to private land in addition to 42,000 acres of hunting on the Sterling Prairie State Trust Land. Licenses are limited to just 23 hunters and success was 90% in 2021. Be glad you hold the extra points here, because it may easily jump around. That said, it’s normally a 2-point draw for non-residents.
2026
COLORADO | Muzzleloader Bull Elk
Preference Points: 5
Unit Recommendation: 711, 71, 72, & 73
Season Dates: Sept. 14 - 22, 2026
3-Year Harvest Success: ~20%
OVERVIEW
You will be burning more points than this hunt takes, but do not get tied to the sunk-cost fallacy of points if this fits your hunt schedule best. These areas have limited archery elk hunters and will provide a much better experience for someone with a muzzleloader in their hand than if you were to go into an area with over-the-counter archery hunters around. These units have it all - 13,000-foot peaks, mid-elevation burns, some roaded high country, BLM juniper country with elk in it, and everything in between.
ALL OTHER STATES
CALIFORNIA | Continue Your Current App Strategy
NEVADA | Apply for late tags, however, do not expect to draw
UTAH | Points Only
WYOMING | Points Only
ARIZONA | Rifle Coues Deer
Preference Points: 4 (Gains Loyalty + HS Point)
Unit Recommendation: 30B
Season Dates: Nov 25 - Dec 4, 2026
3-Year Harvest Success: 61%
OVERVIEW
Plan to return here and build on your experience in 2023.
BACKUP PLAN | Utah Rifle Pronghorn Doe
Preference Points: 4
Unit Recommendation: Fillmore, Oak Creek South
Season Dates: Aug. 1–13, 2026 ~ or ~ Nov. 4–Dec 3, 2026
3-Year Harvest Success: 61%
OVERVIEW
Choose the early or late rifle doe hunt to get a pronghorn hunt under your belt before going to Wyoming for a buck pronghorn hunt the following year. Hunting this area for deer will give you a leg up on knowing where the pronghorn will be, roughly, and should result in a quick hunt.
2027
ARIZONA | Late Rifle Elk
Preference Points: 7 (Includes 2 Loyalty & Safety Points)
Unit Recommendation: 17A, 17B, 18B, 19B, 20A, and 20C.
Season Dates: Nov 10 - Dec 14, 2027
3-Year Harvest Success: 44%
OVERVIEW
This part of Arizona offers good elk hunting compared to the points it takes to go here. This is a big chunk of units, and sometimes you will have to play the private boundary game to catch bulls coming and going from sanctuaries. That said, there are large areas of public ground, especially in hunt area 17A and 17B, that offer classic spot and stalk late-season elk hunting. Not to mention, 44% success over the last few years is quite good for units that do not take a lifetime of points.
NEVADA | Early Muzzleloader Mule Deer *If Interested
Bonus Points: 7
Choices: 1. 131 Early Muzzle (1%) 2. 231 Early Muzzle (.5%) 3. 211 Early Muzzle (13%) 4. 161 Early Muzzle (20%). 5. 171 Early Muzzle (60%)
Season Dates: Sept 29–Oct 6, 2027
3-Year Harvest Success: 43%
OVERVIEW
Plan to be aggressive to burn your points on a Nevada high-country muzzleloader hunt if you have enjoyed these September muzzleloader hunts in other states. Applicants at this level SHOULD draw something decent. Luckily, most, if not all NV hunts offer low tag numbers and a great age class to hunt.
ALL OTHER STATES
CALIFORNIA | Continue Your Current App Strategy
COLORADO | Points Only
UTAH | Points Only
NEVADA | Points Only Expt. Deer
WYOMING | Rifle Pronghorn Buck
Preference Points: 5 - Regular Draw
Unit Recommendation: Area 45 - West Laramie
Season Dates: Sept 15 - Oct 31, 2026
3-Year Harvest Success: 75%
OVERVIEW
The West Laramie hunt offers the quintessential high-pronghorn numbers one can expect from a pronghorn hunt in Wyoming. There are a few areas where public land access can be tricky, but if you do not mind hiking up a couple hundred feet to the plateaus on Sheep Mountain, Fox Creek, and Bald Mountain, you will easily find yourself a quality pronghorn to take home and make tacos out of. It’s going to be important to watch the points it takes here, because while it only took 3 points to draw recently, it may creep up if tags are scaled back and/or changes occur to demand.
2023 (PAST)
ARIZONA | Rifle Coues Deer
Preference Points: 3
Unit Recommendation: 30B
Season Dates: Nov 25 - Dec 4, 2023
3-Year Harvest Success: 61%
OVERVIEW
30B late is a high-success coues deer hunt. Only 100 tags are available during dates when deer may be on their feet looking for does. It’s poised to be enjoyable for someone with patience behind the glass. You can backpack into areas, or glass the burns from the truck in the Galiuro Mountains. It’s good great variety and should be enjoyable to break in your gear and test out your skills in a new area. Draw odds were 100% at 3 points in 2022.
ALL OTHER STATES
NEVADA | Apply for low-draw odds (< 2%) top early muzzleloader tags.
Choices | 1. 131 Early Muzzle 2. 211 Early Muzzle. 3. 231 Early Muzzle. 4. 241 Early Muzzle. 5. 221 Early Muzzle.
CALIFORNIA | Continue Your Current App Strategy
COLORADO | Points Only
WYOMING | Points Only
UTAH | Points Only
OREGON | NOT RECOMMENDED
