Let’s be honest here for a few minutes, every one of us has had a moment like this, where the anticipation for a big game draw is overwhelming. It is even worse if you are like me and apply in multiple states every year for big game tags. The Wyoming draw is bound to happen any minute as I write this and I won’t be surprised if it happens sooner than the date they have announced. I am sure all of our significant others are tired of us checking our phones for an email, a text, or an update to the various agencies home pages letting us know if we were lucky enough to draw the coveted tag we were hoping for. Good luck in the remaining draws and we hope you enjoy the humor in Trent Doan’s writing about the Nevada draw.
Do The Tag Draws Have You Distracted?
By Trent Doan
As summer approaches, the thoughts of tag results consume my day. I think of all of the preparation I will need to do if I draw. I would bet that most hunters are in the same boat, looking to the hills everyday as we drive to work thinking, I bet that would be a great place to hunt. Daydreaming of the mountain air and the silence we all crave. What gear will I upgrade? The list just doesn’t end. I think about what all the non-hunters are doing at the same time I am dreaming of tags? Are they deciding where to eat lunch? What are their plans for the weekend? Wash the car? No thanks! I’ll keep my mind full of what could happen any day when the draw results are released.
For me, when the time is close for the results to be released, every new email ping I hear sends me grabbing for my phone to check and see if it could be the Nevada Department of Wildlife. Well this happened to me today, the sound that my ears are so tuned into pinged. I opened my email and I about slipped off my seat – it was NDOW! Holy smokes – I drew a tag!
Quickly, I opened the email and there it was right in front of me, a newsletter telling me where I can buy tickets for the big game raffle. Are you serious! Really? Not quite what I was expecting to see from NDOW, what a letdown. Funny thing is I looked over my shoulder and my wife was staring at me with a big smile and her hand over her mouth.
While chuckling she said, “What are you doing?”
She saw the whole thing, apparently I was doing some kind of happy dance while looking at my phone and granted, it’s probably not new for her to see me freak out but I was a bit embarrassed.
I quickly blurted out, “Shopping on Amazon!” which is what I was doing before this whole email debacle started.
She quipped back, “Yeah right, that was a cute little dance for shopping on Amazon.”
Not sure about this whole dance thing as us bearded, burly, hunters don’t dance and if we did it wouldn’t be cute that’s for sure. I think she saw something more like Paul Bunyan wrestling down a buffalo, so that’s what I’m going with.
Days will be counted and dreams will be filled with big bucks and bulls as the anticipation builds until the results are posted. This is true for most. Don’t believe me? Check out this thread on the Forum at Eastmans.com. These guys and gals have been talking about the 2015 draw results since last year!
The day will be here soon enough, with over-the-top excited phone calls to friends and family all over the west telling them about the tags that we have drawn. Plans and preparations will be made with talk of wall hangers that will be taken even before the first scouting trip. These are the days I love, good luck to all on the upcoming draws!
When are the Wyoming results coming out?!?!
The Wyoming Game and fish website still says the 20th.
wait is over- got mine. Oregon Wenaha big bull tag. Took 18 years though.
Can’t wait for the Wy draw. My family did well in Nv this year with a total of 4 tags between the three of us.
Congrats to your Or Bull tag!