You don’t need 20 points, a decade of waiting, or a once-in-a-lifetime tag to hunt the West consistently. If you’re willing to think strategically, you can build a system that gets you out there every single year.

In this episode, we break down exactly how to hunt elk, mule deer, or pronghorn every season by rotating states, stacking applications, and using Idaho and Colorado as strategic anchors. We dig into point creep, how to build preference points without wasting years, when to swing for the fences in places like Arizona or New Mexico, and how to structure a 5–10 year plan that actually compounds instead of resets.

If you’ve been wondering whether to build points or burn them, this episode gives you the framework to decide — before deadlines close.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow @getdrawnwest on Instagram.

If you enjoyed this, leave a 5-star rating and share the show with a friend.

Looking for more content from Drawn West? Check out our latest article:
How To Draw a Tag in the West

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https://www.getdrawnwest.com/gear

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https://linktr.ee/getdrawnwest

Have Questions or Comments? Send an email to Brian@getdrawnwest.com!
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GOHUNTInsider - $50 Gear Shop Credit with code DRAWNWEST
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GOHUNT GearShop – 10% off most items with code DRAWNWEST https://alnk.to/e75Pm4u
Save10% onMaverick Hunting Blinds & Accessories with code DRAWNWEST https://maverickhunting.com/?ref=getdrawnwest

0:00 – Why You Need a Multi-Year Strategy
3:15 – Understanding Point Creep
7:02 – Rotating States & Species
11:30 – Pronghorn Annual Plan
16:14 – Mule Deer Rotation Explained
18:41 – Why Idaho Is a Strategic Anchor
23:20 – Mixing in Arizona & New Mexico
25:30 – Elk Every Year Strategy
28:41 – Wyoming & Montana Reality Check
32:57 – What Happens If Colorado Goes to a Draw
35:18 – Final Takeaways & Next Steps

If you want to hunt the West, drawing a tag isn’t a detail—it’s the entire game.

Western tags aren’t “grab one on the way to deer camp” — they’re a 6–12 month planning game, and this episode breaks the whole thing down in plain English. You’ll hear a listener question from Josh (Tennessee) who’s trying to get himself and his son out West this fall for mule deer or antelope with zero points, and we use his situation to walk through what’s actually realistic (and what’s just internet noise). From there, we lay out the four core draw systems (OTC, random/no-points, preference points, bonus points), why “easy to draw” often means “hard hunt,” and how point creep can quietly bury your long-term plan. Then we turn it into an actual strategy: short-term vs mid-term vs long-term rotations, plus a simple “application stacking” method to swing at multiple states in the same year without ending up with overlapping tags.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow @getdrawnwest on Instagram.

If you enjoyed this, leave a 5-star rating and share the show with a friend.

Looking for more content from Drawn West? Check out our latest article: https://www.getdrawnwest.com/articles/getting-into-trapping

FREE Gear Checklist:

https://www.getdrawnwest.com/gear

Connect with Brian Krebs
https://linktr.ee/getdrawnwest

Have Questions or Comments? Send an email to Brian@getdrawnwest.com!
Sponsorsand Discounts:
GOHUNTInsider - $50 Gear Shop Credit with code DRAWNWEST
https://alnk.to/g3aa8L4
GOHUNT GearShop – 10% off most items with code DRAWNWEST https://alnk.to/e75Pm4u
Save10% onMaverick Hunting Blinds & Accessories with code DRAWNWEST https://maverickhunting.com/?ref=getdrawnwest
RTIC Coolers– Keep Your Meat Cold!
https://bit.ly/RTICCoolers
00:00 – Why “draw a tag” is step one

If you’ve ever been curious about trapping but felt like it was confusing, intimidating, or just “not for people like me,” this episode is for you.

I sit down with Zach from Okayest Trapper to talk through what getting started actually looks like when you didn’t grow up trapping. The mistakes, the learning curve, the frozen ground, the gear decisions, and why most people underestimate how much work (and problem-solving) is involved.

We cover how trapper education works in different states, how trapping changes the way you think about animals and habitat, and why so many hunters eventually get drawn into it — even if they never planned to. We also talk honestly about fur, conservation, and whether trapping is something that stays a hobby or can turn into something more over time.

If you hunt, own land, or just want to understand another side of the outdoor world without the gatekeeping, this conversation will give you a clear picture of what trapping really is — and whether it’s something you’d ever want to try.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and follow @getdrawnwest on Instagram. If this helped you see trapping differently, leave a 5-star rating and share it with someone who’s been curious but unsure where to start.

Check out our latest article:

https://www.getdrawnwest.com/articles/elk-hunting-knives

FREE Gear Checklist:

https://www.getdrawnwest.com/gear

Connect with Brian Krebs
https://linktr.ee/getdrawnwest

HaveQuestions or Comments? Send an email to Brian@getdrawnwest.com!
Sponsorsand Discounts:
GOHUNTInsider - $50 Gear Shop Credit with code DRAWNWEST
https://alnk.to/g3aa8L4
GOHUNTGear Shop – 10% off most items with code DRAWNWEST https://alnk.to/e75Pm4u
Save10%on Maverick Hunting Blinds & Accessories with code DRAWNWEST https://maverickhunting.com/?ref=getdrawnwest
RTICCoolers – Keep Your Meat Cold!
https://bit.ly/RTICCoolers
OkumaFishing – Rods and Reels for Serious Anglers!
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FirstMonth FREE at MTNTOUGH Fitness with code ROOKIE https://bit.ly/MTNTOUGH_ROOKIE
Save$150 on Steelhead Outdoors Gun Safes with code WESTERNROOKIE https://tr.ee/fbNvbFXX6Q
Save10% on Ollin Digiscoping Adapters with code TWOBUCKS
https://tr.ee/ZE1XcQ-fbb00:00 – Collab kickoff + trapping bug

01:45 – How Idaho vs Minnesota trapping education works

06:15 – Early exposure to trapping culture (and what changed)

09:45 – “Why am I doing this?” — the addiction to challenge

14:10 – Trap prep debate: boil, rust, dye, wax… or just run them

18:10 – Anchors vs drags + frozen ground problems

23:00 – Cable restraints: lighter, faster, more scalable

26:10 – Collector mode: species goals (fox, coon, coyote, fisher, bobcat)

31:45 – Fur boom talk + could markets ever come back?

41:15 – Alternative markets: squirrels, gophers, skulls, and making it pencil