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Blog Posts > WTA TAGS – 2020 UPDATE and 2021 Renewal Season!

WTA TAGS – 2020 UPDATE and 2021 Renewal Season!

Eric Pawlak

| November 4, 2020

Eric Pawlak
November 4, 2020

Species: Elk, Deer, Antelope, Bison, Moose, Mountain Goat, Sheep

Well, we have finally come to the end of the 2020 WTA TAGS application season. Hopefully you applied for some of the greatest, most exciting big game tags in the West and built another year of valuable bonus points. Better yet, hopefully you drew a great tag, then booked with a reputable outfitter and created a wonderful memory afield.

The 2020 application season was another smashing success here at WTA TAGS. We had clients draw everything from antelope to sheep to everything in-between – elk, deer, moose, mountain goat, free range bison, ibex, oryx, etc. You name it, we drew it. The photos included in this piece are just a small sampling of some extremely happy TAGS clients. To all of those who stayed loyal to the draw and hit the big-time – we salute you!

WTA TAGS 2021 Renewal Season

With 2020, in the rearview and the 2021 application season just around the corner, it is time to start thinking about your TAGS renewal. In the next few weeks, all WTA TAGS clients will be receiving their 2021 TAGS renewal statements in the mail. Upon receiving this mailing, please call your dedicated WTA TAGS Consultant. This is the time to renew your applications over the phone or discuss changes to your application strategy for the 2021 hunting season.

If there are five tips, we could offer regarding your 2021 TAGS renewal, they would be:

Stay Persistent – If you’re in the draw one year and out the next … that is a poor strategy. APPLY APPLY APPLY year-after-year and keep building those valuable points. Eventually great tags will come your way!

Renew Early – Waiting until just before a deadline to renew is dangerous practice. Upon receiving your 2021 WTA TAGS Renewal Statement, call your dedicated TAGS Consultant and take-care-of-business. There is no safer feeling than knowing your TAGS application selections are in-play for 2021!

Add to Your Portfolio – The more applications you submit the better your chances of drawing something special. Your WTA TAGS Consultant can make recommendations based off your hunting goals!

Point Only – Choose – point only – as a last resort. Quality tags are not easy to draw. By applying for – point only – you remove yourself from the random chance of drawing the dream tag.

Go Primitive – If you only hunt with rifle, that’s fine … not a problem what-so-ever. However, if you bow hunt or muzzleloader hunt, your chances often improve in the draw and these weapons typically coincide with a more favorable hunting season. Your WTA TAGS Consultant can explain the benefits of different weapon selections in different states.

In closing, 2020 was a banner year and we are predicting more good times to come in 2021. Be a part of it
and get your WTA TAGS Portfolio renewed right away. If you are a current WTA TAGS client and you do not
receive your 2021 Renewal Statement by December 10^th, something’s off. You should immediately call our
office at 1-800-755-TAGS (8247). We are here for you Monday – Friday, 8AM to 5PM MST. Your success is our success. Remember you cannot draw if you don’t apply! So, APPLY APPLY APPLY!

For more information on TAGS, click below!

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I’ve been a bear hunter my whole life, but grizzly was always the dream. When the time finally came, I reached out to WTA to book a hunt. My someday hunt was finally becoming a reality. I thought I knew what I was hoping for: one good opportunity at a mature grizzly. What actually happened over those 10 days was beyond anything I could have imagined.

My journey began in Anchorage, where I stayed the night before flying into the bush. The outfitter has a liaison in town to help with any last-minute needs, so no rental car was needed. The next morning at Merrill Field, I boarded a turboprop (they use caravans, not tiny Super Cubs) for the 1½-hour flight into hunting country.

At the airstrip, the crew waited with Kong—a massive military deuce-and-a-half that can ford rivers, plus Polaris six-wheelers. After a stop at the roadhouse to organize, we headed to moose camp, about four miles upriver.

The camp itself told stories of 50 years of hunting. Cabin walls covered with dozens of hunters’ stories, as far back as the ’70s. Old regulation books showing $50 polar bear licenses. Boxes of ammo, left behind over decades for anyone who might need them. Four cabins with wood stoves surrounded the main lodge, and there was a creek-fed shower with endless hot water. A crate of beer stays ice-cold in the stream. It’s glorious. Remote Alaska with just enough comfort to keep you hunting hard every day.

From the roadhouse, we spotted two black bears on the mountainside. That evening, the cameraman Jordan and I glassed near camp, getting oriented for what was supposed to be a grizzly-focused hunt.

The next morning, those black bears were still there. We moved in. At 390 yards, with shifting thermals threatening to blow our approach, I took my shot. Low but lethal. Two more shots finished it. While butchering, we discovered this old boar was peppered with birdshot—dozens of pellets in each leg and shoulder. Somewhere, sometime, he’d been a problem bear. He could take a bullet. By 3 p.m., we had meat in the freezer and the hide salted. We were back to looking for grizzly.

Day two took us seven miles up the creek on six-wheelers, somewhat technical riding through river crossings and over rough terrain. Near the old sheep camp, we spotted a sow with three cubs and various black bears, but no boars.

Then everything changed. Rounding an alder-lined corner, our guide hit the brakes. A black bear ahead was acting strangely. It was actually approaching us. Behind him, a grizzly was hunting him, panting from the chase. The black bear, caught between predators, escaped up the cliffs.

The grizzly sat on its haunches, exhausted, looking between us and the black bear as it escaped. This bear was in full predator mode, seemingly calculating whether we might be easier prey. Then he simply lay down for a nap, 400 yards away, completely unconcerned by our presence.

For 34 minutes, I stayed behind the gun. Time passed slowly as we talked through every scenario: “If he does this, we’ll do that.” Finally, he stood and turned broadside at 415 yards. One squeeze, perfect shot placement. He barrel-rolled down the slope.

This was it—the animal I’d wanted forever, taken in a sequence I couldn’t have scripted better. Pure euphoria.

We had two bears down and over a week left of hunting. Day three was Jordan’s birthday, and we decided to get him a bear tag from camp. This would be his first hunt behind a rifle. We picked up a great black bear in no time. Jordan’s demeanor totally changed as he went into hunt mode and put a perfect 350-yard shot right into the bear’s heart. Top-tier birthday!

Three bears in three days with a week remaining. I bought a second tag and grabbed my bow. We spent four days searching for another bear, exploring drainages, following wolf tracks, catching Dolly Varden, and collecting shed antlers. Living the full Alaska experience while always hunting.

On the second-to-last day, I spotted a huge black bear doing loops through berry patches on a steep face. After multiple failed positioning attempts, I opted to go solo while Jordan and our guide filmed from a distance. The bear, hearing me crash through the alders below him, thought I was another bear invading his berries. At nine yards, with his hackles up and ears flat, I put an arrow through his front shoulder. Our group’s fourth bear.

Four bears in four days. An incredible adventure. This was the outfitter’s first year focusing on Fall bear hunting. The populations are thriving (evident from the moose without calves), and they’ve wisely increased tag allocations.

I came to Alaska with a lifelong dream of taking a grizzly. What I got was something I couldn’t have imagined: multiple species, incredible encounters, and memories that transformed a dream hunt into something beyond dreams. The grizzly lying down in front of us, completely unafraid. Jordan’s pure joy at his first bear. Stalking with my bow, close enough to hear the bear growling and clacking its jaws.

Some hunts meet your expectations. This one created new ones. When you book with WTA, you’re not just booking a hunt, you’re setting yourself up for adventures you can’t even imagine.

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In June, I had the privilege of hosting 11 hunters on an unforgettable black bear adventure in northern Saskatchewan. As a consultant with Worldwide Trophy Adventures, I spend all year matching clients with the best outfitters in North America, and this camp is a perfect example of why we do it.

Our trusted outfitter in Saskatchewan operates in a massive 3,000-square-mile zone along the untouched boreal forest. It’s rugged, remote country stacked with an incredible population of mature black bears. Locals born and raised in northern Saskatchewan are the heart of the operation. They’ve spent decades fine-tuning the experience, from stand placement to trophy care.

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Off the stand, the camp atmosphere was outstanding. Good food, great camaraderie, and plenty of stories made the week memorable. Meat, hides, and trophies were handled smoothly and professionally, another reason we confidently send WTA clients to this outfit year after year.

If you’re serious about hunting big Canadian black bears, Worldwide Trophy Adventures is your trusted resource to do it right. This trip proved it: elite guiding, incredible trophy quality, and a setting every hunter should experience at least once.

Canada remains one of my favorite places to hunt, and after June’s trip, I’m already counting down the days until I can go back.

WTA is booking now for next spring and summer, and this hunt fills fast. Call 1-800-346-8747 to secure your spot on one of North America’s most exciting black bear hunts.

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