gator tags

[ScottyLee]

who got them? and who all got booted out of the system or had errors with their info?

[SCOOTER]

Got booted out over and over, just a overloaded mess

[faulkner]

Same here. I got booted out when the system opened. My info loaded fine, but I got booted again when I got to the final step. When I got back in, all of the tags were gone.

[420 racin]

^^^^^
Just one of the reasons I aint even try it this year!

[JLT]

Give everybody a tag and text the season closure when the limit is reached.

[jtdumallard]

Same here. Got all of my information loaded and got booted. One would think that MDWFP would have this figured out by now.

[420 racin]

^^^^^

Each year I try to do less and less that involves the State because of stuff like this. As much bitching as they heard last year about the system, they had a year to fix it and it sounds like it was worse. They don't seem to care. I barely ever step foot on an MDWFP land anymore. Having said that, the GW's are doing their job, it's the suits in Jackson that don't get it....just like every other gov agency (Local, State, Fed) and I work for a Fed agency...(but I'm not suit)

[rjohnson]

Ricky Flynt said in their little post lottery sunshine pumping video that they had a little over 6000 devices hitting the server. So you basically had a 1 in 6 shot to get tags. Odds would have been a little better maybe if it had been a drawn lottery like in the past but not much better. I think the LifeTime license holders got screwed though. Something about they were issued new numbers recently and not told about it so the numbers on their cards did not work this morning for a valid license. That was a screwup for sure. The site crashing was expected and 1 in 6 odds aren't too bad. My group got six tags last year and none this year so it sucked for us.

[jdbuckshot]

10 years of applying and zero tags for me. and guess what - I have a life time licenses.

coincidence??

I think not my - my 2 brothers have applied many times as well and they have never drawn either.

[teul2]

And I can tell you the 6000 devices number he referenced is not truly representative of the number of people trying to get in. many people I know used multiple computers, phones, ipads, etc to try and get one of them to work. 3 people here in the office tried and none of us got in.

[rjohnson]

I had four web browsers up trying with four different people's names in our group and couldn't get through the process on any of them. It's just going to be luck to get through each year just like getting lucky in the draw.

[ScottyLee]

I was lucky enough to get tags in the zone I wanted, but I don't know anyone else that got tags. I don't know what the answer is. I guess the only way to insure Is to go to a preference point deal where you buy your points each year. The only down side, I don't see how that will work with the zones, because 2-3 zones is what most people try to get. I do know that if it went back to a lottery system and you had 2 weeks to apply, the application rate would be much higher than 6 devices because people will have the entire family applying, and the dilutes the opportunity. I don't think we have enough enforcement to do the "everyone" gets a tag and shut the season down when so many are filled, especially with the zones.

It is pretty impressive how much the sport has grown and the money generated from the tag and license first come first serve. The alligator program as whole has been phenomenal since the first season started.

[ccope]

Preference point system is the only logical/fair way to do it. This first come/ first serve method is crazy. The first 3-5 years in a preference point system would still be the luck of the draw. After that, a baseline would be set as to how many points would be needed to draw for a particular zone. Works well for most Western/Midwest states that have high demand game animals and units. I'm good with them charging to apply, which would weed out some of the folks that aren't serious. I can't see the downside to going to a model like Colorado elk other than the first several years will still be the luck of the draw. It would ensure that a person would get a tag in "x" number of years if they are persistent with applying.

I agree; the alligator program has been a success for the most part, but license rewarding has been a cluster from year one. Hopefully 2 years of the current method is enough history for them to consider other alternatives.

[JLT]

Go read on Bowsite about western big game apps and the pref point game. There would still be people griping no matter what. No system is perfect.
Sounds like the method that they use give about the same odds as a pref point system.