In many cases, getting the tag is the hardest part of the hunt. They're in high demand. In Idaho, there are OTC tags but mostly in the north half of the state. Here in the southern half, most are by lottery...with a few exceptions. Let the games begin.
There are a couple units where cow tags are OTC. Last year, each unit had 2500 tags. These are wintering areas and they need the number of cows reduced. Last year one of these unit had a very successful season and they met their goals so they reduced the tags this year from 2500 to 700. This is the hunt we wanted. Last year we were there when the elk arrived for the winter. Suddenly there were elk everywhere and 5 of us got 4 cows all the same day. Yesterday the tags for these units went on sale at 10am. There were only a half dozen hunters in line at the store where we went. The lady had each of us put all of our needed license info on a paper and when the system went live at 10am, she typed like crazy getting all of our tags as fast as she could print them. Another lady was pulling the tags off the printer and collecting our money. We were competing with other stores across the state along with the online system. While she was doing that, I was playing with my phone and looking at the online system. I looked at it about 4 min before it went live and it said that I was #2430 in line with an expected 1 hour wait. When my number came up, I had 10 min to get online or I would go to the back of the line. Waiting in the store seemed to be a better deal. We got our 3 tags but they were sold out for that hunt within 90 min.
One of the most popular elk hunts in the state, the Stanley Basin area, offers 1500 bull tags. We used to hunt it a lot but I don't play that game any more. The tags go on sale tomorrow. You can either buy them onlline or go to a store or to one of the Fish and Game offices. They've announced that because of construction congestion, the main office in Boise and it's parking lot are off limits to camping this year. I can't imagine having to camp out to be in line to buy a tag. They'll sell half the tags like that and the other half will go on sale online a few hours later. They'll be sold out within an hour or so. They've talked about making this hunt a lottery but hunters seem to want to play this game every year so they haven't done it.
In the lotteries, Idaho has no point system. Each year, all applicants have the same chances of drawing. The IDFG has polled hunters many times to see if they wanted a point system and the hunters have always said no. The results of the lotteries came out a few weeks ago. In the past, hunters who didn't draw would be in line for these OTC tag sales along with those who didn't apply for lotteries. Last year they changed that. Hunters who didn't draw can buy the OTC tags but they have to wait 5 days after the tags go on sale. In the more popular hunts, the tags will be sold out by them.
Some years ago, they were getting a lot of anti-hunters who'd apply in the lotteries. If they drew, they had no intention of buying tags or hunting. It was just a ploy to reduce hunters. So, the IDFG decided that all tags in the lottery hunts must be bought by Aug 1 or its forfeited. Then they have a 2d chance drawing in Aug for them. The antis can still buy a tag and not hunt but most won't spend the money to do that so they still end up in the hands of hunters.
