Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Idaho elk regulations

Are posted online along with '21 harvest stats.

Lighted nocks and mechanical broadheads are now legal in archery season. Wow.

I guess they're catching up to the rest of the world.

NODS and thermal IR is legal now?

The regulations simply state that no electronic device can be attached to a rifle or scope with the exception of battery or tritium powered reticles. Outside of that, I know of no restrictions.

Sure don't like the new Antelope regulations. It states that if you draw a controlled hunt one year you have to sit out a year before you can put in again. EVERY PRONGHORN HUNT IS A CONTROLLED HUNT. I like to bowhunt antelope and the area I put in on has 40 tags and about 60 people per year put in. I drew last year as well as 39 others, This year I can see them going well only 20 people put in, I guess it's not popular anymore so we should just do away with this hunt about the time I'm eligible again. This same regulation applies to antlered deer and elk, but there are other options. With antelope you have no other option.

There are a few antelope hunts with few applicants but the average is about 1 chance in 20 to 25. That means a tag every 20 to 25 years. I've only drawn twice in 50 years so I'm about average.
for the record, though, this isn't new. It's been in place since 2020 for sure for elk and deer. They added antelope in '21.

I was under the impression the 2 year wait period for successful applicants only applied to non-unlimited hunts, so a guy could still apply for and draw an unlimited archery antelope tag even if he drew a limited tag the year before. It may not be in his choice area, but he can still hunt that next year.

It doesn't apply to unlimited hunts. Most antelope archery hunts have unlimited tags but not all. Some have quotas.

True but runs right smack in the middle of elk season.......getting tough to hunt more than one species for a working man where you're limited to weekends.

Do those leftover tags go on sale like the deer amd elk? If so, the opportunity still exists.

Yes. They have a 2d drawing in Aug. The odds of drawing one are normally very low since all the unsuccessful applicants try for them.
If you draw, you have to buy your tag by Aug 1. If you don't, you forfeit your permit and it goes into the 2d drawing. I've drawn elk tags in the 2d drawing a couple times but never antelope.

^ Not only that but often the archery hunts start before they actually do the 2nd drawing.

In case you're wondering....this 2d chance thing got started a couple decades ago when the IDFG discovered that a bunch of anti-hunters were applying for tags. If they drew, they wouldn't buy the tag so some real hunter got screwed out of a tag. As long as an anti bought a license, they couldn't stop him from applying but they did put a time limit on buying the tag. If they didn't spend the money, the tag was offered again in a 2d drawing. An anti who draws can still buy a tag and not use it but most aren't willing to spend the money.
It's hard to say how successful this has been as nobody knows how many antis apply for the hunts.

I am grateful Idaho is next 2 Montana.

I used to spend money on Idaho tags

No mas

Least friendly muzzleloader elk state on earth.

I think Idaho likes Agriculture and scavengers.


And yer money.

There aren't many ML hunts, for sure.
In addition, there are some weapons restrictions to keep it a bit more primitive:
open or peep sights only
flint or percussion only, no 209 primers
Primer must be visible when cocked, IE no enclosed primers
no sabots
loose powder only, no pellets

So, most in lines are prohibited.

Sounds like Idaho, is very muzzle loader friendly, just not phony scoped, front stuffer want a be muzzle loader friendly. Rio7

Archery and muzzleloader are supposed to be primitive weapons. Short range. Limited success. Modern compounds and inlines kind of ruined that idea. Throw in all the 1000 yard elk snipers during rifle season. Only so much resource to go around