Just received my elk license last week. I would bet $100 with anyone and everyone that there will be surplus available this year, next year and every year after. If you read the notes from meetings and reports, it is purely a financial game. If they had a choice of one guy paying a million bucks for his license or the current system, they would take it. Out of state licenses are all about pricing them for maximum income regardless of who gets shut out. For most, the fewer that buy, the better.
Then, after you buy it you can the warm welcome by the locals who don't seem to understand that out of state licenses pay something like 90% of the license money taken in.
The local businesses always are friendly, but the legislators and hunters would prefer you just sent your money in and then stayed home. I'm going to check out Wyoming in addition this year to see if it is a better experience.