I think it happens often. With how they draw its one flaw. If your wild Id gets picked with a low number I think you have a good chance at drawing multiple tags.
I agree it probably happens fairly often. But it's not quite correct to think that if you draw a low number, it will increase your odds of getting multiple permits. The random numbers are assigned separately for each category you apply in. So a low number in one category has no influence on your chance of drawing a permit in another category.
As another post stated, it's just a part of the "game." Take the risk if you want and apply for hunts in more than one category per species. Or play it safe and apply for only the point option in some categories.
It isn't necessarily a waste of a permit if you draw a cow elk hunt and a bull elk hunt in the same year. You can still use both permits, as long as you don't use your tag on the first hunt.
It might make sense to apply for a cow hunt that has a later season than the bull hunt you applied for. That way you can hunt the bull permit first, and use the cow permit as a backup if you're not successful in killing a bull.
