The fun part about this that has kind of been uncovered is that the sum of the units allocations doesn't reach the total allocation, at least for elk.
The legal limit for NR tags is over the sum of the units. Every year on August 1st there's this lovely little special pot of NR elk tags that were never actually offered to NR, but are available exclusively as 2nd elk tags for residents. Last several years I've bought a second elk tag at the NR price (old price, $416) in mid Sept.
Residents were complaining, so I credit IDFG with listening, but the truth is 10 years ago they sold more NR tags AND the resident population was smaller. Now the resident population is larger and they're actually selling fewer NR tags because they're not hitting their NR max numbers due to the zone-based 10-15% approach they've taken.
I do expect this secret pot of NR tags to erode when they reevaluate their deer and elk zones to find that more residents means more resident hunters and that 10-15% figure will increase NR tags per zone. But until then, I'll rest easy knowing I have a 2nd permit always available to me until mid season.
Sidenote: I don't really understand how idaho whitetail tags, or general tags in whitetail prominent areas, are still so popular. Its the only game animal found in nearly every state in the country and while Idaho has some big ones, they're IMO not any better than other states. Maybe I'm the one missing the point.
In WA, you can't hunt whitetails, for the most part, during their rut with a rifle without a special permit. Other states have tags to hunt them with a rifle during the rut on general season. 
Fair point!
It’s is a fair point and I love hunting whitetail in the rut in Idaho. The downside is it has led to a lot less older age class bucks. In my opinion after they extended rifle season to include both October and November the numbers of large bucks declined quite a bit. I love hunting whitetail in the panhandle but the opportunity to rifle hunt for 2 months and during the entire rut has resulted in less mature bucks. I agree with stang on this one. I am surprised by the excitement to grab idaho whitetail tags with the extra cost and travel etc. I actually see a lot more large whitetail in other states. It’s a fun hunt in Idaho and you can still get nice bucks and occasionally a great one but it’s definitely not a great whitetail state. The best whitetail archery hunter I know ,that lives in Idaho ,loves to hunt Washington 😂 he said it’s because Washington DOES NOT
have a rifle rut hunt so he finds more mature bucks during archery.
This is also very accurate. One of those "be careful what you wish for" scenarios
