Idaho Non-Res Tag Frenzy Tuesday- Who’s playing?

[muleyslayer]

Why would you guys buy Idaho hunting tags? We have the greatest hunting in the nation. All jokes aside I was 12k ish online, ended up with my second choice tag. Not a perfect system, but it works

[WapitiTalk1]

There are a few other areas in Idaho that hold elk besides the “premium” units…just saying.

[fowl smacker]

Fowl smacker, who’s says there’s a draw in 26?

The game warden we talked to over there this yr told me that.

[big wood]

I was #4 in line, when the gal punched my elk tag it was sold out at 9:07. Can't believe it was sold out that fast. Been hunting that unit for 25 years. To much multi media and guys with their you tube channel telling all the new guys how and where to go.

Not that I dont think you tube and influencers trash units, but the Idaho system and most states systems highlight the most desirable units. We all know in what order they sell out. Many folks purchase the most desirable units they’re given the chance to purchase.
Your unit is desirable to people that have never seen it cause other folks like you buy the tags.

just saying I used to buy that tag in July now every guy across america watching go hunt is in the game

[ganghis]

I didn't apply this year, but honestly I like their system and have had good luck there w elk & whitetail, even in lower success units.  I like that I can get in line and get a tag most of the time...it also gives me options.  Last year I thought I'd try my luck w Wyoming (not a sure thing but close) but then got in line in Idaho and got a good number.  Got a great elk tag and didn't have to worry about Wyoming.  Now I've got a sure thing in Wyoming coming up.  I'm prioritizing one quality hunt out of state per year and Idaho is part of that game plan.

[blackpowderhunter]

The way stores choose to sell the tags is up to them. They could make it 1 tag per person if they want or they can process all of their friends tags before they serve the person at the counter. It’s all up to the business owner.

exactly.
even if the state put a "rule" in place they can do whatever they want.
hell i bought mine over the phone last year at a gas station in a town smaller than most highschools in this state because she knows me and ive been hunting there for 10 years.  ya'll can hate on me for going that route if you want.
it's all gonna change.
people don't believe it but it will push some people to other OTC non res states, like WA. 
The guy who brought me along to start hunting Idaho with his family is originally from there said if they go draw, he'll likely just start hunting wa with us.  500 bucks for a non res elk tag in wa seems cheap now 

[Humptulips]

I tried it this year, #23,195.

[ipkus]

Of all the changes in tag allotments/sales rules in the Western states the absolute least thing I am worried about is increased non-resident pressure in WA…

[High Climber]

Of all the changes in tag allotments/sales rules in the Western states the absolute least thing I am worried about is increased non-resident pressure in WA…

I think It’s a matter of time before you start seeing more license plates at your favorite trailheads and road systems. Especially with guys starting threads on other forums about hunting in WA and showing off their bounty and talking about how good the hunting is. WA has a terrible reputation with the out of state crowd, but Once the hoards figure out they can hunt every year in the same place OTC and have a shot at some really good tags in the draw they will start filtering in… all it’s gonna take is some “influencers” to start saying it’s worth it.

[frazierw]

I logged in for the first time to try and get one online.  I was in the 14k range when I got my spot in line.  I had a tag in mind, and 23 were available when it was my turn.  I figured in the 14k range, I wouldn't have a chance, but I was surprised.

[hunter_sean08]

I was #4 in line, when the gal punched my elk tag it was sold out at 9:07. Can't believe it was sold out that fast. Been hunting that unit for 25 years. To much multi media and guys with their you tube channel telling all the new guys how and where to go.

Not that I dont think you tube and influencers trash units, but the Idaho system and most states systems highlight the most desirable units. We all know in what order they sell out. Many folks purchase the most desirable units they’re given the chance to purchase.
Your unit is desirable to people that have never seen it cause other folks like you buy the tags.

just saying I used to buy that tag in July now every guy across america watching go hunt is in the game

When I stopped by the IDFG booth at the Sportsman's Show in Portland 4 or 5 years ago or so, the guys working the booth warned us about what had already happened and what was to come with non-resident hunting. They singled out GoHunt as a primary reason why. Around the same time, I had spoken with Jerrod Lyle over at Huntin' Fool on the phone and he more or less told me that living in WA, my hunting party was silly to not be hunting in Idaho with their OTC opportunities. Really nice guy, but man I can't imagine how many other folks he gave that same advice too. These research tools bring a lot of power to our hands, but with that power, we unearthed a mess of unintended consequences. You could make the same argument for OnX providing us with the ability to e-scout areas a thousand miles away. I'm not necessarily bashing these resources (I have subscriptions to OnX and GoHunt), they've just made it a lot simpler to hunt the West. The irony is they've added some difficulty into the game too. Life without smartphones is a distant memory... 

[CarbonHunter]

The irony of Idaho is that the units with low numbers of elk tags is because they have a smaller heard that is usually below objectives. People run for those tags thinking that it will be a great trophy hunt when that is not necessarily the truth.

With the deer tags the numbers are based upon 10% of the number of residents who claim they hunt there. Therefore units that see the most hunting pressure actually have more nonresident deer tags than units that have fewer residents hunting them. Completely conflicting with the plan of making nonresidents pick a unit so they do not overcrowd the units the residents hunt in.

Before we had to pick units for deer you would see a lot of nonresident hunters in the backcountry where there was a lot of public land. Now those units have fewer tags on average than the units close to populations with lots of private land.

The true rush on the tags began when you had to pick a deer unit. Before then it was getting popular but it was not a first day debacle.

[Dark2Dark]

Lol. People will not be flooding to Washington to hunt. Weather is awful for many of the season. Success rates are terrible. Animals are small. Tags and applications are expensive.

[High Climber]

Lol. People will not be flooding to Washington to hunt. Weather is awful for many of the season. Success rates are terrible. Animals are small. Tags and applications are expensive.

Washington is expensive if you only intend to enter the draw. If a NR plans on hunting the OTC tag they have to buy anyways, it’s actually cheap. It costs ~$850 for a NR to hunt Idaho Elk and ~$650 in WA buys you an Elk tag for any open unit and a chance in the draw for some world class tags. Plenty of elk on public land on both sides of the State if a guy puts in the time to learn the areas and is willing to get after it. The harder these other states make it to get tags and the more expensive they get, the better WA starts to look if a guy wants to hunt elk every year. I camped next to a bunch of guys from Oregon in colockum this year that were there to chase spikes for the 3rd year in a row. The narrative that WA sucks and is not worth the $ is pretty overstated in my opinion, but it’s definitely a good narrative for residents. That being said, I hope you are right 

[Alan K]

The odds of drawing a good tag in WA are sub 1% for anyone starting out. $110 to swing the bat at sub 1% as a non-resident is pretty unlikely I'd say, especially when 20 years worth of that only improves your odds to sub 5%.  There could very well be folks that do, but I'd guess it's more ignorance of their draw odds than intentional at that point. I'd guess 75% of WA residents don't realize how miniscule their draw odds are in this state for the good tags.