NR Elk Tags sold out

BPKHunter · Sep 26, 2018

As of Monday, per website.

As economy improves personal incomes, and other states continue to struggle with providing opportunity, Idaho will find more demand to purchase tags.

As a resident I want less competition, but would like to see more revenue for improvements. That's probably wishful thinking.

IDbulls · Sep 26, 2018

Idaho needs to raise prices to match Montana and Wyoming. Also, make all NR apply via controlled hunt like Montana and Wyoming, no more OTC. Move the dates up to mirror, you guessed it, Montana and Wyoming. No more being the fall back. Too much pr sure on a limited resource currently.

ldjbuff · Sep 26, 2018

The hunters we ran into in units 43 and 48 during elk season were all out of state. Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida

IDbulls · Sep 26, 2018

It is the same no matter where you go in Idaho. It is rare to see Idaho plates out in the field.

IdahoInfidel · Sep 26, 2018

LAST EDITED ON Sep-26-18 AT 11:07AM (MST)[p]Californians at every trailhead where I went.

NiceRack · Sep 26, 2018

Supposedly there is a 10% cap on non-res tags. And, non-res tags go on sale Dec. 1st so there should be ample time for them to acquire their tags. What bothers me is residents can't purchase our tags until July. It seems to me residents are being put on hold so non-res hunters can secure their tags first. Shouldn't it be the other way around?
PB

idhunters · Sep 26, 2018

I wonder how many of the NR tags were actually sold to residents as a 2nd tag?

I don't think there is a 10% cap on general elk tags for NR's, that is for controlled hunts. There is a limited number of general elk and deer tags for NR's but its a set number not a percentage.

N_Corey · Sep 26, 2018

I'll bet NR tags will be selling out before they go on sale with the second tag option within the next ten years if we don't have another economy crash before then.

boise · Sep 26, 2018

Nothing new same amount of tags! We're just getting back to pre recession numbers. Idaho has always had good hunting and people have always wanted to hunt here. Last 10 years people haven't had $$. Sometimes when you sink a couple thousand dollars into a project you put out a little more effort than the guy who paid $30. We need nonresident hunters. Just like we need tourists in sawtooths, sun valley, craters of the moon,Yellowstone and downtown McCall.(use Boydstrum st. to by pass down town). It's not a bad thing. They buy stuff when they come here. My brother came down from Fairbanks to deer hunt last year. He bought a fair amount of beer in McCall and state of Idaho got $450. Win Win!

N_Corey · Sep 27, 2018

I personally don't think nonresident hunters add near as much money to the economy as the tourism industry. For the majority of hunters they'll buy some gas as they're passing through and maybe some groceries but most camp in the mountains and stay there until the hunt is over. That's just my opinion though and I'm sure some will disagree.

Soj51hopeful · Sep 27, 2018

I am a nonresident that hunts Idaho pretty regular lately. I wouldn't have a problem paying more for a tag. I don't know the units discussed where license plates are mostly nonres, but the 5-6 different units I've been to in the past were mostly ID plates seen in the field.

maddog58 · Sep 27, 2018

I hunt many different states. I'll guarantee I spend a boat load of money on every trip. Gas, food, lodging, presents to take back home, etc.

regul8r1 · Sep 27, 2018

I packed in 4 miles the second weekend. 4 dudes from California and Washington came in Sunday afternoon, they setup camp 300 yards from me. I asked the older guy to make a deal and let me hunt the drainage behind my camp and they could have the others. He said ?that sounds good, but my boys go where they want?. Also said there were two guys from Utah coming in from the other side. Apparently one of them got a bull earlier in the week. He went and called a buddy to come hunt and he bought a second tag. Ruined my attitude.

Soj51hopeful · Sep 27, 2018

I'm curious regul8r1 if those folks you encountered were all idaho residents if your attitude would be different or same. An a hole is an a hole. No matter the state they call home.

regul8r1 · Sep 27, 2018

I would have been just as upset if they were residents. I was just sharing my experience. I don't care for rude behavior from anyone. I try and treat others like I want treated.

jetsled · Sep 27, 2018

I've encountered more out of staters than ever this year. Frustrating. I don't claim to have an excellent solution, but as a state we really need to figure out a way to limit the numbers.

Soj51hopeful · Sep 27, 2018

You guys could lobby to raise the NR tag fee (which would screw you for a 2nd tag) and also demand a 10% cap of all unit tags controlled or otc. Then after a certain date say aug 15th any tags still unsold is a free for all. It is bogus residents have to wait until July to purchase tags. I personally would understand if a state did something such as this.

boise · Sep 27, 2018

Said we need NR "like" we need tourists. 12,815 NR elk @416.77= $5,340,651 a resident tag is $36.75 to match those dollars you would need to sell 145,323 more tags at resident price. Deer same thing 15,500 general and 1,500 whitetail only tags is 17,000 x301.75= $5,129,750. That's an additional 207,262 tags at resident price of $24.75. Those are just the tags you have to have $154 licenses to start with. You don't need to tell everyone with out of state plates where your honey holes are! But it would be foolish discount what they do for Idaho wildlife. Where's that $12 million coming from without them? Johnny DIY backcountry public land conservationist may be ok with tripling resident price to make that up, but time and again this forum goes sideways with ideas that make the guy next door less and less likely to think about taking his kid hunting. Just be reasonable!

Cactusbuck · Sep 29, 2018

Idaho is the most friendly state for nonresident youths. We're taking out two teenagers who have yet to even get a shot at a buck in their home state of Minnesota. Thank you Idaho!

ARROWHNTR · Oct 1, 2018

What is amazing to me is everyone I know in Idaho complains about non-resident over crowding. The part I don't get is that in 2017 Idaho sold 78K general elk tags, up to 12.8K can be sold to Non-residents, and a portion of those go to residents as second choice.

So for every Non-Resident hunter there are 5.1 resident hunters assuming all 12.8K non-resident tags go to non-residents.

I do agree that non residents hit some units harder then others, but like it or not, Idaho's population is exploding and with unlimited resident tags its just going to keep getting worse. The problem is not Non-Residents, cutting those tags in half would only reduce 8% of the hunters and cost the state 2.6 Million in tag revenue plus license sales and impact to the local economy.

I have to laugh when hunting with my family up there, we pass 20 trucks with Idaho plates and no one says a word, and we pass one with California plates and its "all these damn non residents are ruining the hunting in Idaho"

andrew12gauge · Oct 2, 2018

The reason for the July general tag sales for residents is so IDFG doesn't have to do a lot of exchanges when the draws come out, the likelihood that a nonresident is going to draw a tag is much lower and they want the nonresidents to have more than 21 days to purchase tags before they make them available to everybody. It's not like those nonresident tags are coming out of a resident quota or anything. It's funny I don't see all the nonresidents when I'm out hunting like you all do, but I tend not to be watching vehicles driving by on the roads, I'm usually back a ridge or two from the road looking for game.

IdahoInfidel · Oct 2, 2018

LAST EDITED ON Oct-02-18 AT 01:11PM (MST)[p]Only thing worse than a non resident are those guys with 2T and 1A plates.

jetsled · Oct 2, 2018

Lol....now that's funny. You must be a 6Ber....in all seriousness with the advances in social media, the rage in do it yourselfers, and every other guy filming a hunt for YouTube or a podcast it's certainly made it easier for the hunter with no experience to find and execute a hunt successfully. Kind of makes me feel old when I talk about the good ole days. Definitely need to look into solutions to make it less attractive to folks who use Idaho as a fall back.

IDbulls · Oct 2, 2018

Go to any drainage near Leadore, Salmon, Island Park, Diamond Creek during general archery and you will see the majority are non-resident. We have hunted the same area for 12 years and the only competition we get is from non-resident dudes. Gets so frustrating.

IdahoHntr · Oct 3, 2018

What does it matter if they are residents or nonresidents? I've met good and bad of both. At least the jack wagons who are nonresidents donated a lot more to our game management than the resident jack wagons.

I know it sucks to have the spot you've hunted for years "invaded" by somebody else, but with OnX maps and other online resources people are just easier able to find out about places online. That's just how it is anymore, and those things are not going away. You just have to be more resourceful than you used to be and not get so tied down in a particular spot.

There are countless miles of country in Idaho that hardly sees any hunters every single year. If you don't like people, go find those places! Otherwise, quit complaining about it.

missalot · Oct 3, 2018

I hate non-residents as much as the next guy. However, when I moved to the panhandle in 1989, every time I went into the woods I picked up the cans and crap along the road. The next week, there would be another supply of them. Since this was summer, I knew that it wasn't non-residents doing this. sometimes residents are the bigger slobs because they don't appreciate what it is that they have.

BPKHunter · Oct 4, 2018

Didn't know this would set off such a conversation. Figured most were out hunting or prepping, like I was.

There are good and bad NR's. Same with residents. I really only care about how they act on the mountain, their ethics, and if they respect others. I don't care what their plates say.

In terms of tags and opportunity, I acknowledge that residents have more rights to game that NR's. This means more cost and less tags for NR's.

As residents, I would like to see us bring in more revenue. I would like this revenue to fend off continued attacks at "points", expanded auction tags, etc. which are other revenue sources that favor NR's over residents.

NR costs should keep pace and I think their access can stay as is. There is only one hunt of demand in the state that has too many NR's and that is Unit 11 Sheep, but the tags are so limited and NR from around the world apply, so I get it. I see no reason to provide more.

As others have said, a lot of this increase in demand is driven by 3% unemployment and rising wages.

N_Corey · Oct 4, 2018

Does anyone know how the sheep draw is conducted. What I'm wondering is if the drawing is done unit specific or everyone in the same hat that's put in for sheep and when you're name is pulled if a tags available in the unit you applied for you get it.

NiceRack · Oct 5, 2018

I'm a 2L and see lots folks from CA, WA up here in the Salmon to Challis area. Probably more NR hunters than locals.
PB

swanpig · Oct 5, 2018

>I'm a 2L and see lots
>folks from CA, WA up
>here in the Salmon to
>Challis area. Probably more NR
>hunters than locals.
>PB

I was up there ten days ago Antelope hunting and I saw lots of Washington and California plates (presumably archery elk hunting).

andrew12gauge · Oct 8, 2018

>Does anyone know how the sheep
>draw is conducted. What I'm
>wondering is if the drawing
>is done unit specific or
>everyone in the same hat
>that's put in for sheep
>and when you're name is
>pulled if a tags available
>in the unit you applied
>for you get it.

All names are put in a hat, pull a name, check application to see if tag is available, if so they get the tag if not application is discarded

N_Corey · Oct 9, 2018

Do you know if they pull for unit 11 first since it's the first sheep hunt by hunt number?

hornguy · Oct 9, 2018

In the Challis area it is the killer B's in state that take over every campsite and blame the nr. Unlimited resident tags and 15500 tags state wide for the nr do the math. Just a perception.

backcountryID · Oct 21, 2018

I normally don't see many others in my typical stomping grounds, and those I do see are local to the area.

I went for a drive through 39 today to do some fishing with such nice weather. An awful lot of Washington plates up there. And man, those Washington boys sure don't like to slow down or scoot over at all when you meet head to head on those narrow forest service roads.

At least the Idaho guys understand how to drive.