Resident capped elk zone tag sales

smokepoler63

Active Member
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371
I'm wondering what the thoughts are out there on how the IDFG handled the sale of the resident elk tags for the capped zones this year (2021). For those that don't know, these tags are sold first-come, first served at the point of sale (POS) machines at venders and IDFG regional offices beginning at 10:00 AM on the posted sale date. They are also offered online, however, this year they did something different. You had to log into your account between 9:45 and 9:59 to be placed in a "virtual" waiting room. Then at 10:00 you were assigned a random number and placed in a sequential waiting line based on your assigned random number. Personally, this doesn't sound like first-come, first served to me.

I stood in a physical line at a local vender, while logged into my account on my phone in a virtual waiting room, waiting to see what random number I would be assigned, and was pulling my hair out as the clerk operating the POS machine was trying to figure out how to purchase an elk tag for the first person in line for 8 minutes after the tags went on sale. I was eventually able to get my tag online on my phone by the time I reached the counter and POS machine where I purchased a tag for my son.

This was the 3rd vender I had stopped at before 9:45 that morning. The first vender's POS machine was down and wouldn't be selling any tags, the second was an IDFG regional office and I learned there were already 40-50 people ahead of me with assigned numbers. I'm grateful that I was able to get a tag for my son and I, but this was a very frustrating and stressful situation. 1330 resident tags were sold out by 11:07. Just curious what others thought of the resident capped zone elk tag sales?
 
I thought the virtual waiting room was a good system, but with hour plus wait times it seems like POS is going to be the way to go for resident tags from here on. nonresidents are going to have to deal with that virtual waiting room though
 
I saw how they wanted to do it, and decided it was gonna be a cluster. I just picked up an A tag for an open unit, close to home, and if I get a chance for a cow I will take it!
 
The online started at 12:45. I sat in line at Cabelas from 10 PM last night with 12 other people. Two people had been at Cabelas since SUNDAY!!! Got my tag this morning at 10, then logged in for the 12:45 online, and got a tag for my daughter. I should have gotten both at 10 but I didn't want to get lynched for buying two tags by the already agitated customers waiting in the lines. Turns out the guy in front of me bought 3 tags and another 4 tags. I think they need to keep it 1 tag per customer.
 
There are still some available from the 12th though (not diamond A):

As for me, my Sawtooth B tag is in the mail, as I was fortunate to score online this afternoon with a line number in the high 800s. I have no idea how many ended up in the line.
 
Damn!!
That does sound like a mess.
Luckily I have been fortunate enough to always get my tag through a vendor, but this morning for the Sawtooth tags it was touch and go for sure. All the machines froze up just a second or two after 10 AM. (I assume statewide)
It was pretty tense there for a while, finally after 6/7 minutes the gal working the machine got my buddy that was first in line an A tag I was second in line and I was fortunate enough to get an A tag as well at 10:17

I was on the phone with several different friends
At the time and was told the B tags were sold out, that damn sure wasn’t welcome news to the line behind me.
My buddy and I got the only two tags that were sold through this vendor. The gal operating the machine kept rebooting and I think that wasted valuable time.
The vendors some of my friends were at were able to kick out more than 10 tags.
I think you need to be very careful on which vendor you choose to go to most of the convenience store machines are operated by total rookies And they can make a mess out of things in a hurry.

Fortunately I have been able to secure an OTC elk tag of my choice in Idaho every year since 1974
I do know that streak can’t go on much longer, When the day comes that I don’t secure an elk tag I will put all the energy and time that I put into hunting elk and apply that towards hunting wolves.
I have targeted wolves in the past and that can be just as exciting as any elk hunt.
 
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Damn!!
That does sound like a mess.
Luckily I have been fortunate enough to always get my tag through a vendor, but this morning for the Sawtooth tags it was touch and go for sure. All the machines froze up just a second or two after 10 AM. (I assume statewide)
It was pretty tense there for a while, finally after 6/7 minutes the gal working the machine got my buddy that was first in line an A tag I was second in line and I was fortunate enough to get an A tag as well at 10:17

I was on the phone with several different friends
At the time and was told the B tags were sold out, that damn sure wasn’t welcome news to the line behind me.
My buddy and I got the only two tags that were sold through this vendor. The gal operating the machine kept rebooting and I think that wasted valuable time.
The vendors some of my friends were at were able to kick out more than 10 tags.
I think you need to be very careful on which vendor you choose to go to most of the convenience store machines are operated by total rookies And they can make a mess out of things in a hurry.

Fortunately I have been able to secure an OTC elk tag in Idaho of my choice every year since 1974
I do know that streak can’t go on much longer, When the day comes that I don’t secure an elk tag I will put all the energy and time that I put into hunting elk and apply that towards hunting wolves.
I have targeted wolves in the past and that can be just as exciting as any elk hunt.
The machines freezing up at 10 sounds real familiar. I was at a small sporting goods store Monday and was the only 1 there and they weren’t able to get me a tag until 10:10
 
I agree. What a $hit show. Online method is not FC/FS at all and the result of all the whiners who got beat out last yr by guys who are more computer-savvy. Supposedly, it was to make it more fair for those with "slower internet connections." The only slow connection is from the user's brain to their fingers. If you're using dial-up, that's your problem. Go to a vendor. I don't understand why Sawtooth has to be on a different day than the remaining capped zone tags either. I could be wrong as I've never tried it but doesn't that give guys an opportunity to get another capped zone tag in the first sale and then try to exchange it for the Sawtooth tag later in the second sale?
 
I think they need to make it ONE tag per customer unless purchasing for a child or Senor. It's not fair that some guy steps up and buys 5 tags for all his buddies. As for the online, they made it a separate day because it already crashed the system as it was. There is no way that the servers could handle that load with additional capped tags in other zones.
 
I think they need to make it ONE tag per customer unless purchasing for a child or Senor. It's not fair that some guy steps up and buys 5 tags for all his buddies. As for the online, they made it a separate day because it already crashed the system as it was. There is no way that the servers could handle that load with additional capped tags in other zones.
Agree about the 1 tag/customer. I don't think you'd even be able to buy more than one online as you'd have to log into another user's account and would lose your place in line. But, it would tick me off if I was waiting in line for hours at a POS vendor and some guy ahead of me bought a bunch of tags and they sold out because of that right in front of me.

As for the system crashing, surely there are systems out there that can handle that kind of load. But, like the completely inept and incompetent new DMV system, this one is probably owned by a relative of one of our corrupt legislators or govt officials who are getting a back-door favor.
 
Agree about the 1 tag/customer. I don't think you'd even be able to buy more than one online as you'd have to log into another user's account and would lose your place in line. But, it would tick me off if I was waiting in line for hours at a POS vendor and some guy ahead of me bought a bunch of tags and they sold out because of that right in front of me.

As for the system crashing, surely there are systems out there that can handle that kind of load. But, like the completely inept and incompetent new DMV system, this one is probably owned by a relative of one of our corrupt legislators or govt officials who are getting a back-door favor.

Yes, there were a couple guys in front of me that bought 3 and 4 tags. I was so self conscious of the guys behind me, that I didn't get one for my daughter when I got up to the computers.

That is a massive load and having my own server I know that it is tough to put that many people on the system at the same time. Can it be done? Yes, but at what expense for 2 days out of the year.
 
I thought the virtual waiting room was a good system, but with hour plus wait times it seems like POS is going to be the way to go for resident tags from here on. nonresidents are going to have to deal with that virtual waiting room though
We already did. December 1st was the same s#!t show that you guys are describing.
 
We already did. December 1st was the same s#!t show that you guys are describing.
I guess what I mean is most nonresidents will not be able to visit a brick and mortar establishment for POS licensing, I think that the “virtual waiting room” experience will likely push more residents toward visiting license vendors rather than having to deal with it in future years
 
I don't know about that. I don't see myself converting to a POS vendor. Not sure what is more frustrating--using the lame virtual waiting room or having to stand in line for hours only to have to wait while some clueless salesperson tries to figure out the system and then have a bunch of guys ahead of me buying tags for all their buddies and family members who aren't even there and watching the tags sell out ahead of you.
 
I don't know about that. I don't see myself converting to a POS vendor. Not sure what is more frustrating--using the lame virtual waiting room or having to stand in line for hours only to have to wait while some clueless salesperson tries to figure out the system and then have a bunch of guys ahead of me buying tags for all their buddies and family members who aren't even there and watching the tags sell out ahead of you.
Don’t go to cabelas/sportsman’s/IDFG, there are lots of smaller shops, even some gas stations that do license sales, for example I was thinking about going to an IDFG regional office on Monday to get my tag and when I pulled up at 9:45 the parking lot had about 30 trucks parked in it, I drove to a much smaller vendor instead, and pulled into an empty parking lot at 9:55 and had my tag by 10:05, one other guy came in right behind me, then I went back and got my buddy a tag since he was visiting family out of state and had over an hr wait in the virtual waiting room.
 
Unfortunately times are changing. There are many new residents moving into Idaho and many of the 2021 nonresident tags sold out on December 1st, 2020. At some point the logical thing to do is switch everything to draw. It will be a sad day when Idaho's general season tags reflect Utah's "general deer tag" and you don't get to hunt that year unless you draw a tag.
 
I feel like it was a decent online system. Scooped up a Diamond Creek tag for myself and pioneer B tag for my wife online.

If I weren’t able to scoop them up I may be singing a different tune, but it worked out
 
I don't know about that. I don't see myself converting to a POS vendor. Not sure what is more frustrating--using the lame virtual waiting room or having to stand in line for hours only to have to wait while some clueless salesperson tries to figure out the system and then have a bunch of guys ahead of me buying tags for all their buddies and family members who aren't even there and watching the tags sell out ahead of you.
My blood pressure just went up thinking about this scenario.
 
My daughter and I both got Sawtooth B tags and my wife got her pioneer B no problem at all, all online. I think it’s a great system IMO keeps it from crashing every 2 minutes like the vendors did.
Matt
 

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