Hunters could get a bonus in Idaho

Idaho hunters would be able to pay a little extra for a better chance at drawing a big-game hunting permit under a proposal the Idaho Fish and Game Commission will consider during its meeting Wednesday and Thursday in Kellogg.

The commission has been working on a bonus point system for controlled-hunt tag drawings since 2006. The system, used in most Western states, gives hunters better chances of drawing coveted tags each successive year they fail to win one.

Any licensed hunter can participate in Idaho’s general hunts simply by purchasing a tag. But lottery drawings are held for special controlled hunts in which the numbers of hunters are limited.

Under Idaho’s bonus point proposal, hunters could pay to accumulate more points, or entries into future controlled-hunt drawings, each time they enter and are not drawn

Hunters would have options. They could decline to participate by opting out when they apply for a controlled hunt. Or they can pay and extra $6.25 to buy a bonus point when they apply.

If a hunter buys a point and fails to draw a tag, the number of points accumulated would be squared and the hunter would then get that many entries into the drawing.

Example: If a hunter tries and fails to draw a Unit 11 bull tag, the next year he would have one bonus point that is squared to one, plus the current entry of one, for a total of two points. If he fails again during the third year, he would have two bonus points, squared to four, plus the current entry, for a total of five entries in the drawing.

Hunters could also receive bonus points without entering controlled-hunt drawings, but they would still have to pay the fee for the points and purchase a hunting license. This would allow hunters to bank points over time or get points even if they take a year off.

Those who do not participate in the system for two consecutive years would lose their banked points. Hunters could accumulate bonus points for each species.