Skin in the game: Idaho’s new policy requires out-of-state hunters to put up cash for the chance at tags

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game is shaking up the way nonresident hunters obtain some big game hunting tags.

Gone are the days when out-of-staters could purchase over-the-counter tags for deer and elk. Under a new system that kicks off next month, nonresidents will have to enter a lottery and lay down significant cash to do so.

It is a big change that, according to the department, will make the playing field level for those seeking the tags. There was a time when obtaining a deer or elk tag for nonresidents was relatively easy. But in recent years, the limited pool of tags available for nonresidents has sold out in a single day.

The competition was so steep some nonresidents traveled to Idaho and camped out at Fish and Game offices or license vendors to be first in line when the tags go on sale. Others spent hours in front of a computer or on the phone.

That system favored people with time and money to travel or those able to spend significant time in front of screens or with a phone glued to their ears. Those unable to do so were at a disadvantage.

“The folks that could actually take the time to be off work or come to Idaho maybe felt like they had a better chance, a better bite at the apple than the rest of nonresidents. So, that feeling of inequity definitely was there,” said Tara Reichert, license program manager for the agency during its Shooting the Bull podcast.

The big rush forced people to make quick decisions if their first choice had sold out.

“People are kind of panic buying and hoping they’re buying the right tag,” she said.

The crush was also hard on vendors who were forced to divert employees from other duties to process tag and license sales.

“Close your eyes and imagine a Black Friday kind of scenario where you got a whole bunch of people standing there waiting,” said Alex Erickson, customer and vendor relations manager for the department, also on the podcast.

The new system, modeled after the state’s controlled tag drawing, is designed to alleviate all of that. Nonresidents will now go online to apply for tags individually or in groups of four. They will be able to list their top five choices for deer and elk. No waiting in lines or refreshing screens.

But the improvements require what Reichert calls “skin in the game.” In order to apply for tags, nonresidents will first have to purchase a nonrefundable $195 hunting license with no guarantee they will be successful in the draw.

“It feels like a money grab to some,” Reichert said.

But she said that skin in the game will keep the odds lower by keeping people who might not be committed from entering.

People who do fail to draw a deer or elk tag will still be able to take advantage of their investment in a license.

“We have bear tags, wolf tags, turkey tags that are still over the counter. So while you can’t get a refund if you don’t draw, there are still a lot of other things you can come to Idaho to do,” Erickson said.

The drawing application period runs Dec. 5-15. Results will be announced in early January and winners must purchase their tags by Jan. 20. A second application for leftover tags or for those that weren’t purchased will run Feb. 5-15. Those who are successful will have until March 20 to purchase tags. Any tags still left over after the second draw will be sold over the counter.

Since next month’s drawing will be a first, Fish and Game officials don’t know what the odds will be. They know they have sold all available nonresident tags since at least 2021 when the department made out-of-staters pick a hunting unit for deer. Elk hunters were previously limited to individual zones.

But under the old system, hunters could purchase their tags and licenses at the same time. Now they have to commit to a license before they know if they draw a tag. That may alter demand.

Fish and Game spokesperson Roger Phillips said hunters who enter the drawing as individuals can expect slightly better odds at drawing tags for themselves compared to those who enter as a group. But the odds of all four members of a hunting party drawing tags as individuals is expected to be lower than if those same four hunters were drawing as a group.

More information is available at bit.ly/43KOnDY. The podcast can be found at bit.ly/3LKp6U8.