Draw Success

velvet5

Member
Jul 4, 2012
53
0
ca, unfortunately!!!!
I have a question for all:

Who here has drawn a controlled hunt in Idaho?
I've put in for years with no results and have many buddies who have not drawn anything either.
What are your thoughts and please share if you have to instill some hope that Idaho is fair!!!!

(pondering if the 180 swing at the plate is worth it, and no i do not apply for anywhere near the top 20 most premium deer and elk hunts, statistically speaking)

Thanks
 

JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
7,316
8,697
72
Gypsum, Co
I am not familiar with Idaho's draw system but you will find that now matter what draw system that they use be it bonus points, preference points or no points at all that they all end up being rotten.

And I have draws going on in all the systems right now and for a nonresident it is always a long waiting game no matter what state it is.
 

Tim McCoy

Veteran member
Dec 15, 2014
1,855
4
Oregon
Don't believe they use points in ID. If one buys the license, does not draw, and uses it for an OTC back up plan if other draws bomb too, it could make sense. I don't apply there as I'd not use the OTC back up option and feel I can get a better bang for the buck elsewhere, but I started investing in points about 25 years ago. Your situation may be different, which could make for a different answer for you.
 

Umpqua Hunter

Veteran member
May 26, 2011
3,576
88
61
North Umpqua, Oregon
My wife and I apply extensively for hunts in western states and we rarely apply in Idaho (as in once or twice every 10 years). The draw odds are deceptively poor due to the nonresident allocation. As Tim says, if you have other plans to use the required hunting license, then applying makes more sense.
 

ore hunter

Very Active Member
Jul 25, 2014
699
114
Ive drawn 2 out of 3 different times for elk tags,,1 of the 2 was even a 2nd choice!!!your odds go up if you pick mediocre units.I always fall back on Idaho and put in right at deadline time,,by then ive already gotten some of my other state draw results and can gamble accordingly.
 

kidoggy

Veteran member
Apr 23, 2016
9,847
10,860
58
idaho
I am an idaho resident and have drawn many tags over the years. Idaho draw is set up . luck of the draw so some may draw every year, some may never get one, I myself put in for an antelope hunt for 17 years before I finally got it. many hunts I triedfor year after year I got while many of my family and friends got them every couple years. other hunts I was the lucky one ,while they were not.

IF&G JUST DID A STUDY LOOKING INTO POINT SYSTEM AND MAJORITY OF RESIDENTS OPPOSED IT OVER SYSTEM IN PLACE.

I can not speak to how difficult it is for a nonresident to draw but Idaho has some outstanding , over the counter tag opportunities ,if one is unsuccessfull in the draw.
 

Umpqua Hunter

Veteran member
May 26, 2011
3,576
88
61
North Umpqua, Oregon
I should add some detail to my post about applying as a NONRESIDENT in Idaho. For hunts with 10 tags or more, Idaho issues no more than 10% of their tags to non-residents. To put it simply, if more than 10% of the applicants for a given hunt are non-residents, your odds to draw are lower than the simple odds (applicants divided by number of applicants). Before I applied for a hunt, I would look at 3 to 5 years of historical odds to determine how many nonresidents are applying for that hunt. Let me give an example:

A hunt has 50 tags and 500 applicants

Simple odds: 50 tags /500 applicants = 10% draw odds.

But let's say that 200 of those applicants are non-residents. Those 200 non-resident applicants can draw 10% of the licenses or 5 tags. The real odds were:

5 tags/200 nonresident applicants = 2.5% draw odds.

Typically, if you are applying for higher demand hunts, buying a non-resident hunting license to apply for those is a poor use of your money. If you are applying for lower demand hunts, it may be a good investment. It pays to do your homework.

Here is the link for the historical draw odds.

http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/public/licenses/controlledHunts/lookupOdds.cfm

This knowledge can also be helpful for resident applicants. In the example given above, the remaining 300 applicants are residents competing for 45 tags so there odds were:

45 tags / 300 resident applicants = 15%

So the real odds to draw as a resident were better than they appeared on the surface.
 
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wyheadhunter

Member
Aug 27, 2014
57
0
Wyoming
I applied in Idaho one time back in the late 80's for a archery only mountain goat tag. I drew the only year I applied but odds were like 1 in 4 before you deduct the nonresident factor.
 

theleo91386

Member
Apr 20, 2016
74
0
The best way to handle Idaho is to get a bow so you can archery hunt. Find units that are OTC archery tags but require you to draw with a rifle. Meat hunt and learn the unit with a bow in your hand and shop for horns when you draw the rifle tag. The added benefit to this is that in many of the zones the out of state tag quota is never met. So you can still hunt the archery season, learn how the area is doing that year and then come back and hit it again with the rifle tag. The ability to harvest two animals shouldn't be overlooked.

Every draw system has its problems. At least with Idaho you don't have to deal with point creep like you do in Oregon. With Idaho you always have a chance at the draws, in Oregon residents don't even think they stand a chance of drawing a certain 3 units for elk until they've been applying for about 20 years, and that wait gets longer every year.

Learn the system and take advantage of it the best you can.