Most capped elk zone tags go on sale at 10 a.m. MDT July 9; Sawtooth Zone tags on July 11

All capped elk zones, other than the Sawtooth Elk Zone, will go on sale on July 9 at 10 a.m. MDT. Tags are first-come, first-served and available at GoOutdoorsIdaho.com, at all Idaho Fish and Game license vendors, Fish and Game regional offices, on Fish and Game’s mobile app, or by calling 1 (800) 554-8685.

Half of the Sawtooth Elk Zone tags go on sale at Fish and Game offices and license vendor locations on July 11 at 10 a.m. MDT. The other half of the Sawtooth Elk Zone tags go on sale online and over the phone at (800) 554-8685 at 1 p.m. MDT and will follow the same sale process and rules listed below.

To see how many tags are available, go to Fish and Game’s resident capped elk zone webpage.

Who’s eligible to buy tags?

All Idaho residents with a valid 2025 hunting license who did not apply for a controlled elk hunt can buy a capped elk zone tag immediately when they go on sale. 

Hunters who applied for a controlled elk hunt must wait five days with some exceptions, including those who applied for extra controlled hunts, Super Hunt tags, and depredation hunts.

How to prepare for the sale

Hunters are encouraged to set up their GoOutdoorsIdaho.com account in advance of the sale or verify their existing account to ensure the login process is smooth online or in-person. Hunter education certification is required and must be on file for hunters born after 1974. Archery hunters must also provide their archery certification. 

If purchasing through the GoOutdoorsIdaho mobile app, make sure the latest version is downloaded from the app store.

Hunters must have a valid hunting license to buy a tag online, but both can be purchased at the same time. The hunting license will not be refunded if a hunter does not get their desired tag. 

Information for the online sale

A virtual waiting room will open prior to the sale and hunters can log in during that period by going to GoOutdoorsIdaho.com. If the hunter logs into the site and does not see the waiting room, he or she needs to log out and come back to the site closer to the sale start time of 10 a.m. MDT. Each person may only log in on one device for the sale. If you’re looking to purchase for multiple people, each person will need to log in on a separate device. 

At 10 a.m. MDT, all customers in the virtual waiting room will be randomly assigned a place in line. Customers logging in after 10 a.m. MDT will be placed at the back of the line. 

Important online sales notes

The virtual waiting room uses cookies to track the user’s place in line. If a user is in incognito mode, have privacy settings that clear cookies, or is using system settings that automatically delete their search history, this could result in losing a place in line after leaving the page. 

If you’re logged in and change devices, such as from a computer to a cell phone, or desktop to a laptop, you will lose your place in line. 

You have 30 minutes to buy your tag after it's selected

When a tag is added to the shopping cart, the buyer has 30 minutes to complete the transaction. The tag may be cleared from the shopping cart if the transaction is not completed within that time.

Buyers should expect up to 24 hours to receive a purchase confirmation email. Tags will be mailed within 10 business days of the sales date.

Online buyers may experience long waits, and tags may sell out quickly

Demand for some elk tags will be high, and the most popular elk zones may sell out within minutes, or hours. Unfortunately, that means some hunters may experience long waits to buy a tag, and tags may sell out while they’re waiting. 

There will be no real-time tally of how many tags remain for each elk zone due to tags being sold simultaneously online, at vendors and at regional offices. Fish and Game staff will try to post when elk zones are sold out, but there may be a lag time as tags are added or removed from online shopping carts.

Camping is not allowed at Fish and Game offices

To prevent disruption of public service and ensure fair and orderly sales of capped elk zone tags, Idaho Fish and Game does not allow camping at any regional offices or the Boise headquarters.