Ask Fish and Game

Q. Back in May, I applied for an elk controlled hunt and I found out in June that I didn't draw. No surprise, but then I see permits left in that same hunt left over for a second drawing. Needless to say, I am a more than a little ticked by this situation. What's up with this? A. All the permits in the hunt you wanted when you applied were drawn; the hunt was fully subscribed, in other words. But one or more of the people who drew failed-for whatever reason-to claim the permit they drew by the August 1 deadline for claiming controlled hunt tags. The fairest way to handle unclaimed permits Fish and Game, following the recommendations of many Idaho hunters, is to run a controlled hunt drawing with the same rules and conditions as applied to the first big game controlled hunt drawing. A fair and equal shot at a permit is what most hunters want.