Ask Fish and Game: Controlled Hunt Process

Q. How does the controlled draw hunt system work? A. Here is a simplified version of how the controlled hunt drawing system works: The procedure has been computerized since 1973 and was certified random by Boise State University professors in 1977. Every applicant has the same chance of drawing. Officials verify that applicants meet all of the eligibility requirements to draw a permit. Each application is then assigned a randomly generated number, which is then scrambled and coded before being drawn by the computer system. The computer, located in the state controller's office, selects the successful applicants from the entire application file of eligible applicants. When a group of people enter on the same application, the group is assigned a single application number, and the system will recognize only one application number. That means a group has the same chance of drawing as an individual. The controlled hunt drawing system processes all first choice hunts in the first round. The system then does a second drawing to fill any open hunts with second choice hunts. No person can draw a second choice before that hunt has been filled by first choice people. When residents and nonresidents enter on the same application, the chances of drawing are limited to the nonresident chances. Nonresidents are limited to up to 10 percent of the permits available in any individual controlled hunt. In a controlled hunt with 100 permits, for example, nonresidents can draw up to 10 permits. If, after drawing 90 applications, the computer draws an application and finds it includes a nonresident, it checks to see whether a permit is available for a nonresident. If 10 nonresidents already have drawn permits for that hunt, the computer simply goes to the next application. Hunters can improve their odds by doing a little homework. Using the odds and results from the previous year, found on the Idaho Fish and Game hunt planner at http://fishandgame.idaho.gov, hunters can find hunts with fewer applicants and better odds of drawing.