Big game hunters who drew controlled hunt tags for deer, elk, pronghorn and black bear have until midnight Mountain Daylight Time, August 1 to buy their tags.
Tags may be purchased at any Fish and Game office, any vendor or by telephone at (800-554-8685), or online from the Fish and Game website.
Any controlled hunt tags not purchased by the deadline, except unlimited tags, will be forfeited and made available in a second drawing. The application period for the second drawing runs from August 5 - 15, with the drawing to be held around August 23.
This year, Fish and Game will not hold a separate first-come, first-served sale on controlled hunt tags with an early August start date. Any controlled hunt tags left unclaimed with an early August start date will go through the second application and draw process. Some August controlled hunts will already be in progress when the second drawing occurs, but there will be plenty of hunting time available for most of those hunts.
Discounted Second Elk Tags
Also, starting August 1, unsold nonresident elk tags will be discounted to $299 (plus $1.75 vendor fee) when purchased as second tags through the month of August. Starting September 1, these nonresident elk tags will be available as second tags at the regular price while supplies last.
Second deer tags are also available beginning August 1 but will not be discounted due to high demand. The price for second deer tags is $300.00 (plus $1.75 vendor fee) while supplies last.
Second tags come from the nonresident quota (12,815 elk tags and 15,500 deer tags). Starting in 2000, unsold nonresident tags have been made available to residents and nonresidents as second tags (about 70 percent) are sold to residents.
If the nonresident quota sells out, second tags will no longer be available for the 2016 big game season.
More information about second tags can be found at: https://idfg.idaho.gov/buy/second-tag