Non resident tag group

[mukbowhunt]

@mukbowhunt Thanks for going this back up..

For some reason I thought it was already set to start selling gen/capped elk tags via draw in 2026? Is that not the case? Wondering as I ponder one more participation in the December chit show sale.

Not the case. The current working group is going to recommend changes to the department and then the department will decide how to move forward.

 

[mukbowhunt]

I wonder if the group’s recommendations are going to be open for public comment or go straight to the commission for a vote.

They mentioned public comment would be involved once department takes up. Working group solicited public comment too.

 

[Khunter]

Not the case. The current working group is going to recommend changes to the department and then the department will decide how to move forward.

good deal. Have figured out how to snag the archery elk tag I enjoy. maybe get another year with same obviously flawed system.

 

[daltrix99]

Has anyone been following along on this? This week I read their past 3 meetings minutes and then listened to 80% of today’s meeting on zoom. Fascinating discussion.

They are recommending a draw, hunting license required, no change to refund schedule, still first draw in the west and took max 10% non-resident off the table. There was more but those are some of the highlights. Currently still arguing over how much outfitter subsidy should be supported further with more outfitter allocated tags. There are A tag zones for elk where the outfitters have over 70% of the nonresident tags.

There nonresident formula for capped zones is dumb and keeps walking the nonresident lower because they are taking a percentage of the previous 5 yr average. Well we are 3 years into caps being in place so of course hunter numbers are decreasing and thus nonresident tags allocated are plummeting.

One a tag elk zone is down 57% in 2 years. There formula is a race to the bottom. Sigh.

Can you explain the nonresident formula for capped zones and how it's causing a decrease in NR tags?

 

[seeth07]

Can you explain the nonresident formula for capped zones and how it's causing a decrease in NR tags?

5 year average. So if tags for 5 years were 100, 90, 90, 80 and 70, year 6 amount would be the average of those 5 which is 86. Then the next year its 90,90,80,70,86. That average is now 83 tags.

 

[daltrix99]

5 year average. So if tags for 5 years were 100, 90, 90, 80 and 70, year 6 amount would be the average of those 5 which is 86. Then the next year its 90,90,80,70,86. That average is now 83 tags.

Ah ok thank you. And why is that number going down every year?

 

[seeth07]

Ah ok thank you. And why is that number going down every year?

It will only until the averages converge. In the example I gave, it goes to 86, then 83, then 81, then 80. Converged and will stay at 80

 

[TheTone]

The non resident tag quotas are factored off resident hunters in a unit/zone not non resident. It’s entirely possible some units could see non resident numbers go up

 

[mukbowhunt]

Ah ok thank you. And why is that number going down every year?

Because they limited nonresident participation to 10%. Each year we are rolling off another high print and adding a low print.

Throw in more tags of that 10% being allocated to outfitters and it makes it really hard in some units to get a DIY tag.

 

[mukbowhunt]

Based on today’s continuing chaos this group should hurry up and get their recommendations to the commission.

 

[MNElkNut]

Any mention of party applications?

 

[mukbowhunt]

Any mention of party applications?

Yes. One of the reasons why they feel a draw is the best path forward.

 

[Khunter]

Based on today’s continuing chaos this group should hurry up and get their recommendations to the commission.

so very true.

Worst of the sale process IMO is the vast array of allowed “special processes” each vendor can gin up. Doing emailed orders only to make a massive list to process while the shop is closed to walk ins, and then calling guys all over the country for credit cards hours after tags were printed, selling to guys who are not and in many cases never were in person, letting guys get on a list days or even a day in advance who never sat in line at all other than to show up at 10 am to pay, And the granddaddy of them all, selling to outfitters who post their staff/family/friemds in line for multiple tag purchases per person. Coral lady to 5e last one is any one individual in line buying a long list of tags. Debateable is what constitutes a long or too long number of tags per person to sell.

If IDFG cleaned up and made the process fair and constituent for in person sales and required a single login per person waiting online, a lot of the issues would be resolved.

I got my 1st choice tag third year in a row and I still hate the current system for its inequity. Play the game but despise it all the same.