Fish & Game discounted wildlife tags now available

Idaho Fish and Game officials continue to offer discounts for big game hunters who want more hunting opportunities.

Through Aug. 31, resident and nonresident hunters can buy remaining nonresident tags as second tags for deer and elk.

Starting Sept. 1, sales of these nonresident tags will increase, which doesn't include vendor fees.

Any hunter who has purchased a hunting license and a 2015 deer or elk tag at the regular resident or nonresident prices can buy a discounted second tag for the same species. Tags are sold on a first come, first served basis with supplies limited to the available nonresident tag quota.

Tags are available at Fish and Game offices and license and tag vendors. They are also available online at www.fishandgame.idaho.gov or by calling 1-800-554-8685.

Fish and Game sold discounted deer and elk tags last year as an incentive for hunters to buy the remaining quota of nonresident tags, but commissioners decided this year to limit the discount sale to August. The nonresident quota is 12,815 elk tags and 15,500 deer tags.

Since 2008, a portion of the nonresident quota has gone unsold. However, Fish and Game has seen increased tag sales due in part to improved deer and elk hunting in Idaho and a better economy, officials said.

Through July, sale of nonresident elk tags was up 25 percent over the same period last year and up 14 percent for deer tags. Fish and Game is forecasting better deer and elk hunting this year because of mild winters and excellent survival rates of deer and elk.

For the first time last year, Fish and Game commissioners allowed residents and nonresidents to buy at a discount the remaining nonresident tags as second tags, and it was popular, officials said.

Nonresident tag quotas are factored into projected harvest rates, so Fish and Game officials don't expect increased sales, either as nonresident tags or second tags, will lead to overharvesting of deer or elk. Last year, hunters using second tags accounted for 2.5 percent of the statewide elk harvest and 3 percent of the statewide deer harvest.

While this is the second year of discounted nonresident tags sold as second tags, the program is not new, officials emphasized. Nonresident deer and elk tags have been sold as second tags since 2000. For more information, go online to fishandgame.idaho.gov/2tags.