Idaho Just Blew Up Their Old Application System

Here Is What You Need To Know About The New Idaho Nonresident General Deer and Elk Tag Draw

Idaho has officially changed the game for nonresident elk and deer hunters.

For years, Idaho’s general tag sale system was hated by most nonresidents. You had to log in on one day, sit in a digital “waiting room,” get assigned a random queue number, and if your number was good enough, you got to buy a tag. If not, tough luck. It was miserable, it was hours of wasted time, and it was basically a keyboard Olympics that had nothing to do with hunting knowledge or strategy.

On top of that, you could not apply as a group. So if you wanted to hunt with friends, every single one of you had to get lucky on your own. Most people have had years where one guy drew and the other guys did not and the planned hunt fell apart.

Idaho finally changed it.

Starting in the 2026 hunting season. Idaho nonresident general deer and elk tags will now be allocated through a true draw and not through the old queue click fest.

The New Draw System Breakdown

Every nonresident who wants to apply must purchase a 2026 Idaho hunting license first. These licenses go on sale December 1, 2025. Idaho is very clear: this license is nonrefundable even if you do not draw. That license can still be used to:

• apply for controlled hunts

• hunt small game

• hunt upland game

• and participate in returned tag sales later in the year

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Applications for the draw will be submitted online at GoOutdoorsIdaho.com. When you apply, you can list up to 5 different hunt choices and you can also apply as a group with up to 4 people in the group.

This group application piece is huge. Idaho finally realized how bad it was to not allow people to plan hunts together. Now, if a group application draws, the entire group draws.

Key Application and Claim Dates You Need to Know

December 5–15, 2025: First application window opens for nonresidents and DAV applicants.

Early January 2026: Results for the first application window are announced. If you draw a tag, you must purchase it by:

January 20, 2026: If you do not purchase by this date, you forfeit your tag and it will go back into the pool for the second draw.

February 5–15, 2026: Second application window for nonresidents.

Early March 2026: Second draw results announced.

March 20, 2026: Final purchase deadline for second draw tags. Anything not claimed after this deadline is forfeited and goes into returned tag sales.

This new rollout spreads out the tag allocation and gives Idaho multiple chances to redistribute tags instead of everything happening one time and being chaotic.

Nonresident Quotas Still Apply

Idaho is still limiting nonresident general season participation. Quotas remain in play. This does not change. Right now, the statewide nonresident quotas for general tags are set at:

• 12,815 elk

• 15,500 deer

Some backcountry deer units still have separate caps based on historic nonresident pressure.

Capped elk zones for both residents and nonresidents still exist too. Those are being allocated proportionally based on historic participation.

Outfitter allocated tags are still a thing. Outfitters have specific set-aside tag allotments based on past use. Those unsold outfitter tags that are not claimed by July 31 will be made available to the general public in an August sale.

Important Clarifications

This is for general season nonresident deer and elk tags only.Drawing one of these general tags does not affect your ability to apply for controlled hunts.

There is no application fee for this draw in 2026. Idaho says this could change in future years, but for now, no fee.

Nonresident Junior Mentored hunters still have different rules. They only need to apply in this draw if they want a capped elk zone. Uncapped elk and deer are unlimited for them and are available in late March.

DAV hunters have additional options, including their own DAV draw period and lower-cost DAV tags. DAV general tags are limited to:

• 500 deer tags

• 300 elk tags
  

Why This Matters for You as a Nonresident

This new system is going to reward people who plan in advance instead of rewarding people who have time to sit online for six hours during a workday, hoping for a lucky queue number.

This will also finally let hunting partners and families coordinate real hunts and not just hope that four individuals get lucky at the same time.

Overall, this move pushes Idaho into a fairer, cleaner, less frustrating process. I expect demand to remain extremely high because Idaho is a fun hunt, a great elk state, and there are still solid deer opportunities. This change will simply lower the chaos and increase predictability.

Final Thoughts

This is a huge win for nonresident hunters who have been frustrated with Idaho’s old system.

It now becomes a strategy game instead of a queue number game.

If you want help planning your Idaho application strategy, choosing the right zones, or figuring out how to align Idaho into your broader application plan across multiple states, this is exactly what I do for clients. The earlier we plan, the better your chances of building a smart and successful hunting year.

If you want help building your tag application plan for the 2026 season, reach out. This is the year to get ahead of it.