Idaho OTC tag purchase experience

ndflatlander

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 25, 2014
Messages
208
Location
Minot ND
I was right around 25k inline wasn’t very optimistic but seemed like as the elk areas sold out people dropped off quickly. When i was around 6k inline it only took about 15 minutes and I was up! Had 6 units picked ended up getting a tag in one of those units!


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GoBig

FNG
Joined
Sep 25, 2018
Messages
78
Location
Oregon
Was 5900, made it to the front of the line, was told I was being directed to purchase a tag, it refreshed that page once, I sat there waiting, then it totally kicked me out of the system. Had to get back in line, deer tag I wanted was long sold out by then. Frustrating.
 

warrbuk

WKR
Joined
Oct 27, 2013
Messages
357
Was 5900, made it to the front of the line, was told I was being directed to purchase a tag, it refreshed that page once, I sat there waiting, then it totally kicked me out of the system. Had to get back in line, deer tag I wanted was long sold out by then. Frustrating.
Were you using the phone app or on a computer? Same thing happened to me with the phone app.. Very frustrating
 
Joined
Jan 9, 2019
Messages
60
Folks were actually camping out at the IDFG office in my little remote Idaho town…for more than a day. No clue how they did, but it’s a little crazy seeing that here. Feel for the NR hunters, the system sucks if you don’t have a ton of flexibility. Families seem to get screwed too.
 

BrentH

WKR
Joined
Jun 20, 2013
Messages
897
Location
WA
I was initially number 28,xxx. My number came up 2hr 7min into it, but I was on a work call and missed my opportunity to log in.

*I find it interesting people with lower numbers are saying it took them 3+ hours to get in.

I then re-joined the line on both my phone and my laptop. Only reason I joined on two devices was because of all the issues I was reading about online. The number on my phone was about 200 lower than the number on my laptop, but both in the 64k range.

When my phone said there was still 85 people in front of me, my laptop dinged that it was my turn, and it let me in. About 5 minutes later, my phone got the “your queue number is no longer valid” message.
 

BrentLaBere

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 24, 2013
Messages
251
Location
Bismarck
First time trying it this year. Elk tags were all gone but I picked up a general tag. Looking forward to something new. Quite the experience going through that tag process.
 

westonhoma

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 28, 2021
Messages
222
Similar experience as several other guys written here at first glance. Was 21k in line. Took about 2 hours , last 30 minutes to that point i really jumped up.

Said there was 1 deer tag left in 35 which was one of the units I looked at so i snagged it
 

Luis

FNG
Joined
Apr 25, 2022
Messages
20
Location
Big Sky Country
I don't know if it was worth the wait. This Nov was the oddest deer season I have seen in years. Very few bucks out, and they were smaller ones. I hope when the 2024 deer season comes around, it will have been worth the time I spent waiting in line.
 
Joined
Dec 11, 2023
Messages
13
Did it with my old man that morning, each sitting at our respective computers. I don’t remember exactly how long we had to wait but I got number 4600ish and my dad got number 12000ish. Feel like it took about 2 and a half hours total from waiting to purchase. We both got mule deer tags for the same backcountry unit and I’m so excited to get out there next year with my pops!!
 
Joined
Feb 27, 2021
Messages
3
Location
Boise
So, how’d you do? What method did you use and did you get the tag you wanted? Third choice?

I was online had a normal tab and an incognito tab open. My dad told me to take the first priority and if it worked out to have the same unit to buy his. One was 32000ish and one was 2500ish. Still took almost two hours but I had the pick of the three units I wanted. My buddies weren’t as lucky. Ended up with unit 48.
How did you end up doing on your tag? Had the same tag this year. Deer population seemed quite low compared to other units I have hunted. My group also saw 6 bears and a wolf while we were there. Ended up going 1 for 3 on deer and that was hiking in every morning/evening for 6 days straight.
 
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