Elk tags go on sale Monday

All capped elk zones, other than the Sawtooth Elk Zone, will go on sale at 9 a.m. Monday, July 10. Tags are first-come, first-served and available at all Idaho Fish and Game license vendors, Fish and Game regional offices, at Gooutdoorsidaho.com on Fish and Game’s mobile app, or by calling 800-554-8685.

Half of the Sawtooth Elk Zone tags will go on sale at Fish and Game offices and license vendor locations at 9 a.m. July 12. The other half of the Sawtooth Elk Zone tags will go on sale online at and over the phone at 800-554-8685 at noon and will follow the same sale process and rules listed below.

For tag availability, visit idfg.idaho.gov for Fish and Game’s resident capped elk zone webpage. The zones nearest Kootenai County with resident tags available are the Dworshak and Lolo zones.

Who’s eligible to buy tags?

All Idaho residents with a valid 2023 hunting license who did not apply for a controlled elk hunt can buy a capped elk zone tag immediately when they go on sale.

Hunters who applied for a controlled elk hunt must wait five days, with some exceptions, including those who applied for extra antlerless controlled hunts, Super Hunt tags and depredation hunts.

How to buy tags online

Hunters who plan to buy tags online are encouraged to set up accounts in advance of the sale, or verify an existing account.

Hunters must have a valid hunting license to buy a tag online and both can be purchased at the same time. License cost will not be refunded if a hunter fails to receive a tag.

Preparing for the online sale

A virtual waiting room will open prior to the sale and hunters can log in during that period by going to GoOutdoorsIdaho.com. If the hunter logs into the site and does not see the waiting room, her or she needs to log out and come back to the site closer to the sale start time of 9 a.m. Each person may only log in on only one device for the sale.

At 9 a.m., all customers in the virtual waiting room will be randomly assigned a place in line. Customers logging in after 9 a.m. will be placed at the back of the line.

Important notes

The virtual waiting room uses cookies to track the user’s place in line. If a user is in incognito mode, have privacy settings that clear cookies, or is using system settings that automatically delete search history, this could result in losing a place in line after leaving the page.

Logging in and then changing devices, such as from a computer to a cellphone, or desktop to a laptop, will lose a place in line.

Participants have 20 minutes to buy a tag after it's selected

When a tag is added to the shopping cart, the buyer has 20 minutes to complete the transaction. The tag will be cleared from the shopping cart if the transaction is not completed within that time.

Buyers should expect up to 24 hours to receive a purchase confirmation email. Tags will be mailed within 10 business days of the sales date.

Online buyers may experience long waits and sold out tags

Demand for some elk tags will be high, and the most popular elk zones may sell out within minutes, or hours. Unfortunately, that means some hunters may experience long waits to buy a tag, which may sell out while they’re waiting.

There will be no real-time tally of how many tags remain for each elk zone due to tags being sold simultaneously online, at vendors and at regional offices. Fish and Game staff will try to post when elk zones are sold out, but there may be a lag time as tags are added or removed from online shopping carts.

Camping is not allowed at Fish and Game offices

To prevent disruption of public service and ensure fair and orderly sales of capped elk zone tags, Idaho Fish and Game does not allow camping at any regional offices or the Boise headquarters.

Chairs will be allowed for people waiting in line, but no sleeping bags or other camping gear will be allowed. Bathrooms at most offices will only be available during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Fish and Game regions may have slightly different methods for selling capped elk zone tags, so call the local regional office with questions.