Drawing from decades of experience as both an Idaho outfitter and resident hunter, Travis Bullock examines the history of Idaho’s outfitter tag allocation system, the controversy surrounding elk and deer tags, and the potential consequences of reducing outfitter allocations.
Highlights:
- Idaho’s outfitter tag allocation system was established to support a regulated hunting industry, balancing opportunities for licensed outfitters, resident hunters, and non-resident hunters.
- Despite concerns over outfitter access to hunting tags, outfitted tag use has declined, from an original allocation of 7,078 elk and deer tags to approximately 5,000 currently being used.
- Reducing outfitter allocations could threaten Idaho’s established hunting system, potentially impacting licensed outfitters, resident hunting opportunities, and the long-term management of the industry.
There is much jealousy surrounding the outfitting industry. Less than 3% of the hunting public hire an outfitter, which means the other 97% hunt on their own. Most outfitted clients are non-residents. At the bottom of this jealousy is the limited number of elk and deer tags and who has access to them. To a non-resident just trying to hunt the west on public land, it may seem unfair for residents to receive up to 90% of the tags in their home state or for outfitters to receive 25% of the few non-resident tags left available; especially when the tags are being used on public land that is paid for by all taxpayers nationwide. If only it were that simple.
Like most states, Idaho limits the number of tags to non-resident hunters. The vast majority of elk and deer tags are made available to residents. In Idaho’s case, we sell about 100,000 elk tags statewide. Elk tags are limited to a zone system, and most zones are capped or on controlled hunts for rifle hunters. Most archery zones still remain unlimited for residents.
Deer tags are managed a little less strictly because deer are tougher to spot than elk and IDFG feels their escapement is greater; therefore, they can offer more tags. Idaho currently sells about 150,000 deer tags statewide for both whitetail and mule deer. As Idaho’s population grows, deer tags seem to be growing as well.
For as long as I can remember, Idaho has had a quota of 12,815 non-resident elk tags and 15,500 non-resident deer tags. They also sell up to 10% of their controlled hunt tags to non-residents, plus some Disabled Veteran and youth tags. Also, lifetime license holders who move out of state still qualify for resident tags even though they are non-residents.
In 1961, Idaho’s legislature created the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Licensing Board. This board was formed to “protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public”. What it really did was restrict outfitters and force the outfitting industry into an area system. Before this area system was in place, outfitters could hunt anywhere in the state, much like what Utah and other neighboring states still allow. Outfitters are very aggressive by nature and, if not limited and regulated, will run roughshod over the general public. In my opinion, Idaho did a very good job of regulating the outfitting industry. In fact, any time a state, province, or country looks to regulate their outfitting industry, they look to Idaho as the leader because our system has worked so well for so long.
In order for a regulated, licensed, and restricted outfitting system to work, the businesses need to stay viable. Otherwise, the licensed and restricted system is replaced by a black-market system that, if left unchecked, would force Idaho residents into controlled hunts. Outlawing all outfitting would end up the same way as prohibition in the 20s and early 30s. No tax revenue would be collected, and people would just do it illegally.
In 1985, outfitters were advertising at sport shows in January and found that all the non-resident deer tags were sold out. The next year, outfitters worked with the legislature, and they formed an outfitter set-aside. The set-aside basically said 25% of the general season elk and deer tags were set aside for outfitters to draw from to book clients. This meant that starting in 1986, 7078 (25% of 12,815+15,500) non-resident elk and deer tags were put into a pool for outfitters to draw from to book their hunts.
Non-resident tags go on sale starting Dec. 1 of the previous year and, if I remember correctly, the outfitter set-aside stayed in place until August. After that date, whatever tags were not used by outfitters were returned to the general, non-resident public.
In the mid-90’s, Idaho started through its first growing pains, and elk tags were limited by zones rather than a statewide general tag. When this zone system was put in place, elk tags for outfitters changed from a general statewide pool to an allocation of tags based on the number of tags sold in each management zone. Each outfitter received a number of tags based on their historical use. If the zone took a decrease, outfitters took the same percentage decrease as the residents and non-resident, non-outfitted hunters. In 1998, the Selway Zone took a 40% reduction for all three user groups. The problem was that residents and non-resident, non-outfitted hunters just moved somewhere else, so the statewide number of tags did not go down. Outfitters, because they are stuck in an area system, were the only ones who took the real cut, and overall, outfitted tag use started decreasing statewide.
More recently, deer tags have been limited by unit, and the same decrease has happened statewide in the outfitting industry.
Many folks will tell you the outfitting industry is growing. Currently, there is a push by IDFG and a couple of legislators to reduce outfitter allocation and turn those tags into non-resident do-it-yourself tags. So, what are the real numbers? Today outfitters are using about 5000 elk and deer tags. Now, my Emmett High School math is not the greatest, but when outfitters used to be able to use 7078 tags and are now using 5000 tags, that seems like a reduction; but what do I know?
My biggest concern is not the loss of tax revenue to the citizens of Idaho if these outfitted tags are turned into non-resident DIY tags; it is the hostile takeover of the legalized outfitting industry being forced out of business, which will lead to an unregulated system that will force all residents into controlled hunts. As someone who has been both an outfitter and a resident hunter, I can tell you Idaho’s system of only allowing one outfitter per area is the best. Even if I weren’t an outfitter, I would still want the limited outfitting system that Idaho operates under. If you enjoy being able to hunt elk each year without being forced into controlled hunts, we need to keep Idaho’s highly restricted outfitting system viable and in place and not make laws based on jealousy.