Hello Everybody!

As the subject line suggests, it is time to apply for a moose tag.  The month of April is the application period so if it's something you want to do it would probably be smart to get going on it now.  I put together a table showing the hunts that take place on my outfitting territory and what the drawing success has been for those hunts the last 2 years.  Hopefully the table e-mails ok, I did a test to myself and it seemed to work.  But if it doesn't come through to you just let me know and I can send it a different way.  All of this information is available on the Idaho Fish and Game website as well.

If you're interested in applying for a bull tag you have 5 choices in 3 different moose areas.  The regular hunts have long seasons, 8/30-11/23, but beginning in 2005 they began offering some additional tags for a 7-day hunt, 9/24-9/30. 

The new short hunts are 3002 and 3008.  You can see that there were some very high drawing odds for these hunts in 2005.  I think that's because many people were unaware of them and the people who were aware were nervous about having only a 7-day window to hunt.  For 2006 I expect to see considerably more applicants because the word is out on these hunts now, but I would still expect draw odds to remain better than they are for the regular hunts due to people's continued reluctance to have only a 7-day hunt.  I prefer to hunt moose later in the fall when the leaves have fallen and there's the likelihood of snow, but this hunt is during the rut and I'm confident we could find a quality bull during this time period as well.  If this hunt appeals to you and the time period works with your schedule it may be a good one to apply for.  I'd suggest hunt 3002 in unit 1-1.  "The Huntin' Fool," Garth Carter's publication, drew attention to this hunt for its high draw odds and high success in 2005 which will undoubtedly result in a surge in applicants. 

The general season bull hunts available are 3001, 3003, and 3007.  Out of these three I would suggest 3003 in area 1-2.  It's essentially our back yard, has bulls every bit as good as any unit in the state, and typically has slightly better drawing odds.  We let 2 absolute monster bulls slip through our fingers while moose hunting this unit in 2005 and I'd like to get another crack at them!

My second choice would be 3001 in 1-1.  It's an excellent area as well but due to promotion received from Garth Carter it has been a more popular choice, especially among nonresidents.  As you may know, nonresidents are limited to no more than 10% of the tags in any one unit.  As long as nonresidents compose less than 10% of the applicants it really makes no difference and a nonresident has exactly the same odds as a resident, which has always been the situation in past years.  However, in 2005 nonresidents made up almost exactly 10% of the applicants for the 3001 hunt and if the trend continues in 2006 then nonresidents will be more than 10% and their odds of successfully drawing a tag will be reduced.

I'd generally avoid all of the hunts offered in Unit 2.  There is some good moose hunting there but it's better in Unit 1.  Drawing odds are also generally lower in Unit 2 due to a higher population of people applying for tags there.

If you're interested in an antlerless moose I'd suggest hunt 3103 in 1-1.  Killing a moose used to be a once in a lifetime opportunity in Idaho but last year they changed the law to allow a person to kill one bull and one cow in a lifetime and you can see a big drop in the draw odds as a result of this in 2005.  If you can pull one of these tags it will be a fun hunt and we'll definitely be sending you home with some meat.

As far as the mechanics of applying for a tag go, you must first purchase an Idaho hunting license and then you can apply for the tag.  The following link will take you to a page with the application worksheet as well as links to purchase the hunting license: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/cms/hunt/ch/apply.cfm  Results of the draw will be out by at least June 10th, and usually it's considerably earlier than that.

If you have questions about any of this just let me know.  Good Luck!

Clint Gray
Buckshot Outfitting
208-267-3885
www.buckshotoutfitting.com