BOISE, ID – Idaho Fish and Game has released the results of the 2026 nonresident deer and elk tag drawing, with successful applicants required to purchase their tags by 11:59 p.m. MST on Jan. 20 or risk forfeiting them.
Nonresident hunters can view their drawing results by logging into their account at GoOutdoorsIdaho.com and selecting the “Applications & Awards” option. Results are listed under the “Hunt Choices” section, where a “selected” status indicates a successful draw. Fish and Game officials caution that high traffic to the licensing system may result in a virtual waiting line during peak usage.
All nonresident deer and elk tags drawn, with the exception of disabled American veteran (DAV) tags, must be purchased by the Jan. 20 deadline. Tags not purchased by that time will be forfeited and made available during a second nonresident tag drawing. DAV tags have a later purchase deadline of March 20 at 11:59 p.m. MST. Any unpurchased DAV tags will be offered in a future Returned Tag Sale.
Fish and Game emphasized that there are no exceptions to the purchase deadlines and that it is the responsibility of applicants to check their drawing status and complete their purchase on time.
The second nonresident tag drawing application period is scheduled for Feb. 5–15, with results expected in early March. Hunters who drew a tag in the first drawing are not eligible to apply for the same species in the second drawing, even if they did not purchase their tag.
In addition, Fish and Game officials noted that pending administrative rule changes could affect refund and exchange options for nonresident licenses and tags, with more information available through the agency’s rulemaking process.
