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Idaho Mountain Goat Draw Odds

March 12, 2009.

Idaho Moose, Sheep, and Mountain Goat regulations have been released.

Idaho has some restrictions in place on moose, sheep, and goat applications that make it an interesting place to try to draw.

First, to apply, you must purchase a non-refundable non-resident hunting license for $141.50. This is a steep price for a chance at a tag, and that discourages a lot of applicants — meaning better odds for those who can choke down the steep cost of entry.

Second, Idaho only allows you to apply for moose or sheep or goat, and, if you apply for one of those, you can't apply for elk, deer, and pronghorn. This further shrinks the applicant pool for any given license.

Third, Idaho does not have a bonus or preference point system in place. You don't have to wait years to build points to have a shot at a license.

Fourth, you have to front the full tag fee up front. For mountain goat, this means a $1,765.75 dent in your cash flow.

I've been applying for mountain goat for a few years in Idaho, unable to resist the best odds at a goat tag in the Lower 48.

The table below has some numbers I crunched based on last year's demand and this year's license quotas. I also included 2007 success rates (most recent data I could get).

The table is sorted with the easiest-to-draw units at the top.

Hunt Area Hunt
# 		2007 Success Rate 2009
Permits		 2008
1st Choice Apps		 Likely
2009
Odds
GE36A-3 6010 0%
3
14
21.4%
GE36-1 6007 75%
4
29
13.8%
GE27-4 6005 100%
2
15
13.3%
GE27-5 6006 100%
2
16
12.5%
GE43 6015 67%
3
25
12.0%
GE22 6003 75%
4
42
9.5%
GE39 6014 50%
2
21
9.5%
GE36A-2 6009 100%
1
14
7.1%
GE50 6016 50%
2
29
6.9%
GE51 6017 67%
3
51
5.9%
GE36B 6012 67%
2
35
5.7%
GE36A-4 6011 67%
2
36
5.6%
GE18 6002 75%
4
73
5.5%
GE36A-1 6008 100%
4
78
5.1%
GE67 6018 100%
4
78
5.1%
GE27-2 6004 100%
1
23
4.3%
GE10 6001 100%
2
54
3.7%
GE37A 6013 100%
1
48
2.1%

Please note that I am not personally familiar with these units. They may offer small goats (Idaho is not know for huge billies), or may vary in quality from year to year, or they may be tough as hell to hunt. But those sure are tempting odds.

The cost is steep, but remember that fee increases are planned for next year. If approved as proposed, a nonresident hunting license will be $153, and the goat tag will be $2,100.

Idaho Fish and Game has these resources online:

The application period is April 1 - April 30. You can apply online, but their system is terrible. See last year's coverage from Hunt The West if you get stuck.

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