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2023 Out of State Hunt Application and Due Dates.

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2023 Out of State Hunt Application Dates.

With a few due dates coming up soon, I decided to get this information out sooner then later due to demand.

I will be posting the Application deadlines for various states and Big Game Species for 2023. I will post the application dates by state and due dates for species like I have done in the past. Some of this won't be available until later in December and into early January and will update as I get information.

I will try to provide as much information as possible. Please visit the other threads in the Out of State Hunting Forum for guidance and help if needed. PM me if you like as in the past as well.

I will list everything I can find and dig up. Alaska and Idaho will be starting soon.

Note:
Idaho will start with their Application process December 1, 2022-Alaska initial due dates are December 15, 2022.

All these due dates are what was able to be found on state wildlife websites and other media platforms. Refer to that states wildlife websites to confirm these dates and verify the due date. I cannot guarantee they are 100% accurate. Do this ahead of time. Don’t wait until the last minute since websites may be busy processing applications and there may be a delay.





Get a 2023 Idaho Tag Now
November 4, 2022
Hunt
Idaho continues to offer many hunting opportunities for those willing to work hard on December 1st to pick up their tag. The demand for over-the-counter tags is off the charts, and we anticipate it only getting worse. All elk zone non-resident tags are under a quota system, and most zones will sell out on the first sales day on December 1st. Over-the-counter deer tags for non-residents are now restricted to all open seasons for one game management unit and are subject to a per unit quota. For this reason, all hunters should select their unit and purchase their 2023 tags on December 1st when the tags go on sale at 10:00 AM MST.

Although Idaho offers over-the-counter tag opportunities, non-residents are limited to a statewide overall quota for all general season hunts and a quota per unit/zone. Keep in mind that residents are not limited by an overall tag quota for deer and elk, but they are allowed to buy nonresident tags as second tags after August 1st if non-resident tags have not sold out.


If you intend to apply in the 2023 draw for controlled hunts, keep in mind that you can still purchase a non-resident general elk or deer tag on or after December 1, 2022, and you can later exchange the general tag for your controlled tag if you’re lucky enough to draw a controlled hunt. Sales open at 10:00 AM MST on December 1, 2022, online at the Idaho Fish and Game website. A virtual waiting room is provided for those who login to the website 15 minutes early. Sales also open at 10:00 AM MST on December 1, 2022, at Idaho Fish and Game offices and vendors.


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This article and the included tables are for over-the-counter tags for mule deer, whitetail deer, and elk. We have included this information for these tags to help in choosing over-the-counter hunts for the 2023 season. For further information on Idaho’s rules and regulations, refer to Idaho’s Big Game Regulations online. A supplement will be provided before December 1st that clearly shows the non-resident and outfitter tag allocations for 2023.


To purchase an over-the-counter tag online, go to https://license.gooutdoorsidaho.com or stop by any Idaho Fish and Game office or any of the hundreds of license vendors throughout the state. Typically, the website will be slow and has been known to crash on December 1st. Last year, most hunters had better luck getting their desired tags at the vendors.



Idaho Elk
Idaho is a great destination for over-the-counter elk hunters. Beginning with the 2021 season, over-the-counter non-resident tags were limited in all zones in addition to the statewide overall non-resident quota. The change increased demand for these tags, and many of the more popular hunts sold out last year within minutes of going on sale on December 1st. If you want a chance to pick up one of the better over-the-counter hunts for 2023, you will need to do so as soon as these tags go on sale at 10:00 AM MST. The information in the elk tables has been provided so you have some information about these hunts if you want to try to purchase a tag for the 2023 season.

One thing to remember is that you can buy a tag and then if you draw a controlled elk tag, Idaho will swap your tag. Most zones have healthy elk populations. In the archery elk table, we listed the number of hunters who hunted in 2021 to give you an idea of the amount of hunting pressure you can expect in each zone. Idaho has plenty of over-the counter rifle elk tags, too, but these are often tough hunts in rough country. Many Idaho elk hunters kill bulls on a consistent basis with hard work and research. In the table, we listed all of the rifle elk zones with over-the-counter antlered elk tags.


*To view entire table, activate your Huntin’ Fool Digital membership.

Idaho Mule Deer
Idaho’s general mule deer tags are a great choice for someone looking to add another fall hunt or for those who want to learn an area and go back year after year to where they can always get a tag and have a fun hunt. Beginning with the 2021 season, non-resident deer hunters had to pick the over-the-counter unit they plan to hunt and can only hunt in that unit. The information in the deer table has been provided so you have some information about these hunts if you want to try to purchase a tag for the 2023 season.


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Idaho’s mule deer hunting is slowly rebounding from the winter kill of 2016/2017. The past few winters have been relatively mild, and the population of mule deer is rebounding. There are some great bucks in Idaho, but you are going to have to work a lot harder as there are not many mature bucks available. In the table, we cover some of the better general mule deer tags in the state. Most of these units can produce a good hunt if you are just looking for a buck. In most of these areas, hunters must have realistic expectations and plan on hunting average bucks, but there is always a chance for a great buck in any unit in Idaho.

[IMG alt="Table
Description automatically generated"]https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/q...elo7omkiXU4fz-qvA2mAeF_WTTn7C8_BWmNDRAQ[/IMG]
*To view entire table, activate your Huntin’ Fool Digital membership

Idaho Whitetail Deer
Whitetail populations took a hit in 2021 when an EHD outbreak killed between 6,000-10,000 in the Clearwater region. The state population of whitetail is only down about 5%, so there is still going to be good whitetail hunting in the areas that did not have a die-off. Most of the archery hunts take place in August and September with a few later hunts in November and December. Most of the rifle hunts are in October with some running into November and hitting the rut.

There are several options for whitetail deer, but if you are looking for big chunks of public land, look in the Craig Mountains area south of Lewiston (unit 11). There is plenty of walk-in country to roam in search of a nice buck. Another area is Kooskia/Kamiah (units 10A, 11A, and 16). The Panhandle still has a healthy whitetail population. A hunter can find 100-130″ bucks if they put in the time and research. If you are hunting in northern Idaho, we highly recommend you have a couple wolf tags in your pocket.


Another great thing about Idaho is that if you have a deer or elk tag, you can harvest a black bear, wolf, or mountain lion if the season is open in the area you are scouting for hunting, and you can put either your deer or elk tag on the harvested animal. Idaho is a great state to hunt if you don’t draw any tags or if you are just looking for a good hunt you can go to on a yearly basis.
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(12/8/22) Thread is unlocked- fell free to ask or Pm with any questions.

This is the State by State Hunting due dates for Big Game species-Dates list as TBD will be added when available.

Page #1 of Application due dates.*

Mule Deer Application Due Dates 2023: Dates for all will be updated when received.

Arizona- June 6
California
-June 2
Colorado- April 4
Idaho- June 5
Montana
-April 1
Nevada- May 10
New Mexico- March 22
Oregon May 15
South Dakota
- April 19
Utah-April 27
Washington-May 17

Wyoming- May 31 (Special and Regular License)- (No rut hunting but there is some very good hunting in the Tetons, Sheridan and South West parts of the state. There is some good whitetail hunting during the rut in areas, and the due dates are the same as mule deer. Refer to the application instructions on what areas would be available for both species.

Wyoming Preference point
-for future use due October 31
Montana Preference point only- September 30

Whitetail Deer
Colorado April 4 (Some very good hunting for Big Deer on the Eastern Plains)
Illinois--(OTC)
Indiana-OTC(State producing some big deer the last several years)
Idaho- June 5
Iowa-June 4 (Go to State for Big Deer)
Iowa(Pref point). June 4
Kansas- April 28 - (Low pressure Go to State for Big Deer)
Kentucky-OTC(As predicted several years ago, a top go to state for top end deer and populations are increasing. 2022 was another very good year and no CWD).
Maine- May 15
Montana-April 1
South Dakota
-April 19
West Virginia- OTC License and Tags.
Wisconsin-OTC
Wyoming- May 31 (Populations and opportunities are high in selected areas of the state since whitetails are not a high demand Big Game species when most are hunting Elk and Mule Deer along with Pronghorn Antelope. The serious whitetail hunter can do well)

Blacktail Deer
California
-June 2
Oregon
-May 15

Coues Deer:
Arizona
-June 14
New Mexico-March 22

Pronghorn Antelope
Note: Wyoming, New Mexico and Arizona are some of the better destinations.


Arizona
-February 14
California
-June 2
Colorado- April 4
Idaho
-June 5
Montana- June 1
Nevada
- May 10
New Mexico
-March 22
Oregon- May 15
Utah- April 27
Wyoming- (Special and Regular Licenses)- May 31
Wyoming Preference points
- October 31


Elk Application Deadlines are as follows:

Alaska December 15
Arizona- February14
California
-June 4
Colorado- April
Idaho- JUNE 5
Montana- April 1
New Mexico
-March 22
Nevada- May 10
Pennsylvania July
Nevada- April
Oregon(Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain)
- May 15
Washington-May 17
Utah-April 27
Wyoming(Special and Regular Licenses)- January 31
Wyoming preference points for future use- October 31
PA- July 20( approx.)
-Site will take applications starting when new licenses come out in mid July.

KY- April 30
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Page #2 of Application Due Dates-* ** (Updated 12/22/22)


Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep:

Arizona- June 6
Colorado- April 4
Idaho-April 30
Montana- May 1
New Mexico-March 22
Oregon- May 15
Utah- April 27
Washington-May 17
Wyoming- February 28 (Pref. point only due October 31 )


Desert Bighorn Sheep

Arizona- June 6
California-June 2
Colorado-April 4
Nevada- May 10
New Mexico- March 22
Texas- November 1
Utah- March

Dall Sheep
Alaska-December 15

Moose
Alaska-Dec 15
Colorado-April 4
Idaho-April 30
Maine-May 15
Montana-May 1 - September 30(Bonus Point Only)
New Hampshire- May
Utah-April 27
Washington-May 17
Wyoming-February 28 (Shiras Moose)
Wyoming- Preference point only due 10/31

Mountain Goat

Alaska-Dec 15th
Colorado-April 4
Idaho-April 30
Montana-May 1
Montana May 1- Pref Point- September 30
Oregon-May 15
Utah-April 27
Washington-May 17
Wyoming- February 28

Wolf

Montana- December 15-February 28
Wyoming- (TBD)
Wisconsin- (TBD)
Idaho- April 1-Nov 14( Dates vary by zones and season- see regulations for details.)

Bison

Alaska-December 15
Arizona-October 10
Utah-April 27
Wyoming- February 28
Montana- May 1


Brown Bear
Alaska- December 15th

Caribou
Alaska- December 15th
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Here is contact information for specific States.

  1. State- Telephone- Websites

    Arizona
    602-942-3000 Arizona Game and Fish Department: azgfd.gov

    Colorado 303-297-1192 Colorado Parks and Wildlife

    Idaho 208-334-3700 Idaho Fish and Game - Home Page.

    Kentucky- Welcome

    Maine 207-287-8000 Maine IF&W

    Montana 406-444-2950 Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

    Nebraska- Hunting Seasons and Application Dates - Nebraska Game and Parks

    Nevada 775-688-1500 Welcome to Your WildLife - NDOW

    New Hampshire 603-271-2461 Welcome | New Hampshire Fish and Game Department

    New Mexico 505-476-8000 NMDGF - New Mexico Department of Game & Fish

    Oregon 503-947-6100 Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

    South Dakota- South Dakota - Game, Fish, and Parks

    Utah 801-538-4700 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

    Vermont 802-241-3700 Home | Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department

    Washington 360-902-2464 https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov/

    Wyoming 307-777-4600 Wyoming Game and Fish Department - Home
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2
Some interesting data here that will help to understand how much public land for hunting states have. The link at the bottom has a lot of other information about what is available by state and the break down as well-

The Western States have Most of the Public Hunting Land
I knew most of the public land was in the Western States and Alaska, but look at the totals for the Top 12 States (all Western States; Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington & Wyoming) compared to the Remaining 38 States. To start with, the total land area of the Top 11 States plus Alaska are almost as large as the rest of the 38 states combined (49.3% of the total). Without Alaska, the Top 11 states make up 33% of the total land area of the U.S.







85% of all USFS lands and 99.9% of BLM land are found in the Western States (includes AK).

85% of all USFS lands and 99.9% of BLM land are found in the Top 12 states. 73.5% of USFS lands and 70.3% of BLM lands are found in the Top 11 states excluding Alaska. The majority of State owned lands are also found in the West. 79.5% of state lands are in the Top 12 states.

89% of combined public lands that I assume to be available to public hunting are found in the Top 12 states and even with out Alaska, the Top 11 states have 57.3% the total land available for public hunting. According to my calculations, 31% of the the total U.S. land area is available for public hunting, 50.2% of the total area is in the Top 12 states and 48% of the Top 11 States. Only 6% of the total land area of the remaining 38 states is available for public hunting.

The hunt-able acres per person is 2.1 acres nationwide, with 7.9 acres per person in the Top 12 States and 5.2 acres the Top 11 States. Less than 1/3 acre (0.3 acres) is available per hunter in the remaining 38 states.


Ignoring Alaska for the moment, based on the amount of Public land, especially USFS lands and low populations, states like Wyoming, Montana and Idaho have higher ratios of land to hunt per person (55.7,30.4 & 22.2 acres respectively) than popular hunting states like Arizona and Colorado (5.1 acres each). Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Oregon are in the middle with 19.9, 15.3, 12.6 & 9.1 acres respectively). I was surprised that Washington state has only 2 acres of hunt-able public land per person. And then there is California.

Two Good links below-

Hunter Density Map.

Total Public Hunting Land Acres by State for USFS, BLM, State Owned


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  1. Great information on planning your hunts- Wyoming, Colorado and others walk you step by step thru the process if needed- some others do as well.

    I'll add others and update these as they become available-See Links below;

    Wyoming-
    Wyoming Game and Fish Department - Wyoming Hunt Planner

    Colorado-
    http://cpw.state.co.us/search/Pages/results.aspx?k=hunt planner

    http://cpw.state.co.us/documents/hunting/huntered/huntplanner.pdf

    Kansas-

    Big Game Information

    Utah-
    https://wildlife.utah.gov/maps-first-page.htm
Kentucky-
Welcome

NEW(2023)- Montana Hunt Planner Maps

New(2023)- Iowa Non-Resident info and Deer Hunting-


Idaho Hunt Planner-
Idaho Hunt Planner | Idaho Fish and Game
The Idaho Hunt Planner provides all information the hunter needs for a successful Idaho hunt: regulations, seasons, drawing odds, harvest statistics, and hunt boundaries in one location.
idfg.idaho.gov
idfg.idaho.gov
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Thread is open and whatever dates and updates I could find so far have been added.

I will update and notify as more information becomes available. Feel free to ask or PM for any additional information like in the past and whenever I am on the site I will follow up.

Expect License and preference point increases in 2023. Like just about everything else over the past year, increase cost will be part of the game. Depending on how thw weather turns out this winter, available tags may be lowered due to winter kill. Hope for a mild winter overall.
Added a few updates-
2022 Super Tag deadline approaching.....

Montana Wolf Hunting/Trapping season back on since judge rules in Hunters favor- I have updated the dates.


Sky Cloud People in nature Flash photography Gesture



Wyoming accepting applications for several species- Elk Application due January 31!!

Wyoming Game and Fish Department - Hunting applications open Jan. 3

>>Oregon Black Bear Due February 10, 2023
>>Arizona Elk and Antelope Due February 14.2023
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Limited number of whitetail tags in Idaho will go on sale January 12, 2023(Tomorrow)!!

A limited number of nonresident white-tailed deer tags will go on sale at 10 a.m. MST on Jan. 12 | Idaho Fish and Game
Wyoming Access Yes Program-


Supertag deadline is coming up soon-

A proposal to increase Wyoming non-resident license fees for some big game licenses has failed in the Senate-

Last call for Wyoming elk applications and the super tag due by EOD tomorrow!
Added some updates to dates and info.
.
Some reminders on due dates coming up-

>>Oregon Black Bear Due February 10, 2023
>>Arizona Elk and Antelope Due February 14.2023
Maine moose application period is open. Non-residents can apply. here is the link for information- 8% of the available permits will be for Non-residents.

Moose Permit: Moose: Game Species: Hunting: Hunting & Trapping: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
2023 Colorado Big Game brochures are now available.



2023 Changes-

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