2019 Montana Elk still available?
Elk
I doubt this, but has anyone heard if any elk tags are left by chance? I was unsuccessful in the draws.
Why don't you just call Montana?
Have you tried that? Multiple menus and then a recording that all agents are busy. Thought one of my friends here may know. On line shows elk combo available but recording says sold out.
From what I heard, they're all sold out, but you can get on the turn in list still.
Nonresident Combination License Alternate's List
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks gets a few nonresident combination licenses (big game, elk and general deer) returned for refunds each year. We do reissue these licenses, after these refund requests are processed.
We will be using a sign up at MyFWP to create alternate’s lists of interested individuals for these returned licenses. From May 15 until June 30 you may make your request to be an alternate here. For each license type, there will be an alternate’s list, and you may only choose one of the license types.
A random drawing of the names collected will be held after June 30 to determine your position on these lists. Individuals who had applied for their original license correctly, but who were unsuccessful will have preference in the drawing. Licenses will be reissued based on the drawing position. No payment is needed now, only if your name comes up and you are contacted by FWP. Being on this list, or obtaining a license from this list has no effect on your existing preference points.
In addition to entering your request between May 15 and June 30, MyFWP also allows you to check your relative position on that list after the drawing takes place in early July. The odds of getting a license from these lists vary greatly from year to year. Refunds and issuance may occur at any time but the volume increases between early fall and the start of general hunting season in late October.
406-444-2950 direct line to licensing
I found out that their alternate sign up list starts tomorrow through June 30 and then they draw for the order to see who gets called and you can say yes or no at that point.
Anyone try this today, its only allowing me to have an option of deer only.
We are sold out. The good old days of everyone drawing a elk tag in Montana is over . High demand these days . Good luck to everyone that was lucky enough to get tag !! Hunt
Hunt- isn't the whole point of the alternate list is because it was sold out, and those are for tags that were turned back in?
there were a couple of emails sent out by fwp saying the app process for tags went awry and they would be modifying how the tags went out. It sounded like yet another MT. FWP goat rope.
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yep another screw up, just got off the phone with them, no alternate list this year for elk. they are all spoke for, even the ones that get turned in later. I never got an email and no one in my group did. They went on sale May 6th. Individuals that didn't put in for the draw but got the email had an opportunity to buy them. bummer! the lady was so nice though she said get over it and hung up.
I just spoke to the gal too. She stated there was an error and the surplus licenses (resident I think) were over sold. So...the NR big game combo tag returns will be used to make up for the over-sold surplus license error.
She said there are some left over B tags for elk and deer.
The B tag app deadline isn't until June 1st so there can't be any "leftovers" yet.
So it looks like you now need 1 or 2 ($50 or $100) bonus points to secure the MT elk tag. Does that mean that if MT raised the tag by another $100, enough people would drop out so that 0 points were needed again?
Wish I could think of a sustainable business based on this model where people are willing to put up big $$$ just for an opportunity with rather slim success odds and all you have to do is process credit cards and do some type of random draw :) Be a good retirement plan.
One point would still do it with ease but you have to buy the 2nd point to use the first. Lol. They have it figrd out for sure!
To answer the question... not even MT Fish Wildlife and Parks knows the answer to that. Lol
There were 394 surplus tags that didn’t get sold in The regular draw so they put them up for sale on a first come first serve basis. On the morning that the site was supposed to open it crashed at the payment screen and people were pissed. Some guys tried like 20 times to get through. There was a problem with the 3rd party website administrator. My brother tried to get a tag and this happened to him too, just couldn’t get through despite being online at exactly 5am when it opened. When it crashed it actually gave you a time stamped error code.
I called FWP and waited on the line for 2 freaking hours the same day a bit later. When I finally got through the guy said it was a common problem. I told the guy “hey, this totally sucks. everyone that got screwed by this site crashing got a time stamped error code. The fair thing for you to do would be to put those people in order on the waiting list for returned tags.” The guy said “that’s a good idea, I’ll tell my boss about your suggestion” I was like yeah right. Fast forward to last week. I called to try get my brother an Elk b license and told the lady that answered about how the site crashed and she said “hey what’s your brothers name, he might be on the list” and he was! Not sure if it was my suggestion to do this but they did it regardless and my brother is gonna be elk hunting in September with me!
That’s why they didn’t do the third draw for the returned tags.
