Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If you want access to members only forums on HSO, you will gain access only when you Sign-in or Sign-Up .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member. ?

Best way to get a Surplus tag..?


PierBridge

Recommended Posts

Just wondering the most efficient way to go about getting a surplus tag....I have a tent and sleeping bag if neccasary ...LOL. \:\)

Do I just go to any electronic station that sells them or should a person go right to the DNR office? How much time in advance should a person be there?

I could just go to Dick's Sporting Goods in Richfield but I do not have a lot of faith in the employee's some who are inexperienced at the process. I have had problems at Dick's in the past where they have had to start over on basic license issues. I'm assuming timing is very import and just a few minutes delay could cost a person a tag.

Thanks Pier!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My advice is just go to a reliable station and have them run it right at the time they go on sale. It worked good for me a few years ago but in Duluth there are no real lines to contend with either. So hopefully there will be no one in line when you go to try it. And good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I were you I'd go scouting for ELS machines. If you go anywhere large (i.e. Fleet Farm, Cabelas, Gander Mountain, Joe's, well known bait stores) you could be far back in line. People will start lining up a couple hours before the drawing...Some places actually give out numbers so there is an established line. So you might be 25th, but the good old boy friends of the store owners might have dibs too. Last year I was like 10th person there but 25th person to go because all the employees and friends of the owner got first dibs.

Go find a little off the trail gas stations with an ELS, get there early, and you can beat the rush. Find out where your odds are the best, because most places are gone in the first 5 minutes, ones with the most extra permits might go 20-30 minutes.

Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've employed two strategies with great success in the past few years to get surplus tags.

  • Urban area ELS vendors - here, your greatest risk by far is that the clerk has no idea how to run the machine. Ask them ahead of time, ask them to try and get you a turkey license (knowing full well you can't get all the way in until 5pm :)), at least then they have some practice. Either way, describe the situation, and make sure they know if the machine is even working. The problem with sporting goods stores or down-home hardware stores is precisely what Da_Chise mentioned, there's another system in order to get their buddys' tags that you dont' even know about.

  • Online - You need a fast connection, and you need knowledge of the page and how to navigate it quickly. This is very fast, but there's always computer glitches to worry about.

For either method, you need to have several permit-area/time-period combinations ready in the waiting in case one doesn't work. I can't tell you how many times I've seen the guy ahead of me penalize the whole line because his first selection didn't go through, and he had to try and analyze what was available and where. One guy even tried to call his buddy in another zone to see if he had land to hunt, while we were waiting! The clerk moved him to the back of the line. He didn't get a surplus tag that year.

Joel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few years ago I had to go get a surplus license and I went to Joe's about an hour before 5 p.m. I received number two and waited around until the time. If the place gives you a number you don't have to stand around like an one-who-thinks-I-am-silly, you can shop (good for the store) and then head to the register with 10 minutes left.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BINGO!!!!!!

Thanks a MILLION guys the with your help our plan worked perfectly.

I contacted the owner of a small Bait shop last week and told him of my plans for the Turkey Surplus he told me I could have first dibs on the License attempt.

I rolled in about 4:30 and we did a sample run for starters and at the stroke of 5 we hit enter and SHIZZAM! Turkey Tag grin.gif

Big thanks to Bob Moore "Moore's Bait and Tackle" for staying open later than normal to get me my Tag!

Thanks also to Fishing Minnesota and the great sportsmen who frequent the Turkey forum!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats PierBridge!

We scored 3 out of the available 22 surplus tags left for our permit area. Even with a ELS system issue at the place my kids were #1 and #2 in line for that wouldn't accept the surplus tag code. After almost 10 minutes of trying they called me and I was able to get them liscensed through the DNR website.

All's well that ends well. \:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congratulations guys. Bob Moore is a heck of a nice guy with a great business.

I hope a few other people found some luck. Kinda glad I didn't have to deal with the mad rush this year... \:\) I'm sure I'll be back in line next year unless I change locations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pier:

Good work. You did your homework, and were rewarded well. Glad to hear you'll be out chasing gobblers this spring.

Borch:

I didn't think you'd get all three in! Again, good work, and glad you'll be out there.

Joel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • got this tackled today took about 3 hours to get both sides done. Didnt even get to use a torch....   Thought I was golden with just jacking it up and I could get to everything but no luck. Had to remove the entire axle hub and brake assembly to get to what I needed. Was a pain but still better then taking off the entire pivot arm.    Axle bearings were already greased and in great shape thankfully. Got both leaf springs installed and its ready for the road again.   Probably going to have my electric brakes checked, I am not touching anything with the brake drums. Based on what I saw it doesn't look like my electric brakes have been working anyway. Brakes are nice to have if its slippery out
    • By The way that didn't work either!! Screw it I'll just use the cellular. 
    • It’s done automatically.  You might need an actual person to clear that log in stuff up.   Trash your laptop history if you haven’t tried that already.
    • 😂 yea pretty amazing how b o o b i e s gets flagged, but they can't respond or tell me why I  can't get logged in here on my laptop but I can on my cellular  😪
    • I grilled some brats yesterday, maybe next weekend will the next round...  
    • You got word censored cuz you said        B o o b ies….. haha.   Yeah, no… grilling is on hiatus for a bit.
    • Chicken mine,  melded in Mccormick poultry seasoning for 24 hours.  Grill will get a break till the frigid temps go away!
    • we had some nice weather yesterday and this conundrum was driving me crazy  so I drove up to the house to take another look. I got a bunch of goodies via ups yesterday (cables,  winch ratchet parts, handles, leaf springs etc).   I wanted to make sure the new leaf springs I got fit. I got everything laid out and ready to go. Will be busy this weekend with kids stuff and too cold to fish anyway, but I will try to get back up there again next weekend and get it done. I don't think it will be bad once I get it lifted up.    For anyone in the google verse, the leaf springs are 4 leafs and measure 25 1/4" eye  to eye per Yetti. I didnt want to pay their markup so just got something else comparable rated for the same weight.   I am a first time wheel house owner, this is all new to me. My house didn't come with any handles for the rear cables? I was told this week by someone in the industry that cordless drills do not have enough brake to lower it slow enough and it can damage the cables and the ratchets in the winches.  I put on a handle last night and it is 100% better than using a drill, unfortatenly I found out the hard way lol and will only use the ICNutz to raise the house now.
  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.