Sheep raffles / auctions and thoughts on implications

Does anybody a handle on the number of sheep tags in total that are issued in the lower 48? And of those, how many are issued via the regular draw -vs- raffles and auctions? I suspect it must be a rather high percentage, relative to other species, although moose and goats are probably up there too. For sheep, there are few tags available, and I don't expect to ever get a chance at one, and don't lose much sleep over that fact. Yet everywhere you look, there's a raffle/auction tag being sold by a state or organization and used to "raise funds for conservation." So I'm curious about those ratios, and how they have changed over time.

Also, while no doubt, the monies go to good causes, I get the feeling that this is a glimpse at the future "modified" model of wildlife management for other species. Simply put, if a game dept can raffle off or auction individual tags for tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars... where is the requirement / motivation to stop? Clearly the demand for Quality / LE tags outstrips supply almost everywhere. And clearly there are enough people out there with free money to spend on auctions and many more willing to give it a go with the raffles. I have no doubt that every good tag could be sold that way. Put another way, how does a Fish & Game Dept, or indeed, a State govt, justify the practice of NOT selling all of their tags this way, for top dollar. I, for one, would hate if they did that, but as I am reminded often, my budget or desire (greed?) for tags is of no concern to the G&F department or to western states. And if there is no greater governing principle as to how and for how much tags can be sold, where will it naturally stop?

And if it doesn't stop, I suppose I could get behind more raffles long before more auctions. But again, my vote won't count anywhere so chalk that one up to self-interest (greed) as well!

I agree. And after reading over and over how we should all be happy to pay the CC convenience fee in Wyoming since it helps out wildlife, shouldn't we all be happy to see the tags sold for as much as possible to help out the wildlife? Every non res tag in every state could probably be sold for double and people would pay it.

Utah is pretty good at selling wildlife. So is Wyoming if you consider how many commissioners tags they have and the special price versus the regular price. Its over $200 to apply for a sheep and point in Wyoming. Colorado is expensive also if you only apply for 1 species. Not much different between spending $200 and gaining a point that doesn't do anything or spending $200 on a raffle.

dirtytough said:

I agree. And after reading over and over how we should all be happy to pay the CC convenience fee in Wyoming since it helps out wildlife, shouldn't we all be happy to see the tags sold for as much as possible to help out the wildlife? Every non res tag in every state could probably be sold for double and people would pay it.

Utah is pretty good at selling wildlife. So is Wyoming if you consider how many commissioners tags they have and the special price versus the regular price. Its over $200 to apply for a sheep and point in Wyoming. Colorado is expensive also if you only apply for 1 species. Not much different between spending $200 and gaining a point that doesn't do anything or spending $200 on a raffle.

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Thanks dirtytough, But I don't think the credit card fee goes anywhere but the credit card companies. And I am not trying to make a resident/non-resident distinction. I actually fear that the auction/raffle revenues are going to be mis-used in an attempt to show the "true value" of these tags. If that happens, non-residents will of course be hammered, but I don't think residents would be spared. Once game is turned into a commodity with that type of money on their "heads", it seems to me it could turn ugly real fast. Public pension/budget holes are not going to fill themselves, if you know what I mean.

Bullshot said:

Thanks dirtytough, But I don't think the credit card fee goes anywhere but the credit card companies. And I am not trying to make a resident/non-resident distinction. I actually fear that the auction/raffle revenues are going to be mis-used in an attempt to show the "true value" of these tags. If that happens, non-residents will of course be hammered, but I don't think residents would be spared. Once game is turned into a commodity with that type of money on their "heads", it seems to me it could turn ugly real fast. Public pension/budget holes are not going to fill themselves, if you know what I mean.

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So lets say Wyoming has been paying $2mil out of pocket for CC fees. This year they are collecting $2mil more from hunters to pay for that $2mil in CC fees they have been paying for in the past. Now they have $2mil more to spend on wildlife. It doesn't matter if they call it a CC fee or not. It is putting $2mil more into Wyoming's fish and game bank account.

I think it will start with non res like it already has. Its easier to charge non res more since the states politicians aren't held accountable by non res. The wilderness law comes to mind in that regard. Pretty easy to siphon off more and more tags from non res. Once they have siphoned off enough tags and shown like you say the true value they will start justifying siphoning off some from the residents also.

UT has a ton of auction tags, WY has lots of commissioners tags and the special fee, CO vouchers, NM vouchers. It is already happening. Slowly but slowly.

Does anyone know of a state that has reversed the trend or cut back on raffle, auction, voucher, etc tags? Or are they all slowly adding more and more tags that you can buy if you have the money?

One auction tag and one raffle tag are a good way to go. They provide a huge portion of the funding for sheep programs in some states. If you look at the odds, often times spending on the raffle what you would spend in the draw will also get you better odds.
Utahing things with buckets of tags is not cool.