Auction tags are commonly cited as great benefits to habitat and conservation. They undoubtedly put real dollars towards these causes. However, I would argue that most of these programs create a net loss towards goals of habitat, populations, access, and opportunity. The issue is opportunity cost. Every tag you remove from the draw for an auction = x amount of fewer average joe hunters who can aspire to hunt areas and species, be inspired and motivated to volunteer their time, and perhaps even more importantly, be inclined to partner with causes, and be active politically with their vote towards relevant issues and involvement with G&F decisions.
Letting high value tags go to a select few with the deepest pockets creates an image problem that is unpalatable to most folks. In order to try and mitigate the sordid reality, having a sexy dollar amount earmarked for conservation tricks us into thinking we’re all getting a gift, but it’s really a crap sandwich, due to erosion of the base # of persons contributing to conservation in years to come.
