cgasner1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2016
- Messages
- 4,595
@shootnthebull I know you guys don’t advertise the work you do but thanks I appreciate it. I didn’t realize how much work was being done till I attended the banquet this year.
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@shootnthebull I know you guys don’t advertise the work you do but thanks I appreciate it. I didn’t realize how much work was being done till I attended the banquet this year.
If my math is right, 107 ram permits issued in 1980.Because there is no elephant to discuss. you think there's 5000 sheep in montana up from the low of 1000 without the help of this type of funding? its not a great outlook, but they are doing what they can, and if an auction tag is the way to maximize the funding, then i'm all for it. And if you think a raffle would out-fund an auction on sheep, you are just plain wrong. proof?
In the last 20ish years, Arizona auctions and raffles the same amount of have generated $7 million compared to $3 million from raffles. And there's typically been one auction tag, and and 1 or 2 raffle tags. double the money, half the tags...
Main things off the top of my head that are recent, I would say the commingling study, the E Cliffs addition to Blue Eyed Nelly, and the Stafford Ferry CE.Never been to a banquet. Could you share what’s being done?
If my math is right, 74 total ram tags in 2025, 107 in 1980 the first year I applied for sheep in Montana. In 1980 these auction tags didn't exist and we had significantly more opportunity.If my math is right, 107 ram permits issued in 1980.
I don't know how many this year.
Without auction tags how else can we ensure the rich get to hunt the very best of sheep every year while putting and keeping sheep in a trophy room?
I think that to give kudos to early game management without acknowledging that they poisoned predators including raptors to the brink, in favor of bringing big game back from the brink, ignores their by far most effective tool.When you boil it all down, this is what all of the auction tags have yielded.
I have tremendous respect for all of the work done to bring big game animals back from the brink, during the first half of the 20th century. There was no assurance that there would ever be a hunting season, for some species.
We all have benefited from all of the early work done to save wildlife. Our battle now is somewhat different. Then, they had habitat, but few animals. Now, we are in a continuous struggle to preserve the habitat needs for big game.
On the bright side in Arizona, I see WSF is running the raffle for the Rocky tag. This will allow a much bigger group to buy tickets. A few years ago the AZ Super Raffle had to change how tickets were sold…you have to be present in AZ to buy tickets. That is pretty difficult and sure does cut down the pool. As usual, great for residents but definitely limits the funds.nobody will ever see me go to bat in support of auction tags for the sake of auctioning a tag. I do support raising as much money as possible off one tag. If that means an auction, then I support that. If that means a raffle, then I support getting rid of the auction and going to a raffle.
That’s been my stance in Arizona and my frustration with the commission there is they refused to answer how they plan to replace the auction money.
There is more hunting opportunity in Arizona today because of the impact of the money that has been raised by auction tags. Some people might not like that, but that is an undeniable hard fact. I have personally built drinkers with that money and watched helicopters show up the next day to haul water after we found them dry with sheep standing around them and called it in. The money is needed, whether it be from an auction or a raffle or something else. A state with 6+ million people could just face the fact that desert bighorn sheep are a valuable species and money should be spent to conserve them without relying on the tiny fraction of the people that are hunters or want to be hunters, but that’s another topic.
If a raffle would raise more than an auction in MT, that’s what we should do, in my personal opinion.
How much does the current raffle, called the super tag, raise? Could it raise more if it was more than $5 a piece and was better marketed and did not (I believe) require conservation license to purchase it?
Montana faces a lot of challenges when it comes to bighorn sheep and they cannot all be solved with money, unfortunately.
When is the elephant in the room going to be discussed? All the money raised from sheep tag auctions for conservation has not increased wild sheep numbers long-term. The only benefit from the auctions is for the wealthy to be able to buy sheep tags.
Thank you, our volunteers work hard for Montanas bighorn sheep. Sometimes the wheel of conservation works slow but it is moving!@shootnthebull I know you guys don’t advertise the work you do but thanks I appreciate it. I didn’t realize how much work was being done till I attended the banquet this year.
@Ben Lamb to bring the thread back.
What were your thoughts on the veto, and why? Curious to know. So its clear - i am behind the idea that, with limits, some auction tags might be better in lieu of raffle tags.
To me - the evidence of it is mixed and the experiment to maximize funding should be left to the commission. All this legislation did was empower them accordingly. Thats why i am not happy with the decision.
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Montana State research team receives $4 million to study interactions between wild and domestic sheep
The collaborative project will aim to lay the groundwork for disease prevention and management work across the state.www.montana.edu
Wonder where the sheep would be if no one was trying?