warmer
Well-known member
I brought mine out whole on a game cart. I'm to old for that packing business. Besides, you can just shoot him in the ditch right beside the road. Packing is a non-starter.
SD sheep auction
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I think it's a great use of the money. At least folks, yes plural
, get to hunt pheasants...
warmer
Well-known member
Then auction off a pheasant license!I think it's a great use of the money. At least folks, yes plural
I'd be okay with that as well. In a state like SD, I'm sure pheasant money helps many, many other programs and species than just pheasants... Heck, a small percentage increase in pheasants or access to pheasants would impact more hunters than a doubling of sheep tags.
warmer
Well-known member
Have you ever hunted sheep?I'd be okay with that as well. In a state like SD, I'm sure pheasant money helps many, many other programs and species than just pheasants... Heck, a small percentage increase in pheasants or access to pheasants would impact more hunters than a doubling of sheep tags.
warmer
Well-known member
Getting the sheep off the mountain and back in the corn fields and CRP?In related news, Pheasants Forever will be donating 2/3 of their banquet dollars to benefit bighorn sheep habitat, translocations and research.
But these agencies totally need the money. Just ask those auctioning the tags, they’ll tell you so
I've not pulled the trigger on a sheep, but I'd say I've hunted them. I helped a buddy fill two sheep tags in Idaho. One in the Frank Church Wilderness (took 2 trips) and one in Bruneau Canyon along the ID/NV border.
In a previous job I've helped change grazing permits to allow for the re-introduction of sheep as well as help negotiate with a sheep permit holder to help out an established sheep population. I've also helped capture sheep for re-introduction efforts.
While I am far from a sheep aficionado, I'd say my experiences have led me to understand the allure of bighorn sheep and sheep country as well as the issues they face.
BuzzH
Well-known member
I agree with this.I think it's a great use of the money. At least folks, yes plural
As much as I like sheep hunting and the allure that goes with them, I also have a lot of second thoughts on if the amount of money spent on them is worth it.
I get it that any improvement to sheep habitat benefits other wildlife as well but it just seems we disproportionately spend money on sheep to the detriment of other species. To the detriment of the majority of hunters that will NEVER get the chance to hunt sheep. Not that the cause of just knowing there are still wild sheep on the landscape isn't a worthwhile endeavor, without ever hunting them. What I do believe if the level of funding sheep get from license sales is a big ask (more of a taking really) of the majority that never will hunt sheep.
I think Wyoming is a classic example. When you look at the amount of money spent to manage sheep so that less than 200 hunters a year can hunt them, it raises questions. Should we be experiencing deficit spending to manage sheep? Should the price of tags, both R and NR be adjusted to justify the expenditures to manage them?
Why should revenue from elk and pronghorn license sales be diverted to funding sheep? In particular when 10's of thousands of R and NR hunters pursue those animals each year versus less than 200 hunters who draw a sheep tag?
Then there's the consideration of what is going to keep hunting around and expose the most people to hunting as well. That's not going to happen through less than 200 sheep tags a year. Its going to be things like pronghorn, elk, deer, and yes, even pheasant hunting that keeps the tradition alive.
I often wonder what say, pronghorn hunting would look like across the West if they received the same amount of funding, research, and care that wild sheep get?
I'm constantly conflicted about all that goes into sheep management and even sheep hunting. Lots of average hunters being asked to give up an awful lot for the well-heeled or extraordinarily lucky few who draw sheep tags. But at the same time, there's no question that sheep hunting is absolutely something pretty damn special as are the animals themselves.
Hard to know the right answers.
This is not the discussion in this thread. Quite the opposite in fact.
Edit, BTW, I am not a fan of auction tags, but I am less of a fan of auction tag $$$ being used to support an exotic species.
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Fair enough and I could side with that argument as well.
The sheep management conundrum is definitely worthy of it's own topic. I forgot to get back to @thebestusernamesaretaken's questions in my membership drive thread and I see he deleted his post. I'm swamped the next couple of days, but will try to start a thread later this week. My opinion: we don't necessarily spend sheep management money in the the most effective ways to promote long-term population recoveries. We buy a lot of Band-Aids.
come on, say "mtmiller, you are right". hahahahahah
Lol. I tried but threw up in my mouth a little.
thebestusernamesaretaken
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I have made some unfortunate comments on your membership drive thread concerning my personal internal conflict with making donations to wild sheep foundations; when it appears that there is not much traction in obtaining long lasting conservation or even hunting opportunities (except for the very lucky or the financially well healed).
I didn't realize at the time that the tread I had commented on was for your membership drive, as I had thought I was on a mountain goat related thread. I thought we were just chatting about alpine species and that was all. I honestly did not intend to attempt to derail your membership drive. I deleted the comment after I realized what I had done, but I should have reached out to you to apologize. I truly respect your efforts, dedication and the efforts of others to put wild sheep back on the mountain. I had made the mistake of thinking out loud with my keyboard and shouldn't have.
Copied form that other thread-
Colorado has around 310 sheep tags in the public draw and a couple more in raffles.
The vast majority of their tags are available to regular people and the RMBS does a great job advocating for sheep.
MY REPLY -
I thought MTGomer answered the question very well. When there are 310 sheep tags available in the draw and ONLY one is sold to the highest bidder I don't see how that is "out of reach for most financially; I almost feel like I'm donating money to pay for folks who are wealthier than I, to be able to go on a hunt" when anyone that applies has a chance.
FYI - NR ewe tags while pricey can be drawn in 1-3 years in most units in Colorado.
Sandbrew
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thebestusernamesaretaken
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Perhaps I should also say that although I do not have an understanding of the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society's financial activities, I have looked at the Wild Sheep Foundation's 2019 publicly posted financials. While I would be remis to insult those who run these organizations as they provide exceptional charitable contributions; I would say that if these two organizations are anything alike, that they are not necessarily a large financial affair. They seem like they are more like a small business with limited resources trying to do a big job.
I imagine that the conservation & research efforts on improving wild sheep longevity, habitat and certainly those costs associated with relocating sheep are quite expensive. Based on WSF financials, I would suspect that the majority of those funds used for these activities would have to come from licenses tag holders in that State, Fed Govt contributions and from these type of auctions.
I suspect that the more funds that these types of organizations have available to them would likely increase the influence of hunters in that particular State for Bighorn Sheep. I sincerely doubt that anyone in any of these organizations are completely satisfied with the results obtained so far. Not because they are not working hard but rather because they are passionate about bighorn sheep; they are fighting the fight.
excerpt for WSF:
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warmer
Well-known member
Lots of interesting info and thoughts in this thread. Admittedly, some I have never even considered. Thanks guys.
One thing I keep coming back to: as hunters/conservationists we usually want to help any species survive and thrive, but its seems that it's becoming more "screw the sheep, I'll never hunt them, so let the rich players pay for the privlege of hunting them".
An attitude that seems to follow the discourse plaguing the entire country right now.
FWIW.
One thing I keep coming back to: as hunters/conservationists we usually want to help any species survive and thrive, but its seems that it's becoming more "screw the sheep, I'll never hunt them, so let the rich players pay for the privlege of hunting them".
An attitude that seems to follow the discourse plaguing the entire country right now.
FWIW.
