ASSOCIATED PRESS

4:38 p.m. January 15, 2007

SALT LAKE CITY – Sometimes it take big bucks to land a buck.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources regularly sells hard-to-get hunting permits as a way to raise money to expand the population of wildlife.

Hunting tags from 11 states, Canada and Mexico and the Navajo Nation will be available this week at banquets tied to the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City.
David Meyer of Memphis, Tenn., spent $156,000 for a Utah tag that allowed him to kill just one mule deer in 2006.

“I bought that tag for the opportunities it gives myself and my family to fund conservation projects to benefit all mule deer in Utah,†Meyer said.

“If that money wasn't slated for conservation, I'd go through the drawing process for a chance to take a trophy animal just like everybody else,†he said.

The Utah wildlife agency is providing 359 permits, ranging from moose to bison to turkey, to hunting groups for auction this year.

Utah requires 30 percent of the winning bid be returned to the state. The hunting group that sells the permit can return another 60 percent to the agency or use the money for its own conservation efforts.

The state has raised more than $9.5 million in the past 10 years and expects to collect more than $2.5 million this year.

The auction tags, which are treated as tax-deductible contributions, can be worth even more if the money is used to get federal grants.

More than 50 bighorn sheep from Montana will be released this week in American Fork and Willow Creek canyons, the result of money raised through the program, said Alan Clark, assistant director of the Division of Wildlife Resources.

Concerned that rank-and-file hunters were being shut out, Utah wildlife officials introduced the sportsman tag.

For $5, they can enter a drawing for a chance at a tag that gives them an opportunity to pursue a certain species on an any open unit in the state, just like the deep-pocketed hunters.

Russ Young, a retired businessman from Illinois, said he has spent $1.5 million on conservation permits in five years. He likes to donate money to preserve wildlife, just like some people contribute to cancer research.

“The underlying and most important thing is that it provides funds to game-and-fish departments that they desperately need to fund projects,†he said.



Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, www.sltrib.com

Where can you enter for the 5 dollar fee?

quote:

Originally posted by LeeC:
Where can you enter for the 5 dollar fee?

I think they were a bit misleading in their wording there, trying to draw a big contrast with this guy's huge dollar tag.

True, it IS only $5 to put in for the draw, but if you happen to draw a tag, it quickly goes up to $463 for a non-resident. If you don't draw, they just keep your $5 for processing, etc.

So technically, it's a $5 draw, but it doesn't mean that your tag only costs $5!

Check it out here... http://wildlife.utah.gov/hunting/

The article is actually incorrect.

Utah provides 362 tags to various conservation groups which are inturn auctioned to the highest bidder.

Utah provides an additional 200 tags to the Hunting Expo which happened over the weekend. These 200 tags were raffled at $5 per hunt unit and were availible only to those who attended the Expo.

So Utah gives 560+ tags (the best tags mind you) to be used by special interest groups.

quote:

Originally posted by MC:
Utah provides an additional 200 tags to the Hunting Expo which happened over the weekend. These 200 tags were raffled at $5 per hunt unit and were availible only to those who attended the Expo.

Remind me to book a flight to make it to next year's Expo!

That's a great deal there. Open to nonresidents as well? I can buy lots of raffle tickets for what my General Deer tag cost last year.

Hopefully there won't be 200 convention tags next year.

Don't be misled by the whole raffle thing.
Anybody was able to enter, but you had to be there in person to activate your raffle.
True they were only $5 for each entry, but you could only enter once per hunt.
If you drew out a tag then you recieved a voucher that you then had to travel to the Fish and Game office to purchase the tag from the State at whatever the tag would go for in the regular draw.
Yes it is a great chance to put in for many tags, but not quite $5, and put in $500 for 1 tag.
Overall it was a great day for outdoorsmen raising money for our wildlife and the opprotunity to give, to help our sport