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Podcast: Why Big-Game Auction Tags Are a Necessary Evil

When it comes to raising serious cash through one exclusive tag, it's still hard to beat a high-dollar auction — whether we like it or not
By Alex Robinson

Posted On May 29, 2024 1:33 PM EDT

3 Minute Read



Two core principles of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation are that wildlife belongs to the public, and that there should be hunting “opportunity for all.” In other words, the public should get equitable access to that wildlife. High-dollar big game auctions — in which wealthy hunters bid hundreds of thousands of dollars on the most exclusive and coveted tags — seem to fly in the face of this principle. As hunting and conservation editor Andrew McKean and I discuss on this episode of the Outdoor Life podcast, most of the general public is left sitting on the sidelines at these auctions.



Those hundreds of thousands of dollars raised at auction are donated back to wildlife management, which in turn improves herd numbers and can help open more hunting opportunities for average hunters. That’s the best-case scenario. But often these well-intentioned fundraisers tip into ethical gray area. In many cases, for instance, Western outfitters diligently scout units to locate and photograph the biggest trophy-class bucks, bulls, and rams — and then circulate those images to potential bidders at these auctions. This can drive up the price of auction tags, which is good for the wildlife agencies that use the funding for conservation projects. But it also feels like the whole framework is one step short of market hunting, says McKean.



“In a lot of cases, the participants in auctions are buying an opportunity to hunt a specific animal, and in some cases they are buying [the tag] with the expectation that they are going to kill that animal,” he says. “That transactional part of it is really problematic. If you pull that thread just a little bit, what we’re doing is promoting market hunting. The very reason we have the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is to get away from the idea that you can exclusively own and sell a specific [wild] animal.”

As an alternative to the auction model, some states are looking to raffles. Montana recently raffled its statewide mule deer tag with the help of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, which raised a record amount of funding. That raffle brought in a total of $56,620 for conservation by selling 2,831 tickets for $20 apiece to the public. In the Southwest, the Arizona Game and Fish Commission recently voted to abolish the states practice of auctioning tags.

Still, it’s unlikely that we’ll see high-dollar big game tag auctions go away anytime soon. These methods are so effective at raising funds that state agencies would take a serious hit without them. For example, last year Arizona auctioned its statewide mule deer tag for a record-setting $725,000. In order to earn that same amount of revenue through a raffle, the state would have had to sell 36,250 raffle tickets at $20 a pop. That’s nearly 13 times as many raffle tickets than the total purchased in Montana’s statewide mule deer auction, meaning it would be a nearly impossible number of tickets to sell.


McKean says that raffles work well when the agency is hoping to raise between $50,000 and $100,000. For funding efforts larger than that, auctions would still be the way to go. There are also more creative ways to support conservation, says McKean. To hear about those, listen to this week’s episode on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I have always thought it was a good idea
Especially for sheep and consequently improving their habitat and numbers
They are so susceptible to domestic sheep pneumonia and herd can be wiped out really quick
Also super tag lotteries are great chance at great hunt as well
Can’t for the life of me understand why some people would be against it

I am not a fan of the auctions. Rich people only! The raffles give everyone an equal chance at a reasonable price, same as tag drawings.

Public shouldn't mean "only for the rich".

quote:

Originally posted by LeonardC:
I am not a fan of the auctions. Rich people only! The raffles give everyone an equal chance at a reasonable price, same as tag drawings.

Public shouldn't mean "only for the rich".

Hey man, get of this Rich people band wagon
Jealousy and envy has no place in this

I went to the Western Hunting Expo in Salt Lake City in February.

The sheep raffles were pretty exciting and accessible by everyone - with limits on some of the tickets based on whether you had gotten a sheep before. I think this is cool.

The governor tags, and similar, were going for crazy money. I think the highest was the Antelope Island Mule deer - $450K or so if i remember.

I don't have an issue with this since there are a limited of tags overall like this and the money benefits the the state. You'd have to sell a lot of raffle tickets to get close!

If the money actually went to the species being auctioned it would help. Sadly very little does.
There was a discussion recently on a different forum. Auction tag money in arizona went to:
Prairie wold reintroduction
Prairie dog protection
Leopard frog habitat
Cameras for bald eagle nest etc etc

Nothing to actually help or improve deer or elk numbers. It’s public info if anyone is inclined to google it.

quote:

Originally posted by M.Shy:

quote:

Originally posted by LeonardC:
I am not a fan of the auctions. Rich people only! The raffles give everyone an equal chance at a reasonable price, same as tag drawings.

Public shouldn't mean "only for the rich".

Hey man, get of this Rich people band wagon
Jealousy and envy has no place in this

In a way, he is right.

The amount of money for paid for a tag sometimes is just plain silly.

Now, does the money actual go to help these animals??

I think it may have been done like this some place but I think any tag that gets auctioned one should be raffled off to. With out a doubt money raised for a certain tag should go back to benefit that animal or towards helping hunting related things. The bs some of the money goes towards is such a shame. Hunters get all the bad press but do more for all wildlife. I hate seeing hunting dollars go towards bunny hugger projects that they do nothing to help.

I will only speak for Utah as that is my home state.

Utah "Auction" tags are completely out of control with special interest groups. There are just too many
tags being sold that fund too many salaries and other non-related items. The Hunt Expo is a perfect example.
They sell more than 200 public tags. In addition, there are many banquets where there are many other public tags
are sold.

Now, I am not against some tags being sold off but what we have here is way too many. I would drastically cut the amount
of tags that are currently being offered and let the Utah Fish and Game Auction a FEW of them. We do not need to have
private entities doing it.

Disclaimer- I have attended a few banquets and therefore am a bit hypocritical criticizing them. However, there are some good one out there (RMEF) that I do support.