Nobody is preventing you from buying the tag. Get to it. It’s for the wildlife.
Competition grows to auction off coveted hunting tags
- Thread starter Oak
- Start date
I didn’t read though the whole
Tread. It’s my take that in the end all the auction tags, governor, and commissioner tags Ect Ect do more harm than good. They promote cronyism and sow discontent among confederates. And they have turned so called conservation organizations into self serving organizations that’s have driven prices to ensure their exclusivity to a resource.
Tread. It’s my take that in the end all the auction tags, governor, and commissioner tags Ect Ect do more harm than good. They promote cronyism and sow discontent among confederates. And they have turned so called conservation organizations into self serving organizations that’s have driven prices to ensure their exclusivity to a resource.
All of them, moose included, are for conservation organizations. The Elk & Deer statutes differently only in that you can have a lottery as well as an auction.
Here's the link to all of the proposals, it's under the Select Organizations to Auction: https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/commission/august-2023-meeting
Attached is the PDF from the MOGA EI that shows the conservation work they are using to justify the license. Their plan is to put on a Moose symposium with the proceeds (education). So I think they did fit all of the criteria in there, personally.
I'm a huge fan of DU, personally. Their MT folks and their regional staff have been awesome partners in conservation and at the legislature. I still remember when Don Thomas was let go due the scrap with James Cox Kennedy over bridge access and how lots of folks dropped them for that. Yet they're likely doing more for wetland conservation in the private sector than anyone out there, which 110% benefits moose.
There are firewalls and the penalty for not ensuring proper management is anything from stiff fines to dissolution of your entities. Most non-profits have yearly audits to ensure compliance, especially those who get involved on the political end of things. As far as who gets targeted, I would imagine everyone who has purchased a license over the last years is going to get targeted. Those lists can be had from the agency (or they used to), and there are tons of other lists you can purchase, rent, borrow or steal. It happens all the time across the spectrum.
The 10% is statutory. 90% must be returned to the state, 10% can be kept to pay for services rendered to sell and there is a report due with accounting to ensure compliance. We've seen HT members pick up a Gov's goat tag and do a DIY hunt w/HT members. So I don't know that every license sold will be using an outfitter, but I can imagine the vast majority are. Regardless, that's happening with the Sheep, elk, deer, goat, moose, whatever. Auction tags cater to those who can afford an outfitter. That's how it's always been since these things were first introduced in 86.
I'm not justifying the license going to MOGAEI - or anyone that got one awarded, just trying to get the facts out there. From my reading, the MOGA EI does qualify. If there is a need to change that ARM rule, then I think there's a lot that could be done.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
It can literally take a village . . .
Carnage2011
Well-known member
Your last sentence is false. Nothing more than an assumption. The guy I talked to that purchased a different gov tag this year is going DIY. A couple years ago the Idaho gov sheep tag was purchased by a DIY hunter. The gov moose tag holder for Montana a couple years ago went DIY and shot a beautiful bull.
Some people with money like to hunt. Others like to have someone hold their hand. If someone with the money wants to buy a MT governors tag I doubt they look up who is selling it. They probably look to see when it will be auctioned off and where.
Mallardsx2
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Thats got to be Utah. I've never seen a video of someone hunting in Utah with less than 5-11 guys spotting for them.
Apparently nobody can do anything by themselves in that state. lmao.
To be fair, everyone has like 74 brothers in law in UT.
Eric Albus
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I know lots of people with money who hunt, most(certainly not all) do not need their hand held. The people who chose to hunt with an outfitter generally have more money than time. That said, the vast majority of the folks whom I personally have guided over the last 34 yrs don’t have a ton of money, or time. So they employ me, some once in a life, others every couple years, and some every year.
Eric Albus
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I know lots of people with money who hunt, most(certainly not all) do not need their hand held. The people who chose to hunt with an outfitter generally have more money than time. That said, the vast majority of the folks whom I personally have guided over the last 34 yrs don’t have a ton of money, or time. So they employ me, some once in a life, others every couple years, and some every year.
The 2013 Bighorn Gov tag alone... $480,000! Auctioned by Foundation for North American Wild Sheep at their annual auction
I'd prefer the 10% route to MT organizations involved in conservation efforts and more specifically noted, one dedicated to the Gov tag associated.
Letting the American Bar Association auction off a tag, as an example is not in my wheelhouse for granting 10% of $480,000... Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Society. $48k in Oak, et al pocket to assist beats the hell out of some ABA celebration party...
I'd prefer the 10% route to MT organizations involved in conservation efforts and more specifically noted, one dedicated to the Gov tag associated.
Letting the American Bar Association auction off a tag, as an example is not in my wheelhouse for granting 10% of $480,000... Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep Society. $48k in Oak, et al pocket to assist beats the hell out of some ABA celebration party...
BigHornRam
Well-known member
Couple things for you to consider Charles. The WSF fundraiser auction will bring considerably more dollars for the governors tag than a MT WSF fundraiser auction would. Members of the MT WSF, and are most likely also members of WSF, go to Reno every year to present what we are doing on the ground with sheep conservation in Montana and promote the governors tag to potential bidders at the Reno fundraiser.
The American Bar Association will never get the tag to auction. Worrying about nothing there.
Lastly the WSF is headquartered in Bozeman, so if being in Montana is your main criteria, that box gets checked as well.
Bingo... Right now, it's open to any organization, regardless and including bleeding heart apologist organizations.
As for your, "Lastly" point, I agree 100%. WSF has been great! I mentioned RMEF earlier, as you know, based out of Missoula. Same criteria. Nationally, RMEF is involved. Montana, massive efforts to assist in land acquisitions to habitat improvement. This fits right along with WSF or RMBS, as my other example. Keep the tag involved with organizations that already invest in that animal.
I dig Ducks Unlimited. Enjoy the hell out of their banquets. Don't tell the Wolds as they put on a hell of an RMEF banquet though DU has to be my favorite banquet experience of all Conservation banquets. And... I'm sure they raise a healthy amount though, with respect to conservation, DU managing auctions for a Bighorn Ram, Mule Deer, or Elk... Is not in my wheelhouse.
YMMV.
Pucky Freak
Well-known member
Wildlife has been monetized in the Americas since at least the 16th century, and that monetization is not going away. However, it’s up to all of us to choose how much to tilt the scale to balance that with democratization of the resource.
I love raffle tags as much as I hate auction tags. Raffles where 90% of funds are returned to the resource seems to have little downside.
Auctions are little more than political currency. A legal alternative to quid pro quo, bribery, and laundering. There are countless examples of corruption. “Lots of money for conservation” doesn’t come close to outweighing the downsides IMO.
BigHornRam
Well-known member
FWP Commissioners decided to give the Mule deer tag to MT BHA, and the moose tag to MOGEI this year. Mule deer foundation and DU had these in past years. Sheep, goat, and elk stayed the same.
RobG
Well-known member
Does the organization that auctions the tag get to keep 10%, or just enough to cover their expenses related to the auction?
As I understand, both auction and raffle involve the 90/10, correct? Your comment relates to a tag for the wealthy vs a tag for all interested to participate... the wealthy do not have a guaranteed tag via raffle thus more pro raffle vs auction?
Both raise the $. It seems, or at least it appears auctions raise the most $ for FWP.
WTF DU is given a big game tag where they pocket 10% of auction or raffle to use towards wetland is beyond me, maybe because wetland is inclusive of moose? Therefore some justification?
BigHornRam
Well-known member
My understanding is that WSF keeps 10%. No heartburn from me since they do a lot of funding for Montana projects. The other orgs I don't know for sure. 10% is reasonable to me as long as they do a good job promoting it and do good work with the money they bring in.
RobG
Well-known member
Thanks. The problem I have with that is the governor-appointed commission gets to pick who gets the windfall.
AND... yet they picked BHA... BHA is notorious for their rhetoric towards Gianforte.
I think we can drop the political agenda b.s. for this round.
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