Bambistew
Well-known member
You are assuming that all that money spent is actually doing something... What is it doing? MT issued the same number of ram tags this year as they did in 1974.
#winning?
Competition grows to auction off coveted hunting tags
- Thread starter Oak
- Start date
#winning?
The Hedgehog
Well-known member
They like a nice vacation with a friendly guy who can all but guarantee them a shot at some decent animals. Maybe they don’t need their “hand held”, but it might be a stretch to refer to any of them as hunters.
Takes $ to accomplish the mentioned operations among the scientific studies working to alleviate the pneumonia heavy loss.
As I said, you have a solid gripe though how's it measured? You suggest tag qty hasn't changed therefore it's a failure, as it's not, "#winning".
What we all know, or should, science is constantly focused on the pneumonia, climate conditions, etc, related to the excessive bighorn sheep mortality rates.
Is that factored into tag qty allotted? I don't know. Maybe @Oak might shed some light or others directly involved in bighorn sheep recovery.
Interesting enough with the timing of this topic:
FWP launching studies to understand Montana's bighorn sheep populations
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks is undertaking a series of studies into bighorn sheep while cooperating with state universities, conservation and ag groups.
Last, as I referred to @SAJ-99 comment, it would be valuable to understand the financials. Is the $ wasted on bighorn sheep related to these studies, transplants, etc? Would be great to better understand.
From what I've read, as a "joe hunter", some of the top scientists involved are supportive of this continued endeavor, particularly the recent $8million venture.
It’s a drought…saw a bio post that the other day after doing a flight. Of course it can’t be anything else
I live right next to idahos best sheep unit. Ram tags in it have bounced around from zero to three during my life. Auction tag money has probably helped some with the disease work in the area and is helping grow numbers but we still can’t keep sheep from wandering and people around it from packing in with all sorts of livestock(including goats and domestic sheep), can’t eliminate hobby flocks in the edges of sheep habitat, posse hunting by the outfitter that inventories every ram and can’t slow down tribal harvest that is exceeding state harvest every year (but isn’t recorded in any way). But thankfully the auction tag is good there every other year so a husband and wife can keep funding sheep…or just building up their trophy room even more
Eric Albus
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- Joined
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- Messages
- 1,680
It makes a difference to some people, their time is more valuable than their money.
Then there are they kind of folk whose category I fall into. My time is far more valuable than money to me. For this reason if I ever feel compelled to hunt a different state I’d hire an outfitter.
I have aged to the point I don’t have to look down my nose at people who chose to hire an outfitter. I grew up enough to set aside the petty feeling that I was superior to another human on account I could outhunt them. There was a time I felt that way…amazing how things change with age.
it's not feeling superior to someone because you can outhunt them, though it is a nice feeling knowing many of these people would lose their rifles after leaning it on a tree to take a chit if their guide wasn't around.
it's more the reasons people do things - the motivations and the money involved, the supremacy complex of the modern day royalty, the ever expanding influence of those with money on wildlife management.
and of course not least, seeking a trophy with little knowledge and effort put towards what they're doing, cause money got them to the animal more than anything else did.
certainly that's not all of em. but it's a lot of em, and it rubs a lot of people the wrong way for a lot of reasons.
The Hedgehog
Well-known member
My skin only gets thicker with age. I’ll die a happy and satisfied broke petty snob that’s never bought a guided hunting vacation. I would buy an auction permit, however, if I could afford one.
BigHornRam
Well-known member
Good read. Doubt it will change any opinions, however.
www.boone-crockett.org
Financial support for wildlife agencies came in 1937 with passage of the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (the Pittman-Robertson Act), which imposed an 11% federal excise tax on hunting equipment and firearms sold in the U.S. Funds were apportioned to individual states exclusively for the management and restoration of wildlife resources and habitats. About the same time, strong partnerships began to form between wildlife agencies, sportsmen, landowners and others committed to wild sheep and the lands they occupied, providing a critical coalition of support for restoration efforts. Since the initial transplants, 172 separate Montana operations have resulted in the translocation of over 3,000 bighorn sheep including 28 imports from other states to Montana; 2,323 within Montana; and 694 exports from Montana to 8 other western states.
Wild Horse Island continues to serve as one of the primary resources for bighorn sheep reintroductions in Montana and other western states. From a founder population of only 10 animals, 561 total bighorn sheep have been translocated from Wild Horse Island, including to 18 other sites in Montana (433) and to two other western states (73).
In addition to the quality habitat of Wild Horse Island, much of the success of the bighorn sheep program can be attributed to the diversity of partnerships, funding mechanisms, and resource management strategies. Those responsible include MFWP staff, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation, volunteers, conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, the Montana Wild Sheep Foundation, the Wild Sheep Foundation, and federal agencies including the Natural Resource Conservation Service.
World's Record - Bighorn Sheep
The new World's Record bighorn sheep was found on Montana's Wild Horse Island and is owned by the st
Financial support for wildlife agencies came in 1937 with passage of the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (the Pittman-Robertson Act), which imposed an 11% federal excise tax on hunting equipment and firearms sold in the U.S. Funds were apportioned to individual states exclusively for the management and restoration of wildlife resources and habitats. About the same time, strong partnerships began to form between wildlife agencies, sportsmen, landowners and others committed to wild sheep and the lands they occupied, providing a critical coalition of support for restoration efforts. Since the initial transplants, 172 separate Montana operations have resulted in the translocation of over 3,000 bighorn sheep including 28 imports from other states to Montana; 2,323 within Montana; and 694 exports from Montana to 8 other western states.
Wild Horse Island continues to serve as one of the primary resources for bighorn sheep reintroductions in Montana and other western states. From a founder population of only 10 animals, 561 total bighorn sheep have been translocated from Wild Horse Island, including to 18 other sites in Montana (433) and to two other western states (73).
In addition to the quality habitat of Wild Horse Island, much of the success of the bighorn sheep program can be attributed to the diversity of partnerships, funding mechanisms, and resource management strategies. Those responsible include MFWP staff, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation, volunteers, conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, the Montana Wild Sheep Foundation, the Wild Sheep Foundation, and federal agencies including the Natural Resource Conservation Service.
FREAK
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- Messages
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I agree with this. I'm humbled every year when I send my mom a picture of a bull I shot and she says, "nice buck". She won't ever care enough to know the difference, just not wired that way.
"Hunting" is too diverse of a thing to put in a box, but I certainly have more respect for guys that hunt public land the same way I do and shoot mature animals year after year. I also KNOW for a fact that their success is most likely due to them spending a ridiculous amount of time, resources, and money to become proficient at the skill.
I paid for a boat charter to catch some fish; it was an experience I wanted but don't care enough myself to invest the time/money to learn the skill. I think of guided anything the same way.
BigHornRam
Well-known member
Montana sheep used as seed stock for other states like North Dakota to build up their herds which will lead to more bighorn hunting opportunities in the future. Win IMO.
mydakotan.com
"Department staff, in conjunction with biologists from the Three Affiliated Tribes Fish and Wildlife Division, also reported the bighorn sheep translocated in January 2020 from Rocky Boy’s Reservation in Montana to the Fort Berthold Reservation performed exceptionally well their third year in the state, as the population has nearly tripled."
Third Consecutive Record Count of Bighorn Sheep
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 2022 bighorn sheep survey, completed by recounting lambs in March, revealed a record 347 bighorn sheep in the grasslands of western North Dakota, up 4%
mydakotan.com
"Department staff, in conjunction with biologists from the Three Affiliated Tribes Fish and Wildlife Division, also reported the bighorn sheep translocated in January 2020 from Rocky Boy’s Reservation in Montana to the Fort Berthold Reservation performed exceptionally well their third year in the state, as the population has nearly tripled."
BigHornRam
Well-known member
I would rather they find it more lucrative to have a thriving bighorn population, and sell hunts for them, then to raise domestic sheep, and barely make it pay for itself.
www.rockyboyfishandwildlife.com
Chippewa Cree Bear Paw Fish & Game - Home
BigHornRam
Well-known member
Feel good money spending that really isn't making a difference, according to a small group of internet complainers. These guys are just throwing their money away.
"The Three Affiliate Tribe (TAT) now owns the sheep in North Dakota, which will be managed by Brett Wiedmann and the State of North Dakota. This partnership is the first of its kind in North Dakota involving wild sheep. Future tags will be split between the state of ND and the tribe for both auction and drawing. It is estimated the first hunt will take place in the fall of 2025 or 2026."
KUIU Conservation Direct North Dakota - KCD1
Watch the process of capturing, processing, and release of 30 Rocky Mountain Bighorn into the Badlands of North Dakota.
www.kuiu.com
"The Three Affiliate Tribe (TAT) now owns the sheep in North Dakota, which will be managed by Brett Wiedmann and the State of North Dakota. This partnership is the first of its kind in North Dakota involving wild sheep. Future tags will be split between the state of ND and the tribe for both auction and drawing. It is estimated the first hunt will take place in the fall of 2025 or 2026."
Zero sheep tags auctioned or dead sheep. I’m confused…Feel good money spending that really isn't making a difference, according to a small group of internet complainers. These guys are just throwing their money away.
KUIU Conservation Direct North Dakota - KCD1
Watch the process of capturing, processing, and release of 30 Rocky Mountain Bighorn into the Badlands of North Dakota.www.kuiu.com
"The Three Affiliate Tribe (TAT) now owns the sheep in North Dakota, which will be managed by Brett Wiedmann and the State of North Dakota. This partnership is the first of its kind in North Dakota involving wild sheep. Future tags will be split between the state of ND and the tribe for both auction and drawing. It is estimated the first hunt will take place in the fall of 2025 or 2026."
BigHornRam
Well-known member
Sheep tags will continue to be auctioned, whether you like it or not. They will also be raffled and sold on reservations for what many would think is a ridiculous amount, me included. The links I provided show what the money goes to, and how it is benefiting bighorn sheep. Read them. You might learn something.
Have a few times; I like it. One of the cooler things Kuiu is doing.
BigHornRam
Well-known member
Lot more people involved than just Kuiu. Lot's of people doing things, donating time and money. What have you done?
quite a bit I think; I’m pretty satisfied with what I’ve done for wildlife
SAJ-99
Well-known member
I realized about a month ago that I am at zero for 2023 and it has depressed me since. Timing has been bad vs. the family schedule, but really it is a matter of prioritization. I need to fix that in 2024.
BigHornRam
Well-known member
Share some success stories.
Mountain Man
Well-known member
The raffle by BHA is live. Here is the link for those interested in buying tickets:
montana.bhafundraising.org
Enter to Win the Montana Statewide Mule Deer License!
montana.bhafundraising.org
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