Irishman
Well-known member
I'm not saying that the money from the auctions isn't used wisely. I'm saying that there are other ways to get the money. For example, I worked for a company that got huge tax breaks from the state of Montana worth millions of dollars. That company made as much money as possible, as quickly as possible, then shut down most of their operations in the state leaving thousands unemployed. The tax breaks did zero good for the state, or for the people of the state. It should have been used to fund state operations like FWP.I'll agree that auction tags are not ideal, and some states give far to many of them, IMO. However, Montana gives very few, and they are auctioned off at wildlife banquets to support their causes. In Montana, Ducks Unlimited gets the Moose Tag for Auction, so whatever this guy spent- let's call it $40K, goes to DU for their projects. Wildsheep Foundation sees the highest bids, with the tag going for ~half a million some years. Would I rather see a guy who's applied for 20 years kill one of those animals? Absolutely. Does that kind of money help wildlife and help us as sportsmen create more opportunity for our kids? Absolutely. There's a fine balance to be found with Auction Tags- it's my opinion, but I'd say that's one of the things MTFWP has done "about right" in recent years.