Sheep Hunting covered in New York Times (Positive article for hunters)

[Hunting Wife]

No, but considerable portion of Dr Garrott's current budget is being funded with auction tag revenue.

Or conversely, you could say that auction tag revenue is largely consumed by a single project. That leaves the lion's share of bighorn management in the state to be covered by other funds. Depends on your perspective, I guess.

 

[BuzzH]

Buzz,

Of the revenue generated by the Wyoming auction tags, what is the leveraged PR dollars associated with it? Reread your rant. You didn't include those dollars in it.

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/cont...EPORT_2016.pdf

Its all in there Paul...including PR funds, grants, etc. by species.

So, I accept your apology in advance.

 

[BigHornRam]

Or conversely, you could say that auction tag revenue is largely consumed by a single project. That leaves the lion's share of bighorn management in the state to be covered by other funds. Depends on your perspective, I guess.

From an earlier link....

"Now earning his doctorate in Fish and Wildlife Biology, Butler will use his expertise on a massive new study to understand why the number of bighorn sheep is so low in Montana. The $1.2 million, six-year collaborative research project will investigate the complex issue from all angles and levels, ranging from the molecular to the ecosystem, said MSU ecologist Bob Garrott. The goal is to provide the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks with the information it needs to enhance bighorn sheep conservation and management in Montana".

This was funded with auction dollars and leveraged PR dollars. No auction, no study. I think training future biologist this way through MSU makes sense.

 

[mtmiller]

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[BigHornRam]

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/cont...EPORT_2016.pdf

Its all in there Paul...including PR funds, grants, etc. by species.

So, I accept your apology in advance.

Your link is not taking me to a PDF report Buzz.

 

[BigHornRam]

stretch

How so?

 

[mtmiller]

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[BigHornRam]

Don't be silly. You have no way to validate your comment.

Where would the funding come from then? Dr Garrott put together a proposal soliciting the funding and it was accepted.

Have you ever sat in on a presentation or talked to Dr Garrott personally Craig? I have.

 

[BuzzH]

Your link is not taking me to a PDF report Buzz.

Try this one:

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/content/PDF/About Us/Commission/WGFD_ANNUALREPORT_2016.pdf

 

[mtmiller]

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[BigHornRam]

"Garrott and Rotella pointed out that some of the funds for the study came from hunters who bid for the opportunity to hunt bighorn sheep in Montana. The Wild Sheep Foundation auctions off one tag a year, with most of the proceeds going to the FWP for bighorn sheep research and habitat improvement. One hunter bid a record $480,000 in 2013. The previous record, set in 2012, was $300,000. Other funds for the FWP grant come from federal taxes on arms and ammunition."

From a previous link explaining where the funding for the study came from Craig.

 

[mtmiller]

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[BigHornRam]

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I get it Craig. You don't like the auction tags. You have to admit that it funds some worthwhile projects that would not be funded without it.

 

[BigHornRam]

Try this one:

https://wgfd.wyo.gov/WGFD/media/content/PDF/About Us/Commission/WGFD_ANNUALREPORT_2016.pdf

I'm having trouble seeing how Wyoming is coming up with their numbers Buzz, so I'll just stick with how it works here in Montana. Auction tag sold for $305,000. WSF gets a small % for the auction, 5 % I believe. What's left can be leveraged with PR funds 3 to 1. That adds up to over a million dollars MT FWP has to work with. Significant amount.

 

[Elkmagnet]

I get it Craig. You don't like the auction tags. You have to admit that it funds some worthwhile projects that would not be funded without it.

Maybe we should use the auction tag proceeds to fund a study on whether or not auction tags have increase the number of Bighorn in the US?

 

[Elkmagnet]

I'm having trouble seeing how Wyoming is coming up with their numbers Buzz, so I'll just stick with how it works here in Montana. Auction tag sold for $305,000. WSF gets a small % for the auction, 5 % I believe. What's left can be leveraged with PR funds 3 to 1. That adds up to over a million dollars MT FWP has to work with. Significant amount.

Did we loose sight of where pr funds come from?

 

[Hunting Wife]

Where would the funding come from then? Dr Garrott put together a proposal soliciting the funding and it was accepted.

This clearly illustrates you don't understand research funding, and you don't really know Bob Garrett...

I'm familiar with Dr. Garrott. He's excellent at his job, and a significant part of that job is hounding money. It's pretty ridiculous to suggest that someone with a track record like Garrott's would not have been able to find other sources of funding if it weren't for auction tags. He would have submitted proposals to other outlets, just like wildlife researchers the world over have been doing for decades. He would NOT have sat around moping about the work he couldn't get done because he didn't have auction tag money.

Is it helpful to have another revenue stream? Of course. Would management and research grind to a halt if auction tags didn't exist? No.

I'm having trouble seeing how Wyoming is coming up with their numbers Buzz, so I'll just stick with how it works here in Montana. Auction tag sold for $305,000. WSF gets a small % for the auction, 5 % I believe. What's left can be leveraged with PR funds 3 to 1. That adds up to over a million dollars MT FWP has to work with. Significant amount.

Compared to an annual FWP budget of +/- $80 million. Back to the original issue I have with the article.... where does most of that annual budget come from?

I took that number from here:
http://leg.mt.gov/content/Publications/fiscal/Budget-Books/2017/Fiscal-Report/section_c/5201-00summary.pdf

We're getting off in the weeds here, and I think we've lost the original discussion so I'll step aside. But this notion that auction tag revenues are to thank for the lion's share of wildlife management funding is simply not true.

 

[BuzzH]

I'm having trouble seeing how Wyoming is coming up with their numbers Buzz, so I'll just stick with how it works here in Montana. Auction tag sold for $305,000. WSF gets a small % for the auction, 5 % I believe. What's left can be leveraged with PR funds 3 to 1. That adds up to over a million dollars MT FWP has to work with. Significant amount.

Yeah, I couldn't find the ones written in crayon.

 

[JLS]

PR does not match auction monies at a 3:1.

 

[brymoore]

PR match of auction revenue assumes that the state hasn't maxed out on the PR formula without the auction money.