Washingtons Elk AUCTION Tag

[MtnMuley]

I didn't get that feeling from any response I read, Goldtip.  My only really negative thing about any auction tag is the publicity it puts on animals in certain areas, and yes it is ruining some.

[1bugman]

I didn't get that feeling from any response I read, Goldtip.  My only really negative thing about any auction tag is the publicity it puts on animals in certain areas, and yes it is ruining some.

  If it's a good area, then it's going to get out that it is a good area, any ways. it happens all the time. I don't like hunting around a bunch of people either, but that's what happens. And I don't get to hunt pravate land or have a bunch of time to hike to far from the road.

[gramps]

coachcw....I may have misunderstood your comment about license fees..but..............
All money from the sale of hunting license and tags goes to the State Wildlife Account and is used by the game dept for game related items.  For the current budget that expires 30Jun11, that amounts to $86.9 million.  Most fishing license fees and some commercial fishing fees go to the General Fund and the Game Dept gets $73.4 Million back for  it's budget.  Total budget for the game dept for current 2yr cycle is $326.3 million.

[bearpaw]

I've been watching this thread and feel I should add my two cents.

Throughout the west these auction tags help fund a variety of projects. Without them I think the average hunter would have to step up and pay more for game management. While I can not say for sure what program the WA governor elk tag funds will go to, I think it does offset costs for WDFW and what all other hunters must pay for licenses.

I personally wished I could afford to buy one of the governor tags and do the hunt for myself, but they are beyond my budget. I certainly want to thank the sportsfolks who are willing to help support our wildlife management with these purchases.

Now before you guys flame me, no, I have never guided a governor tag hunt, but I still feel the sales of these few tags are a definite benefit to the state and to all Washington hunters.

[MtnMuley]

I didn't get that feeling from any response I read, Goldtip.  My only really negative thing about any auction tag is the publicity it puts on animals in certain areas, and yes it is ruining some.

  If it's a good area, then it's going to get out that it is a good area, any ways.

Not true at all.  I know many that will attest to this.

[400out]

loose lips sink ships   

[huntnnw]

I have no issues with people who spend big money on tags.. its those people who brag about what a hunter they are to others and enter their animals into record books with their name attached and they did chit to HUNT it, other than pull the trigger!... in my eyes your not a hunter your a trigger puller. The hunt is the scouting and preparation and doing it. I have the utmost respect for anyone who goes out and does it, even if it is killing a raghorn or the avg muley, over these guys paying people to find them record class animals..= lazy to me. no other way to describe it.

[deerslyr]

like I said before, if you guys have a problem with it, CHANGE IT. Dont bash a guy that you have no idea is and is doing everything 100% LEGAL. Im sure if all of these guys that bitch about it every year could get some sort of new legislation together and have them give out more raffle tags or something instead, but......I have yet to see anything like this come up after all of these years, on this board at least, so until that happens quit bitching about it cus its not gunna change any time soon.

[jackelope]

I didn't get that feeling from any response I read, Goldtip.  My only really negative thing about any auction tag is the publicity it puts on animals in certain areas, and yes it is ruining some.

  If it's a good area, then it's going to get out that it is a good area, any ways.

Not true at all.  I know many that will attest to this.

These internet forums have 10 fold the effect on those hunting areas than the Auction tags do. I'd go so far to say that the Auction tag hunters and the areas they hunt would get very little publicity if it weren't for these forums. Maybe we should shut down the forums.

[Skyvalhunter]

I have no problem with this. It brings in alot of money to the state that wouldn't be there in the first place.
 Stating that they money goes to the State Wildlife account is wrong since it actally goes into the general fund where the wdfw is allocated funds out of. If a person can afford to bid on the auction then more power to them. They shouldn't be crusified for having the ability to do so because most most would too if they were put in the same shoes.

[bone head]

i agree. someone shut this forum down

[jackelope]

I have no problem with this. It brings in alot of money to the state that wouldn't be there in the first place.
 Stating that they money goes to the State Wildlife account is wrong since it actally goes into the general fund where the wdfw is allocated funds out of. If a person can afford to bid on the auction then more power to them. They shouldn't be crusified for having the ability to do so because most most would too if they were put in the same shoes.

Sky-you're incorrect.

How were the proceeds used?

By law, the revenue from a particular species auction and raffle tags must be spent on management of that species. Given that, the expenditures (since July 1999) for deer and elk have been marked for special projects, including a buck mortality study on black-tailed deer, investigations of deer hair loss syndrome, elk augmentations, elk carry-capacity study, and elk calf survival investigations. Expenditures for bighorn sheep, moose, and mountain goats has been primarily for annual surveys for these species (83%), with smaller costs associated with special research projects (8%) and raffle tag marketing (9%).

http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/permits/raffles/faq.html

AUCTIONS
  2008
 2009
 
Deer - Westside
 6,500
 7,000
 
Deer - Eastside
 14,000
 7,500
 
Elk - Westside
 21,500
 17,000
 
Elk - Eastside
 65,000
 44,000
 
Moose
 20,000
 25,000
 
Mountain Goat
 13,500
 8,500
 
Bighorn Sheep - California
 61,000
 49,500
 
      
YEARLY TOTALS
 $201,500
 $158,500
 
 
  
  
 
1994-2009 Auction information [PDF]


Figures provided in this document are Wildlife Management's tracking of revenue on a calendar year basis. These figures differ from the fiscal accounting required by the State Auditor for the July 1 through June 30 period. Raffle ticket sales for a given year overlap fiscal years. Fiscal reports do not track expenditures for auction and raffle separately. We compiled the revenue and expenditure figures for auction and raffle separately by species for internal
 

[400out]

I didn't get that feeling from any response I read, Goldtip.  My only really negative thing about any auction tag is the publicity it puts on animals in certain areas, and yes it is ruining some.

  If it's a good area, then it's going to get out that it is a good area, any ways.

Not true at all.  I know many that will attest to this.

You would find alot of postal workers on here if you did

These internet forums have 10 fold the effect on those hunting areas than the Auction tags do. I'd go so far to say that the Auction tag hunters and the areas they hunt would get very little publicity if it weren't for these forums. Maybe we should shut down the forums.

[kirkl]

hope i win the lotto someday cause ill buy that tag then post my ugly mug on here with my bull and watch people cry about it.         

[steen]

It's nice to see some real facts, thanks Jackelope.  I just hope some money either from the raffles or RockyMountain Elk Foundation will go to fighting the wolf reintroduction.  That would be money well spent if we can either hunt them or erradicate them.