Kill 'Em to Save 'Em

Big Bucks for Conservation

By Amy Seigel, 1-19-07

Some people don’t think much of hunters. There’s a general perception out there that the individuals who spend every free hour learning the habits of their quarry, tracking them over some of the most remote landscapes still left in the country are anti-conservation—at least in as much as they don’t follow the “take only photographs, leave only footsteps” advice of the new generation of outdoorsmen and women. There’s no denying that hunters generally get a bad rap when it comes to taking care of wildlife and wilderness, but a program sponsored by the Utah wildlife agency is helping change that image—one trophy tag at a time.

At the first annual Western Hunting and Conservation Expo, going on now through Saturday at the Salt Palace, hunters can put their money to work by bidding on some extra special tags offered up for the sake of financing some major conservation efforts. According to an article in the Salt Lake Tribune, some 20,000 hunters are expected to attend the event; and, while many of them will come to check out the latest and greatest in hunting gear, gadgets and gizmos, it’s likely that the special tags up for auction from 11 states, Canada, Mexico and the Navajo Nation will be the biggest draw. Expo organizers predict that this diverse selection will bring in close to $10 million in funds slated almost exclusively for conservation efforts.

The Utah alone, a total of 359 conservation permits are available for everything from bison to bighorn sheep, mule deer to moose. The Utah wildlife agency has raised more than $9.5 million over the past 10 years through similar auctions, and the 2007 permits are expected to bring in more than $2.5 million. The big money-makers are likely to be the 200 “premium, limited entry, and once-in-a-lifetime trophy hunting tags” that allow the winner to hunt any open unit for the selected species.

The best part is that very little of the money gets lost in translation—the Utah program requires that 30 percent of the proceeds from the auction of conservation permits be returned to the state, and another 60 percent must go towards conservation, through either state-run or private conservation groups. All that remains is the 10 percent the state allows these groups to keep to cover the cost of attracting potential bidders to their banquets and expos.

While many of the tags available are predicted to fetch some pretty high prices—like the $185,000 Russ Young, a retired businessman from Illinois, spent for a New Mexico bighorn sheep tag last year—there is also a chance for the average-Joe-hunter to get in on the goods. For $5, anyone can enter a drawing for a chance at the Sportsman Tag, one of those prized conservation permits that allows the hunter to venture into any open unit in pursuit of their selected species.

Hopefully this Sportsman Tag will help the conservation program overcome what some see as its tendency to cater to the elitists in the sport. Some perceive the auction as a chance for the ultra-wealthy to buy their trophies, while the average hunter has to deal with long and frustrating applications and lottery systems.

Although it seems reasonable to assume that this auction—along with pretty much every other auction—does indeed cater to the wealthier among us, the real question is whether or not it is all for a good cause. In this case, the answer is clear. And even if you are anti-hunter it’s obvious that, at least in this instance, hunters are doing something most weekend-warrior environmentalists rarely get a chance to do—they’re putting their money where their mouths are. I don’t know about you, but I believe that any group capable of raising $10 million for conservation deserves commendation. So, if you hunt, go enjoy the expo. And if you don’t, just enjoy all the habitat and wildlife those hunters’ dollars helped preserve.

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