A special permit for a chance to hunt one bighorn ram in Montana recently sold for $320,000. Who buys these tags, and where does the money go?
At the 2023 Sheep Show in Reno, Nevada, one chance to kill a Montana bighorn sheep sold for $320,000. A chance to hunt a bighorn in Colorado tied that number. Oregon’s sheep tag reined in $370,000. The state of Washington’s California bighorn tag sold for $290,000. And on and on. From just a handful of permits, nearly $5 million was paid by hunters just for the chance to kill a trophy-class animal, according to a press release from the Wild Sheep Foundation. Historically, Montana’s bighorn sheep attract some of the fattest bank accounts because those rams are the biggest in the world. In fact, the state boasts more than 900 Boone and Crockett record-book entries, including the world’s record. Alberta comes in second with 387.
The Sheep Show is orchestrated by the non-profit Wild Sheep Foundation, whose mission is to “enhance wild sheep populations, promote scientific wildlife management, educate the public and youth on sustainable use and the conservation benefits of hunting while promoting the interests of the hunter.” While there are plenty of vendors and outfitters at the Sheep Show, there are even more hunters who love sheep and a few with pockets deep enough to pay six figures for a sheep permit. For 37 consecutive years, WSF has auctioned the Montana sheep tag at its annual convention. Since 1986, that tag has generated more than $8 million. The record amount raised from the Montana tag was $480,000 in 2013.
Big Money Backstory
In 1986, Montana lawmakers authorized Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) to create special auction permits for iconic big game species, starting with bighorn sheep. Moose tags followed in 1988, deer and elk in 2004, and mountain goat in 2006. Winning bidders are allowed to hunt any open unit they choose, but that’s it–all other regulations apply. Other state auction tags afford the winner special privileges. A special Arizona elk tag offered by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission and the Arizona Elk Society allows the winning bidder 365 days to kill their chosen behemoth. In Montana, hunters who place the winning bid must still abide by weapon restrictions and hunt within established season dates.
Buying your way to the head of the line doesn’t sit well with everyone, which means these auction tags are not immune from scrutiny. Hunters of more modest means wait a lifetime (or more) to draw a tag in one of Montana’s trophy units. Some say it’s turning hunting into a rich man’s sport. Others say that taking away that one opportunity and selling it to the highest bidder isn’t equitable.
To appease some of the critics, Montana created a comparable SuperTag in 2007. That’s a raffle, though, and the average hunter will need more than a few lucky charms to beat the odds there. The chances of drawing a sheep SuperTag in 2020 were 1 in 16,673. The SuperTag lottery offers chances to hunt bighorn sheep, bison, deer, elk, moose, mountain goat, mountain lion, and antelope. The lucky hunters drawn will win a SuperTag license to hunt in any hunting district in Montana—including Montana’s legendary trophy districts.
Since 2006, the SuperTag has generated $4.9 million in revenue, averaging roughly $350,000 annually. For most species, the SuperTag generates more revenue than the auction tag. For instance, the 2020 moose SuperTag brought in a little over $83,000, and the auction tag $36,000. The elk SuperTag raised a little more than $101,000, and the hammer fell on the auction tag at $74,000.
I should note that Montana hunters don’t need to wait in line or stroke a fat check. Montana is the only state that offers over-the-counter sheep tags. That’s right. Check out units 300, 303, 500, 501, and 502. The southern border of these units belongs to Yellowstone National Park. The terrain is menacing and drop-dead beautiful. You’ll be searching a massive area (much of it public land), and the quota for most units is two sheep. Once that’s met, the season is over. Plus, there are grizzly bears.
Who Buys Bighorn Auction Tags?
Because Montana’s bighorn auction tag costs as much as a single-family home, the tags attract heavy hitters from all over the world. In 1986, Montana’s first auction sheep tag was purchased for $79,000 by Oregon businessman Arthur Dubs, who was a successful custom home builder. He bought the next two tags in 1987 and ’88 for $109,000 and $93,0000, respectively. Douglas Leech, a former bank executive from West Virginia, paid $480,000 in 2013, which holds the distinction for being the most paid for a Montana sheep tag to date. As the years progressed, hunters like James Liautaud, owner of the Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop chain, purchased more than a few tags. And apparently, Montana’s rams were so big that a number of international hunters of intrigue got into the game. In 2014, Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Sharqi, the Crown Prince of the emirate of Fujairah, paid $320,000. In 2021, the former King of Malaysia, Sultan Muhammad V, bought the tag for $440,000. For an in-depth article on sheep hunting, conservation, and auction tags, be sure to check out this great NY Times piece from 2017.
Where Does the Money Go?
Those big horns belonging to those bighorns generate millions of dollars in tag revenue. Since 1986, Montana’s sheep auction tag alone has generated more than $8.3 million. By comparison, the total revenue for the moose auction tag nearly tops $600,000. Revenue from SuperTag sales is earmarked for conservation efforts and to boost FWP law enforcement efforts. The money, though, doesn’t buy FWP shiny new pick-ups or copy paper. By law, 90 percent or more of the proceeds from the auction tag must go to the conservation of that particular species. The auctioning conservation group gets to keep 10 percent, but even that must be used for auction expenses and marketing the tag, says FWP’s Neil Whitney, a license bureau business analyst. In essence, all the money must be used for the benefit of the species hunted. And benefit they do.
In 1986 when the sheep auction tags started, bighorns numbered 4,600 in 27 locations. By 2006, after two decades of sheep auction tags that raised $3.1 million in revenue, Montana’s sheep population grew to 7,000 sheep in 48 locations. But then a pneumonia outbreak hit, decimating bighorn numbers and forcing FWP to cull herds as well. Now, they are down to 5,250 animals in 45 locations. Sheep populations have been on a roller coaster, and everyone wants answers. When it comes to wildlife management, answers are expensive.
“You bet we need that money for the sake of the sheep,” says Kurt Alt, Conservation Director for the Wild Sheep Foundation. For more than three decades, Alt worked as a wildlife biologist and manager for FWP where he managed wild sheep and goat populations throughout western Montana. For bighorn sheep, that money is used to augment or restore sheep populations, help fund conservation easements, habitat enhancement, research, the list goes on. “And those projects aren’t cheap,” he adds. “Capturing and disease surveillance are really expensive. We should really be calling these tags conservation licenses.”
To learn more about how money raised from auction tags, excise taxes, and hunting licenses brought Montana’s sheep back from the brink, you can read that in-depth article here.
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