AZ Governor Deer Tag Sold for $725k
Mule Deer
The AZ Governor deer tag sold for $725k at the SLC Hunt Expo Auction last night. Which one of you bid on it ??
I only could bid up to $724k
And I thought $300k was too much for a sheep tag.
My cell reception dropped as I was raising my bid, missed out dammit
How much did the ELK tag sell for?!!
I was in the mix, right up until it hit triple digits!!! That’s a mighty nice sum. Hope it’s used wisely/properly for wildlife conservation. Congratulation to the person able to make such a donation!!!!!!!!
I hope that tag is tax deductible, wow!
I wonder how many points he had!
There has to be a giant that survived and they are banking on him being bigger with the great moisture we've had. I predict he'll be dead before the archery season starts. Ed F
That's a whole lotta sub sandwiches!
Windfall for conservation.
I heard the Antelope Island tag went for $500k. Then along comes AZ and says “hold my beer”.
—Jim
Well at least we know that the Elites control another thing besides the stock market. Good to know the average Joe will never win a tag. This is why they need to stick to lottery so everyone has a chance. Unless of course that is rigged.
Why should they change the system? This was one tag, and the money went to a good cause. Why don't you start a business, become successful, and get in the game instead of whining about others success? Or get in all the lotteries for western Governor's tags/Super Tags and buy a bunch of tickets?
I have a very good friend who I grew up hunting with. We took different paths. He now buys a couple Governor's tags every year and contributes more to conservation than you and I will in 50 lifetimes. He earned it. Good for him.
Is something stopping you from Buying one of those tags spike?
I dropped out of the bidding at $500,000 (yeah right). I agree with Jaquomo’s comments above.
Honestly don’t care at all. Maybe they’ll use the money to fight against wolf “reintroductions” elsewhere. If that’s the case, they need to sell about 100 more of those tags in my opinion. :-)
Big money = success = clueless
Explain that, HDE. Jimmy John started with a single hot dog stand. Clueless about what?
What a foolish comment HDE
So in your world
Broke=Unsuccessful=Genius
Do some states legally have to offer “Super” or lottery tags? Seems like we’re at a point some individuals are willing to pay far more than lotteries can generate.
States aren't required to offer them. In fact states like Colorado and Wyoming give out governors tags to organizations like Colorado Bowhunters Association and Bowhunters of Wyoming to raffle off as fundraisers. You know, to those filthy rich, corrupt "elites".
We claim to be game managers but bitch when someone not only gets to manage a single deer out of the herd but donates 100’s of thousands to help conservation. I don’t get it and for that I thank God. If I understood that mindset I would be lost.
Depending on how the tag and auction are set up a good portion of the tag cost may be tax deductible as a charity donation. If that is the case the winner may well be an individual, business owner most likely, who was planning to donate more or less that amount of money to one charity or another as part of an annual donation plan. I would be surprised if the auction winner was paying with straight up taxable funds from his/her personal entertainment budget.
Is this a 365 day tag? If so when does it start? If there is a giant located will the tag be activated in time that they could try to kill him before he sheds this year?
Yeah ok Jaq stop whining and start a business. You do realize that a person with a couple million doesn’t drop 725k to hunt an animal. Try the guy is probably worth hundreds of millions. It’s great where the money goes but it’s also disgusting what hunting has become.
And you never even addressed the fact that it’s all been built on the AMERICAN DREAM. The businesses and wealth this particular person has is the American dream.
Haha, and I’m glad they do Lou. Just curious how many states look at situations like this and wonder how much money they’re leaving on the table by helping out such organizations. Obviously this specific tag is somewhat of an exception for now, but it seems to me the auction ceiling is much higher than the lottery potential these days.
“It’s great where the money goes but it’s also disgusting what hunting has become.”
It’s great where the money goes but it’s also disgusting when people bitch about where it came from. There, I fixed it for ya.
Sniffer, not hundreds of millions, but totally self-made by his own wits, determination, willingness to take risks, honesty, and making good decisions. We grew up together and his father and my father taught me work ethic. And he hunts, a lot, contributes a LOT to conservation organizations, has taken the NA 29, and a bunch of stuff around the world. He's like Jimmy John except better looking and in better shape.
So no, I don't begrudge him for his success. We're fishing together Wednesday and it will be just two regular guys enjoying the outdoors. Except one has more money to spend on hunting and conservation.
To me, the difference between 10k and 725k is indifferent, as I couldn't spend 10k on a governor's tag let alone 725k. I would rather the auction tags go for as much as possible, and if someone wouldn't I'm curious as to what their benchmark is. Is a tag selling for 100k somehow better than a tag selling for 725k? Both seem well out of reach to the VAST majority of hunters, and I don't believe the purpose of governor's tags are to be easily obtainable, as there are many many many draw tags and OTC tags for that.
There is a 15 year old girl in my town who makes over $1 million a year by posting YouTube videos of herself slowly chewing potato chips or brushing her teeth. There is a lot of money in this country, and I'm glad some of those with it are hunters who buy these kind of tags. Antihunters have billions, too.
Lou, is the girl a hunter? I hope not. Your analogy is off base, brother.
Why would you hope not GG
RK, because the hunters I know don’t make money off of videos of them flossing their teeth. Your mileage may vary.
Matt
Did you ever really know what your hunters made their living from. If you did you were/ are a genius
Matt, she might become a hunter, and I sure hope so. None of my business because I don't know her parents. Point is that there are a million ways to make money in this country. It's not that difficult for anyone with the intelligence, creativity, and impetus to do it.
People who complain about other hunters who have been financially successful and can buy Governors tags have their own problems.
I hope she flosses her way to the first million dollar deer tag, rather than pumping a million dollars into the upcoming ballot initiative to ban lion hunting.
hopefully they can come up with tags for the other bidders that did not win the tag -seems to me they are more than willing to put their money into conservation ! find a way to take advantage of their generosity
1 tag for 725k.... pretty smart decision by that state. I think it's a great model for conservation and kudos for those hunters passionate enough and successful enough to afford it
Once again it completely boggles my mind how some can hate on others success. I guess they never learned the lesson that blowing out someone else's candle will NEVER make theirs glow brighter. The revenue generated by this one tag helps put keep more animals on the mountains thus putting more tags into "normal" financial hunter's hands.
I’m guessing he was going to donate anyway. And instead, got a tag for the donation.
IMO, anyone that complains is just purely jealous because they were neither intelligent enough or ambitious enough to take the risks make that kind of money. We all have the opportunity, it's just that most of us dont take it. Good for AZ and hope the guy shoots a huge buck. Plenty of states have raffles that we common people can put in for.
Hypothetical question. If one governor's tag per species is good for conservation, then would auctioning all tags to the highest bidders be even better for conservation?
Matt
Matt, it feels like that is the current tag price reality now :>))))
Another question. I always hear that the revenues from these governor's tags go towards "conservation". Can anyone tell me exactly where the money goes and what it's spent on? I tried searching for the information, but couldn't find anything specific.
Matt
Matt, that would go against the goal of diversity, equity, and inclusion of some state DNRs.
Seriously, the logistics of auctioning off hundreds of thousands of tags would be staggering. Instead there is a form of "auction" when PPs are involved. Those who buy more points and wait longer are rewarded.
I am of the opinion for every tag that is Auctioned a similar tag is drawn for that the general public can put in for. Then everything is equal.
I find it interesting that all it takes to become "successful" is self-discipline. I don't think it's that simple. There are so many factors that go into "success." What about where you were raised, natural IQ level, genetics, etc. Find a few outliers of people who came from "rags to riches" and then exclaim, "See, they did it so anyone can do it, you just aren't disciplined enough!" Well maybe it's just that most people aren't smart enough? And or they didn't have the luck as others had? In my job I see the side that many don't on a daily basis. My clientele would be considered successful if they earned $50k a year (legitimately) and their kids were kept out of the child welfare system. Actually that would be extremely successful and impressive! I find it intellectually lazy to sum up "success" as self-discipline and ignore the many factors that influence success. Is success only afforded to millionaires? Anyways that's my rant, as I find determining success using a monetary scale inaccurate and partial. But I do agree that it's great for the organizations to be raising these funds, and if people are fortunate to have the money then have at it.
Imagine if you were a DIY bow hunter who waited 20-plus years to draw a OIL tag in the best unit in Arizona. You spent weeks in the off-season burning up boot leather to learn the unit. Your scouting efforts are finally rewarded and you find a buck of your dreams. As the season nears, you repeatedly are able to locate the same buck in the same general area. Now, all you have to do is wait for opening day to get a crack at your dream buck. 2 weeks before your season starts, a small army of scouts, hired by the governor's tag holder, move into the area and find the same buck. They camp out on the buck for a week until it sheds its velvet, then they haul the tag holder in on a mule to shoot it with his rifle a week before your archery season opens. If you were that DIY hunter, would you feel that the governor's tag was for the "greater good"?
Can anyone answer my question about exactly how the auction money is spent?
Matt
Matt- I do not know exactly where you would find that information so i am no help there. That said, let's look at it from a different perspective. What about if the money raised by auctioning off a tag such as this one 5 or 10 years ago went to building drinkers or other habitat projects that directly benefitted the deer you were scouting and led it to grow to the size that it did? You asked directly about the AZ strip but what if it was a ram that was relocated to a new unit that didn't have a huntable population years ago? Should the hunter not pursue and shoot that animal that directly benefited from a gov tag being sold?
David, I think we all agree with you that there are so many variables involved with accumulating wealth, that oversimplifying is, well...oversimplifying. But those who are envious and critical of financially successful people should look inward before making them into some sort of pariahs.
Success comes in many forms. Some "settle" within their comfort zone. A career school teacher is not going to make much money from that job, but they may gain satisfaction in other ways. They won't be buying governors tags, but it doesn't mean they weren't "successful". Same with those who put family over career. Fishing and hunting guides will never make much money but they do what they love.
So much of life is determined by choices and luck. I don't begrudge those who made good choices and had some luck along the way. My friend I mentioned, who buys those tags , was just a regular kid from a middle class family, who figured out how to put himself through college, got a degree in finance (not transgender studies..) and applied himself. I was a ditch digger who decided to get out of the ditch, apply myself, take some career risks, and "settled" when I became a VP. But when I was digging ditches, I took pride in digging the very best ditch of the whole crew.
If Jimmy John hadn't made the fateful choice to ditch his hot dog stand and start a little sandwich stand, who knows where he would be. Maybe the biggest hot dog franchiser in the country?
From the CPW: "Funds generated from the sale of these licenses are used for big game habitat enhancement, research, management, and education in Colorado. To distribute these funds, a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) reviews proposals and makes project funding recommendations for the CPW Director's approval."
The world is a funny place these days. I got on instagram awhile back. People posting the stupidest 3 second videos have hundreds of thousands of followers and a donate button. 6 figures a year for a 3 second video a day...Clearly, I took the wrong path to wealth.
I'm pretty good at posting stupid stuff on the net, still trying to figure out how to add a donate button though so I can bid on those tags.
Thinking about getting an only fans web site. How much could I make as a 58 year old white haired guy showing vids of my hairy back, crack and bald head? Gotta be worth a 100k a year given the increasing mental illness in this country.
I think you should go for it Grasshopper.
I just seen an article on Twitter this morning about how younger women are attracted to Dads bods.
Let me know how you do.
You can be the Colorado dad and I will give the Minnesota dad a shot if it’s a success.
Thanks for the support, look for me at www.onlyfans.com/bucknekkidbowhunter. 29.99 per month subscription, 1,000 subscribers - I'm on easy street, bowhunting multiple states per year.
I’m happy for the people who can afford it. But, I’d be mighty happy knowing how those funds are allocated besides the broad brush generalization given above.
It’s a great thing to buy supplies for wildlife departments, gas, vehicles, etc…. It’s altogether another once state legislatures rape the same department from general state funding because governors tags are selling for so much. Or, the money gets put into a general parks and wildlife fund that ends up paving the parking lot at the local state park.
Eitherway, it doesn’t matter I guess. I’ll never be able to buy one. If I could, I’d sure have to know where the money went before doing so.
See link for a 28 page document explaining the process in Nevada. My Google search phrase to find this was, “ where do nevada big game tag auction funds get spent”
…and no I haven’t read the entire document…..
I replaced Nevada with Arizona and Utah in the search phrase and didn’t find anything as cut and dried as the Nevada document. I bet something is available since it’s all public record, it’s just a matter of how bad you want to know and how much time you want to spend searching.
As I understand it, in Colorado, the CPW and DNR select qualified conservation organizations to either raffle or auction 18 special tags. Each organization is given a 5 year contract. 25% of the proceeds go to the organizations to cover costs and projects of their choice. The other 75% goes into the CPW coffers. They give lip service to having an advisory committee that recommends project funding, but ultimately the CPW director decides how the money is spent.
It's also interesting to note that the Colorado auction and raffle tags generate less than $1 million of gross revenue each year. Compare that to the $100 million that general tag sales gross each year. And tags sales aren't the only source of CPW funding. Relatively speaking, the raffles and auction tags don't really provide much funding for conservation.
Arizona appears to be a little more transparent about how their auction-tag revenues are spent. They provide an actual list of projects with their corresponding funding amounts. Last year they funded $3.2 million worth of projects with their auction-tag revenues. I was not able to find what Arizona makes on regular tag sales to compare.
I think it's safe to say, while these special tags do go for ridiculous amounts of money, they don't represent a large portion of each state's conservation funding. But, at least they allow some highly successful and wealthy hunters to strut their stuff.
Matt
"Is this a 365 day tag? If so when does it start? If there is a giant located will the tag be activated in time that they could try to kill him before he sheds this year?"
Huntinelk, yes it is a 365 day tag. It typically begins on August 1 each year. That allows him several weeks to shoot one while it is nearly finished growing and before any archery hunter has a chance to shoot it. If he doesn't find one he likes this year, he can wait until the following year and shoot one in late July which will also be pretty close to being completely grown. So, in reality, he gets to shoot the biggest one he can find for two seasons.
In addition to Stick’s good info, there is no limitation to the amount of people the tag holder can employ to find his “hard earned” trophy. Basically it’s a tag to award the wealthiest hunters with the biggest trophies….all for the sake of “conservation”, of course.
Matt
Want some cheese with all that whine Matt? 3.2 million in conservation projects sounds pretty good to me even if it's a small portion of overall tag revenue. Per you he then hires a team of hunters and puts even more money into the Arizona economy Kudos to Mr. Tag holder for all the support for Arizona.
And “of course” you have to inject some snide, left handed commentary to somehow denigrate the situation, GG.
Except that team of hunters are already employed and unless their wage is significantly increased, it's just substituting one dollar for another.
That increased wage is a small contribution to a very localized and small economy, if it's even redistributed at all in increased spending. That's the reality to it.
the funny thing is I think the guide I have for my 13B rifle hunt will be guiding the auction hunter in the same unit now in August. Guess who my guide will take to the biggest buck? Good for him!! and yes I waited a long time for my tag. Life happens!
