MDF gets AZ Special Mule Deer Permit

[AZBuckSnort]

I read a press release announcing the award of an Arizona Special Mule Deer Tag to the MDF. The permit is to be auctioned off in January @ the MDF banquet in Reno, NV. Congratulations to the MDF in securing the opportunity to auction the tag and contribute to Arizona's mule deer herd.

The press release states that it's the first time since the program's inception in 1984 that the MDF has received the permit. Let's hope the next tag winner is as generous in their bidding as past tag high bidders have been in theirs!

 

[782warbird]

I feel that the Mule Deer Foundation should not have received that tag.
My reasoning is that in 1982 when the Arizona Game and Fish dept came up with these special Governors Tag that the intent was to auction the tag for the most money possable to help that perticular species.
Now the Arizona Deer Association has been doing a great job auctioning those 2 tags each year to the sum of about 120,000.00 Per tag a total of almost 250,000.00 for both tags. Now with the Mule Deer Foundation just being awarded the tag and there banquet in less than 1 month away I only hope that they can advertise this auction tag to the quality bidders that the Arizona Deer Association had done for the past years.
I felt that the Arizona Deer Association has done nothing wrong in bringing in 120,000.00 for each tags and can't figure why the commisioners would try to change a perfectly good thing.
I only hope the tag doesn't flop due to lack of advertisment and bring 75,000.00 or the Arizona Game and Fish commisioners will have alot of egg to wipe off of there face.

 

[conch]

Is an accounting of specifically where each dollar raised is spent available? Who decides how to allocate the funds?
I hope the monies are being spent wisely and not divvied up on expenditures before actually ?hitting the ground.?
Anyone know where this information can be obtained? Without jumping hoops...
Personally, I've never been to high on the whole ?Governor?s Tag? concept, but it's also obvious to me that it's not going to go away. I think some positive can come from the program, if a quality checks and balance system is in place. As far as I can tell, the Arizona mule deer group handling things in the past has done a good job. Unlike other wildlife conservation groups, the Arizonan?s are not paying salaries first, out of generated revenues.
I would like to take a look at the official record ...

 

[Bura Nut]

I am totally pissed about this because I personally know 100% of the cash the ADA raises from the tags goes to the ground and MDF never once stepped up in this USO situation nor have they contacted ADA to my knowledge to fight anything that means anything too Arizonan's........I sure hope the state of AZ recieves at least 115,000.00 in on the ground money from MDF this year after the auction regardless of what the tag goes for. MDF better figure that the local guys are not really happy with them getting the tags, the money wont be spent on the ground where it is most important............ Thanks, Allen Taylor......

 

[AZBuckSnort]

For Immediate Release

Mule Deer Foundation Awarded Arizona Statewide Special Mule Deer Tag


December 16, 2004 Tucson, AZ?For the first time since the program?s inception in 1984, the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) has been awarded the southwest's premier mule deer hunting permit?the much coveted, Special Mule Deer Tag?by the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. The tag will be sold at auction at the MDF annual convention, which takes place Jan. 15, 2004, in Reno, Nev. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be returned to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to help fund its mule deer management and habitat enhancement efforts.


?This is a great opportunity to raise critical funds for Arizona?s mule deer,? said Todd Rathner, Southwest Regional Director for the Mule Deer Foundation. ?We are honored to be able to showcase Arizona?s unparalleled mule deer herd at our national convention,? Rathner said. The tag has historically raised in excess of $100,000 for enhancing mule deer habitat. ?Working closely with the Arizona Game and Fish Department we can do a lot of good for mule deer with the money that is raised,? Rathner added.


Arizona is legendary for its outstanding mule deer herd. The Kaibab and Arizona Strip regions of the state are known for producing massive bucks that continue to break records.



The tag allows a licensed hunter to take one antlered mule deer in any legal hunting unit in Arizona from Sept. 1, 2005, until Feb. 28, 2006.



For more information about the tag, how to bid or any other details please contact Todd Rathner at (520) 404-8096 or by e-mail at [email protected].


Hey guys,
It reads here that "100% of the proceeds will be returned to the ARIZONA WILDLIFE COMMISSION to help fund mule deer habitat...", doen't sound like any of the tag money will go pay any "MDF salaries". Also, hasn't there been two of these tags issued in the past? If so, perhaps the ADA is going to get tag #2 to auction off at their banquet?

 

[conch]

Bucksnort,
I appreciate the muledeer.org contact information.
To clarify the salary issue, I'm not familiar with how the Mule Deer foundation works. I was referring to my home states own ?leading? conservation group. I guess my point is, kudos to the Arizona Deer Association. They appear to be, in my opinion, as effective as SFW and as far as I can tell nobody?s paychecks are dependant upon their abilities to secure auction tags. Again, I'm not thrilled about the Governor?s tag program. I developed a sour attitude toward them a decade ago, when they first arrived in Utah. Back then, I think the program was abused. However, I think that things are different today. A lot of eyes are on the program. Other than a few practices that stir my own ethical beliefs, the program appears to be on the up and up. At least I hope so!

 

[ElmerFudd]

Wonder how one would do in a raffle? They raffle one of the two sheep and elk tags.

 

[jameister]

One hundred percent of the proceeds will be returned to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission to help fund its mule deer management and habitat enhancement efforts.
Course the game and fish commission gave it to mule deer foundation, of which I am a member... they get to control all the money themselves..

I like the commission, but I do not believe they are wiser or more miser or more effective inspending money than an on the ground (read not in the office) volunteer group.. the game and fish already gets and spends millions a year.

I favor a volunteer organization seeing how much further a dollar can be stretched than just put back in to the pot with the license tag fees..

in my opninion, of course.

Jameister

 

[RLH]

i think this entire "governor tag" crap is out of hand. like Allen said, where were these jokers when this uso garbage was coming down? they sure were quiet. i'm tired of all of it. some guys with more money than skill pay a fortune for a permit, hire a guy to go looking until they find the big one and call em on the phone so they can jet out and shoot it. if they're gonna have these tags, they need to all be raffled, so the average joe can have a chance at it. i know some of the permits are raffled, but i think they should all be. if daddy warbucks wants the tag, he can fork out a couple hundred grand for raffle tickets. the way it is now, with guys showing up with literally hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend on a permit, it reminds me a lot of taulman's attitude of only the rich being able to hunt. hunting is something that needs to be preserved by folks that like to hunt, for folks that like to hunt. not for whoever has the most money. and i know that supposedly these special permits are theoretically providing a lot of cash for conservation. but who is using their backbone to put the money to work? not the guy with the money. and who gets the permit? not the guy doing the work. he can't afford it. there is some good and some bad with auctioning off permits to the highest bidder. and i'll admit that i'm a little jealous. wish i had the means to contend for one of those permits. to me it's just another example of this thing we all enjoy so much being put a little farther out of reach for most of us.

 

[AZBuckSnort]

RLH,

I can respect your opinions as stated in your post. It's certainly understandable that folks could feel emotions of jealousy and disappointment that they may not now, nor ever, be in a position financially to take part in an auction that places one of these special permits in their pocket. That being said, if you go to the websites of the conservation groups that spend the monies raised in these auctions you can find where they are putting the money to good use.

It would be nice if some of these tags would go into a raffle format, so long as the cost of a raffle ticket was low enough that most hunters not only could take part, but actually WOULD take part. That would ensure that the tag would raise monies on par with what the tags have been fetching at the auctions.

Maybe you really don't mean to be quite so bitter at the wealthy sportsman or woman who buys one of these tags as you sound? Do you really resent them just because they have the means to buy one or more of these tags? It's a good bet that these folks worked pretty darn hard to get to the place in life where they could afford a hunt of this type. If that's how they choose to spend their money should we really rip them for it?

As for how they hunt, well, some of the tactics go beyond what you or I, and perhaps the vast number of hunters, would ever go for but, as long as they keep it legal, it's they who have to deal with the ethical conscience of their harvest. Remember, they have to look at the trophy on the wall and if it wasn't a "hunt" then the trophy is something less, don't you think?

I think we should honor their contributions to the conservation groups as it does support the resource and work together to ensure that the money is put to the best use. There should be lots of opportunity for that especially now that the AZG&F Dept is looking to add conservation bonus points for those who pitch in and help on conservation projects.