Mule Deer Foundation Shatters Arizona Record

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?For Immediate Release?

Mule Deer Foundation Shatters Arizona Record

Highest Bid Ever For An Arizona Statewide Special Mule Deer Tag


Jan. 19, 2005, Tucson, Ariz.?The Jan. 15 bid of $134,000 during the Mule Deer Foundation?s annual convention in Reno, Nev., is the highest amount of money ever raised by the auctioning of a coveted Arizona Statewide Special Mule Deer Tag. One hundred percent of the proceeds, which eclipsed the old record by $8,000, will be returned to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission/Department to help fund its mule deer management and habitat-enhancement efforts.

?We are extremely excited about the projects we will be able to fund, and the difference they will make in Arizona?s mule deer population,? said Todd Rathner, Southwest Regional Director for the Mule Deer Foundation. ?And, it was truly an honor to showcase Arizona?s unparalleled mule deer herd at our national convention.?

Arizona is legendary for its mule deer, and the Kaibab and Arizona Strip regions of the state in particular are known for producing massive bucks that continue to break records. The Mule Deer Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that resource remains for generations to come.

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, making it one of the Southwest's premier deer-hunting tags. ?We are looking forward to working closely with the Arizona Game and Fish Department to improve mule deer habitat statewide,? said Bob Jacobs, MDF Flagstaff Chapter Chairman.


For more information about the tag, how to apply for project funding or any other details, contact Todd Rathner at (520) 404-8096 or by e-mail at [email protected]. For information on the Mule Deer Foundation or its growing chapter network, visit its website, www.muledeer.org .

The Mule Deer Foundation is a national non-profit 501c3 organization, with more than 10,000 members dedicated to stopping the decline of mule deer.



For information about the Mule Deer Foundation

or to join please call 1-888-375-3333



-end-
 
I know this is a neg statement, but who oversee's Game and Fish Commission to see how much of that money actually goes to habitat...?....does anybody know?
 
>I know this is a neg
>statement, but who oversee's Game
>and Fish Commission to see
>how much of that money
>actually goes to habitat...?....does anybody
>know?


The organizations raising the money have veto power over all projects and can get a statement of the account at any time. It is relatively simple to monitor.

TR
 
Mr. Hatch I am pretty certain that he will not have any involvement on this Tag at all. I was there for this it was a great bidding war and the Gentlemen who won on it are great guys and love to hunt Big Old Mule Deer. it went from 10k to 130k in a matter of minutes.
 
It was quite a sight wasn't it?!!??!!

Once it got to $100,000 it was like someone hit the afterburners!
 
>I know this is a neg
>statement, but who oversee's Game
>and Fish Commission to see
>how much of that money
>actually goes to habitat...?....does anybody
>know?


Thanks, well that settles that now don't it......Manny
 
Good luck to the man that spent this considerable sum of money to have the opportunity to hunt the AZ north country for a big muley buck. As far as the "Hatch will have nothing to do with it" comments, you might want to hide the latest issue of The Muley Crazy Report and the soon to be released video of "Samson" from the high bidder...he just might change his mind.
 
AZ the Guy who bought the tag knows what ryan and his crew did. I just do not think ryan will have anything to do with this tag.
Dave
 
>Good luck to the man that
>spent this considerable sum of
>money to have the opportunity
>to hunt the AZ north
>country for a big muley
>buck. As far as the
>"Hatch will have nothing to
>do with it" comments, you
>might want to hide the
>latest issue of The Muley
>Crazy Report and the soon
>to be released video of
>"Samson" from the high bidder...he
>just might change his mind.
>


The high bidder has a guide that he will use. I am not sure who he is though. But my guess is he will be spending some time on the Strip!
 
In reading this artical, it states that this was a record amount paid. I am a little confused when the Arizona Deer Association had this tag the last few years I thought the winning bidder paid over 100k for this tag????? I could be wrong..
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-20-05 AT 08:34AM (MST)[p]I'll assume that ?Samson? is the latest brute earmarked for assassination.
Wouldn?t it be refreshing to have a whale in it for the complete hunting experience, for a change?
Congratulations to the lucky tag winner!
 
I wasn't there but I know that he is associated with a group of gentlemen that are extremely good deer hunters. Guys that live for slamming big mule deer. I doubt they'll have problems finding bucks regardless of who they recruit to help with the hunt. Great guy did a great thing for wildlife thats all that matters!!
 
>In reading this artical, it states
>that this was a record
>amount paid. I am
>a little confused when the
>Arizona Deer Association had this
>tag the last few years
>I thought the winning bidder
>paid over 100k for this
>tag????? I could be
>wrong..


You are correct and MDF sold it for $134,000 that's over $100,000 last time I checked. I am not sure you read the article carefully. ADA sold it for $126,000 last year that was the highest until now.

TR
 
134-8=126
Yep, I think thats what it said. Maybe I'll get drawn this year, and maybe I'll find sampson, the states not that big, and just maybe I'll shoot the hawg for say 133,000 less.
 
No problem, easy mistake. We are proud of the price we got so I just wanted to clear it up.
 
"Samson" is the name given to the buck taken this past fall on the Strip. The current issue of Muley Crazy indicates that there is a video/dvd being put together of the hunt for this giant deer.
 
All the money will stay in AZ, and will go to Mule Deer projects that are approved by the MDF and AZGFD.
 
mabey this year they can kill another buck one week before the rest of us "poor basterds" can get a chance at them with a bow. Don't get me started on how sporting it is to have someone else do the dirty work; you show up and get the goods in three days of "hunting"; because you have the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ that we all wish you had. If they want to prove what kind of a hunter they are, shoot the dang thing with the right weapon for the season at least. Give me a 300 short mag during Sept. and then watch the monsters fall.
 
The King: Did you forget to take your happy pills today? Gee Whizzzzz Gomer we have us another jealous and envious nimrod. Anything else new around here?
 
The point is these big $$$$$ guys are paying for us to do the type of conservation work that we need to do to get more big bucks out there. That $200,000 + that is raised each year sure helps alot of deer!!
 
well ridge, you got me started.
All that conservation tag is a glorified poacing tag. To me that tag is no different than a drug dealer giving the local officials big $$$$ that is going to build some playground for kids. Now the drug dealer does that just so they turn their back and he is still going to deal, he just doesn't have to worry about being bothered any more. Let me tell you where I am comming from. I grew up on the strip. My family was on the strip when wild horses ran out there. They helped make the strip what it is. Having private right in the middle of all the fuss, I have watched those monster bucks for 20 years. Will I ever draw a tag out there? Not in my lifetime. Even though we feed those bucks year in and year out and pay property taxes that are feeding those deer. I have watched the deer #,s drop like a rock in Lake Mead. I have seen nothing of that $$$$$$$$ added where all these deer are comming from. If you want to conserve the deer, kill the lions. It's that simple. So when some guy from Texas, or California, or anywhere but here; has $$$$$$$$$$ burning in his pocket, and needs a good tax write off wants to kill a monster buck. Let me just pay the fish and game for a poaching tag. I am not blaming the guys that buy the tag. I am blaming the real problem, the AZ Game and Fish. It's all about $$$$$$ not the animals. I guess it is kind of like paraplanes. The only reason I complain about them is because I don't and will never have one. I don't know about you but I will just have to sit back the rest of my life and watch $$$$$$ and lions kill our deer herd. It's that simple. Thanks RIDGE for getting me started gomer. You might want to know the rest of the story before you type. And that is far from the rest of the story.
 
KingKong,
I'm with you on this one. It is a poaching tag. They should be required to use the proper weapon at least for the time of season. Any moron can blow one over with a rifle in September. Especially, with several guides looking all year using any means possible to find them including chuteplanes!!!! Here is some video of a big buck get out here and blow it over. Cha ching cha ching! LOL! There has to be some rules. Money buys your way past the rules and it's getting worse and worse every year. I've spent alot of time out on the strip too and I agree that we need to control the lions and yotes but we also need to someway control the leeches too!!LOL Maybe a good pepper spray in the rear end from my 12 gauge might deter some of them big bird leeches from flying around! LOL How much of the 134K will actually be spent on the area where these big boys are taken? I have a guess. Very little. What a joke.
 
I agree mostly with both king and 30inch. What I would like for both of them to make sure and note is that the extra money on tags like this help with conservation/lion killing. If you both dont know Jim Bedllion spp? then you are not involved in real conservation your just tooting your own horne to get noticed. Jim has been fundend by Arizona Deer Associatiion for the last five years to kill lions on the strip. I did not see you guys at the meeting he presented his findings so you both are making me wonder where your voices are being heard.......Thanks, Allen Taylor......
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-24-05 AT 03:06PM (MST)[p]I agree with you allen on this. I am not the biggest fan of these governor tags. However the conservation that is done by all the organizations whether if be FNAWS, RMEF, MDF or any of the countless other is insurmountable.

King You spout off we own this and i have that good for you man glad to hear it. You have been on the strip for over 20 years Buddy boy the strip was established before you ever showed up Way before you ever showed up. LOL you talk about Lake Mead and the deer herds dropping. The Lion Problem is not only in Arizona man there are states with worse lion problems then you can dream of. I think to sacrafice 2 Deer for 250K+ is not a bad deal as a matter of a fact it is called the utalitarian(sp) approach. If you do not know what that means then you have no business running your lips because it takes money to save these deer herds. and money does not grow on trees

I do not necissarily think these tags are the ultimate answer but they sure help out in the long run.
Dave
 
King Kong, thanks for the responce. Let me say that I absolutely agree with you with the lion and yote problem! That being said,let me tell you that I envy your arse. If I lived in the Strip I wouldn't need a tag ever to decorate my trophy room. I can only imagine the sheds and racks that you could find with a little effort. Damn cougars. I'll guarantee you that you wouldn't have to squeeze the trigger to find a 200#+ TROPHY. I'am curious as to how you make your living in such a beautiful but desolate location.

The Gomer remark was uncalled for but, I sense that your comments are earmarked for anyone that makes BIG bucks. Most people that I know that have serious dough have worked their butts off for it and did NOT inherit their riches like a KENNEDY or a Rockefeller. Good luck in the AZ draw.
 
Allen is correct in saying that the ADA has paid Jim Bedlion to hunt lions in the AZ Strip for the last 5 years. He has been very successful in knocking back the cats up there(taking over 20 cats) the last several years. By the way the strip is a place not many cat hunters want to go. This was paid for with ADA money not gov. tag money. I think Kong and 30" are very uninformed as to how and where these tag funds are spent. I can tell you I know, as does Allen how much money has been spent North of the river. A truckload of cash has been spent there with a large percentage of it spent in the AZ Strip. I know firsthand as a longtime habitat committee member for the ADA (we spend the money). As a member of that committee I have been a driving force behind spending money in the strip and Kaibab and we have spent it. In case you didn't know in the Strip alone there were over 35 broken decrepit game waters up there. The last three years the ADA has committed and spent over $125,000 on this project alone. To date, I think about 1/3 of them have been re-developed and fixed with the balance of them paid for and on the schedule to be fixed, hopefully this year. This money does not include another $15,000 we spent this year on a three year project to fix 12 wildlife/livestock water catchments in the Hurricane Valley. In addition to fixing and re-developing the wildlife only waters owned by the G & F and the BLM, we have spent a bunch of money on co-operative livestock/ wildlife waters in the form of brand new tanks and tank repairs. We have also paid for aerial surveys, aerial coyote shooting, habitat improvement (the Grassy chaining)etc. All on the Strip. I could go on. Alot of money has been spent there and as long as I'm involved we will keep spending money up there, at least I will push to spend money there. BTW all of us at the ADA are volunteers. Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe Mr. Rathner of the MDF is a salaried paid employee. I do congratulate the MDF for raising $134,000 for the deer tag, I hope they spend it wisely and in my opinion North of the river.
 
first, highdesert. I have not been there for 20 years. My family has been there since 1916. Your right, way longer than I have been around.

I stand corrected about the money issue, but if they have only killed 20 lions, there is still a lot of work to do. They don't need to pay someone to do that. I know many people willing to do it for free. And I have never pointed fingers at the guys purchasing the tag. I am sorry that they work so much harder than us poor foke that sit on our butts all day and do nothing but pick our nose. If you all have the means to buy the tag, do it, but I don't think 99.9% of us can afford to buy a tag that cost more than my house. My problem comes with the lack of rules by the AZ G&F. They need to make more guidelines to go along with the tag. If they are going to hunt during the archery season in a unit, pull out the Hoyt. If it is during a Muz season, make them pull out a White. (not that there is a muz season out there).
Also, in Utah they even out the pages just a little bit by drawing a sportsmans tag. It is equivilent to the Gov. tag. Do that so that some poor sap can get the same chance as those with $$$. If I remember my history correct, the Lord made these animals for all of us to use, I didn't see where it said (except for you poor saps that can't afford it.)
 
Kong,
if you haven't been there for 20 years how can you even comment on this issue. I'm jealous too, I'd love to do that dream hunt but can't and won't ever be able to afford it. They give two hunters the opportunity to have a dream hunt for a very high price. The two permits given out have absolutely no effect on the biology of the herd and sometimes the hunters don't even take an animal. All the money goes back into helping AZ's deer herds. It's a no brainer it is good for the herds. And yes the money is being put to good use. I agree with you that maybe a raffle should be offered so the average joe could have a chance. I also completely hate chute planes, quads, spotlights as far as I'm concerned you can shotgun them all. Also if you know a bunch of people that will hunt lions for free why don't you send them down there? From what I know not many people want to hunt there it's too tough and too far to go, they'd rather hunt the snow in Kaibab or some other more accessible place. Also what we paid Jim was pocket change and basically just covered his expenses. I think the reason for these tags is to raise as much money as possible to help the deer herds out. Thus the reason for the liberal seasons. If it was a ten day hunt, what kind of money would that bring? Not 134 K and not enough to accomplish a whole lot for the benefit of deer.
 
i dont normally post anything on web sites only because my typing is slow and poor,but i have to comment here.the ADA is taking credit for getting jim bedlion in area 13b to hunt cats when in reality it is a small group of guys from the arroyo grande sportsman club from the central coast of caif.that started the project 5 years ago.gary oulrey donated a rifle out of his own pocket to raffle off to raise funds to help pay bedlion's expenses.the next year the ADA kicked in and matched the funds we raised.to date i think we have killed 24 cats which is'nt a lot but it has to be a help. the more money we can raise the more cats jim can kill.he isnt makin any money on this deal he is truly doing it for expenses.(30+dogs, 2-1ton trucks,2 quads,1house trailer,1horse trailer(dog food)it gets expensive!
it would sure be nice if some of these high dollar buck hunters and guides would kick in a little cash to help fund this deal.i dont know why a handful of buck hunters from the central coast of calif. are trying so hard to save a herd of deer they most likley will never get to hunt! jack childers
 
Jack,
My bad, completely forgot about arroyo grande. Props and thanks to you guys for getting this started. The sheep society has also been providing matching funds and those funds helped Jim stay up there longer and also hunt 13-A. The ADA is not looking for props or credit at all. I was just trying to point out to those negative posters that mistakenly think that nothing is being done on the Strip to help those deer out, when in reality alot is being done and hundreds of thousands of Dollars has been funneled directly to that area. The real props go to Jim for working his butt off to help that deer herd for literally peanuts.
 
wetmule,
You stated,"if you haven't been there for 20 years how can you even comment on this issue." How much time have you spent out on the strip? If it takes 20 years to even comment then you better have 20 years of time in. I have some friends in Southern Utah that chase lions and I know they would put some under for free. It don't make sense that we're spending money for someone to kill them when the public would do it for free if Arizona would open it up and not charge non-resident fees for lions. I have to think the majority of people that spend time on the Strip are non-residents from Southern Utah. Another thing is I don't call a 5+ month time frame a hunt. It's just plain a poaching tag! There has to be some restrictions when the poor sucker is sitting on a water hole with a bow or scouts his butt off to find a nice animal and the rich guy comes by and blows it over with a gun in September! As far as I'm concerned the only thing these high dollar tags have done is degraded the sport we all love so much. When some one can buy there way into the hunters club by just throwing their money down and then killing the biggest thing out there then we have really cheapened the sport. Hey look at me I just killed a 30 pointer! LOL! They can't buy their way into big league baseball etc,etc for fame but they can buy their way into the sport of hunting and have their face plastered all over front covers. Last time I checked my dream hunt isn't a 5+ month poaching tag, it is receiving that magical notification with the words successful written on it and having the opportunity to share it with people I know. Then finally after several years of sacrafice and effort actually getting to hunt out there for 7-10 days kill or no kill.
 
30inchbuck,
Just curious if you have a problem with GOV elk tag hunters hunting bulls in the rut? Or, how about any wapiti hunter pursuing bulls in the rut? Or, how about archery hunters pursuing Strip bucks after the first week of Sept? How about scouting and hunting off a quad runner? I'am having a problem trying to agree with you, and all I can see is jealousy and envy with those that don't agree with the GOV tag program. I'd be willing to bet that 95%+ of us would buy that voucher if we had the means to purchase such a coveted tag. I sure in the hell would. Good luck next year as you and many others attempt to draw a N. AZ tag.
 
Jealousy and envy, is that all you can come up with? Heck why would I be jealous? I can hunt all year long as long as I don't get caught. And it would cost me a heck of lot less than 134K. What are the odds of getting caught anyway? I can still plaster my picture on all the front covers and claim I got it during the regular season. The only difference is the Governors tag holder paid enough mula in order to claim he is legally hunting out of season. Things keep going the way they are and you'll have us poor boys at home hunting with a remote control in hand. I have my opinion and you have yours. This board is for sharing those opinions. Plain and simple. Good luck on your draws too. We all need a little bit of luck.
 
30 inch bucks,
Do you work for the fish and wildlife services? I see your name is disabled and I was just wondering if your a fish cop or something similar in nature to a warden or investigator. Thanks.
 
As long as it is only a tag or two, and it raises good money, fine. Plus, small tag numbers keep prices really high. Getting caught poaching would be much cheaper. AZ also issues no landowner tags, but some are trying to change that. What I have a problem with is when enough fundraising and landowner tags are out to drop the prices down to around poaching penalties. The more fundraising tags out there, the more returns diminish. You are taking a significant number from the regular draw too, doing that.
 
wetmule;
Why is it so hard to understand? My Great grandparents settled the strip in the early 1900's. I have spent more time on the strip than most people will in their lifetimes. I know the place in and out. I have been hell bent on looking at strip bucks since I was about eight years old. That has been for over twenty years. We own property that has been in the family for almost a hundred years out there. They were the ones that chained most of Trumble with mules and handsaws. They were the ones to "started" building ponds and roads and other conservation items. They were there long befor there was any type of Government (AZ G&F) influence out there. They used to hunt bucks out there for "FOOD" not profit. Get it?
 
Regardless of how you feel about these auction tags, I think we all agree that the Strip is a place that many of us hold near and dear and a place we love, I know I do. We all want to see the Strip and it's deer herd thrive. The point of my posting was to let those that were unaware, that in fact, there is quite a bit being done to help the Strip and its deer herd. Yes the money used to help the Strip out was raised through the auction tags. Good in some peoples eyes and bad in other peoples view. Fortunately, the deer hold no bias and I'm sure if they could tell us they would be pleased we are fixing the several dozen broken waters, building new tanks, attempting to curtail the propagation of lions and coyotes that live in their habitat, and trying to improve their overall habitat.
I'm with you on the lion thing and if it were up to me all lion tags would be free and there would be a handsome bounty on all cats and coyotes, unfortunately it's not up to me. As for me I will continue to do whatever I can to help the Strip out.
 

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