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?