June 10, 2012
Big game raffles, auctions gross more than $523,202 By Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife
The 2012 ODFW auction and raffles for big game hunting tags grossed $523,202, of which $308,566 will go to the Access and Habitat Program and $179,937 to big game research and management.
The auction of 11 special big game tags grossed $347,000 including $110,000 for a bighorn sheep tag. The sportsman/conservation groups that sponsored the auctions at various meetings and conventions of their organizations in the past few months will keep 10 percent of the auction proceeds ($34,700). Those groups
include state and/or national chapters of the Mule Deer Foundation, Safari Club International, Wild Sheep Foundation, Oregon Bow Hunters, Rocky Mt Elk Foundation, and the Oregon Hunters Association.
Raffle winners were drawn at the Oregon Hunters Association convention on May 19, 2012 in Redmond. Nearly 64,000 raffle tickets were sold grossing $176,202, including $42,653 in sales for a bighorn sheep tag and $41,907 for elk tags.
Proceeds from the deer and elk tags will go to the Access and Habitat Program to fund wildlife habitat and hunter access improvement projects in the state. Proceeds from the pronghorn, bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goat raffles and auctions fund the research and management of those species in Oregon.
Winners of the special tags enjoy an extended season and expanded hunt area. For more information on Oregon’s Auction and Raffle Big Game Tags visit www.OregonRaffleHunts.com.