Anyone going to the Reno Sheep Show next month?

[cuerro viejo]

That's great, I'm glad that herd is doing great. But it does seem a bit like overall, we're just treading water on sheep or playing whack a mole without making super meaningful progress. We've been told constantly over the last 20 years that this money is putting more sheep on the mountain, but the evidence behind that is generally cherry picked to "Herd X in State Y is doing great, State Z is offering 8 more tags than they did 10 years ago."

I'm agnostic on the topic of auction tags: if they truly are working, that's great, let's keep them. WSF did a nice job this last year in sending out a brochure to members showing where funding is flowing to and the types of projects being supported. We need more of that. But if I use a combination of WSF's own data published in the Summer 2023 magazine article on auction tags (surprise: Boddington concluded we can't live without them), we're issuing fewer RMBH tags across the board than we did in 2010, and with Nevada's tag cuts from last year, we're holding serve on Desert tags. On the RMBH side- pull that data set back even further to 2000, or 1990, and I suspect it would look even worse.

It's ok to question the efficacy of auction tags and what they actually get accomplished. I promise some of you: it's fine to be critical of a system benefitting a couple dozen ultra high net worth individuals and the posse of outfitters they pay to be their friends; it doesn't mean that you're now a raging communist.

We are treading water, even Texas that’s majority private is struggling. But who just help move a bunch of Movi free sheep to protect them from Aoudads and Movi (WSF /Texas Bighorns)

Movi hits the 8 year old rams hard, and is hell on lamb recruitment.

Right now, who is buying domestic sheep allotments? WSF spent $250k in CO last year…wasn’t CPWD

WSF donated/paid for 11.09million last year on research, relocation, testing, and habitat work and grazing protections.

Since 1983 WSF funding has directed 100,746,000 and growing.

Are we winning no, but we will loose if you cut the big money donations from a few tags, where is the funding coming from…

 

[cuerro viejo]

Yep the numbers are off for sure with the W$F lovers.

Less tags in MT now. Guess decades of pimping those breaks tags for nothing.

Less tags in WY

Less tags in UT

Less tags in NV

AK? You guessed it.

Feel free to update the other states.

What has W$F done to cure this movi issue? Is that what they are blaming?

There isn’t even movi in AK. So what’s their excuse there?

I’m glad you’re passionate about your new sheep herd. Like many transplanted ungulates they will do great in a new area for awhile. When they crash and W$F moves on you’ll wake up one day and realized maybe our focus should have been on our native herds. But so many of the native herds don’t produce those 200” rams you think are a metric for heard health or conservation.

All that money raised. And our sheep are sheep numbers are in the toilet. If it’s truely about sheep why must we head hunt them?

If you truely care about something or someone you help out and ask nothing in return.

My numbers aren’t off, it’s a win, not a huge win but a win that’s funding much needed money. I’m specifically speaking TO the 1.3 million tag, and it’s history

Again what have you donated to help with Movi research or grazing allotments? Game agency’s don’t buy allotments

 

[FAAFO]

My numbers aren’t off, it’s a win, not a huge win but a win that’s funding much needed money. I’m specifically speaking TO the 1.3 million tag, and it’s history

Again what have you donated to help with Movi research or grazing allotments? Game agency’s don’t buy allotments

There you go talking about money again. What is it with W$F always boasting how much money they have raised? I guess it’s a distraction from the real results.

I’m glad you brought up that private herd in Texas. What’s the odds anyone besides rich W$F members will able to hunt those sheep one day?

I would love to hear how much YOU have helped with movi and those grazing allotments. You W$F lovers can’t pass up a chance to pant yourself on the back. So let’s hear it.

 

[cuerro viejo]

There you go talking about money again. What is it with W$F always boasting how much money they have raised? I guess it’s a distraction from the real results.

I’m glad you brought up that private herd in Texas. What’s the odds anyone besides rich W$F members will able to hunt those sheep one day?

I would love to hear how much YOU have helped with movi and those grazing allotments. You W$F lovers can’t pass up a chance to pant yourself on the back. So let’s hear it.

At one time it was high, because it’s like the CO ranching for wildlife program(except TX includes NR). Right now they have cut all tags by 99% so both sides are highly limited.

Like I said you mock WSF or even large private donations but have yet to tell me what you have done… I wrote a check to help with TX relocation , and also wrote a check to NM last year, my pat on the back was more then anti -fund raising rhetoric on Rokslide

 

[FAAFO]

At one time it was high, because it’s like the CO ranching for wildlife program(except they include NR). Right now they have cut all tags by 99% so both sides are highly limited.

Like I said you mock WSF or even large private donations but have yet to tell me what you have done… I wrote a check to help with TX relocation , and also wrote a check to NM last year, my pat on the back was more then anti -fund raising rhetoric on Rokslide

So you wrote a check to NM game and fish dept for sheep conservation? And they took it?

 

[cuerro viejo]

So you wrote a check to NM game and fish dept for sheep conservation? And they took it?

Texas Bighorn society and technically I wrote check to NMFG in addition to NMWS chapter

 

[FAAFO]

Texas Bighorn society and technically I wrote check to NMFG in addition to NMWS chapter

You’ll wake up one day hopefully and realized all that check writing, the large “donations”, auction tags etc ended up with very little going to the resource. Right now you have some home town pride that your state is producing big rams. The attention is on your state and you’re proud. But the minute the quality drops off all the attention goes to the next herd that will be exploited until it stops producing big rams. And so forth.

Glad to hear you are not doing anything more than me for sheep “conservation”. For a minute there I thought maybe I was slacking.

 

[ssgjpd]

This was my first time attending and enjoyed it. Got to talk to a couple of outfitters that I was looking at booking with and set a date for 2026. My wife also enjoyed it and was a table away from the bidding battle.

 

[cuerro viejo]

You’ll wake up one day hopefully and realized all that check writing, the large “donations”, auction tags etc ended up with very little going to the resource. Right now you have some home town pride that your state is producing big rams. The attention is on your state and you’re proud. But the minute the quality drops off all the attention goes to the next herd that will be exploited until it stops producing big rams. And so forth.

Glad to hear you are not doing anything more than me for sheep “conservation”. For a minute there I thought maybe I was slacking.

Or you can just do nothing and not give a damn and watch them continue to fade away like you are doing.

Got it, thanks for nothing more than condescending remarks and pointed shots.

 

[FAAFO]

Or you can just do nothing and not give a damn and watch them continue to fade away like you are doing.

Got it, thanks for nothing more than condescending remarks and pointed shots.

I’m a life member and I write conservation organizations checks. Is that not what you do?

Good luck on your 2025 draws

 

[Elkhuntinfool78]

I went this year for the first time and I guess it's not my thing. There are some average folks there but imo it's mostly the wealthy who are there to stroke each other's ego and looking to "buy" their next big trophy.

It honestly kinda sickens me to see what hunting has become today.

 

[cuerro viejo]

I’m a life member and I write conservation organizations checks. Is that not what you do?

Good luck on your 2025 draws

Yes, so why is more funding such a huge issue?

 

[FAAFO]

Yes, so why is more funding such a huge issue?

Really? The consequences of more funding is lower sheep populations but more raffle tags. Do you like lower sheep populations? And less sheep tags? Because that’s what record raffle sales have us at right now. Of course we have your herd that is supposedly doing well. A broken clock is still right twice a day. But as a whole it is broken. So broken that guys will use your example to show the progress. Of course we had to let JJ kill the biggest ram…for conservation right?

The misappropriation of conservation dollars voids any of these record fundraising campaigns. You haven’t heard about all the young blonde admins Gary has around? Or chartering flights for F&F to fundraising events? Too good to fly on commercial flights?

All that matters is those at the top get their big rams. Throw in some crumbs for the blue collar guy to keep them happy.

After all bread crumbs are still bread.

 

[WCB]

#1 maybe treading water or the conditions of the herds are only as good as they are because of the millions WSF and other Sheep specific organizations have contributed. Maybe there would be even fewer sheep to hunt or no hunts.

#2 besides the auctions tags and bidding anybody right now can go out and purchase a sheep hunt and hunt every year. Oh yeah including Bighorns right in MT basically over the counter. But it would actually take effort. I get everyone wants to draw a tag in their home state in the unit they live and and shoot a sheep from their ATV/UTV. Go to Mexico and shoot a Desert sheep for sub $40k.
Money is always a limiting factor and most the guys that bitch would complain if they drew a tag and that tag cost them $5000. But I guess as a resident few bucks for application fee and a couple hundred tag keeps them interested. You would be amazed at how many guys mentioned the hunts for purchase at the show were so expensive but then talked about their 3-4 custom rifles that cost anywhere from $5K-$8,000. Pretty good chunk of change towards a sheep hunt if you ask me.

#3 I also get the optics side of it with Mr. Money Bags getting "Mountain Hunter of the Year" awards and the pats on the back, elbow rubbing, etc. Some games are not made to be played by everyone and don't act like if you had the kind of money some of these guys have you wouldn't do the same damn thing. Hell if I won the Billion dollar lotto...I'd make it a point one year to by every single Sheep tag auctions at Sheep Show just for the hell of it.