Wild Sheep Foundation Membership / Raffle Odds

[Doc Holliday]

Does anyone know the approximate number of Life Members and Summit Life Members in the WSF?

They often use the annual raffles for these membership levels to entice upgrading of membership.....I am wondering what the odds are, so need the above in order to calculate.

If anyone doesn't know what I am talking about, I do encourage you to join the Wild Sheep Foundation!

Home | Wild Sheep Foundation

Founded in 1977 and then known as the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep (FNAWS), the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) is the conservation organization dedicated to restoring wild sheep populations that dwindled to historical lows in North America in the 1950s and ‘60s. With private funding...

www.wildsheepfoundation.org

 

[wyosteve]

I just got an invite yesterday. It said 60% of the members are life members. As of the last Sheep Show, they had 10,000 total members so about 6000 are life members. I don't know about Summit Life member numbers though. At the life member breakfast where they draw for a desert bighorn hunt, there are usually around 1000 in attendance and you have to be present to win that one.

 

[Steve O]

And at the life member breakfast, they often have to pull a number of times to find someone present. It is worth the trip to Reno. Your heart definitely beats faster when you are in that room.

I’m a Summit Life member. I would not say I am a stereotypical SLM, meaning it was a hearty sacrifice to fund that endeavor. The odds are nowhere near good enough to make the donation worth it. I did it because since I was a young boy I wanted to sheep hunt, and since I’ve done it I do whatever I can to do it again. WSF is a vehicle to more sheep, healthier sheep, and more opportunities to hunt sheep so I want to support that in the best way I can from the Midwest.

I was able to upgrade my memberships of WSF, along with P&Y, Bowhunters of Wyoming, RMBS, and ADBSS off the top of my head from tag application refunds over the years and will continue to do so with other organizations I believe in. Maybe that life hack will help someone add some extra support to a quality conservation organization.

Bottom line, don’t do it for better raffle odds, you will be very disappointed if that is the only motivation.

 

[mtwarden]

If I read there site correctly, they offer up raffles just for folks who never have had the opportunity to hunt sheep, is that correct?

 

[Steve O]

Yes. It is called the “Less than One”. It happens Friday right as the show closes. Blue Moon provides unlimited beer,; I believe it was 14 kegs in 1.5 hours in 2020. There are some presentations and then they draw. Again, you must be present to win. There are some really happy winners in the end. They do one for North America and one for International.

 

[wildwilderness]

"Raffle"= horrible odds of ever winning anything

I see them more as Donation$ to an organization or conservation. And yes, I have won a raffle hunt before (elk tag), but I am lucky

 

[william schmaltz]

In the past they're done one draw for all (present and not present) <1 members and then draw a couple hunts for only present members. So you can join <1 and still have a shot if you can't make the show.

 

[Doc Holliday]

I just got an invite yesterday. It said 60% of the members are life members. As of the last Sheep Show, they had 10,000 total members so about 6000 are life members. I don't know about Summit Life member numbers though. At the life member breakfast where they draw for a desert bighorn hunt, there are usually around 1000 in attendance and you have to be present to win that one.

Perfect, thanks wyosteve

As for the other replies about my motivation, etc. for giving to WSF, I am already a proud summit life member as well, and I didn't do it because I thought I would win a raffle. I was just curious what the odds are....

 

[Hoot]

The breakfast has increased in size over the years so the odds are not as great as a few years ago, but I’d guess it’s about 1500 present at the breakfast?

I’m a life member as well, but only made it to one breakfast, I hope to start going more often once my kids are a little bit older. I will also upgrade to summit at some point in time, I would like to fund a life membership to RMEF first, and I became a RMBS life member this year after I drew my CO sheep tag, hoping to win a Dall hunt!

Hopefully next sheep show I will be ineligible for the <1 club!

 

[Wyoming Hart]

I'm a 2020 <1 Club hunt winner. I had entered the hunt drawings for a couple of years and did not get to get to Reno and was hoping for a long-shot chance of drawing. I knew the only chance to increase my odds was to get to the Show. My 3rd year there, I was drawn. The drawing got me in the door, but I'm so glad to have gone to Reno for the Show. The old saying, "You have to be in it, to win it" applies to it 100% The numbers above are pretty close to what the current membership numbers are, but I think they are growing at a rapid pace as per the report in the quarterly magazine.

 

[Short Track]

I'm thinking of giving them $250 for the tag raffle.