State game and fish departments occasionally allow conservation organizations to auction coveted big game tags as a way to raise serious money for game management and habitat projects. The amount of money paid for these tags is astounding.
Case in point: Prior to the recent 2023 Western Hunting & Conservation Expo auction in Salt Lake City, Utah, the record amount paid for a single big game tag was $410K; this took place in 2016 at the Expo for the opportunity to pursue mule deer on Utah’s Antelope Island.
As stated in this article’s headline, a hunter recently paid $725K at auction for the chance to pursue mule deer anywhere in the Arizona from Aug. 15, 2023, to Aug. 14, 2024. Yes, you read that correctly; the winning bidder can hunt year-round in Arizona for his trophy muley.
Believe it or not, the day before this Arizona muley tag was sold for $725K, another hunter spent $500K for a 2023 muley tag on Utah’s Antelope Island. (FYI: The person who paid $500K for the Antelope Island tag is founder of Jimmy John’s, Jimmy John Liautaud. His record bid lasted exactly 1 day.)
In the brief TikTok video linked below, you’ll see auctioneer John Bair (photo above) working his magic on the Expo banquet crowd. The eventual $725K bid winner, a man from Nevada, sits with his back to the camera. The blinking red light is bouncing off the back of the man’s chair. After the bid reaches $700K and the auctioneer asks for $725K, you can see him shake his head “no” a couple times. But someone at the table must say something to change his mind, because he raises his bid to $725K before losing the tag to another hunter.
Follow the Money
All of the money raised by auctioning the Arizona muley tag ($725K) goes to Arizona Game and Fish for mule deer management and habitat projects.
The money raised by auctioning the Utah muley tag ($500K) will be divided. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources gets 30 percent, and 10 percent goes to the Mule Deer Foundation and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, who put on the annual Expo. The remaining 60 percent is used in the field by these two organizations for habitat purchases and improvement, transplant projects, education efforts and other projects benefiting mule deer.
Click here to watch the winning bid of $725K.
