bigjohnson123

Well good for you "pard". Great chance Alan Hamberlin paid for them too. So blind you don't even know it...

That is where you guys are wrong. donniedent says "I'll never buy an auction tag so i'm not misssing anything" You may never buy an auction tag but you sure a heck benefit from them. Have you ever seen how dependant the elk in unit 9 and the deer in in unit 13 are on madmade water catchments. Do you think these catchments just sprout and grow on there own. NO! They cost tens of thousands of dollars each and catchments are only one of many things that auction tags fund. So, while you may never buy one you most certainly would be missing alot of thing without them. Again, remove the blinders and look at the real picture here...

My response to this thread dealt specifically with the remark about pitting auction hunters against regular joe hunters. Auction tags have benefited every single hunter in AZ period whether you will admit it or not! To go on TV and condemn the evil auction hunter is stupid and ignorant. Again, if they want to oppose legislation as a whole, good on em, but as a hunter myself, to publically condemn a program that has huge benefits in terms of hundreds of water projects, some habitat projects and various studies is counter productive to Arizona hunting overall. Set your blinders down for a second and look outside your boxes for a moment... If 2072 is so dam good for Arizona then why don't you take all of the private groups out of the bill and name AZGFD the only ones that can auction off the tags. At least then we all can see where the money is going. NO PRIVATE HANDS ON THE MONEY I would support that 110%! My main objective is funding for all the different things that build and maintain our game numbers. The reason I supported the original bill was i did not beleive like the rest of you that Hamberlin and the SFW was a bunch of crooks. Was the bill written poorly, YES! Was the fact it was backdoored a stupid idea, YES!! But I feel that it wasn't a ploy to make the rich richer but a ploy to gather the money needed for AZ to better its wildlife situation, which is indeed diminshing.

"And while nothing may match the excitement of having one of these coveted tags and the adventure they bring, the hunts pale in comparison to the projects put on the ground through the dollars raised. Every dollar raised from each species tag goes directly to the management of that species and allows for a multitude of wildlife conservation projects. Management of the dollars and projects are in coordination with the Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee. Projects range from water improvements, wildlife friendly fencing, wildlife studies, game surveys, translocations, habitat restorations, land acquisitions and more. Many of these projects are matched and further leveraged with other funding sources, labor, or supplied materials, stretching every dollar spent even further. In the end, the real winners of the Special Big Game License Tag Program are the citizens of Arizona. Through the dedication of concerned hunters and sportsmen, Arizonans can continue to enjoy the state’s full complement of diverse wildlife for generations to come." Above taken straight from the G&F website. Anyone that hunts in AZ and then denies that these tags are beneficial to them is completley in denial and grossly under educated to be arguing the merits of them...

Hey Dinger, read the above quote. If your going argue at least pay attention...

My response to this thread dealt specifically with the remark about pitting auction hunters against regular joe hunters. Auction tags have benefited every single hunter in AZ period whether you will admit it or not! To go on TV and condemn the evil auction hunter is stupid and ignorant. Again, if they want to oppose legislation as a whole, good on em, but as a hunter myself, to publically condemn a program that has huge benefits in terms of hundreds of water projects, some habitat projects and various studies is counter productive to Arizona hunting overall. Set your blinders down for a second and look outside your boxes for a moment...

To think that multiple people would spend the equivelent on raffle tickets is outrageous. Potential buyers will simply take there money to other states that would still allow auction tags such as, cali, nev, utah, colo, new mex, oregon, wash, kansas, iowa, wyo, and every other state that has western big game!! I am lucky to clear 30 grand a year as a self employed electrician with a side biz of a few head of livestock, but I must say the wealth envy of the bulk of you is disgusting...and very obvious, even if you won't admit to your selves...

let me clear here fellers. I strongly support the right of every american to have and voice an opinion on any issue. I do fully support auction tags, I have never bought one and will never have the funds to do so barring a lottery win. But I recognize the need to compile funds to pay for a whole score of things that will be beneficial to everyone that hunts and fishes. Auction tags are a awesome revenue generator and have proven there worth many times over for several years right here in AZ in units that you guys hunt every year. If you want to go and voice your concerns about a piece of legislation thats one thing, but to directly do as JaviHummer says and condemn auction tags as opposed to "Regular Meat Hunters" is rediculous and counter productive to the overall picture here.Do any single one of you have any idea what the benifits have been in units like 12A, 13A, 13B, 9, 10 and others if not for auction tags!!! Some of you are in over your heads....

Really! You think any good can from you going on TV, into the livingrooms of the public and talk about Auction Hunters vs Regular Hunters?? It is one thing to discuss the division us hunters have amongst ourselves on a forum like this one, but to publically bash any form of legal hunting on National television is completely insane!!!! Think about it!!!!

I am 100% percent fully for the passing and implementation of hb2072 and here is why. We as sportsman of arizona are facing some tremendous upcoming issues that will negatively affect each of us and more so our chilren. Priority #1 Wolves. Do you guys have any idea how many proposed wolf reitrodution area there are in the works? Several! First and foremost the Kaibab and Arizona Strip Region. These areas fit the criteria perfectly for wolf reintoduction. Next comes the unit 9 & 10. These units close proximity to National Park and Indian Reservations makes them a close second to the proposal North of the canyon. A full wolf reintroduction will much more negativley affect YOUR ability to hunt elk and deer than auctioning off 55 tags to the highest bidders. Especially when a significant portion of the proceeds will go directly into fighting the wolf programs. 55 tags to the highest bidders and 295 raffle tags! How many of you would shut right up if you won a unit 10 or 9 early rifle tag in the raffle. The passion and energy that some of you express on this and other websites is impressive to say the least. Too bad it is spent punching computer keyes instead of applied toward things that can make an actual difference. Instead you choose to rant and rave and stroke each others lynch mob egos. Do you really think that Hamberlin and other wealthy people behind this bill really contrived it to make money for their own pockets? Really? Hamberlin has spent well over 1 million bucks in AZ buying tags. All you see is the "buying tags" part! You don't see the hundreds of thousands of dollars in time and material that has gone to water and habitat projects across so many of Az's top units! You are stuck in this wealth envy state of mind that is so typical of Liberalism! So what if they have more money than you and can purchase a tag and go hunt. We ought to thank them for spending it on auction tags, because you benefit from it each and everytime you go big game hunting in AZ! Instead you scream and yell about how they are tag theives and liars and backstabbers and out to get "YOUR" tags. How much have you screamers donated to the wildlife you hunt? How much have you whiners saved to fight the wolves and other political fights hurtling down the pike straight at AZ? How many of you bitchers have ever done one thing to perpetuate, improve and conserve AZ wildlife for future young hunters? So few of you that it is pathetic, just like your argument against this bill....Get off your self rightous high horses..