Montana Outdoors: Sheep Hunting, High Roller Style...

$300,000 for a big game tag?

 Yep, true story. And NO, not a typo. Fact is not even a record. While no secret if you want a record book sheep—a good shot at a new world record, Montana is the place. According to biologists there are several potential candidates running around out there right now but 300 grand for a tag? Sorry pal, but to my way of thinking there is something way wrong when fat cats are allowed to buy record book heads; while only way the rest of get the chance...well, the odds of drawing rank right up there with hitting the ol' lottery.

According to an Associated Press article: 

A New York man has paid $300,000 for a license to hunt bighorn sheep in Montana this fall.

The Great Falls Tribune reports that the special auction license was bought last month by James Hens of East Bern, N.Y., at the Wild Sheep Foundation convention in Reno, Nev.

With the license, Hens will be able to take a bighorn in any Montana sheep hunting district this fall.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks commission authorizes several groups to auction big-game tags. 

The groups get 10 percent of the money and the rest goes to FWP for research and habitat improvement for the species. (OK, there is some good comes of this for the folks but still don't make it right...in my humble opinion anyways.)

The most ever paid for a bighorn sheep tag was $310,000 in 1994.

I’ve met some members of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep and to call them wealthy would be a gross understatement. Sorry…I know... You already figured that out for yourselves…Right! Anyway this is giving me a headache so…

More Sheep Culled to Help Curtail Yet Another Pneumonia Outbreak

The latest outbreak has been confirmed in the upper Rock Creek herd. Over the past few days biologists culled 28 of 46 bighorn sheep showing symtoms of the deadly pneumonia bacteria.

That makes four herds so far this winter, all in northwest Montana.

Biologists fear many more of the 170 or so in the upper Rock Creek herd could be infected. They will revisit the area next week.

All hunting will probably be curtailed for several years or until the infected herds make a significant recovery. Biologists hope in every case there are isolated pockets of uninfected sheep to help speed the process.

For Montana hunters this winter has not been exactly brimming good news. First came the announcement mule deer doe tags will most probably be drastically cut in many of the hunt districts across the state. Then yesterday came the announced proposal to limit Region 1 whitetail hunting to bucks only. Now this, and let us not forget the proposed changes in elk hunting still in the lurch. Oh and let us not forget also the highly controversial proposal to impose non-toxic shot restrictions to all Montana WMAs...Yikes, enough already although to be fair none of this is anything but good for the critters which is all that really matters in the scope of things...Right? Right.

And of course none of this is new, all of it has occured in the past and most likely will again in the future, even once the current crises pass. Ma Nature has shown time and again she really does not cotton to voids within her world. So as long as the habitat remains healthy sooner or later she will refill it...In other words have faith my man this too shall pass...