Editorial Opinion
Published by The Salt Lake Tribune
Ron Mika's trophy bull elk
Most human societies have evolved past the point where hunting was the job of every man in the tribe. Today, hunting is a sport. And some Utahns believe that the alpha males and females in the tribe are taking more than their share simply because they have more clams than all the other hunters.
Sunday’s Tribune profiled how big-game hunters pay up to $79,000 at auction for a special permit to hunt a trophy animal — a Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, mountain goat, elk, moose, mule deer, bison, pronghorn, cougar, bear or turkey. Ponying up thousands of dollars entitles the hunter to pursue a trophy animal in the most desirable game areas of the state.
The average Joe, by contrast, may have to wait years to win the right in a lottery to hunt certain species in certain areas, and may never have the good fortune to draw a permit.
The other half of this story, though, is that the $1 million or so the Division of Wildlife Resources earns from the auctions annually allows the agency to purchase wildlife habitat and transplant animals into and within the state. DWR officials point out that these programs benefit not only the populations of animals all other hunters and wildlife lovers enjoy, but they make life better for species of non-game critters as well.
So, while with one hand the policy of auctioning trophy permits is turning hunting into the sport of kings, or at those with princely incomes, with the other hand it is helping a much broader group of people, hunters and non-hunters alike.
If the rest of Utah’s hunters don’t like the idea of the capitalist elite buying trophy permits at huge prices, there are other options, but none of them is particularly attractive. The DWR could simply drop the auction program, but that would kill off valuable habitat preservation and management programs because of lack of funds. The DWR could raise the prices of tags for everyone to make up the difference, but that would do more to price the hunter of humble means out of the sport than does the status quo.
Another alternative would be to look for general government revenues to pay for wildlife programs. For years, hunters have paid the bills for wildlife management through their license fees and taxes on ammunition and outdoor gear. People who oppose hunting on ethical grounds complain that the DWR listens only to hunters, but it is natural for the agency to listen to the folks who are paying the bills.
Since state governments are struggling today with budget deficits and an economic recession, it is not realistic to expect them to come up with bigger contributions for wildlife management from general revenues. State income-tax check-offs to raise funds for non-consumptive wildlife have been a bust.
But if non-hunters are serious about funding wildlife management and habitat preservation, maybe they should propose taxes on water or real estate that would benefit wildlife directly. After all, every drop of water or square foot of ground that is taken for human use reduces resources for wildlife.
Until reforms like this are enacted, auctions for coveted big-game tags may remain the best shot at preserving wildlife and hunting for the everyday member of the tribe.
Copyright 2001, Salt Lake Tribune
