By Chad Adams
The Wild Sheep Foundation (WDF), partnering with the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society (ADBSS), recently conducted a raffle for the Arizona Game & Fish Department (AZGFD). The effort set a new record for an Arizona sheep tag raffle, raising $357,900.
“Whether it’s a state draw, auction tag, raffle, or lottery, taking the special opportunity to hunt a limited resource and turning it into a funding program to grow this resource is a unique model that has proven its worth,” said WSF President and CEO Gray N. Thornton. “Arizona is just one example where, based on population growth, there were 156 sheep tags issued in 2024 compared to only 44 back in 1984.”
Every dollar raised from this tag goes directly to the Arizona Game & Fish Department’s Habitat partnership Committee. It will fund their continued stewardship of the state’s wild sheep resources.
Hunters must apply and draw in annual state draws to hunt wild sheep in the lower 48. Additional tags are available via special Conservation Permit at auction or through a state-sanctioned lottery or raffle.
Wild Sheep Foundation Conservation Efforts
“The Wild Sheep Foundation was honored to be able to promote an opportunity open to everyone who could legally participate, and at the same time help the Arizona Game & Fish Department raise the most money possible for the state’s wild sheep populations,” Thornton added. “We can only hope that in the future more states will allow their residents to participate in an online raffle when it benefits wildlife conservation.”
Since 1983, WSF has raised and directed over $8.9 million to Arizona through the marketing and auctioning of the state’s Conservation Permits for bighorn and desert bighorn sheep conservation. This is the first tag the Foundation has raffled for the AZGFD.
These funds have been used for water development projects, habitat improvements, herd health surveillance, and translocations to augment existing populations or establish new ones in suitable habitats.
For more info, visit wildsheepfoundation.org.
