July 16–CHEYENNE — A new raffle system launched by the Wyoming Game and Fish Department this year has generated more than $665,000 for the department’s budget and has produced some very happy hunters in the process.
Since early January, the Game and Fish Department sold 50,266 raffle tickets to hunters from Wyoming and across the country. Each ticket gave the holder the chance to win one of 10 hard-to-get hunting licenses for species including antelope, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, moose, mountain goat, gray wolf, black bear, mountain lion or wild bison.
The department also sold more expensive tickets for a “Super Tag Trifecta” draw, where the winner could select licenses for up to three of the above species.
Wyoming Game and Fish Director Scott Talbott said the drawing was held July 9, and sales were well above expectations for the pilot program.
“This was a new deal, and I think our initial projections were about $350,000 to $400,000, so it did exceed our expectations,” Talbott said. “But we really had no idea (how popular it would be). Now that we have this established, I hope we can increase revenues as we move forward.”
That was one of the main goals of the raffle program, in addition to giving hunters the shot at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Game and Fish has sustained roughly $7 million in budget cuts over the last two years, and Talbott said the new raffle program has proven to be a reliable way of reversing some of those cuts.
“It’s affected a variety of programs — personnel, habitat work, long-term maintenance,” he said. “This new money will go back into the general account of the department, and it’ll be spent on the priorities identified by the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission.”
In a news release, Gov. Matt Mead praised the success of the raffle program, which was made possible thanks to an initiative passed by the state Legislature in 2013.
“This raffle will generate revenue for a resource we all treasure — our wildlife. It gives hunters another chance to get a license for some of the best big game in the world,” Mead said. “Congratulations to all the winners, and good hunting this fall.”
Randall Johnston of Evanston was among the lucky few to win one of the raffled licenses. Johnston won the license for bighorn sheep and could scarcely believe his luck when he was informed of his win.
“I’d never won a candy bar in a raffle before, and here I win the most prized game tag in the nation. I was in absolute shock,” he said, adding that more than 11,000 hunters had put in for the same tag. “It’s like winning the Powerball is what I did.”
Johnston said he has been hunting since his dad taught him to shoot varmints at age 4, and despite going on hunting trips to Africa 14 times, he has never before had the luck of drawing a bighorn sheep tag.
“That lets you know how hard that sheep tag is to get,” he said. “I’ve got a trip to Vegas this weekend, and if I’m that lucky, then I’m going to ride it out.”
Talbott said those are the kinds of stories Game and Fish likes to hear, and he’s hoping to hear more of them as the raffle program continues next year.
“We’re looking at a lot of different ideas for it,” Talbott said. “We’re very pleased with it so far, and we look forward to trying to expand this in the future.”