The Idaho Special Bighorn Sheep Auction Tag for 2020 brought $165,000 at the recent Wild Sheep Foundation Convention and Sporting Expo, better known as “The Sheep Show,” which took place in Reno in January.
The winning bid was the highest for a year in which the auction tag cannot be used in Hunt Area 11 in Hells Canyon. Last year, when the auction tag could be used in Hunt Area 11, it sold for $175,000 — the second highest total ever.
Idaho Fish and Game Commission has the authority to select an incorporated nonprofit wildlife conservation organization to auction one bighorn sheep tag each year. In recent years the Wild Sheep Foundation has been selected to receive the auction tag. Since 1988, the auction tag has generated more than $2.47 million, with the net proceeds going back to Fish and Game for bighorn sheep research and management.
