Commission Authorizes Bighorn Tags for Auction, Lottery

The Idaho Fish and Game Commission, during its quarterly meeting in Idaho Falls July 13 and 14, released bighorn sheep tags for auction and lottery and adopted rules to grant licenses to minor children with life-threatening diseases. The commissioners released bighorn tags for the 2007 seasons to be marketed by the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep. The department receives proceeds from the auction to fund bighorn sheep research and management. And the proceeds from the lottery also help pay for efforts to resolve problems between wild and domestic animals. The Commission has released a bighorn sheep tag for auction since 1988 and a tag for lottery since 1992. The commissioners also adopted new rules, in accordance with new state legislation that allows the department to issue free licenses, permits and tags to a minor child with a life-threatening disease to participate in hunts sponsored by qualified organizations. The rules set out criteria that would be used to qualify the organizations through which the youths would participate.