Tag Lottery Raises Wildlife Lab Dollars

Idaho's raffle drawing for one bighorn sheep hunt produced two winners this week. The Wildlife Health Laboratory receives money for research into bighorn sheep diseases and one lucky sportsman has the opportunity to hunt for a bighorn sheep this fall. "The lucky sportsman," said Joe Curry, board member of the Idaho Wild Sheep Foundation, "is Earl Macasaet from Rancho Cucamonga, California." The winner will be able to hunt in any unit open to sheep hunting for Rocky Mountain or California bighorn in 2011, pursuant to Fish and Game rules - except Unit 11, Hells Canyon of the Snake River. Unit 11 is available to the lottery winner on alternating years. Every year one bighorn tag is awarded through a raffle and one other tag is offered annually at auction. This year's lottery was conducted by the Idaho Chapter of the Wild Sheep Foundation. "The lottery drawing is the biggest event of the year for sportsmen who don't have thousands of dollars to bid for a bighorn sheep tag," said Joe Curry. This year's lottery raised $54,000. Proceeds from the bighorn sheep raffle are used by Fish and Game to support bighorn sheep disease research at the Wildlife Health Laboratory. "Money raised from the raffle last year," said Tricia Hebdon with the Wildlife Health Lab, "supported health and genetic research in wild sheep in the Owyhees and genetic research in Idaho's core native herd along the Salmon River." Diseases of bighorn sheep have drawn concern across the West for decades. The lottery has raised more than $750,000 since its inception in 1992. The money is used to investigate diseases of interest to both the Department of Fish and Game and livestock producers. For more information visit www.idahowildsheep.org. The Wild Sheep Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization working to protect and restore bighorn sheep to historic habitats throughout Idaho.