Raffling off hunting permits, for a good cause

How much is a permit to hunt Dall sheep in Alaska worth -- $10,000? $30,000? How about $200,000?

Each year, a few hunting permits for Alaska big game land on auctioning blocks where the highest bidder, rather than the luckiest, gets the chance to hunt. Others are raffled off.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game awards as many as 19 permits for Dall sheep, bison, moose, brown bear, elk, musk ox, caribou and wolf to nonprofit organizations that promote fish and game law enforcement, hunting or wildlife management. The groups can then use the permits as fund raisers.

The deadline for this year's applications is quickly approaching -- nonprofit organizations have until Sept. 28 to apply for permits for next fall's hunting season. Applications and more information are available by calling Jackie Kephart at (907) 465-6197.

Through raffles and auctions, wildlife groups such as Ducks Unlimited and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation have raised thousands of dollars from the hunting permits. But the nonprofit groups are not alone in reaping the benefits. While all of the proceeds from elk permits go to the individual group, organizations that sell permits for other species keep 10 percent of the profits. The remaining 90 percent goes back to Fish and Game.

"It has enabled us to direct funds to important conservation efforts that might otherwise go unfunded," said Jackie Kephart, who coordinates the program for Fish and Game.

While the money returned to Fish and Game goes into a general fund, the money raised and kept by the nonprofit groups must be strictly accounted for. In their applications, the organizations must describe how the funds will be used. One Southeast Alaska group, for example, used the money it raised through an elk permit to improve trails at a local rifle range, improving access for people wanting to sight-in their rifles.

Some of the permits have gone to Alaska groups such as the Petersburg Rod and Gun Club, the Alaska Bowhunters Association and Alaska Fish and Wildlife Safeguard, the program that operates a 1-800 number for people to call in fish and wildlife violations. The program is not, however, confined to Alaska. National groups such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the national chapter of the Foundation of North American Wild Sheep have also received Alaska game permits.

With all but the elk permits, the winners also receive a complimentary hunting license and big game tag for the price they paid for the permit. Because all of the funds generated by the elk permits go to the individual organization, these permit winners do not receive the extra bargain.

Last year, the permits raised nearly $50,000 for Fish and Game, with one Dall sheep permit for Game Management Unit 14C being sold by FNAWS for $27,500.

The record, however, was for a sheep permit for the same area that raised $200,000 for the Alaska Chapter of FNAWS in 1997.

That was the first year that permits were made available to nonprofit groups. Since then, a total of nearly $400,000 has made its way back to Fish and Game from the auctions and raffles.

"It's a fairly new program," Kephart said. She said she has yet to receive enough qualified applications to award all of the 19 permits available each year.

Kephart said she believes many more organizations are eligible for the program but have not applied. In addition to contacting people on her mailing list, this year she has also sent out press releases around the state in hopes of drumming up more interest in the permits.

Groups can apply for as many as three permits for any species, which may not include more than one permit for each species.

This year's applicants will be notified by Nov. 1 if they will receive the permits. Kephart said the advance notice is designed to give groups time to arrange the auction or raffle to sell the permit for next year's hunting season.