$275,000 sheep hunt
An anonymous hunter has paid a record $275,000 US for a special permit offered by the B.C. government to hunt a wild mountain sheep outside of the regular hunting season.
Proceeds from the auction go to the province’s Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation — 75 per cent to sheep-related projects and 25 per cent to other wildlife enhancement projects.
The hunter made the winning bid during an auction at the annual convention of the Wild Sheep Foundation in Reno, Nev. He is permitted to hunt outside the regular season anywhere where sheep are normally hunted; if a non-resident, he must also hire a licensed B.C. guide-outfitter. The hunter can shoot either a Dall or Stone thinhorn sheep — found in northern B.C. — or a California or Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, found in southern parts of the province.
Kim Nieters, spokeswoman for the sheep foundation, said a similar special hunt offered by the Alberta government sold for $150,000. Foundation policy prohibits identifying the winning bidders for such hunts.
From 2000 to 2010, the B.C. government raised almost $1.6 million from auctions offering special hunts for mountain sheep and Roosevelt elk, according to a trust foundation report.
Money from past auctions has been used for a variety of projects such as habitat enhancement, mapping of critical range, separation of domestic sheep from wild sheep to reduce disease transmission, and relocation of sheep to bolster smaller herds.
Last year, a hunter paid $250,000 US — then a record — for the B.C. special sheep hunt, which is part bragging rights and part altruistic desire to improve the productivity of wild sheep. Past hunts in recent years have raised closer to $130,000 to $150,000.
The sheep foundation keeps 15 per cent of the winning bid for putting on the auction.
lpynn@vancouversun.com
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