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Idaho Hunter Pays Record $310K for Antelope Island Mulie Tag
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March 11, 2013
Idaho Hunter Pays Record $310K for Antelope Island Mulie Tag
By Chad Love
An Idaho hunter with deep, deep pockets just ponied up a whopping (and record-setting) $310,000 for the chance to hunt mule deer on Great Salt Lake's Antelope Island this fall.
From this story in the Salt Lake Tribune:
Idaho hunter Dennis Austad already owns one world hunting record set in Utah by taking the biggest Rocky Mountain bull elk ever recorded by the Boone & Crockett Club during a 2008 outing on Monroe Mountain. Austad set a different kind of record during last month’s Western Hunting & Conservation Expo held in Salt Lake City by bidding $310,000 for the right to hunt a buck mule deer on Antelope Island this fall. "That’s a record for all deer hunting permits," said Miles Moretti, CEO of the Mule Deer Foundation, which auctioned the hunting tag on behalf of the state at the expo. "The last record was $265,000 for a Utah statewide mule deer hunting tag."
According to the story, 90 percent of the money will be used for mule deer habitat and conservation work on Antelope Island, which is the largest island on Great Salt Lake, while the remaining 10 percent will go to the Mule Deer Foundation, a Utah-based nonprofit with the mission to restore, improve and protect mule deer and black-tailed deer and their habitat. Austad also bought last year's Antelope Island hunt, which, at $160,000, now seems like a bargain.
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Comments (20)
Hi...
Well, that just goes to show you that when money is no object, you can buy anything you want...!!
To be fair to Mr. Austad, the headline should read "Hunter Donates $310k Towards Mulie Habitat and Receives Premium Tag."
Good for him. Wish I had the chance to be so generous.
I find this rather disturbing. AZ does the same thing the Govenors tag. Sure it goes to charity but seems like a slap in the face of every day hunters.
That's my uncle Dennis! How I liked to hunt with Uncle Dennis. Never had to bring my wallet when I hunted with Uncle Dennis.
Something really smells about his world record elk hunt. Let's see, no one has ever seen even a 400 score bull on that mountain before. And that big boy just happens to drop right down out of heaven for this filthy rich guy? And it gets better. The guides supposedly spot the bull on September 28, two days before Austad is supposed to arrive for his hunt. But this is no ordinary bull. According to the guide he's supposedly very wild and extremely wary, only showing himself in just the few seconds before darkness. Yet two days later the guide drives this newly arrived somewhat chubby old dude who paid $150,000 to hunt for elk as long as he wanted anyplace he wanted right to the spot where the bull happens to show up and he shoots it within moments after loading his gun. According to the guide a host of other people were after the bull too. But somehow he just stayed in the same spot for two days and no one else noticed. Pretty hard not to notice that bull! Photo shows the dead elk laying right out in the open on a prairie. Hardly the kind of cover one would expect to see a "wary" old bull hiding in. Not a lot of chase involved in this so-called hunt either. Given the time involved, there hardly was any chance for that.
I'm sure Mr. Austad has already picked out his next world record at a discreet genetic engineering game farm. I hope they catch him this time. Wait ... he has lots of money AND is of the proper religious persuasion. Well, that explains it. Oh, and how does he get his money? He's a developer! Makes his money tearing up the Western resources. Buckhunter, those $$$ are blood money as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure he's not giving back nearly as much as he's taken out of the mule deer environment.
@JPMNTMAN, auctioning off this tag is not a slap in the face to every day hunters because this tag isn't and never was available through the draw system. It wasn't taken from the tags normally available to everyone, it was specifically created as a revenue generating resource for the state.
@Ontario Honker, you couldn't be more wrong. Read the actual story of the Spyder Bull. There are people in Utah with his sheds, there is footage of him with his bachelor group all summer long before he was harvested (and some of those bulls are pushing the 400 mark). Denny had the governors tag which allowed him to hunt all three seasons (archery, muzzleloader and rifle) with any weapon he wanted, but it still took him over a month to harvest the bull after it disappeared for several days and missing his first shot (you can watch his hunt on youtube). There were other people on the mountain with a tag that could have killed the bull, but the Monroe unit is HUGE (have you ever hunted it?). Lastly, do you think someone could fool the B&C judges? They actually put together a special panel just to judge this bull since it was so controversial/high profile.
As a Utah native I'd like to thank Denny for all the money he's donated to our local wildlife (which going off this story alone is over half a million) and wish him the best of luck on his next hunt to antelope island.
I guess you and I didn't read the same story.
Oh, I see. His hunt was videotaped? How fortuitous.
The Monroe unit in Utah is famous for big bulls. There are open areas surrounded by extremely dense cover. A tough area to draw a resident tag let alone a nonresident. I got lucky around twenty years ago and drew one. On the last day, I killed a huge bull just at dusk. Did not measure it myself, as I never do. However, the antlers drew so much attention at the taxidermy shop they had a B & C official measurer put a tape on it. It went 403 and a few fractions. Just me, but I do not enter trophies in the books. If others want to do so, more power to them, and if they wish to spend hundreds of thousands on a tag hopefully those funds may improve my chances down the trail to enjoy a fabulous, challenging hunt. Kindest Regards
If any animal needed the help, it certainly is the mule deer.
ManPower..Ontario more wrong? HAHAHA NAW, never could be ONtario!...too funny.
Seems Ontario hunter has a ax to Grind.just my opinion though!
One thing this story misses is that they have two tags available for this special hunt on antelope island. One tag gets auctioned off and the other tag is given to someone who entered the $5 lottery at the expo. So if you are lucky you can get the same hunt for $5 that this guy spent $310,000 on.
Ontario, the story I heard from locals regarding the spider bull was that a certain guiding operation, I will leave unnamed, had guides driving the bull back onto private ground unavailable to other hunters. That bull was known by everybody down there and everyone who had a tag was after him.
I believe the point that was missed; this is a Charity auction. People of means have paid over the top prices for products that benefit their causes. If it restricts some of the common folk from hunting a particular spot. Well that is life. Just be glad it benefits a sport you support.
I'm going to leave the record elk alone because I do not know enough about that particular area to make a judgment. I agree with OH that it seems somewhat fortuitous, but isn't that part of hunting anyway, being in the right place at the right time? Anyway, I am glad to see that those who have the means to pay so much money for an exclusive tag are willing to do it, be it for conservation reasons or just a lust of the game. I am not one to comment on why people do it as long as the environment and hunters benefit. However, what does worry me is what this will mean for non-resident tags as fish&game begin to see that people are willing to pay big money for the opportunity to hunt. It's already ungodly expensive to hunt in some areas of the country, I would hate to see it only escalate as stories like this publicize the amount that people are willing to spend.
I guess if you have the money, might as well as spend while you can.
$310,000. Are you kidding me?
Probably has a chopper take him in ad pick him up.
That is totally rediculas!
If it's for charity why don't they just auction ALL the permits and raise a hell of a lot of money that will go into the coffers of the state government just like everything else seems to go!
Don't be fooled guys, this will lead to the common hunter to be excluded!
So the tag was not offered through the normal way that all hunters can get access to it and you dont call that a slap in the face. I guess I need to get off this web site since hunters here can afford 310,000 for a hunt. Maybe if I donate 10 dollars next year I can get that tag.
Just watched the whole hunt on video and I can say I wouldn't book a hunt with that outfitter.
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To be fair to Mr. Austad, the headline should read "Hunter Donates $310k Towards Mulie Habitat and Receives Premium Tag."
Good for him. Wish I had the chance to be so generous.
The Monroe unit in Utah is famous for big bulls. There are open areas surrounded by extremely dense cover. A tough area to draw a resident tag let alone a nonresident. I got lucky around twenty years ago and drew one. On the last day, I killed a huge bull just at dusk. Did not measure it myself, as I never do. However, the antlers drew so much attention at the taxidermy shop they had a B & C official measurer put a tape on it. It went 403 and a few fractions. Just me, but I do not enter trophies in the books. If others want to do so, more power to them, and if they wish to spend hundreds of thousands on a tag hopefully those funds may improve my chances down the trail to enjoy a fabulous, challenging hunt. Kindest Regards
@JPMNTMAN, auctioning off this tag is not a slap in the face to every day hunters because this tag isn't and never was available through the draw system. It wasn't taken from the tags normally available to everyone, it was specifically created as a revenue generating resource for the state.
@Ontario Honker, you couldn't be more wrong. Read the actual story of the Spyder Bull. There are people in Utah with his sheds, there is footage of him with his bachelor group all summer long before he was harvested (and some of those bulls are pushing the 400 mark). Denny had the governors tag which allowed him to hunt all three seasons (archery, muzzleloader and rifle) with any weapon he wanted, but it still took him over a month to harvest the bull after it disappeared for several days and missing his first shot (you can watch his hunt on youtube). There were other people on the mountain with a tag that could have killed the bull, but the Monroe unit is HUGE (have you ever hunted it?). Lastly, do you think someone could fool the B&C judges? They actually put together a special panel just to judge this bull since it was so controversial/high profile.
As a Utah native I'd like to thank Denny for all the money he's donated to our local wildlife (which going off this story alone is over half a million) and wish him the best of luck on his next hunt to antelope island.
If any animal needed the help, it certainly is the mule deer.
Hi...
Well, that just goes to show you that when money is no object, you can buy anything you want...!!
I find this rather disturbing. AZ does the same thing the Govenors tag. Sure it goes to charity but seems like a slap in the face of every day hunters.
That's my uncle Dennis! How I liked to hunt with Uncle Dennis. Never had to bring my wallet when I hunted with Uncle Dennis.
ManPower..Ontario more wrong? HAHAHA NAW, never could be ONtario!...too funny.
Seems Ontario hunter has a ax to Grind.just my opinion though!
One thing this story misses is that they have two tags available for this special hunt on antelope island. One tag gets auctioned off and the other tag is given to someone who entered the $5 lottery at the expo. So if you are lucky you can get the same hunt for $5 that this guy spent $310,000 on.
Ontario, the story I heard from locals regarding the spider bull was that a certain guiding operation, I will leave unnamed, had guides driving the bull back onto private ground unavailable to other hunters. That bull was known by everybody down there and everyone who had a tag was after him.
I believe the point that was missed; this is a Charity auction. People of means have paid over the top prices for products that benefit their causes. If it restricts some of the common folk from hunting a particular spot. Well that is life. Just be glad it benefits a sport you support.
I'm going to leave the record elk alone because I do not know enough about that particular area to make a judgment. I agree with OH that it seems somewhat fortuitous, but isn't that part of hunting anyway, being in the right place at the right time? Anyway, I am glad to see that those who have the means to pay so much money for an exclusive tag are willing to do it, be it for conservation reasons or just a lust of the game. I am not one to comment on why people do it as long as the environment and hunters benefit. However, what does worry me is what this will mean for non-resident tags as fish&game begin to see that people are willing to pay big money for the opportunity to hunt. It's already ungodly expensive to hunt in some areas of the country, I would hate to see it only escalate as stories like this publicize the amount that people are willing to spend.
I guess if you have the money, might as well as spend while you can.
So the tag was not offered through the normal way that all hunters can get access to it and you dont call that a slap in the face. I guess I need to get off this web site since hunters here can afford 310,000 for a hunt. Maybe if I donate 10 dollars next year I can get that tag.
Just watched the whole hunt on video and I can say I wouldn't book a hunt with that outfitter.
I guess you and I didn't read the same story.
$310,000. Are you kidding me?
Probably has a chopper take him in ad pick him up.
That is totally rediculas!
If it's for charity why don't they just auction ALL the permits and raise a hell of a lot of money that will go into the coffers of the state government just like everything else seems to go!
Don't be fooled guys, this will lead to the common hunter to be excluded!
Oh, I see. His hunt was videotaped? How fortuitous.
Something really smells about his world record elk hunt. Let's see, no one has ever seen even a 400 score bull on that mountain before. And that big boy just happens to drop right down out of heaven for this filthy rich guy? And it gets better. The guides supposedly spot the bull on September 28, two days before Austad is supposed to arrive for his hunt. But this is no ordinary bull. According to the guide he's supposedly very wild and extremely wary, only showing himself in just the few seconds before darkness. Yet two days later the guide drives this newly arrived somewhat chubby old dude who paid $150,000 to hunt for elk as long as he wanted anyplace he wanted right to the spot where the bull happens to show up and he shoots it within moments after loading his gun. According to the guide a host of other people were after the bull too. But somehow he just stayed in the same spot for two days and no one else noticed. Pretty hard not to notice that bull! Photo shows the dead elk laying right out in the open on a prairie. Hardly the kind of cover one would expect to see a "wary" old bull hiding in. Not a lot of chase involved in this so-called hunt either. Given the time involved, there hardly was any chance for that.
I'm sure Mr. Austad has already picked out his next world record at a discreet genetic engineering game farm. I hope they catch him this time. Wait ... he has lots of money AND is of the proper religious persuasion. Well, that explains it. Oh, and how does he get his money? He's a developer! Makes his money tearing up the Western resources. Buckhunter, those $$$ are blood money as far as I'm concerned. I'm sure he's not giving back nearly as much as he's taken out of the mule deer environment.
Post a Comment