Today, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department announced the ten 2016 winners of the Wyoming Super Tag raffles. The Super Tag raffles were created by Governor Matt Mead and the Wyoming Legislature in 2013 to provide hunters additional opportunities to obtain difficult to draw hunting licenses and to raise money for  wildlife management in Wyoming. Through the Super Tag program, separate raffles are held for bighorn sheep, moose, mountain goat, elk, wild bison, deer, antelope, black bear and mountain lion licenses. Additionally, the Super Tag Trifecta allows one winner to choose any three licenses among those offered.  

The Trifecta opportunity is considered one of the ultimate hunting opportunities in the West. This year the winner of that raffle along with the bighorn sheep and mountain goat winners receive a gear package from KUIU.   

The 2016 winners are:

• Super Tag Trifecta- Russell Elms
• Antelope- Shawn Taroli
• Deer- Eldon Rizzi
• Elk- Erik Olberg
• Bighorn Sheep-Jeffrey Campagna
• Black Bear- Randolph Funk
• Moose- John Lind
• Mountain Goat- Tanner Winters
• Mountain Lion- Craig Fitzkee
• Wild Bison- Curtis Fish

“My feet have not left the ground since I got the call today.  This is the best thing that ever happened to me since I started hunting," said John Lind, the winner of the moose Supertag. 

This is the third year of the Wyoming Super Tag raffle, which raised $664,170 for wildlife management. In 2016, a total of 51,445 raffle tickets were sold, an increase from last year. 

Super Tag winners are able to hunt any open area for the species for which they are selected. Restrictions apply to bighorn sheep and moose in areas with fewer than eight and ten licenses respectively.  Additionally, the five-year waiting period before re-applying for bighorn sheep and moose licenses and the once-in-a-lifetime restriction for bison and mountain goat licenses are waived. Winners retain all preference points they have accumulated for the species for which they have been selected.   

“Wyoming has some of the best hunting in the world, and the continued increase in sales of Super Tag tickets and overall license applications reflects this. We’re excited to grow Wyoming’s hunting heritage and host these winners this fall,” Game and Fish Director Scott Talbott said. “Our thanks to Governor Mead and the Legislature to be able to offer this opportunity and for the additional funding for wildlife management.”

Information about the winners and next year’s raffle is available at: https://wgfd.wyo.gov/hunting/super-tag.