MDF/SFW Expo Sets Records, Raises Millions for Conservation
Mule Deer Foundation 02.15.12
The Mule Deer Foundation and Sportsmen for Fish & Wildlife raised more than $2 million of auction revenue alone for wildlife, habitat and conservation across the West at their joint Western Hunting & Conservation Expo last week, and added about $7 million of economic impact according to local tourism authorities.
MDF and SFW set new records for exhibit space, youth activities and young people attending the show.
The four-day event included three fund-raising auctions for the world’s largest collection of special hunt tags from many states.
Saturday night’s auction raised a record $1.1 million.
Auction tags sold at or near record amounts, including the Arizona Mule Deer Tag which broke the all-time Arizona muley fund-raising record, selling for $220,000. One hundred percent of the revenue was returned to the Arizona Game & Fish Department to benefit hunters and wildlife in that state.
MDF President and CEO Miles Moretti said, “While the auction tags raised big money for wildlife, our members, volunteers, fellow hunters and supporters in the outdoor industry helped make this Expo a huge success. These partners join us throughout the year in supporting various state tag raffles and lotteries for the public that make it affordable for everyone to win and help fund conservation.”
There was a 15 percent increase in exhibitor space over last year’s WHCE. With more than 26,000 consumers in attendance, exhibitors reported excellent results, according to SFW President Byron Bateman.
Matt Seidel with Hunting GPS Maps of Missoula, Montana, said, “We were in Vegas last week for another show. It was fun and brought in the high rollers, but as an exhibitor, we did more business the first two days at this Expo than we did all week at the other one.” He continued, “It’s nice having the show in a venue like Salt Lake, where you have people coming in from Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, New Mexico, and all over the world.”
New Zealand guide Wyatt McBride with Spey Creek Trophy Hunting has exhibited at the WHCE since its inception in 2007. He said, “The show was very good this year, and we booked more than ten hunts!”
Representatives from Kenetrek Boots said they had a very successful show as well. They sold about 80 pairs of boots and have already reserved their WHCE booth for next year.
Katherine Grand with Prois Hunting and Field Apparel for Women also said, “This was definitely a worthwhile show for us to attend. We are absolutely coming back next year!”
The Mule Deer Foundation (MDF) and its corps of volunteers work hard to ensure the conservation of mule deer and black-tailed deer and their habitat. MDF is a non-profit 501(c) 3 wildlife conservation organization headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Formed in July 1988, MDF now has over 14,000 members and almost 100 chapters nationwide who support its grassroots efforts. Through chapter fundraising events, MDF volunteers raise thousands of dollars to help fund habitat and conservation projects throughout the West.
