The Arizona Game and Fish Department frequently receives questions from constituents asking, “What is the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle?”

The Arizona Big Game Super Raffle is a nonprofit entity that conducts a special raffle each year to raise money for wildlife conservation efforts. A volunteer board of directors made up of representatives from sponsoring organizations oversees the operation of the raffle.

Here’s how it works. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission awarded one tag for each of 10 big game species—bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer, antelope, buffalo, turkey, bear, javelina and mountain lion—to the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle for the purpose of being offered through the raffle. People buy tickets for a chance to win one or more of the tags. Ticket prices range from $5 to $25 each, depending on species. Winners will be able to hunt for 365 days almost anywhere in the state of Arizona during the 2012-13 hunting season.

According to the Arizona Big Game Super Raffle’s website, the deadline for online orders in this year’s Super Raffle is 10 p.m. (MST) on Sunday, July 8. For more information, visit www.arizonabiggamesuperraffle.com.

Every dollar raised for each species by the raffle is returned to the Arizona Game and Fish Department and managed by the Arizona Habitat Partnership Committee (AHPC) for that particular species. With input from local habitat partners across the state, as well as the input from the organizations involved with the fundraising, they collectively determine which projects will provide the most benefit to each species.