Arkansas has always set aside two permits for the RMEF, one for their banquet auction in Arkansas which nets considerable cash for the elk program(a hundred dollars per raffle ticket), and one for the deep pockets people to bid on(I know that two high-rollers got into a bidding war one year and the winning bid was $45,000!). That money also goes into the programs that directly benefit elk. I believe that Kentucky, the poster child of elk restoration, does basically the same thing. As far as I am aware, every state that allows elk hunting still allocates most of their lottery permits for the general public. No complaints here, because it takes money to run a game and fish dept, just as it takes money to run any business. Some apparently have difficulty grasping that concept.