javihammer

“I got an email back from Representative Kate Brophy McGee for district 11, and this was her response. "I do not support this bill, and if it comes back I will not vote for it" She is the Vice Chairman of House of Representatives Standing Committee, for Energy and Natural Resources” What a great legislator and super smart to see through the AZSFW smoke. She is now a green list legislator and will be on the good guy list. Thank you Kate, we will not forget you. I need add another green lister….. Craig Steele from CEI outdoors has been part of the good guy army for weeks. I should have recognized him earlier but I didn’t yet. Thanks to Amanda for reminding me. Please thank Craig and support his business, he deserves it. Matt (Lucky), thanks for the explanation and all you do on behalf of HOAL. I had no idea there were so many good selfless people in Arizona until recently. Becoming involved with wildlife conservation is a fantastic way to meet amazing people. That said, anyone can hop over to the good guy group, even the ones that have been pushing auction tags for expos are welcome if they pull away from the AZSFWC and/or make a public statement against the concepts of HB 2072. Adding new green listers is fun and makes me proud to live in Arizona. Ryan

My sentiments exactly. I just wanted to affirm the fact that some of these things can be twisted by the group that thinks the North american model of wildlife management is socialism. We are all friends here . Ryan

you are falling into their trap. We need to sell tags to millionairs or the coyotes and lions will eat all the deer and then they will eat your children. That will be their counter to your statement, in my opinion. +1000

I think we also need to establish a separate task team to work on "retiring" the groups that actively work to victimize public land hunters in Arizona. We need to work on solutions to publicly denounce any groups or businesses that support groups like the AZSFW and AZSFWC. These groups are a headwind for Arizona conservation and public hunt opportunity. They exist by propogating misinformation, they will die once they are outed as unworthy of the public trust. I have some ideas and will share with some of you all privately at the 3/22 meeting, we need to cut the head off this snake as soon as possible. It makes me sick to think people are actually being paid a big salary to misreprsesent the interests of the hunting majority and are subsidized by license plate money from unsuspecting Arizona residents. They are hoping the buzz from the draw results will steer attention from this issue, that isnt going to happen. One more thing. Many have expressed that hunters shouldnt be fighting or "attacking" other hunters. Well I have a different view on things. The people behind this tag theft are not primarily hunters, they are primarily business people that make their living from hunting. They are no more worthy of special treatment than Walmart or Best Buy. If Walmart wanted to fund their outdoor marketing program by strong arming tags away from the public we would be picketing in front of their stores. The parent organization for AZSFW (Sportsman for Wildlife) is a multi-million dollar organization with multi-million dollar sponsors. We need to make it economically imprudent for outdoor businesses to be cavorting with groups that exist for no purpose other than to further the overcommercialization of hunting. Average Joes DO have a choice and they need to start choosing companies that have their long term interest in mind and spending their money there. We also need to stay on the legislator campaign, NOW IS THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME TO GET LAZY ON THIS. WE NEED EVERYONE TO MOBILIZE RIGHT NOW! Ryan

Congrats to Rick Gray, another legislator that not only took the time to listen to our opinions on HB 2072 but also took the time to call a constituent back when he got the AZSFW tag cartel propoganda. Voters like politicians that take the extra steps to support our interests. Thank you Rick, you will not be forgotten at election time. Ladies and gents, I present Rick Gray - Arizona legislator and proponent of the people. Please send him a note or voice message letting him know you appreciate him. Thanks Rick, hopefully our good guy club will share word of your green status throughout the cyber world. I am still working on the good guy/bad guy list, I promise that list will be propogated around the cyber world as well. That list will include busineses, wildlife orgs, and even politicians. It will be easy to read, just like the thread about "expos and auction tags are bad". I promise to take all the time need to make sure everyone that deserves the credit gets it, good or bad. BTW - Has the Mohave Sportsmans Club, Antelope Association or Arizona Deer Association made any progress yet? They have been red since last week and I would like to see them graduate to at least yellow. They have to disavow the shady AZSFW/AZSFWC in order to get there, and that takes integrity.....lets cross our fingers that they find some. The game has just started for some of us, I cannot wait for the whistle to blow. Ryan

Guys, I went out to the "SFW" Western and Hunting Conservation Expo website and pulled down a list of their exhibitors from this year, I got the list from this link http://www.huntexpo.com/exhibitorList.php. With all the talk about AZSFWC wanting an expo in Phoenix, what better way to know what the impacts would be than to take a look at the exhibitors that participated in the SFW Salt Lake City Expo this year. Many exhibitors had multiple booths in different parts of the expo area. I counted companies rather than booths since counting booths would vastly overstate the actual corporate participation at the expo. After removing duplicates, there were 225 entities on the list to be classified by business type. Here are some interesting statistics. - 48% (107) of the businesses/organizations at the expo were guides/taxidermists (and there were only a handful of taxidermists). Of those, over 63% were either international (Canada 19%/Africa 17%/New Zealand 1%) or from Utah (15%) or Montana (11%). The largest outfitter presence was Mossback from Utah, they had a 1500 square foot booth next to the raffle stage. - The (non-Utah) four corner states outfitters had a TOTAL of 8% of the guides at the SLC expo (Arizona 3%, Colorado 4%, New Mexico 1%). Not much participation from Utah's neighbors. - There were only 11 outdoor retailers, 8 were from Utah, 2 big ones from Alaska and a huge one from Nebraska (Cabelas). Outdoor retailers only comprised 5% of the groups at the expo. -There were 6 non-outdoor retailers, they represented about 3% of the total organizations at the expo. These businesses sold anything from perfume to furniture. Kind of a swap meet kind of thing. - There were 59 outdoor equipment manufacturing businesses at the expo, this represented about 26% of the orgs at the expo. Some big names include Christensen Arms, Hoyt, Browning, Remington. Of the 59 outdoor manufacturers, almost half (25) were from Utah. No other state had more than 6 manufacturing companies represented. - There were 13 non-outdoor manufacturing companies at the expo, this represented 6% of the orgs represented. The products offered varied from artwork to dog food. Since art is produced and sold by the artist, I classified these businesses as a manufacturers. - There were at least 8 groups directly linked to Sportsman For Wildlife (SFW) represented. They accounted for 4% of the total orgs represented but they had far more square footage allocated to them than anyone else. - There were only 8 regular non-SFW related wildlife organizations represented, of this, 6 are based in Utah and only two were outside the state of Utah (Boone and Crockett in Montana and the North American Bear Association in Minnesota). I was surprised to see so few conservation organizations outside of Utah participating at an expo with conservation in the title. - There were twelve organizations that I classified as government. Some were state or federal government but others were native American tribal government. They represented 5% of the total overall orgs. - ISE Expos also had a booth, I thought that seemed strange because I thought they were a competitor of the SFW expos. I was also curious about how much the travel and entertainment would be for businesses and orgs traveling into SLC to exhibit. I assumed there would be an average of 2 people from each organization and that each would spend 3 days in Utah working the expo and spend $200 per day on entertainment/food/travel. I estimated the total impact of the organizational people that traveled out to Utah for the expo to be around $200,000 (this is the gross, not the taxable portion the State of Utah would get...that would be MUCH less). So after looking at this I have come to some conclusions and still have a few questions. 1. With nearly half the businesses represented being guides, why would a family pay money to attend an expo like this? My kids would be bored in about 5 minutes if all they had to look at were grip and grin photos and stalking videos. I saw almost nothing for kids. 2. How does the state of Utah make money when over one third of the outfitters are actually located outside of the United States (and the majority of the others are outside the State of Utah) . I can see how the non-profit SFW profits by renting booth space, I just don't see how the State of Utah or wildlife benefits from outfitters being hired through this expo. 3. With only 8% of the organizations being "retail", how are people at the expo going to spend money? Especially when almost half of the retail businesses are not even outdoor related. How many hotdogs, slushees, camo hats, and antler stickers can one person buy? Especially when there are at least a couple more similar expos every year in the same city. 4. Why were there so few outdoor retailers at the SLC expo and why were the few that attended from only 3 states (and one is Cabelas which doesn't really count, the others are from Utah and Alaska). Were outdoor retailers from other states even welcome? If so, why did they decide not to participate? 5. Why was so much floor space allocated for promotion of the groups that hosted the expo (MDF/SFW)? Why didn't someone use this space for a fish tank or some other youth engagement activity? 6. Were the government booths provided for free in exchange for auction tags? It sure seemed like a bunch of government groups were there, some tribes even had two booths. 7. With 26% of the organizations being outdoor gear manufacturers (guns/gear/optics etc), how does all of this add to the bottom line for the State of Utah (or as AZSFWC suggests in Arizona). I challenge the notion that consumers are more inclined to purchase a specific brand because they saw a sign for it at an expo (full of other colorful signs). I view this as a ploy to artificially inflate the "impacts" to cities outside of where the actual expo would be located. For example, it would be like assuming Ruger Firearms (in Prescott Arizona) would exhibit at a Phoenix SFW expo (fat chance SFW) and increase sales which would add to the tax base of Yavapai county. A whole lot of assumptions would be required on that and none would be very credible (sorry Ruger, I know you wouldn't attend such an expo, I just needed an example). 8. Why did ISE have a booth? Is it professional courtesy or is the SFW involved in a strategic partnership with them of some kind? 9. Why did so few wildlife organizations choose to exhibit at the expo, with the exception of two (B&C and the Bear Org), all the rest are sponsored or affiliates of SFW? Aren't non-SFW wildlife organizations allowed to attend? 10. AZSFWC says Arizona would be impacted by 25 million to the positive, my calculations show that to be at least 24, 500, 000 too high. Bottom line, I do not see how the EXPO makes money for anyone other than the SFW. The booths are expensive, space isn't allocated fairly, retail opportunities are of low quality and very limited. There is nothing to lure Average Joes or families. If anything, the raffle and subsequent "hunting license" verification only serves to pad the post-expo numbers for the expo sponsor (which will then be used for more outrageous projections about economic benefits to the state for future expos and more auction tags). The average amount generated by each raffle tag is less than $4,000, which isn't much more than the average value the State would have earned collecting over many years through the fair public drawing. In my opinion, this expo and the one being proposed by Arizona Sportsman For Wildlife makes no sense at all. I don't even think the outfitters that pay big money for the booths are even getting a good deal out of it (since some of their competitors are being strategically placed to have better access to auction bidders). Speaking of auction bidders, most of the big dollar guys bid over the phone through an onsite proxy bidder, the rich guys aren't even onsite to throw their money around....AND...most of these guys have their guide BEFORE they even win the tag. Once again, everyone loses except the wealthy auction winner and the group sponsoring the expo. The 25 million the AZSFWC is claiming will benefit the State of Arizona is a complete fairy tale, a deliberate misrepresentation and lacks substance. When you calculate the fees and lost license revenue (from the raffle), I think the State of Arizona would not only see LESS money but would permanently undermine the motivation for future generations of Arizona hunters to participate in our sport. This expo is a big economic loser for all Arizonan's, not just Arizona Average Joe hunters. I tried to attach my excel file with my numbers but it wouldnt let me. I am willing to support these numbers, after all I got them directly off the SFW expo website...if my analysis is bad it must be the data. Ryan

Welcome to the green club... Justin Pierce - AZ Legislator Thanks Justin, we will remember you at election time and well into the future. There seem to be a lot of good people in or from Yuma. Must be the water Ryan

We have three new good guys to add to the green list tonight. Two awesome legislators and to round it out, we have the "Desert Rat" himself, Marshall MacFarlane. I have included a link to Marshall's comments and his GREAT letter disavowing HB 2072 and AZSFW. Thanks to all of you for taking a stand, the decision you made will have a lasting impact for you and wildlife. There are some other green people that have come out but I haven't had time to validate them yet. Please stand by, there are more on deck. Debbie McCune Davis - AZ legislator Rich Crandall - AZ legislator Marshall MacFarlane- Outdoor writer http://www.skinnymoose.com/desertrat/2012/03/13/get-involved-hb2072-threatens-our-big-game-tags/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=get-involved-hb2072-threatens-our-big-game-tags#13316739397181&ifh=44 Ryan

The ABA (Arizona Bowhunters Association) sent a request for comments about HB 2072 out last week. They provided links to the AWF letter and the AZSFW plea for HB 2072. The feedback was not solicited as part of a one man, one vote survey. Instead they asked for comments to be forwarded to the Chairman of the ABA. I even made a comment that things looked legit.......until. I noticed almost all of the items listed as donations to their 2011 banquet came from AZSFW/SFW related companies and outfitters. I am wondering if the donations for the 2012 banquet are coming from a similar place. Either way, it is more important that the ABA focus on letting their members and the public know where they stand rather than sitting back and counting banquet raffle donations right now. Especially if the time dealing with banquet donations results in an unfortunate delay in disavowing a group and bill that is REALLY REALLY bad for their members. Of all groups, I would have to believe bowhunters would have the least support for these things (I myself identify as more of a bowhunter than just about anything else). Here is the url to see the banquet item list. See below for a list of items I pulled off their website, I colored the ones that concern me red. Here is a link to see this on their website http://www.arizonabowhunters.org/1BanquetList.html • 15X56 SWAROVSKI BINOS • Wildlife Prints • Hoyt Carbon Element Bow • Hoyt Vixen Bow • Texas Exotics Hunt • Leica Range Finder • Vortex Spotting Scope • Double Bull Blind • Lake Mead Guided Fishing Trip • Outdoorsman Backpack • Outdoorsman Sleep System Bag • Outdoorsman Tripod • Hoyt CRX32 Bow • Hoyt Rampage Bow • Mossberg 81224 935 Turkey/waterfowl combo • Savage 19235 Axis Youth 243 with scope • Savage 96705 Model 93 .17HMR spiral bbl • Savage 17782 model 16 FCSS 300 WSM • Savage 45100 Model 64 FVXP .22 w/ scope • Smith and Wesson ICON 30/06 • Vortex Kaibab 15x56 • Vortex 6.5-20 Viper rifle scope Lake Mead Fishing Trip – Would that be an AWO fishing trip with Don Martin? Outdoorsmans, Hoyt, Savage……all AZSFW/SFW linked companies out of SLC. I am sure looking forward to the group with this mission statement “To Foster, Perpetuate, and Expand Bowhunting and Bowhunting Ethics in Arizona” coming forward in the very very near future. Timing is very important to Arizona hunters right now, especially as groups like the AZSFWC work to try to victimize hunters on future tag grabs. We need you to disavow HB 2072 and break from the AZSFWC now ABA, not later. Ryan

When I started this thread, we had two lonely green critter groups, Yuma Valley Rod and Gun Club and Arizona Elk Society (more have come forward and I have “greened” them somewhere along this thread). Since then I have had a chance to work with both George Reiners (YVRGC) and Steve Clark (AES). These guys live and breathe conservation and they are both super green (ultra good guys). They are also very smart and go out of their way to share with the rest of us. We also have Norm Freeman and Robbie Woodhouse that besides being Commissioners, have the drive to fight the good fight for the quiet Arizona hunt majority. These guys donate their time and money, as well as the time lost with their families (a not insignificant expense) to keep hunt opportunity alive for strangers. Much like Duwane Adams, they set an example that is hard if not impossible to aspire to. Steve Chappell is yet another, he searched for months for an elk he hit and lost during his archery elk hunt. He could have been like 99% of hunters and gave up, but he didn’t and it speaks to his ethics as does his position on HB 2072. We have guys like JD Pepper and Allen Taylor filling the voice mail boxes of every politician in the state of Arizona….all day long. We have Mark, Bruce, Donnie, Sir Royal…and many others I know I am forgetting to mention. Nick Heatwole was an AZSFW member and publicly “resigned”, a ballsy move and worthy of recognition. We also have Terry Herndon and Arizona Outfitter and Guide Service and his website TheArizonaHunter.com. Terry has been putting on youth camps for years with little to no organizational support. Terry and Kent Powell told me a story about a youth hunt where they fed kids with donated frozen hamburger patties from Mcdonalds (Kent grilled them). These guys have been doing this quietly for years, they are not rich with money but flush with ethics and a desire to leave things a little better than they found them. The good guys also have two of the coolest outdoor girls in Arizona. Amanda Moors runs CW.com and there is no doubt she is tough, I can only imagine the number of times she has been asked to shut down or sanitize posts about HB 2072 and she has not. Amanda realized early that allowing this discussion to be vetted was in the best interest of hunters and allowed it to go on despite the stress. Stephanie Rainey is an outdoor videographer that has probably captured footage for more ill kids than just about anyone. She has a TV show and has advertised the AZGFD constituent meeting on 3/22/12 (at her own personal expense). Big Fin (a nationally known TV hunter with "On your own Adventures– Randy Newberg) has also come out on our local websites and shown support for Arizona hunters and against the forces that victimize hunters in the West. We have four great senior guys from Arizona Game and Fish that with only a few days notice, drove out to Buckeye (50+ miles one way from the AZGFD office), to meet with a ragtag group of mostly novice desert conservationists to help clarify how we could do the most good for desert game. They stuck around for over two hours and never rushed us, they just answered our honest questions and gave us actionable information we could use. We have three new green legislators, a new green outfitter Borderland Adventures (Matt Woodward), and a whole bunch of new people responding to surveys on both CW.com and rutnHard.com about HB 2072. I am working on a way to make sure those that earn “hunter friendly” green status receive the glory for a very long time after HB 2072. I will note that it will become a whole lot harder to earn green status after this Friday, feel free to send me a PM if you want, especially if you are affiliated with a critter group linked to the AZSFW/AZSFWC/SFW. I can assure you, if you are an outfitter in Arizona this bill will NOT help you, I have done some extensive research over the last week and the people sponsoring this bill have no intention of seeing any auction tag work go outside of their inner circle. If you are a tier one or two guide service in Arizona, be very careful of guide services in Utah “befriending” you. They do not have your best interests in mind, I can assure you. So, who do you want to line up with? A group of greedy people sponsored by a group in Utah with a bad reputation or a bunch of decent Arizonans with a drive and desire to make sure our kids, grandkids, Dads , uncles, and buddies have a chance to enjoy some of the things we have been fortunate enough to experience ourselves. If you honestly have to think about it you probably aren’t qualified to join our club anyway. We will be here long after HB 2072, come join us earlier than later, we have plenty of extra stumps at the good guy campfire and we know there are a whole lot more of you out there worthy of a seat. Send me a PM or respond to this thread directly so that we can recognize you publicly. If I missed anyone, please let me know, honesty and good ethics should never be forgotten. Ryan

Okay guys, I am not one to argue with George from YVRGV (who happens to be the guy that caught HB 2072 and notified us all of it in first place). George, Bruce, Allen, Terry and the others are kind of linked to the nomination committee so I am not going to green them yet. However, at George's suggestion, I am going to start adding legislators. The first three legislators that have given their public support to us hunters and are against HB 2072 are............ Lynne Pancrazi Russ Jones Don Shooter Thank you for standing up for us on HB 2072 and we will remember and remind hunters who you are often between now and the next election. I know there are several more good legislators out there providing support against HB 2072, please respond to this post so that I can put you on our green list too. Thanks, Ryan

I found this in my inbox this morning. Hi javihammer, I appreciate all that you are doing for us hunters out here on the right side of this issue. Even though I'm a guide, I am a regular guy that is for the average joe hunter and his right to hunt. I have posted my opposition to this backdoor tag grab on my website, www.ChappellGuideService.com as follows... Regarding HB 2072 and SFW: We at Chappell Guide Service have always prided ourselves in guiding only individuals that have drawn their tags through the Arizona Game & Fish draw system. We feel that Arizona's current tag allocation system and draw process is unrivaled in the West and that the current number of raffle and auction tags are very adequate. We strongly support everyone's right to hunt whether guided or unguided and do not support a system where some are given advantage by circumventing the current draw system. We strongly support the North American Model of Wildlife Management and desire that everyone have equal opportunity to hunt Arizona's big game by obtaining their tag through the established drawing process. Therefore we do not support HB 2072 or any such legislation that would threaten, or diminish in any way, the general public's right to hunt the big game of Arizona. Sincerely, Steve Chappell Chappell Guide Service Steve Chappell from Chappell guide service has publicly denounced HB 2072 and has also taken things one step further. His company only guides people drawn through the public draw. Anyone that knows much about elk in Arizona knows that Steve’s outfit is one of the best. It seems that if you want help from one of the best you better play nice and get your tag the right way. Ladies and gents, please welcome our newest member…….. Steve Chappell - http://chappellguideservice.com/about_us Thanks for the support Steve and we will have a cold one for you at the good guy campfire. It is awesome to see so many tier one guides stand up and support Average Joes and condemn the concepts and forces behind HB 2072. While the lower tier guides (Moss who?) spend their time renting 1500 square foot booths at “Expos” and playing politics, you guys just focus on putting your clients on boomer animals. Be safe and continue whacking the big ones buddy. Ryan

We have a new member of the green (good guy) club. Our newest member is the inventor of big binos on tripod and big eye hunting. He has literally written the book on hunting the Kaibab and coues deer. He has spawned success and businesses for other outdoor equipment manufactures (Jim White adapter etc.) He has helped many people kill animals throughout the State of Arizona for decades and he does it without rock music and cheesey fanfare. I doubt he has an antler sticker on his back window. He is one of the best old school guides in Arizona and someone many try to copy but few ever will. I am proud to announce green font status to...... Duwane Adams @ arizonabiggamehunting.com Thanks Duwane. About 5 years ago I called and left a message with your office about guide rates for the early Kaibab hunt for my father in law. I got a call back from you personally within 24 hours. You gave me some very sound information and actually kind of encouraged me to guide my father on my own. I respected your honesty back then and I am not surprised you took a stand against HB 2072. You are a heck of a hunter and an even better guy. Pull up a stump at the good guy campfire. Ryan

Heck yeah Duwane should be recognized (and any other outfitter that speaks against HB 2072/AZSFW). Welcome to the green list Duwane. I will update the green list thread. Thanks for the heads up Allen. Ryan

Hi Amanda, I will bring $200 cash to pay you for the seats for my wife and I. I sent Kathi my info via PM. Thanks for coordinating, Ryan

Awesome post Buzz. Thanks for the comments Snort. By the way, I don’t post for entertainment, I always have an objective. So far, I feel like I have been meeting my objectives. Besides getting carpal tunnel over the last month. I personally attended an ADA meeting and let them know very clearly what I thought about the CONCEPTS of HB 2072. I was also part of a meeting that included about 30 like minded sportsmen in Buckeye last week (including four senior members from AZGFD). I will also be attending the AES banquet in a couple weeks. I have also been working with a great group of guys to create a new group that will focus on REAL conservation rather than the political rhetoric "conservation" espoused by the AZSFW/AZSFWC/SFW. We have already started the paperwork for this group and we have been overwhelmed with support from every direction. Most of the vocal people on these boards have been physically present with me in at each step. By the way, I LIKE the guys from AZGFD. They know their stuff, they care about wildlife, and I view them as partners. I even LIKE some of the members of the ADA, Amanda is on the good guy list and there are many others that listened to us at the ADA meeting that were also good people. I think it is pretty lame that each of the "yellow" wildlife groups has at least one AZSFW plant on their board. I actually feel sorry for some of these groups because the actual members of the groups are good conservation minded people but the loudest voices belong to the dirty ones linked to the AZSFW. That said, any group or business can earn green good guy status, even if they are "red" or "yellow" right now. If I had to bet, I think the ABA is going to be next to earn green guy status, I saw their survey and it was fair and balanced. Once again, no hard feelings, if a critter group takes the position of the Arizona majority all is forgiven and we all move forward to support Arizona wildlife together. We just do it WITHOUT the AZSFW and AZSFWC and any more bills like HB 2072. I also like our AZGFD commissioners and respect them a ton. I do not agree with the Commissioner Appointment Board process. The old process worked fine, the new process is way too open for abuse. I see no problem with holding people or businesses accountable for supporting groups that victimize hunters. Rather than whine about seeing opportunity lost, I choose to actively participate in taking action to push back. Once again, there is NO reason why any legit business or organization would have anything to with AZSFW/AZSFWC/SFW right now. It takes very little effort to do the right thing and I choose to recognize those businesses that have the integrity to do so. If you are a business owner that has been pulled into the AZSFW whirlpool all you need to do is post a condemnation of AZSFW/AZSFWC/SFW and the concepts of HB 2072 on a public forum. It is really is THAT easy. PS - I will be at the AZGFD meeting on 3/22/12. I have no problem discussing my views with anyone. If I caught you stealing my kid’s bike I would confront you, same with stealing their hunt opportunity. Arizona needs to bring the Cavalry to the 3/22/12 meeting at Arizona Game and Fish headquarters, the troops that have been on the ground for the last two months need the support of Arizona hunters (onsite) and the letter support from our hunting brothers throughout the Western United States. Lets git r done boys, it is time to knock these tag bullies off their feet. Ryan

Cade, I agree with Kent, noone should hammer your business randomly on HB 2072. However, since your friend made a bad move (kind of like Denham and the elk magazine) you have to take action to aggressively clear your name and the name of Triclawps. HB 2072 and the AZSFW/AZSFWC/SFW are dirty and dishonest and are bad for business. And by the way, they have made NO material changes to the bill despite what you have been told. Taking a stand isnt hypocritical, it is actually a good way to earn more customers. I am working on a list of bad companies and good alternatives. Kind of like the "good guy/green guy" thread I have been updating (I updated that list yesterday by the way - some groups went yellow). Disavow HB2072 and AZSFW/AZSFWC/SFW and your business will end up on the good guy list. Sign up for the Arizona Wildlife Federation and earn even more good guy points. People have a choice about where they spend their money and I am trying to do the world a favor by helping to sort them out publicly. My first good corporate comparison list will be posted next Friday on the good guy thread. Ryan

I have two off the wall questions. A. Has anyone seen the underlying data (assumptions) associated with the 25 million dollar study the AZSFW purchased? Studies like this are totally meaningless unless the people that wrote them are willing to disclose the underlying data and the assumptions. B. Are guiding and scouting services exempted from reporting in campaign finance reporting rules? I read the 60+ pages of documentation and I didnt get the feeling they would be. Especially if there was a previous client relationship established. I also discovered a few more things but for now I will focus my energy on making contact with our legislators. Maybe that is an AG or SOS question. I think Mark said it best, snooze you lose. If you havent sent a letter to our legislators you need to get on it. This battle is far from over. Ryan

New BRIGHTER colors coming soon - stay tuned!

Amanda, if there is room, my wife and I would like to sit at the CW.com table at the AES banquet. You can send me a PM if you want. Please let me know what payment method work best for you. Thanks, Ryan

I think I spoke to harshly and too soon about this meeting. Kudos to Game and Fish for putting this meeting together. We have some good people over there. That said, looking forward to the meeting Ryan

Anyone can redeem themselves and become a good guy but I don't think this letter from Chris Denham gets the job done. •He didn't condemn the concept of HB 2072, only the way it was introduced. •He didn't separate himself (resign from the board) of AZSFW •He didn't make any statements separating him or the businesses he is part of from SFW (example - Outdoorsmans had 3 booths at the SLC expo this year - a strong statement that these businesses will not be there next year would be a big step into good guy territory) •He criticized auction tags and then praised them (and made comments suggesting they were inevitable - an SFW trick) •He made statements that were critical of AZGFD and how they manage their license revenue (also typical of SFW propaganda) •He didn't condemn the idea of private expos being funded by auction and raffle tags owned by the public •He said he was putting the letter out to let everyone "know the score". That's great, unfortunately no details were shared about his plan of action. Not to sound like a hater but I feel his letter was more of a PR move (mostly on behalf of the AZSFW) than an apology. Although Chris's letter is presented as a rambling apology it is very carefully worded. Like everyone else that is complicit in this seven year long scheme to take tags from the public, Chris provided his resume and no details about the actions he plans to take to deal with the damage he helped cause. Unless he actively participates in cleaning up the mess and removing the AZSFW he will never be considered a good guy in the eyes of the public. He needs to take action if he wants to get back on the good guy list, a letter with no action items isn't going to cut it. Forgiveness is possible but Chris needs to take ownership and action to do his part. Guys, we arent out of the woods on the HB 2072 thing yet. We need to keep up the pressure and keep our bootheel in the throat of the forces that are trying to destroy opportunity for our kids. Chris's letter is a clear indication to me that there are some at AZSFW that think the organization has a future, we need to keep pushing until the bad orgs are not only gone but the funding mechanism for them is also gone. We are in round two of a ten round fight. Keep sending updates to legislators, remind retailors that their affiliations with groups that take advantage of the public is wrong and will be bad for business. If you are a member of a an organization with ties to AZSFW, ask your board why they havent taken a stand, it is your right to know. The amount of money AZSFW has for grants is very very small, unless someone in your organization is planning for some kind of HB 2072 windfall, there is almost no reason why your group should have anything to do with AZSFW right now. As someone said in a previous post, the AZSFW is TOXIC. Ryan

Hi guys, This isn’t a new good guy but someone that has been kicking out the teeth of the SFW and their affiliates well before the Arizona tag grab. He is a media personality, an excellent writer and a pretty darn good hunter. His website has been following HB 2072 since the beginning and he has posted many quality comments against the concepts of HB 2072 on his site and others. His website has also been a great asset toward educating those outside of Arizona about why HB 2072 matters to them as well as the fallacies about wolves and SFW. He also wrote a very entertaining and educational play by play of his experience as a corporate guy at this year’s SFW “expo” in Salt Lake City. His account of that experience actually made me feel kind of nauseated, glad I had a light lunch that day. Our newest inductee is……..drum roll…… Randy Newberg (Big Fin – at On Your Own Adventures) Congrats Randy, you are now confirmed as a good guy and have been bestowed “green font” status. We have a stump reserved for you at the good guy campfire. Thank you for demonstrating to the world that some TV hunters actually have a pair (and good morals to boot). One question – Do you make your special hats in sizes other than 3XL? Do you have a women’s model? If so we have about a dozen people in Phoenix ready to be sized. Thanks again and happy hunting, Ryan

I just wanted to highlight some new good guy honorable mentions that have surfaced over the last couple of days. Arizona Wildlife Federation - Wrote a great letter against the concepts espoused by HB 2072. Probably the single best rebuttal against HB 2072. Please check their website for a list of businesses that support them. (Did anyone notice if Ruger was on that list, I forgot) RMEF - Wrote a letter against HB 2072 and sent it to Governor Brewer. It was a great letter by a great group, thanks RMEF....glad you are one of the good guys. Norm Freeman - He has always been a good guy but recently became an even better guy by putting together a website with lots of good information related to hunt opportunity for average Joes. Thanks Norm (and Mark) for making this happen. Robbie Woodhouse - Wrote a letter and posted it to Commissioner Freeman's webpage. This letter is also critical of HB 2072 and the people behind it. The only sad part is that Robbie's term as Commissioner just ended, it doesnt matter though, he is confirmed as a good guy. Good to have you Robbie. Nick Heatwole - This guy used to be a member of the AZSFW board early on, he recently formally resigned from AZSFW and posted proof on the AZSFW facebook page. His letter can be found on TheArizonaHunter.com and confirms he is also a good guy. Thanks Nick, it is great to see a good guy made it off that sinking ship. We have plenty of room for more groups and people at the good guy campfire and I promise to recognize them quickly when they surface. As for those on the fence (listed in black font on my original thread post), we will be incorporating some new colors on the list in the near future. PS - Has the Mohave Sportmans Club made any statements yet? I noticed the Yuma group did but I havent seen anything from the Northwest corner of the state. I sure hope they do soon. Ryan

I noticed there were some comments recently that expressed concern about the AZGFD Commissioner Appointment Board. This board was spearheaded by the AZSFW and has AT LEAST two full fledged AZSFW members on it (there are only five people total). One of the people on this board is Suzane Gilstrap's husband. The purpose of the board is to "help" the governor pick a new commissioner every year (Commissioners serve staggered terms of 5 years). Since so many of us seem to have trust issues with the AZSFW it is scary to think that people closely associated with them have such influence on this process. I would prefer to see the Appointment Board sink to the bottom of the ocean with the rest of the AZSFW wreckage. I have included a link to the minutes from these meetings. The meeting minutes to the two interview sessions are strangely misdated as 2010, they are actually from November 2011 and the links to them can be found at the bottom of the page. Make sure you open the meeting minutes at the bottom of the page, not the agenda. Please enjoy, I did. http://www.azgfd.gov/govCommBoard/index2.html Ryan