Sportsmans Input Sought by ConserveandProtectAZ.org-Unit wide Raffle and Auction Tags

[Ringer]

Well, that is the answer to the question. If our G&F would look at this as evidence there would be no more tags just an increase in fees. If a $5 habitat stamp would raise $2650000 a YEAR then why whore out the tags?

[azelkhunter2]

Sounds like a win win for everyone....push it forward with all you have....I will do them same....

[bonecollector]

Good stuff Trophyseeker

[bonecollector777]

Trophyseeker for the win

[bonecollector777]

If this board is against that they've got ulterior motives.

[trophyseeker]

A couple things to note from the Rupp article:

 

It took special LEGISLATION to make it happen, i.e. EARMARK how the money would be spent. A mere increase in license fees or a stamp would simply put any additional funds into the department's general account where it could be used for anything.

 

In both states, an OUTSIDE group was formed to administer the special funds.

[AZkiller]

A couple things to note from the Rupp article:

 

It took special LEGISLATION to make it happen, i.e. EARMARK how the money would be spent. A mere increase in license fees or a stamp would simply put any additional funds into the department's general account where it could be used for anything.

 

In both states, an OUTSIDE group was formed to administer the special funds.

Oops

[trophyseeker]

Below is the article Rupp cited in the other one I posted earlier.

*******************************

Hug A Hunter

– by Diana Rupp


A pro-hunting public relations campaign is providing an example of how to get a positive message out to non-hunters.

If hunting–and by extension, healthy wildlife populations–are to continue, we absolutely must enlist the support of the general, non-hunting public. In PR-speak, we need to “sell” hunting to the non-hunting world.

Hunters are losing the public-relations war for a stupid reason: We’re not even showing up. Fact is, the majority of people still support hunting, or simply don’t have an opinion one way or the other. But that’s going to change, and not in our favor, if hunters don’t start engaging the general public in an approachable way to let them know that what we do matters.

You’ve seen the other side’s emotion-filled public-relations campaigns, which convince well-meaning but uninformed people that wolves are endangered and the last polar bear has already floated away on the last patch of (Photoshopped) sea ice. We’ve got the facts on our side, so why aren’t we playing the game?

A lot of industry organizations and hunting groups are involved in efforts to bring more hunters into the fold, but despite their best efforts, these programs reach a relatively small number of people. What we really need is a big, sweeping, cutting-edge public-relations campaign that tells the story of hunting and its benefits to wildlife conservation and the world at large.

That’s why I was thrilled to discover there is a least one entity out there doing exactly that–in Colorado. Colorado’s Wildlife Council came up with an interesting and effective PR campaign to educate the public about the benefits of hunting, a campaign that should be emulated nationwide.

The heart of it is a series of TV ads called “Hug a Hunter” (they have “Hug an Angler” ads, too). These ads are light, fun, and do a great job of getting a positive message out to non-hunters.

One ad shows a hiker walking on a wilderness trail up a gorgeous mountain. On the peak is a hunter, glassing. The voice-over says, “Coloradans are proud of the wildlife and natural beauty in Colorado. And we have hunters and anglers to thank for helping support it. So if you love protecting Colorado and its natural beauty, go ahead and hug a hunter.” The hiker walks up to the bemused hunter and gives him a hug.

Another ad discusses the economic benefits of hunting to Colorado’s rural towns and small businesses while showing a camo-clad hunter serving breakfast to patrons in a small cafe and getting a hug from one of them at the end. (Watch the ads here.)

What I like about these ads is that they don’t lay it on too thick. They don’t drone on and on with statistics. They don’t take themselves too seriously. They make a simple point, do it quickly, and do it in a feel-good way that leaves the viewer smiling.

According to Hugahunter.com, Colorado’s Wildlife Council (the entity charged with this outreach) is funded by a 75-cent surcharge on each hunting and fishing license sold. The council hired an advertising agency to create ads that convey a simple message: “Once you understand everything hunters and anglers do for our state, you may want to give them a hug.”

A campaign like this needs to happen nationwide. It’s time hunters stopped losing the PR wars. At the very least, it’s high time we started showing up. One state has now provided an example of how it can be done.

Learn more about the Colorado program at www.hugahunter.com. To learn how you can help bring this program to your state, see http://nimrodsociety.org.

[Ohthatguy]

 

A couple things to note from the Rupp article:

 

It took special LEGISLATION to make it happen, i.e. EARMARK how the money would be spent. A mere increase in license fees or a stamp would simply put any additional funds into the department's general account where it could be used for anything.

 

In both states, an OUTSIDE group was formed to administer the special funds.

Oops

 

Not sure it's an oops because it seems like most people are angry over the allocation of existing tags to be auctioned or raffled off to raise this money. It seems as this should eliminate that problem.

 

At least it's something else on the table to look at.

[AZkiller]

 

 

 

A couple things to note from the Rupp article:

 

It took special LEGISLATION to make it happen, i.e. EARMARK how the money would be spent. A mere increase in license fees or a stamp would simply put any additional funds into the department's general account where it could be used for anything.

 

In both states, an OUTSIDE group was formed to administer the special funds.

Oops

Not sure it it's an oops because it seems like most people are angry over the allocation of existing tags to be auctioned or raffled off to raise this money. It seems as this should eliminate that problem.

 

At least it's something else on the table to look at.

All for it but it is ran by an outside group. Soooo

[AZkiller]

 

 

 

 

A couple things to note from the Rupp article:

 

It took special LEGISLATION to make it happen, i.e. EARMARK how the money would be spent. A mere increase in license fees or a stamp would simply put any additional funds into the department's general account where it could be used for anything.

 

In both states, an OUTSIDE group was formed to administer the special funds.

Oops

Not sure it it's an oops because it seems like most people are angry over the allocation of existing tags to be auctioned or raffled off to raise this money. It seems as this should eliminate that problem.

 

At least it's something else on the table to look at.

All for it but it is ran by an outside group. Soooo

Also you say most people, I'm not sure who you're referring to unless you have come up with the $74,000 necessary to do a poll of the voting public. Unless you're referring just to the dozen or so people on this forum they're complaining about losing a tag that they'll likely never obtain. I'm not for promoting class Warfare especially amongst Hunters that are willing to provide necessary funding in order to ensure the hobby that I love.

[BuzzH]

I've read through this entire thread and some may find value in an outside view of what I've seen go on for a long time in other states in regard to raffle/governors/commission and other set aside tags.

 

When I started hunting in 1979, to my knowledge there wasn't a set aside of tags in any state, no governors tags, no raffle tags. Everyone that wanted to hunt applied just like everyone else. With the revenue generated through that, combined with TRUE donations of time and money from the hunting public, we built wildlife populations to what we have today. We didn't need to be peddling our wildlife resources to the fat wallet guys, or raffle our best opportunities away. IMO, and my experience, we still don't need to do so. There's been this line of thought being promoted that money solves every issue. I think that's all BS...money can solve some problems, but it wont fix everything. Money cant buy support for hunting from the vast majority of the non-hunting public that are neutral on hunting. What's going to win that battle is each of us...be an ambassador for the Sport. Make it YOUR priority to talk to your neighbors, friends, co-workers, relatives about the value in hunting, fishing, outdoor recreation, etc. Arm yourself with the facts, the economics of hunting, the past successes and also the path forward. Let them be part of that path forward.

 

I can also say that these raffle and auction tags have created a monster, a monster that literally feeds on itself and does nothing but continue to grow. I look at a lot of good NGO's that, IMO, have sold out the North American Model so they can profit from raffle and auction tags. These are groups that do an incredible amount of good work, but they've become reliant and addicted to the money these tags make them. The GF Agencies, along with the various State legislatures also seem to be equally reliant on peddling some of our best wildlife resources and opportunities away to the highest bidder. They point to the "good" these tags and money do, but never point out the lost opportunity to the guys that created the wildlife we have today. Never explain how commercializing our wildlife and creating a system that favors one group of hunter over another...all things that are in total defiance of the North American Model.

 

Trust me, it will get to the point that these additional "few" tags will turn into many tags. Those tags will cause management problems and the GF agencies have to manage around them. Here in Wyoming, we're (average hunters) losing not only the opportunity through the direct sale of commission/governors tags, but also through seasons and quotas being kept lower or not happening to address these tags. I just attended a meeting where a 25 tag proposed late mule deer season was rejected by the local hunters. The reason? Because that same season was shot down by locals because there were 17-22 commissioners and governor tag hunters also killing deer the last time the season was open. I know one of the better sheep areas is being kept at 8 tags, not because we couldn't afford to kill 10-12 sheep, but if the quota is raised past 8, then 7 more governors and raffle tag hunters will be pounding that unit.

 

Not saying you'll get to the same point in Arizona, but its been my experience over the last 40 years, that these tags have done nothing but increase in number once they get a foot hold...Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Idaho. These tags didn't exist 40 years ago, now there's hundreds and hundreds of them. I cant name a single state that has LESS of these tags, or reduced them in number...not a one.

 

I've always been impressed with Arizona that you all have kept this crap out of your State...I highly encourage you to stay the course on that and draw the hard line. Its the best example of a slippery slope that I can come up with and putting that genie back in the bottle is about impossible.

 

If you really do need to raise revenue to fight things, I suggest we all dig a bit deeper and make it happen. Don't peddle your State Wildlife assets to do it.

 

Good luck.

[bonecollector]

 

 

 

 

A couple things to note from the Rupp article:

 

It took special LEGISLATION to make it happen, i.e. EARMARK how the money would be spent. A mere increase in license fees or a stamp would simply put any additional funds into the department's general account where it could be used for anything.

 

In both states, an OUTSIDE group was formed to administer the special funds.

Oops

Not sure it it's an oops because it seems like most people are angry over the allocation of existing tags to be auctioned or raffled off to raise this money. It seems as this should eliminate that problem.

 

At least it's something else on the table to look at.

All for it but it is ran by an outside group. Soooo

Also you say most people, I'm not sure who you're referring to unless you have come up with the $74,000 necessary to do a poll of the voting public. Unless you're referring just to the dozen or so people on this forum they're complaining about losing a tag that they'll likely never obtain. I'm not for promoting class Warfare especially amongst Hunters that are willing to provide necessary funding in order to ensure the hobby that I love.

 

I will guarantee you its a lot more people than you think that is against this.

[AZkiller]

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple things to note from the Rupp article:

 

It took special LEGISLATION to make it happen, i.e. EARMARK how the money would be spent. A mere increase in license fees or a stamp would simply put any additional funds into the department's general account where it could be used for anything.

 

In both states, an OUTSIDE group was formed to administer the special funds.

Oops

Not sure it it's an oops because it seems like most people are angry over the allocation of existing tags to be auctioned or raffled off to raise this money. It seems as this should eliminate that problem.

 

At least it's something else on the table to look at.

All for it but it is ran by an outside group. Soooo

Also you say most people, I'm not sure who you're referring to unless you have come up with the $74,000 necessary to do a poll of the voting public. Unless you're referring just to the dozen or so people on this forum they're complaining about losing a tag that they'll likely never obtain. I'm not for promoting class Warfare especially amongst Hunters that are willing to provide necessary funding in order to ensure the hobby that I love.

I will guarantee you its a lot more people than you think that is against this.

I agree. And I'm not necessarily for the tag auction either, however the only group that is out there working to raise enough funds to help save our sport has all of the magor players for wildlife will all of the connections to our state politics are. I'm not willing to completely stand against the group that wants to fight for me. If you can show me another group that can get this done then great. I know the GnF is on board so lets do our best to work with CAPAZ.

[trphyhntr]

Is the sky falling?