Showmethemoney

nosajpo; first i am no more important than the anyone else on this sight. I just find it funny that for over three weeks the same statements are being said over and over. I am just reiteriating what all of you have called yourselves "average Joes". I find it important to state that the commission is lying to you and if we as hunters think they have our best interest at heart then we will be sadly disappointed. Did SFW do hunters wrong; well the way they proceeded with this bill and not including all organizations and gaining support was a tragic mistake on their part. Do i agree that there needs to be representation at the legislature yes. Is the money that has been mentioned on all these blogs nearly enough? NO!!!! Am i willing to have the commission add some tags to be auctioned for money to use to help us support hunting and have a say in the legislature. Yes!!! Notice i said add tags, mathmetically it is nonrelevant to the resource if we added some tags to auction off or raffle off to help sportsman fund a legislative represntative. meaning a lobbyist. We need one, no matter what side of the fence you stand we need representation. All the antis have it and in fact use our dollars to support their legal battles. So go ahead and ask me do i agree with the AZSFW on this bill. My answer is mixed; i do not agree with how it was proposed and the accountability of the funding. However i do think that the idea of using tags for money is not far fetched and could be beneficial for all sportsman and most importantly "FUTURE SPORTSMAN". We lose battles every day that seem irrelevant until it affects you personally. I can not understand how this has become so huge when just a few years back the forest service implemented TMP's and as hunters we stood by and let the antis dictate to us how to use the forest. I attended those meetings, we as hunters were outnumbered 20 to 1. Hence now we no longer can travel across the forest to retrieve down game except for elk. Which is one trip in and one trip out. But hunters sat back and allowed this to occur? Why; because those who are able to pack their game out never were concerned about those who could not. We only get mad when we think that we are going to lose a tag and diminish our chances to draw. No one is screaming about the proposal in the congress that will restrict access on public land in game management units 44A, 42, 41 and 39. Essentially this will take large tracts of public land and make them designated wildenress. Again we will sit back and allow this to happen because it does not affect us personally. Several times i have watched different users try and turn these threads into constructive forums to unite us as hunters. Instead we continue to look for blood and crucify anyone who disagrees. BPJ indicated in one of his post that he was threatened along with others. Really, some one threaten bodily harm on person because they did not agree with them. Why would anyone want to be on board of any organization if this is what it has come down too. I just wonder what we have won?

Here is some food for thought for all you average joes. The AZGFD Commission is the sole decision maker on what organizations receive the commissioner tags. Those organizations submit to the department each year a request to be considered as a recepient of a coveted commissioner tag. Within those requests each organization must indicate how much money each tag that they are asking for will generate for the department. The organization must have some factual data to support their statements. Also in the application, the organization must disclose how they are going to use the tag (auction or raffle). So here is the fun part for all of you who think that the AZGFD is so innocent in this whole situation. All monies raised by the tag whether auctioned or raffled must be given to the department. At least that is what the organizations in AZ thought. As Kent has stated multiple times, that we must bring back all commissioner tags to AZ. Well average Joes, Your guiding light commission approved for the mule deer tag that is auctioned off by the mule deer foundation to add a 5% buyers premium, in which they (the mule deer foundation) could retain. No AZ organization was ever made aware of this and had gone on for 5 years (thats right 5 years). So take 5 years at an average of $175,000 and retain 5% for your organization that equals $43,750 to the Utah SFW/MDF expo. The Commission approved it and supported it. Doubt it ask Brian Wakling...... Of course when the AZ orgs found out they recinded that decision as the commission new that all the AZ orgs would ask for the same. So Average Joes, here is my question "Is your AZGFD Commission really looking out for your best interest? Here is another thought for you, Who determines how many tags are allocated each year? When you figure that one out ask yourself why those tags go up and down each year and if you are losing tags, Why?