CouesWhitetail Report post Posted June 2, 2009 As an Az resident for the last 31 yrs,Ive seen lots of changes in our hunting community.I belong to RMEF(life),NRA(life),ADA,Ducks Unlimited.I have come to a point where I have some time and would like to give back to the sport I love.How can I become involved as a volunteer?I am one of the unfortunate souls chained to the valley,so I am local here.Thanks,and good luck to all in the draw.Steve You can call me and we can talk about what you are interested in doing to help out. Or you can just sign up for our email newsletter and when you see an event (like some water development project, or youth camp or banquet) we have planned that interests you, you can work on that. Or become a member and you will receive info by mail if you don't do online stuff so much. visit http://www.azdeer.org to get more info and get on our email list. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muskrat Report post Posted June 3, 2009 I don't have enough experience or knowledge to be a board member, and it is hard for me to travel too far. That being said, if you need help with the magazine, newsletter or in the Press Release/PIO end of things, I'm happy to do what I can. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
azcouesandelk Report post Posted June 3, 2009 Allen, Amanda, Keith and Chris I am very active with the AES and would also like to become active with the ADA. I plan on attending the annual meeting and will be at the banquet. If there is anything I can do to help out with the banquet please email or call me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjhunt2 Report post Posted June 3, 2009 If it wasn't on my day to work I'ld be there for sure. I'm sure everyone will have a great time. TJ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Muley62 Report post Posted June 3, 2009 Christian Coming to the annual meeting would be great. But don't expect a big deal, we generally have poor attendance to that meeting. We could use your help at the banquet so lets get you hooked up with the right people at that meeting. Thank you for volunteering! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CouesWhitetail Report post Posted June 3, 2009 Christian Coming to the annual meeting would be great. But don't expect a big deal, we generally have poor attendance to that meeting. We could use your help at the banquet so lets get you hooked up with the right people at that meeting. Thank you for volunteering! Chris, I already have Christian lined up as one of the silent auction helpers, so don't go swiping him for some other duty!! Amanda Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
audsley Report post Posted June 3, 2009 Important points have been made by several people, but the one that really hit home with me was Bobbyo's - sportsmen are spread too thin over too many organizations. We have many small voices but not the 800-lb gorilla we could have and truly need. If 2nd Amendment protection depended on the collective clout of a semi-automatic rifle organization, a handgun organization, a society for semi-auto shotguns and many more, all saying different things and focusing on different issues, we'd all be slingshot hunters by now. Meanwhile, everyone is getting burned out. The number of banquets required to support each organization may be more than our shrinking sportsmen population can sustain. That's probably just as true for the people attending banquets as for those organizing them. If you want people to attend your banquet, you need to attend other peoples' banquets. So the faces a banquet emcee sees looking back at him are to a great extent the emcees and organizers of other banquets. On the other hand, I also believe that species specialization has made conservation more effective by giving focused attention to every species that is valued by sportsmen and needs assistance keeping its numbers up. Of Arizona's 10 big game animals, only bears, javelinas and mountain lions do not have sportsmen's organizations, and as we all know these species have no problems with their numbers. (Groups supporting deer, elk and antelope are actually de facto predator support organizations. If we grow ungulates, predators will thrive.) The challenge then is to make the process more efficient by reducing cost and administrative burden on volunteers. An effective umbrella organization that would provide admin support (contract workers specializing in event advertising, bookkeeping and possibly even newsletter publication) might work. If so, that could be a big help. But merged banquets, with 3 or 4 groups combining for one super banquet, would really make things easier. I encourage all sportsmen's groups to look in that direction and be willing to live with some level of friction that can occur when two or more groups try to work together. But in the political arena, how do we turn a collection of bantamweights into one super heavyweight? AzSFW should be the key, provided the various groups can recognize the need to hang together even though it's hard at times, and provided AzSFW's principals can keep in mind that the bigger the tent, the more compromises need to be made. Some agendas may need to be watered down a bit in order to be made palatable for all of the member groups. The alternative is defections. As time goes by, the groups that are now supporting AzSFW will start asking what they're getting for their money. Hopefully they will like what they see. As a southern Arizona sportsmen who belongs to AzSFW, I've been very pleased with the service AzSFW has given us. I hope others have the same experience. And when differences of opinion or priority conflicts arise - as they surely will in any statewide organization with such a diverse make-up of sportsmen and regional issues - I hope the member individuals and organizations can work these things out rather than dump conflicting demands on the principals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
