BHA seems “all-in” with Biden

Comerade

FNG
Joined
May 24, 2019
Messages
91
The organizations, any of the hunting/ shooting/ wildlife advocacy groups need everyone's participation. They should thrive on varying opinions, clearly need differing views to represent all members.
This is not conspiratorial, and it is not ever final. Opinions change.
Armchair judgements, without participation is not valid.
Join BHA, RMEF, B&C and voice your concerns. I could care less about the pint nights, but not a good reason not to participate. My little old point of view.
 

204guy

WKR
Joined
Mar 4, 2013
Messages
1,292
Location
WY
The organizations, any of the hunting/ shooting/ wildlife advocacy groups need everyone's participation. They should thrive on varying opinions, clearly need differing views to represent all members.
This is not conspiratorial, and it is not ever final. Opinions change.
Armchair judgements, without participation is not valid.
Join BHA, RMEF, B&C and voice your concerns. I could care less about the pint nights, but not a good reason not to participate. My little old point of view.
Being in the US I don't know. What did Canadian BHA do to fight the BC grizzly hunting ban?
 

Comerade

FNG
Joined
May 24, 2019
Messages
91
Being in the US I don't know. What did Canadian BHA do to fight the BC grizzly hunting ban?
This is before I was a member.... this was a move by a new government, city based and left of center politically.
Our chapter is still quite small and was stifled by the NDP/ Green coalition government .
Look, the BC Wildlife Federation was pushed out of the way and the Guide Outfitter's as well. This decision was purely political and not science backed.
BHA fully endorses Grizzly Bear hunting in this province
 
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494
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Symbolic Interactionism...which is also very prevalent in the hunting world these days
I went to look it up so I could come back to the forum and say "I had to look it up to understand what you wrote." But I looked it up and now I'm just confused. Haha.

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ODB

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I went to look it up so I could come back to the forum and say "I had to look it up to understand what you wrote." But I looked it up and now I'm just confused. Haha.

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Ha!

OK - it can be complicated as there are many parts to it, but here's the basic idea... we make meaning of the world via symbols (in this case physical things) and the values we ascribe to them. We also do this within smaller groups - called a 'public.' For example, the hunting public.

Physical things can act as symbols within the public, and we can both infer from others and project to others their values ascribed to them.

So, for the PBR example above, for whatever reason, PBR as a symbol has been assigned a certain value within the hispter culture. People who want to be in the hipster culture (pr public) choose the PBR symbol and with it, incorporate into their identity, the pre-assigned value ascribed to it. Basically, we walk around the world seeing certain values in symbols and incorporate them into our lives in order to make meaning within the public we want to be a part of.

At a BHA rally (or Meateater live show) guess what you will see??? "Public Land Owner" T-shirts, YETI hats, First Lite shirts, Patagonia Jackets, mustaches, flat-brim hats, people walking around asking Steve to sign their copy of Sand County Almanac. You get the point. On the surface, each of those things also has a practical use besides it's symbolic value, but in the public of a BHA rally or Meateater show - there is the added value of signaling that you, too, are a part of the tribe - your wearing that gear is an indication that you have been (or WANT to be) socialized into the group.

At some point, things can become almost fetishistic... killing a big deer on public land, for example, has a higher 'value' to some than on private land. Therefore when someone wants to signal to others in the tribe that they have something of great (symbolic) value, they not only show you a pic of the deer, but they remind you it was a 'public land" deer. The same for rifle vs. bow, compound bow vs. recurve. Same in fly fishing. Remember the beginning of a River Runs Throuhgt It? John wasn't just a fly fisherman, he was a DRY FLY fisherman...

I think you can see where this goes.

It's part of social science, so it's all debatable, but I think there is some merit to it.


For example, why else, but for the symbolic value they hold to other like-minded people, would someone spend $2000 on shiny 24" rims on a beat up piece of shit Oldsmobile '88?

Booker T Washington described symbolic interactionism in his book Up From Slavery but it wasn't called that then - he was very frustrated by it.

This is a hell of a digression...anyway, we all do this to an extent, it's just that some of it is more obvious than others. And yeah, I'm picking on BHA and Meateater, but it's all in good fun,...
 
Last edited:

Rokbar

WKR
Joined
May 8, 2020
Messages
483
It looks like you’d get chaffed pretty bad.
Actually not, I just put a cheap wide wal mart seat on. The one I took off was more narrow, straight Mt. Bike seat. When you put the extra 40-80lbs on, extra weight it would push you forward on the seat. For the 3-4 miles I was having to ride it worked great. Ill try and post more on this on an old bike/hunting thread.
 

Mtnboy

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Here's an interesting read on BHA and Mr Busse of Kimber

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Didn’t read the whole thing but the guy states twice in the first few paragraphs that Tawney started BHA. Not only did he not start it, he’s never taken credit for starting it.

So, how can I trust anything else in there if it’s blatantly spreading false info from the get go?

and this guy claims to have been an “insider”? 🤣

Some of you guys should put the potato chips down and do something for conservation instead of just hate on BHA on the inter webs.
 

Comerade

FNG
Joined
May 24, 2019
Messages
91
Ha!

OK - it can be complicated as there are many parts to it, but here's the basic idea... we make meaning of the world via symbols (in this case physical things) and the values we ascribe to them. We also do this within smaller groups - called a 'public.' For example, the hunting public.

Physical things can act as symbols within the public, and we can both infer from others and project to others their values ascribed to them.

So, for the PBR example above, for whatever reason, PBR as a symbol has been assigned a certain value within the hispter culture. People who want to be in the hipster culture (pr public) choose the PBR symbol and with it, incorporate into their identity, the pre-assigned value ascribed to it. Basically, we walk around the world seeing certain values in symbols and incorporate them into our lives in order to make meaning within the public we want to be a part of.

At a BHA rally (or Meateater live show) guess what you will see??? "Public Land Owner" T-shirts, YETI hats, First Lite shirts, Patagonia Jackets, mustaches, flat-brim hats, people walking around asking Steve to sign their copy of Sand County Almanac. You get the point. On the surface, each of those things also has a practical use besides it's symbolic value, but in the public of a BHA rally or Meateater show - there is the added value of signaling that you, too, are a part of the tribe - your wearing that gear is an indication that you have been (or WANT to be) socialized into the group.

At some point, things can become almost fetishistic... killing a big deer on public land, for example, has a higher 'value' to some than on private land. Therefore when someone wants to signal to others in the tribe that they have something of great (symbolic) value, they not only show you a pic of the deer, but they remind you it was a 'public land" deer. The same for rifle vs. bow, compound bow vs. recurve. Same in fly fishing. Remember the beginning of a River Runs Throuhgt It? John wasn't just a fly fisherman, he was a DRY FLY fisherman...

I think you can see where this goes.

It's part of social science, so it's all debatable, but I think there is some merit to it.


For example, why else, but for the symbolic value they hold to other like-minded people, would someone spend $2000 on shiny 24" rims on a beat up piece of shit Oldsmobile '88?

Booker T Washington described symbolic interactionism in his book Up From Slavery but it wasn't called that then - he was very frustrated by it.

This is a hell of a digression...anyway, we all do this to an extent, it's just that some of it is more obvious than others. And yeah, I'm picking on BHA and Meateater, but it's all in good fun,...

Ha!

OK - it can be complicated as there are many parts to it, but here's the basic idea... we make meaning of the world via symbols (in this case physical things) and the values we ascribe to them. We also do this within smaller groups - called a 'public.' For example, the hunting public.

Physical things can act as symbols within the public, and we can both infer from others and project to others their values ascribed to them.

So, for the PBR example above, for whatever reason, PBR as a symbol has been assigned a certain value within the hispter culture. People who want to be in the hipster culture (pr public) choose the PBR symbol and with it, incorporate into their identity, the pre-assigned value ascribed to it. Basically, we walk around the world seeing certain values in symbols and incorporate them into our lives in order to make meaning within the public we want to be a part of.

At a BHA rally (or Meateater live show) guess what you will see??? "Public Land Owner" T-shirts, YETI hats, First Lite shirts, Patagonia Jackets, mustaches, flat-brim hats, people walking around asking Steve to sign their copy of Sand County Almanac. You get the point. On the surface, each of those things also has a practical use besides it's symbolic value, but in the public of a BHA rally or Meateater show - there is the added value of signaling that you, too, are a part of the tribe - your wearing that gear is an indication that you have been (or WANT to be) socialized into the group.

At some point, things can become almost fetishistic... killing a big deer on public land, for example, has a higher 'value' to some than on private land. Therefore when someone wants to signal to others in the tribe that they have something of great (symbolic) value, they not only show you a pic of the deer, but they remind you it was a 'public land" deer. The same for rifle vs. bow, compound bow vs. recurve. Same in fly fishing. Remember the beginning of a River Runs Throuhgt It? John wasn't just a fly fisherman, he was a DRY FLY fisherman...

I think you can see where this goes.

It's part of social science, so it's all debatable, but I think there is some merit to it.


For example, why else, but for the symbolic value they hold to other like-minded people, would someone spend $2000 on shiny 24" rims on a beat up piece of shit Oldsmobile '88?

Booker T Washington described symbolic interactionism in his book Up From Slavery but it wasn't called that then - he was very frustrated by it.

This is a hell of a digression...anyway, we all do this to an extent, it's just that some of it is more obvious than others. And yeah, I'm picking on BHA and Meateater, but it's all in good fun,...
I liked this post. I have no idea what " Meateater" is about, we don't have television here.
BHA , I know a little about, I recieve the magazine, follow the issues but careful not to become merchandised.
BHA is not a gun advocate lobby, although most of us are enthusiasts, it is not affiliated with any of the animal rights or anti hunting interests but will sit down and speak with most any group that exists( imo) I have no problem with this.
A opportunity to explain our side of things and is usually pretty convincing.
It is clear to me the only way to go is to communicate with others, the opposite has proven not to work.
Good post, I take off my Browning hat to you. Hey, I liked the John M Browning.( non camo style)
 

Broomd

WKR
Joined
Sep 29, 2014
Messages
4,278
Location
North Idaho
I think you do a better job of generalizing "near Seattle" than you do dumping on BHA, but that's just my revealed opinion, which I declare sacrosanct and unquestionable, because it is.

PS: them soft-livin' granoler crunchin' REI types buy enough gear to keep REI and Patagonia in business, and the skinnier ones like trail running, skiing, and mountain climbing on public land too.

PPS: Skipped video. PPL in cities don't dig guns, in part because there's just so few safe ways to have fun with guns and alcohol in a big city. Culture warriors [theocrats and atheist Progressivists alike] use this as a wedge between urban Americans and rural Americans because it's so darn easy, even a caveman bloodsport typical slob hunter can exploit it to wage culture war for fun and tax-free contributions. Beto lost, btw. He don't represent Texas, or much else about now.
I want that 35 seconds back....what a load 'a crap.
 
Joined
Feb 18, 2017
Messages
494
Location
New Mexico
Ha!

OK - it can be complicated as there are many parts to it, but here's the basic idea... we make meaning of the world via symbols (in this case physical things) and the values we ascribe to them. We also do this within smaller groups - called a 'public.' For example, the hunting public.

Physical things can act as symbols within the public, and we can both infer from others and project to others their values ascribed to them.

So, for the PBR example above, for whatever reason, PBR as a symbol has been assigned a certain value within the hispter culture. People who want to be in the hipster culture (pr public) choose the PBR symbol and with it, incorporate into their identity, the pre-assigned value ascribed to it. Basically, we walk around the world seeing certain values in symbols and incorporate them into our lives in order to make meaning within the public we want to be a part of.

At a BHA rally (or Meateater live show) guess what you will see??? "Public Land Owner" T-shirts, YETI hats, First Lite shirts, Patagonia Jackets, mustaches, flat-brim hats, people walking around asking Steve to sign their copy of Sand County Almanac. You get the point. On the surface, each of those things also has a practical use besides it's symbolic value, but in the public of a BHA rally or Meateater show - there is the added value of signaling that you, too, are a part of the tribe - your wearing that gear is an indication that you have been (or WANT to be) socialized into the group.

At some point, things can become almost fetishistic... killing a big deer on public land, for example, has a higher 'value' to some than on private land. Therefore when someone wants to signal to others in the tribe that they have something of great (symbolic) value, they not only show you a pic of the deer, but they remind you it was a 'public land" deer. The same for rifle vs. bow, compound bow vs. recurve. Same in fly fishing. Remember the beginning of a River Runs Throuhgt It? John wasn't just a fly fisherman, he was a DRY FLY fisherman...

I think you can see where this goes.

It's part of social science, so it's all debatable, but I think there is some merit to it.


For example, why else, but for the symbolic value they hold to other like-minded people, would someone spend $2000 on shiny 24" rims on a beat up piece of shit Oldsmobile '88?

Booker T Washington described symbolic interactionism in his book Up From Slavery but it wasn't called that then - he was very frustrated by it.

This is a hell of a digression...anyway, we all do this to an extent, it's just that some of it is more obvious than others. And yeah, I'm picking on BHA and Meateater, but it's all in good fun,...
That's a much easier to understand explaination than the several I read during my Google search.


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sneaky

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Didn’t read the whole thing but the guy states twice in the first few paragraphs that Tawney started BHA. Not only did he not start it, he’s never taken credit for starting it.

So, how can I trust anything else in there if it’s blatantly spreading false info from the get go?

and this guy claims to have been an “insider”?

Some of you guys should put the potato chips down and do something for conservation instead of just hate on BHA on the inter webs.
There's enough in Land's past that has turned me off from them. From face to face interactions with him PERSONALLY at the national rendezvous, I'll never spend another cent with them. You do what you want, no one is forcing you to do anything. There's just nothing about BHA that interests me, and I spend my money with organizations that actually do tangible things with said money. Land learned well from his dad and the rest of the MT dems. Besides your dismissal of the "founder" bit, the rest is easily verifiable from different sources. I bet if you asked them without looking it up, 95% of BHA members would tell you that Land founded it, and not Mike Beagle.

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ODB

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There's enough in Land's past that has turned me off from them. From face to face interactions with him PERSONALLY at the national rendezvous, I'll never spend another cent with them. You do what you want, no one is forcing you to do anything. There's just nothing about BHA that interests me, and I spend my money with organizations that actually do tangible things with said money. Land learned well from his dad and the rest of the MT dems. Besides your dismissal of the "founder" bit, the rest is easily verifiable from different sources. I bet if you asked them without looking it up, 95% of BHA members would tell you that Land founded it, and not Mike Beagle.

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Land revamped his dad's Montana Hunters and Anglers PAC in the mid-late 2000s. his dad (who was an exec for the Montana Democratic Party) had started it like 20+ years before then,

So, with the Backcountry dudes in oregon mashing up with Land's Montana Hunters and Anglers you have Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
 

sneaky

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Land revamped his dad's Montana Hunters and Anglers PAC in the mid-late 2000s. his dad (who was an exec for the Montana Democratic Party) had started it like 20+ years before then,

So, with the Backcountry dudes in oregon mashing up with Land's Montana Hunters and Anglers you have Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
MHAA is still listed as a separate PAC. And, yes, his dad founded MHAA in 95, Land took over in 2011 and went right to lobbying.

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S.E. Minnsota
I’ve been a member for about 5+ years or so, seemed like a decent organization and values. I’ve been to a bunch of pint nights and made a couple friends from the group. I’ve volunteered and currently serve on a “habitat watch” committee.

During the Trump admin, BHA delved in to politics like i’ve never seen. They targeted Trump’s picks incessantly with negative articles and what I considered personal attacks. Biden has picked the new USDA chief and he is the old USDA chief that served under the Obama/Biden administration. This guy and his policies are largely responsible for the mismanagement of our western forests and loss of access and habitat for hunting.

BHA is “all-in” for this guy and it bugs the heck out of me. Never once do I remember them offering anything positive on Trump’s people. I think I am now truly done with the org and will never give another penny or let them use my membership for political clout.

View attachment 240849
One of there bigger contributors is
I’ve been a member for about 5+ years or so, seemed like a decent organization and values. I’ve been to a bunch of pint nights and made a couple friends from the group. I’ve volunteered and currently serve on a “habitat watch” committee.

During the Trump admin, BHA delved in to politics like i’ve never seen. They targeted Trump’s picks incessantly with negative articles and what I considered personal attacks. Biden has picked the new USDA chief and he is the old USDA chief that served under the Obama/Biden administration. This guy and his policies are largely responsible for the mismanagement of our western forests and loss of access and habitat for hunting.

BHA is “all-in” for this guy and it bugs the heck out of me. Never once do I remember them offering anything positive on Trump’s people. I think I am now truly done with the org and will never give another penny or let them use my membership for political clout.

View attachment 240849
after listening to the Kifaru podcast with BHA about the reintroduction of wolfs to Colorado and BHA would not take a stand one way or another. I will not ever support them
 

Rokbar

WKR
Joined
May 8, 2020
Messages
483
I beleive a lot of us have made our thoughts for or against BHA known. But look at it this way, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR PUBLIC ACCESS? You don't need to give your hard earned $ to any organization to do what you and a couple of buddies can do. Start on a small scale first. If your having trouble accessing public from private, the first step is to ask, nicely. Get to know your local game wardens. Get to know your Forest Service head rangers. Go to your county commisioners. A couple more local votes or phone calls goes a long way. But I have found the best approach is to always talk to them politely and professionally. And if any of you all want to have a beer with me, I drink cans of beer, not pints!!!
 

Hoodie

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Messages
981
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Oregon Cascades
Ha!

OK - it can be complicated as there are many parts to it, but here's the basic idea... we make meaning of the world via symbols (in this case physical things) and the values we ascribe to them. We also do this within smaller groups - called a 'public.' For example, the hunting public.

Physical things can act as symbols within the public, and we can both infer from others and project to others their values ascribed to them.

So, for the PBR example above, for whatever reason, PBR as a symbol has been assigned a certain value within the hispter culture. People who want to be in the hipster culture (pr public) choose the PBR symbol and with it, incorporate into their identity, the pre-assigned value ascribed to it. Basically, we walk around the world seeing certain values in symbols and incorporate them into our lives in order to make meaning within the public we want to be a part of.

At a BHA rally (or Meateater live show) guess what you will see??? "Public Land Owner" T-shirts, YETI hats, First Lite shirts, Patagonia Jackets, mustaches, flat-brim hats, people walking around asking Steve to sign their copy of Sand County Almanac. You get the point. On the surface, each of those things also has a practical use besides it's symbolic value, but in the public of a BHA rally or Meateater show - there is the added value of signaling that you, too, are a part of the tribe - your wearing that gear is an indication that you have been (or WANT to be) socialized into the group.

At some point, things can become almost fetishistic... killing a big deer on public land, for example, has a higher 'value' to some than on private land. Therefore when someone wants to signal to others in the tribe that they have something of great (symbolic) value, they not only show you a pic of the deer, but they remind you it was a 'public land" deer. The same for rifle vs. bow, compound bow vs. recurve. Same in fly fishing. Remember the beginning of a River Runs Throuhgt It? John wasn't just a fly fisherman, he was a DRY FLY fisherman...

I think you can see where this goes.

It's part of social science, so it's all debatable, but I think there is some merit to it.


For example, why else, but for the symbolic value they hold to other like-minded people, would someone spend $2000 on shiny 24" rims on a beat up piece of shit Oldsmobile '88?

Booker T Washington described symbolic interactionism in his book Up From Slavery but it wasn't called that then - he was very frustrated by it.

This is a hell of a digression...anyway, we all do this to an extent, it's just that some of it is more obvious than others. And yeah, I'm picking on BHA and Meateater, but it's all in good fun,...

I'm 100% in agreement with on you this.

But it's important to note that the people who might be particularly primed to be turned off by some of those things you mentioned (i.e. moustaches, plaid, and microbrews) aren't somehow immune to the effect you're discussing.

Flat brims, plaid, and microbrews are a lot like curved bills (Which it's important to note is the way God intended the baseball cap to be worn), Don't Tread On Me T-shirts, and Miller.

Where some of the frustration on my end comes is when Miller guys and microbrew guys have some very obvious common concerns and instead of working in a coordinated effort to address them they decide to bicker about whose hat looks cooler.

Strong bipartisan support for public lands is a good thing. Regardless of which side of the political aisle you lean towards, alienating potential allies is foolhardy (and it can certainly be said that BHA could do some work on this front too.)

I'm not advocating being a single-issue voter. But once the voting is over there isn't any real reason not to try to collaborate where it's feasible to do so. Sometimes it obviously won't be, and some guys are always going to have their lines in the sand.

And to be fair, BHA is going to alienate a massive reservoir of potential support if they reluctantly condemn ballot box biology when it's convenient, but also occasionally use it as a tool to reduce hunter opportunity. If this many people on a backpack hunting forum are this put-off by them, that should be a huge red flag for their leadership.
 
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