Who does the most for hunters?

[ncstewart]

Just wondering for you guys that donate or pay memberships to an organization who y'all like?
When I got a few bucks left over in my hunting budget I like to donate. I usually just donate to my state wildlife but was think about something else.
Thanks


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[vaeVictis]

Backcountry Hunters and Anglers is a pretty good group.

 

[btplass]

If you're a fan of public land I'd look into Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. Or the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. Or Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (just found out recently how much they do for land access, habitat, etc).

There are lots of organizations out there. Thanks for pitching in where you are able.

-Ben

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[Nwelkhunter81]

Mule Deer Foundation and RMEF


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[Beendare]

I asked myself the same question many years ago as here in Ca hunters are under fire constantly. I belong to a few but I think numero uno is SCI- Safari Club Intl. The name and some of the perceived arrogance initially turned me off. After some research, I realized SCI knows how to get things one....and their sole focus is hunters.

When you realize the way things get done in this country, its all about horsepower in the legislature, lobbying, big wigs rubbing elbows.....thats just the way it works. SCI has that horsepower. The high net worth individuals in SCI have connections and political clout....(regrettably) very little actually gets accomplished in our country without it. Now I read their magazine and my DIY hunting style doesn't mesh with the way many of these guys hunt; Marco Polo sheep hunts, safaris where they shoot 15 animals.... and stuff like that.

So what? I've seen SCI members utilize their high level connections and plink down 100x of what the avg hunter devotes to our cause. The avg hunter does nothing for hunting. Yeah, those are good guys to have on our side as hunters.....and I'm glad to be a life member of SCI.
Link to what they are doing right now;
Current Litigation | First For Hunters

 

[Jskaanland]

What do you hunt? Maybe toss some toward some specific group that works with what you hunt. I joined RMEF and BHA this year. Mule deer foundation is next on my list.

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[ncstewart]

What do you hunt? Maybe toss some toward some specific group that works with what you hunt. I joined RMEF and BHA this year. Mule deer foundation is next on my list.

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I hunt a little bit of everything and have done species oriented stuff before but just wanting to try something different. Seems like bha does some good stuff. Also I always thought SCI was a rich kid club "no offense intended" but it seems like they do some awesome work as well.
Thanks for the help guys


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[Jskaanland]

I hunt a little bit of everything and have done species oriented stuff before but just wanting to try something different. Seems like bha does some good stuff. Also I always thought SCI was a rich kid club "no offense intended" but it seems like they do some awesome work as well.
Thanks for the help guys


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Do you have any local rod and gun clubs? Maybe look into one of those as well.

 

[ncstewart]

Do you have any local rod and gun clubs? Maybe look into one of those as well.

Locally there isn't a lot I know of. Done NWTF and ducks unlimited locally but that's about it.


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[Huntindog45]

rocky mountain elk is among the top in my book. ducks unlimited is right there too. Both organizations bring in and spend large amounts of money on habitat. That is huge for me. I live in California and another major player is California Waterfowl. there are a lot of people here who argue DU does nothing and CWA does more. CWA is an amazing group for hunter outreach and hunter support, and They do AMAZING things to promote youth hunting. If you know my story you know how much I support anyone who reaches out to promote youth hunting in America. They also build some pretty good habitat. DU's work in Canada preserving and protecting critical breeding ground is second to none. RMEF is very similar in their efforts to create habitat and support hunters. Love both these organizations. Lately I have become a pretty big fan of the Sportsmen's Alliance Sportsmen's Alliance because they are actively protecting and defending hunters through legal action. There are so many more I give to. California Deer, Rocky Mountain Sheep, Pheasants forever are a couple I have given to in the past. Anything that supports habitat preservation, and strives to promote hunting is good in my book.

 

[Beendare]

.... I always thought SCI was a rich kid club "no offense intended"
....

SCI does have that stigma....and a lot of working Joes will thumb their nose at SCI because of it. Instead of grumbling about some rich dude that dropped $10k for our cause at a banquet...I welcome him being on the same team.

I look past all of that rich guy malarky as I want to be a part of an outfit that fights for hunters where it counts- in the legislature. Posturing and attending F&G meetings does little as all of the serious wranglings are behind the scenes....like it or not, that is our form of government. I can tell you I met a lot of good guys at SCI. I've sat and talked with one of the SCI attorneys and there is a lot to this legal wrangling.

I can also tell you some of the grass roots orgs have very little influence....sure they make you feel good as a member...but just don't have the influence to go up against the big money liberal antis.

 

[elkyinzer]

Personally, and this is certainly a personal matter, my attitude has become save my money for hunting. I used to belong to 5 of those types of orgs, that was like $200+ per year that I can allocate elsewhere at least while my wife is at home raising the kiddos and we are on a tight budget. We donate charitably to church and 501c3 orgs that work with kids, elderly, and MH/ID; they deserve it more. As long as there are rural areas and the good people that live therein to perpetuate hunting culture, the economics of hunting work there will be hunting. Don't let these nonprofits join the fearmongering train that if you don't join them we'll all be vegans in 100 years.

I am however fully onboard the public land train and almost on board with BHA and TRCP, but they need to demonstrate to me they are achieving real tangible results first and honestly I have not yet seen that yet. The dude above that said $$$ is the gasoline that fuels politics in this country is spot on, and the size those two orgs currently are I just don't know that they are having much of an effect. Which obviously leads to a chicken vs. egg type argument, but I am not sitting on tons of extra cash so I will sit on the sidelines for now.

 

[mtnkid85]

RMEF, TRCP and BHA are all great organizations that are fighting for public lands and/or doing ALOT for habitat, which are the two things Im most concerned over.

 

[orionthehunter1]

I would like to join BHA but I have heard there accounting and financial reporting is on par with SFW, which I want no part of. Also heard they have been in trouble before for some questionable bookkeeping. Any truth or insights into this?

 

[6mm Remington]

Boone & Crockett Club - The first wildlife conservation group out of all of them. It's not just about trophy size. Much data is and continues to be collected over the years that provides biologists with a lot of information on the health of the animals in locals were they are found. This one a lot of folks never even thought about joining but I strongly urge you all to go to their website and see what they do. I volunteer to them to do hands on work on the ground whether it's removing old and dangerous barbed wire fence, or trapping and moving animals to supplement populations in other areas. I have not yet had the good fortune to help out. Last year the trapping and netting of bighorn sheep near home got put on hold because of the weather. This group completely supports hunters and our right and fights for each of us!

RMEF: Good group I've been a member of for a long time. I also have volunteered my services for hands on outside work such as what I listed above. There are many other ways a member can assist and I encourage folks to look at their website and see where he or she might be much appreciated in their service. They also work hard for our hunters rights and public access to public land.

Montana Bow Hunters Association: Great group that helps ensure our rights and privilege of being able to archery hunt is solid and won't be taken away from us.

Montana Wild Sheep Foundation: Essentially what it says. This group helps to keep and maintain strong healthy bighorn sheep populations in Montana.

NRA - We would likely be in a world of hurt if we did not have the NRA fighting to keep our second amendment in tact and afford us the ability to own and use firearms. I'm an NRA Life Member.

 

[airlocksniffer]

I would like to join BHA but I have heard there accounting and financial reporting is on par with SFW, which I want no part of. Also heard they have been in trouble before for some questionable bookkeeping. Any truth or insights into this?

Hmm, haven't heard that. Do you have a source?

 

[orionthehunter1]

Read more: IRS Complaint Targets Backcountry Hunters & Anglers
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IRS Complaint Targets Backcountry Hunters & Anglers

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Ammoland


Environmental Policy Alliance Accuses “Sportsmen” Group of Filing Incorrect Tax Returns.

Western Conservation Foundation 2011 IRS Return
Western Conservation Foundation 2011 IRS Return showing donation to Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.
Environmental Policy Alliance
Environmental Policy Alliance

Washington, D.C. –-(Ammoland.com)- Today, GreenDecoys.com, a project of the Environmental Policy Alliance, announced that it has filed a complaint with the Internal Revenue Service against Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) for filing incorrect tax returns.

While nonprofits are required to publicly report major donations on their tax returns, BHA has not been doing so, despite getting most of its revenue from a handful of radical environmental organizations.

In 2011 and 2012, 28 percent and 33 percent of the BHA’s total revenue came from the radical environmentalist-funded Western Conservation Foundation. However, BHA elected to omit Schedule B—the reporting of major donations—from its own tax returns for these years, in apparent violation of IRS rules.

Click here to view the complaint.

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers purports to be a voice for sportsmen, but its funding indicates it is simply a mouthpiece for left-wing environmentalists. All told, 60 percent of BHA’s revenue in 2012 came from three Big Green sources: Western Conservation Foundation, Wilburforce Foundation, and Hewlett Foundation—a fact BHA apparently doesn’t want the public to know. The Environmental Policy Alliance was able to construct this data by looking at the grantors’ individual tax returns.


“Backcountry Hunters and Anglers is hiding from the public how much money it gets from radical environmentalists,” commented Will Coggin, senior research analyst at the Environmental Policy Alliance. “The IRS should immediately demand that BHA file amended returns and hold BHA accountable for its years of incomplete tax returns.”

View the complaint here. According to the IRS, penalties for filing an incomplete tax return can be up to $10,000 for BHA for each return.

Along with receiving nearly $280,000 in 2011 and 2012 from the Western Conservation Foundation—which also funds Natural Resources Defense Council and Earthjustice (the “law firm of the environment”)—BHA has received $165,000 from the Wilburforce Foundation in recent years, a Seattle group that also funds Greenpeace, the Sierra Club Foundation, and others. BHA also received $100,000 from the wealthy, radical, San Francisco-based Hewlett Foundation and nearly $60,000 from the environmentalist Pew Charitable Trusts for “policy” in 2012/13.


“Backcountry Hunters and Anglers is just one of several groups funded by Big Green that trips over itself to brag about its ‘sportsmen’ credentials while advocating left-wing interests,” said Coggin. “BHA is nothing more than a new shade of camo to hide an environmentalist agenda.”

BHA is one of several “sportsmen” groups that takes substantial money from Big Green. The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) gets 77% of its contributions from just 8 donors, much of it from San Francisco-area environmentalist foundations. Trout Unlimited, which helped form TRCP, has taken tens of millions of dollars from San Francisco-area foundations that want to shut down major energy sources in America. The Izaak Walton League of America, meanwhile, has taken millions from anti-energy activists, including the anti-gun, Chicago-based Joyce Foundation, on whose board President Barack Obama sat for 8 years.

To learn more about environmentalist front organizations and their wealthy funders, visit Green Decoys. To schedule an interview, please contact Alex Fitzsimmons at (202) 420-7875 or [email protected]

The Environmental Policy Alliance, a project of the nonprofit Center for Organizational Research and Education, is devoted to uncovering the funding and hidden agendas behind environmental activist groups and exploring the intersection between activists and government agencies. CORE is supported by a wide variety of businesses and foundations, including those in the hospitality, agriculture, and energy industries.

 

[orionthehunter1]

https://www.greendecoys.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IRS-Complaint-Backcountry-Hunters-Anglers.pdf

 

[airlocksniffer]

https://www.greendecoys.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/IRS-Complaint-Backcountry-Hunters-Anglers.pdf

I would encourage you to do a little bit of research on Green Decoys. They have no credibility AFAIC.

 

[orionthehunter1]

That's why im asking is it just b.s. or is BHA hiding financials so sportsmen don't find out they are being backed by antis