Codym--deseeker wrote:QUOTE BY CODYM is below:
I think this thread has brought up some real issues that I would like to comment on, but I would like to do so in an adult manner. I'm not trying to insult anyone or any organization. I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings or be anyway disrespectful but these are my opinions and observations.
Have you ever thought that we don't want a national organization like QF in the southwest? After the fiasco with QU many of us learned our lesson. We got sick of fund raising in our states only to have the funds go out of state to projects on private lands that didn't benefit the average outdoors person. Sure we don't have the fancy banquets or magazines but what we do have is full power to decide what and where to use our money on. Our club focuses on water source improvement, youth encouragement and funding for scientific studies on desert quail, not bob white's on plantations in the south. Trust me we have had these organizations before and have no desire to go back. Again not trying to put any of these organization's down as any sportsman's group is better than none, but for me I know where I want to donate my time and money.
PF & QF is completely different than Quail Unlimited. The local chapters control where their money goes. Only about 5% of the money they get from fund raiser & banquets go to the national organization. The other 95% of the money is spent on what the local chapters want it spent on. It can all be spent in their county on habitat or water projects if that is what they want. Both QF & PF area great organizations for keeping the money local [/quote]
I'm very active in the local PF Chapter here in Western MN and I can proudly say the local money stays local and our chapter can use the monies however we see fit, we have 100% control. Whether its improving public land, purchasing land for public hunting (we've even bought land for public hunting that wasn't great for upland birds but had a lot of deer and turkeys on the land), investing money in the area youth high school trap teams, giving money to other local conservation groups, donating money to charities that are not even related to conservation, investing money in mentor hunts, we are currently helping one of the local gun clubs build a new trap house buy making a monetary donation to the project, etc... Before being involved with PF I did not have a clue how much they really do and how much of the $ stays local.
Since 2009, our little chapter alone, has purchased 2,029 acres for public hunting and we currently have 1,233 acres pending.