Potsie
Well-known member
Guessing it’s less about ducks and more about the smoke show packing the guns around.
Banquet guns
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Y’all know the point of banquets is to raise money for conservation, not for you to personally get a good deal on anything, right?
I agree quality items will bring in more money, but if you choose not to go to banquets because you don’t personally benefit from it then you’re in the wrong place altogether. Besides, I don’t know what you’d talk about with the other banquets guests, other than complaining about how much the local wildlife agency raised tag fees again.
I agree quality items will bring in more money, but if you choose not to go to banquets because you don’t personally benefit from it then you’re in the wrong place altogether. Besides, I don’t know what you’d talk about with the other banquets guests, other than complaining about how much the local wildlife agency raised tag fees again.
I won a few nice guns at RMEF banquets over the years a Ruger red label take down 28ga, Browning medallion 300 win mag, Winchester 270 wsm, Knight nickel commemorative 50 cal inline muzzleloader. The ring toss on the antlers has been good to me.
We had some decent guns at our MDF banquet this spring. O/U and semi-auto Weatherby shotguns, a couple of $3K+ rifles, some nice handguns and revolvers, and multiple $1000+ rifles.
We also had some less expensive guns.
Like stated above, these are fund raisers. If we made a habit of raffling $5K guns we likely would have little funding for habitat projects.
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I won one of these earlier this year. What the heck am I going to do with it? A plastic stock would be more functional. 
weatherby.com
Mark V® Deluxe - Weatherby, Inc.
Before composite stocks, brushed stainless steel barrels, and Cerakote finishes every Weatherby Mark V® that fell into the hands of lucky hunters was rich walnut and blue steel. FINISH Barrel / Trigger Guard / Bolt Knob - High Gloss| Gloss AA Walnut Stock Fineline, diamond point checkering...
weatherby.com
Addicting
Well-known member
While that maybe overkill for most it has a good value. If you went to donate it back or trade it in they’ll work with you. Most of the ones I’m talking about are the FFL saying they don’t want them back. They were crappy enough no one bought them in the first place so they went to the banquet to get moved.I won one of these earlier this year. What the heck am I going to do with it? A plastic stock would be more functional.
Mark V® Deluxe - Weatherby, Inc.
Before composite stocks, brushed stainless steel barrels, and Cerakote finishes every Weatherby Mark V® that fell into the hands of lucky hunters was rich walnut and blue steel. FINISH Barrel / Trigger Guard / Bolt Knob - High Gloss| Gloss AA Walnut Stock Fineline, diamond point checkering...
If you don’t want it post it for sale and buy your 25 sheep tickets!
I recently came into possession of a custom Montana rifle co model 1999 300WM RMEF banquet gun with a Leupold VX-3i scope.
It’s a beautiful gun but I’m not sure if there are any comps on it. Any suggestions on how much to sell it for if I was going to?
It’s a beautiful gun but I’m not sure if there are any comps on it. Any suggestions on how much to sell it for if I was going to?
Coach3bilz
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I’m looking for a 2006 RMEF banquet rifle for my son as thats his birth year. It would be a Browning 270. And I too have had zero luck at RMEF banquets unless I pay for my luck! Lol. My boys and I just attended our local banquet. It’s the largest chapter in WA. And MAN, the money came out to play! Anyway, hoping to find a 2006. TIA
Dakotakid
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I have chaired a couple and attended several dozen banquets. It is a complex formula to maximize the return.
certainly, higher end guns bring greater interest from the high spenders but as the value goes up the number of high rollers goes down, exponentially.
Some people go just for the tri-tip meal and to watch the crowd. Some people go for the silent auction.
The live auctions struggle with raising double the cost when everyone can google the items value.
Doubling the return on a $3000 dollar shotgun means selling $6000 in tickets, that can be a challenge. And they rarely double at auction.
certainly, higher end guns bring greater interest from the high spenders but as the value goes up the number of high rollers goes down, exponentially.
Some people go just for the tri-tip meal and to watch the crowd. Some people go for the silent auction.
The live auctions struggle with raising double the cost when everyone can google the items value.
Doubling the return on a $3000 dollar shotgun means selling $6000 in tickets, that can be a challenge. And they rarely double at auction.
squirrel
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Blondie needs to work on her feeding chuckle, she's a little wispy
I was going to go to my local RMEF banquet after missing the past few years but it's on the day of my granddaughter's birthday party. I could make it if I left early, but it would be wrong to do that. I'll see when it falls next year.
Hem
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I was thinking she is a very healthy specimen of the female gender.
noharleyyet
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squirrel
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Hey you have to deal with what you see, I was just at Walmart and you could fit 4-5 of blondie into every full figured corn fed mid-western gal in the store... and dont forget the tattoos over the cellulite... Hell give me a ticket for that shotgun honey take the taste outa my mouth.
Nick87
Well-known member
Which town has one by you?
East Peoria. Right down the road from Cat. We used to go every year before covid shut things down. We were often recognized during the dinner by the chapter head for being the first to sign up. I liked being bidder number 1.
I attend multiple banquets each year and I recently joined the committee for our local NWTF chapter so I'm getting to see all this as we start planning for our banquet this year. A lot of it is catering to the crowd you get at your event. I like higher end guns, but having to sell chances at $100 a chance to double your return limits a lot of the attendees from playing. Have to remember, the majority of people in the room have probably never won a gun, or maybe won anything, so they will spend $20 for one or $50 bucks for three chances to win something, but hesitate at $100 for one chance.
In talking with some of the regional organizers for NWTF, I was surprised that what they see is about 50% of the attendees at banquets don't even hunt, they're just there hoping to win a gun. In the western states, it probably skews more hunters to non hunters, especially with something like a RMEF banquet, but here in the NE that's not the case.
To go back to the original post, if you win something and don't want it, in most cases the chapter will gladly take the firearm back as a donation and raffle it off again. I've also seen in a few instances where the person drawn at the banquet passes and tells them to draw another name if they don't want it.
I'd encourage anyone who hasn't attended a banquet to go to one, or better yet help out by volunteering. You meet some nice people with interesting stories (just sat with a guy at a turkey banquet who's killed turkeys in 49 states and 3 Canadian providences), the food is usually really good, and the money is going to a good cause.
Dakotakid
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Banquet organizing is a great example of human nature dealing with complex situations. Many people will vociferously express their wisdom about what should be done at a banquet. Believing a single silver bullet idea is all that is needed to make a banquet a success. When in fact what holds a banquet up as a success is hundreds of legs of people doing hundreds of tasks.
Very true! I was heavily involved with the NWTF back when turkeys actually needed a little support. Putting together banquets is a lot of work. I have a much better appreciation for well done banquets these days and it speaks volumes about the committee members and volunteers of the organization.
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