Interesting to read the discussions about RMEF. Like most of you, I have been an RMEF member since Moby Dick was a minnow. Also had my times when I disagreed with what they did, or didn't, do. Made sure to let them know my opinion.
I have stayed out of these RMEF discussions, as they are involved in our site and our show, and feared anything I would say would come across as partisan. And, being on the road for as long as I was, I barely had time to post the daily events of the hunt, let alone chime in on these topics.
I am an avid supporter of wild places, unlittered by roads, and where hunting elk is a function of one's commitment to the hunt, not a quest for the easiest tag to fill. Have been supporting such causes for years and will continue to advocate for the same.
I think back to when I first moved to Montana in 1991 (I know, that long ago date explains all my gray hair). One discussion that was going on at that time was whether we would be willing to accept seasonal or permanent travel restrictions. Doing so meant we would most likely be able to keep the most liberal hunting seasons in the lower 48. Refusal to accept such restrictions meant we would soon be following the pattern of other states, by shortening seasons to protect an increasingly vulnerable elk population.
I knew where I stood on that, and fortunately, most other Montana hunters felt the same way. It was a surge of pressure to keep opportunity high, even if it meant reduced motorized access. All you younger MT hunters probably had not passed hunter ed at that time, but the decision that was made in the early 1990's is why we enjoy the great seasons we have now. It was a cross roads of how we would manage in Montana. I think we took the right path, though others may disagree.
From that, I was impressed with RMEF. They had done a study in Oregon that gave clear evidence of the incongruency between elk and roads. Not sure if they made official position during those discussions, but some of their board members and some of their founders attended meetings I went to and they made a clear case that we need to protect habitat if we are to preserve hunting opportunity. They easily connected the dots that habitat was compromised with unrestricted motorized travel, and therefore, so would opportunity be compromised. Whether they were speaking on behalf of themselves, or on behalf of the organization, I cannot recall. One thing I do recall was that RMEF was all about elk and elk hunting.
I was involved in many of the land exchanges here in Southwest Montana. Gallatin I and Gallatin II, Taylor's Fork, Royal Teton, and a few others. No group was more committed and more able to get those deals done than RMEF. Plain and simple, without RMEF, those lands would not be protected. Lands where a pot full of elk were killed last year by public hunters hunting lands they would otherwise not have been able to hunt.
It is those kind of projects that make me able to continue supporting RMEF when they made decisions I might not have agreed with. I am glad I stayed a member. They usually came back to what I thought was the better position, even if it took some time. Sometimes not, and I accepted that as function of a large organization probably required to listen to members from other states, not just my perspective of some hunter living in Southwest Montana.
Those who have dropped RMEF have your reasons for feeling the way you do. Nothing wrong with that. A big organization is going to have some instances where people feel things went bad.
I will judge them based on what they do in the long run, not the decision of the day. When I go to Arizona to hunt antelope and see how much work RMEF has done in that area that helps not just elk, but antelope, and many other species, it makes it easier to accept the times when I might have disagreed.
When I go to New Mexico and hunt elk in an area they helped fund the burn and PJ management, I remember that. When I hunt elk in Colorado and know the work RMEF has done over many years to help those herds maintain their range, in spite of heavy development pressure, I remember that, also.
I know I am not going to change any minds with my comments here. All of you are very well educated on these issues and some of the smartest folks on the web when it comes to resource discussions.
I can assure you that many people read these Hunt Talk threads, especially those that are discussing important conservation topics. I know, as I get calls and emails as a result of what is posted here.
The discussions that go on here are healthy and good for the sake of wildlife and wild places. I hope all of you continue to air your thoughts, do so in a way that allows others to learn from the discussion, and continue to provide a diversity of comments and ideas that help us come to better decisions.
I am biased in my opinions of the net positive RMEF provides to the landscape for both elk and for hunters. Such biases are formed based on being a member for over 20 years and seeing the work they have done in the areas I hunt, not just in my back yard. Their results on the ground created enough bias that I donated a :30 second commercial for all of Season One to RMEF and one to B&C. In Season Two, I did not have any inventory to donate, but still donated a billboard in every show to RMEF and WSF. I will continue to support RMEF and their mission of ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife, and their habitat, as I can think of no other group that is doing more for my kind of hunting, in the kind of places I like to hunt. I respect those who feel otherwise and choose differently.
I will continue to be involved in conservation projects, especially those that help preserve wild places for wild elk, and the abundant hunting opportunity that can be provided from such. By being an RMEF member, I hope to provide an opinion and advocacy for the cause of wild places.
For those of you not renewing with RMEF, I hope you find another organization to put your support to that does the same good work for wildlife and wild places that RMEF has done over the last 25+ years. And, hopefully RMEF will provide reason for you to become a member once again.
Happy Hunting. Hope you all get an elk this fall.
