Schmalts,
I've always not cared for SFW and I have NO trouble explaining exactly why. Bigfin pretty much summed it up.
BHR,
like Oak said, if it makes you feel better I belong to the following:
Wyoming Wildlife Federation
B&C Club
P&Y Club
I buy hunting and or fishing licenses in no fewer than 5-6 states per year. I also donate to WY's ACCESS YES program every year...even though most years I dont hunt any ACCESS YES land or HMA's. I write on average 20-30 letters per year to various G&F agencies, commissions, etc. I comment on Travel Plans, oil and gas development, etc. etc. etc. Oh, and dont forget BHR, I've only spent 21 years working in Natural Resource Management. I've also taken enough science, forestry, wildlife, geology, etc. etc. classes to kill the average student.
I also supported the Mule Deer Foundation until I found out that SFW was heavily influenced by no other than...you guessed it Don Peay. The old MDF director and him were both on the same page, tight pals, and SFW has now all but officially taken over the MDF. One of the first things to really turn me off to the MDF once SFW got involved was the "kill everything that kills deer" attitude. Like Oak said, thousands of dollars being spent to "control" coyotes....thats an absolute waste of money. The MDF and SFW are both anti-all predators...wolves, cats, bears, coyotes, etc.
Same with FNAWS...after the latest BS between them and Grand Slam/Ovis...I'll not support either again. Wasting members money on bullshit greed, glory, ego, and money...over all things a frickin' simple phrase "Grand Slam". Talk about a grand slam in the ass of their collective membership and their "supposed" mission of putting sheep on the mountain. What a fargin' joke. Plus, once again...Peay is involved with FNAWS.
Let me be clear, I will not support any group that views predators as nothing more than an animal that needs to be killed for interfering with my chances at a deer, elk, moose, etc.
WILDLIFE conservation is my agenda...first and foremost...even before my own personal hunting agenda and the wildlife I choose to hunt.
Doing what is best for the wildlife should be the NUMBER ONE priority of the states. Unfortunately nearly all of the state wildlife agencies are now pandering to outfitters, guides, hunters, fishermen, landowners, FNAWS, MDF, RMEF, etc. etc.
Somewhere down the list is doing whats really best for wildlife.
BHR, you can squawk all you want about "capitalism"...it rarely exists in anything to do with hunting.
Tell me, under true capitalism...should AK have an outfitter requirement for goats, sheep, and grizzly bears? Should MT outfitters be given guaranteed deer and elk tags to sell to their clients? Should a large portion of NM's elk, deer, antelope, etc. etc. tags be put in a seperate outfitter only pool? Should a NR be forced to hire an outfitter to hunt a wilderness area in Wyoming?
Let me explain something to you...that isnt capitalism dude...thats the state governments subsidizing an industry through regulations regarding public wildlife. Where I come from thats socialism and welfare...something you pretend to hate most of the time. Unless of course its your broke-back outfitter buddies or welfare rancher buddies. Thats different then, they're just good old fashioned "capitalists". You actually condone this type of crap and call yourself a "conservative" and a "republican". Thats pretty amusing.
I would vote in 2 seconds flat to end all state sponsored outfitter give-aways and let capitalism truly happen. What do you think the chances are that will ever happen? My guess...about the same time that wildlife conservation is given priority one. In other words...it aint happenin'.
We've all allowed the state agencies to pander to special interest when it comes to game management.
Frankly, we deserve it...the wildlife doesnt...and future hunters dont either. We should have been more influential, we should have been better organized, and we should have done what the outfitters, landowners, SFW, WTO, Don Peay and others have done...looked out for number one. In my case, that would be the wildlife first, average joe Resident and Non-Residents second.
I still fight for those two groups the hardest...wildlife and the average hunter...but I'm in the minority these days.