Bowsite.com

I have in the past, belonged to P&Y and the NRA . I'm looking for experience here and facts. Honest to god, I will have 5 fellow bowhunters do the same as soon as I hear some great feedback.

I'm sure there are many guys here on Bowsite that don't belong as well.

After reading the SCI debacle, I'm really confused.:)

Let's hear it!

I do two things, first, I belong to P&Y which supports bow hunting for future generations. I can't understand why guys hesitate to join. This is the premier organization that is focused on perpetuating North American bow hunting opportunities.

Secondly, I do business locally by TRYING to carry myself so non-hunters think I'm a pretty good guy. Other than that I consider myself a lucky guy to be benefitting from those that did that a generation or two ago! Our opportunities are already assured so I don't worth about now. I do wish we worried more about future generations in our attitudes and maybe this event will help! C

As Charlie says carry-on with pride and respect others, you will be respected!

I think we all get fouled up when we split ranks and beat up on one another for weapons choices, etc... I am a guy that has no problems with any of them or, the freedom of choice to choose different than I do. What I can't stomach is a group that wants separation or recognition based on their choice. I'm not talking seasons. I'm talking elitist.

I'm a bowhunter when bowhunting, a rifle hunter when rifle hunting, and a muzzleloader when hunting with a muzzleloader. I don't belong to any specialist groups as they promote special interests, not hunting and, the bulk of my contributions belong in the hands of people that have the ability and inclination to protect ALL hunting.

I admit, I have been looking at my SCI membership really hard due to the way they handled this Cecil affair. And, unless they have a really good reason for dropping Mr. Palmer prematurely, I will never again renew due to the fact they dropped Walt Palmer before the facts were known.

In short, support who is supporting hunting is my opinion. I see no problems with bow only organizations AFTER/IF they are prioritized after those that protect ALL of hunting. Right now the NRA is the leader of the pack and, will likely always be. This really isn't debatable. As no one can make the claims they can for protecting our hunting rights. No matter who they are. If you are a hunter, you belong in the NRA. Period. God Bless

I disagree with all of them from time to time and do plenty of complaining but I feel as a member I have a right to complain. Not so much for the non member. Over all I would never change a thing.

Good luck with your decision.

I believe in organizational unity. These is no perfect organization but look at the overall purpose and mission of an organization. These organizations help to represent me an my beliefs and values on an international, national and state level.

I encourage others to join, belong, participate and contribute. Lone wolves seldom win, but a pack is a force to be dealt with!

Larry Higgins is the current president

Still looking, though it sure could have slipped by me.

What has Pope and Young done to actually protect all kinds of hunting in the U.S.?

Honest question, no need to flame.

Through the years I've seen a lot of groups get involved, some have contacted me directly - they haven't been one of them.

If the big boys like NRA RMEF open there mouths then this will get the ball rolling

Safari Club International is an organization that EVERY hunter should be a member of. You can join right now as a new member for 1 year for $35. The organization has a sole purpose of protecting hunters rights.

Just because they have NOT made a public statement or made some showboat CNN interview does not mean that they are not currently working on solutions. SCI concentrates a lot on legislation to protect our rights.

They understand that public opinion and emotion can sway like the wind...take a look at the Confederate Flag issue.

The Safari Club International FOUNDATION is a totally different entity. This organization, while supported by SCI, is mainly concentrated on conservation efforts. This is where you can support conservation projects such as research projects and conservation initiatives.

So... you should be a Member of SCI first and foremost. Secondly, you should be a member of the NRA and P&Y.

Conservation Force is another good organization to contribute money towards.

Just remember... organizations like P&Y, B&C, RMEF, Wild Turkey, ect are not protecting everyone's right to hunt on the front line, which these days happens to be in politics. Without your right to hunt...all the organizations fall.

We are all about bowhunting, and doing it ethicly: Traditional AND Compound.

The PBS has 20+ (I believe) bowhunts scheduled for members only just this year alone. They range from: Hogs in the South East; whitetail and bear in the North East; whitetail in the Midwest; bowfishing the Gulf Coast; Texas hog hunts; western Elk and Mule Deer; Turkey hunts around the country; Kodiak Island Alaska; Cous deer in Arizona, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Politics are fine for the organizations that want to tackle that. We, the PBS, are all about BOWHUNTING!!!

The PBS isn't for everyone, but you will never know unless you join. The quarterly publication, itself, is WELL worth the cost of the associate membership.

Here is a link. Let them know I, Mike Vines, sent you...

http://www.probowsociety.net/PBS/PBS_Memberships.html

This creates a divide amongst ourselves.

The ones who understand and see ethical Bowhunting the way we do, stay. The ones who don't, move on to find their place within another organization.

That's why there are so many different organizations out there. There is no single outfit that pleases everyone (same with websites), and I honestly believe there never will be. Find the one that makes you happy and move forward in life.

A lot of people just aren't "Joiners" of anything and chose to just ride along. That's fine too. It's how they chose to live, and as a free society, we are allowed to do just that.

NRA has to be next. As a gun owner, this is a no brainer.

Thank you again, I will be " cattle prodding" 5 others to do the same.

Rich

You should come out to the convention this year in Vegas. And bring your cousin with you!!

http://www.iucn.org/

I am sure they aren't prefect but they have a huge footprint, lots of scientist who support hunting when done properly and they aren't tied to hunting in any way, shape or form.

Just thought I would throw that out there since I think it's good to support both the hunting orgs but also those who support us even though they don't hunt.

Here's my fav quote from them on the Africa situation:

I’m afraid while it would be nice to be able to recommend alternative approaches for conservation that don’t involve killing animals (even those that will no longer contribute to population growth), we view trophy hunting as playing an important and generally effective role in conservation over large areas of Africa in particular, with important local livelihood benefits in some contexts, such as in Namibia.

Another:

In an ideal world rhinos wouldn’t be under such extreme threat and there would be no need for trophy hunting. However, the reality is that rhino conservation is incredibly expensive and there are huge pressures for land and protective measures; field programs that use trophy hunting as a conservation tool, can use funds raised to provide a real difference for the protection of rhino populations.

I am a life member of P&Y, and a member of B&C and SCI. As Deerhaven said above, I will be joining US Sportsman's Alliance (USSA) and probably DSC as well.

I have not had one person at work (most do not hunt) say one bad thing to me at work. As Charlie said, if you do it right, are ethical, and a good representative for hunting, people think/know you are a pretty good guy.