Info on SFW, Sportsmen for Wildlife
Utah
I would like to hear comments and opinions on SFW. Please share your thoughts. Thanks
Outright corrupt. Big Fin (Randy Newberg) does a good job of laying out a strong case against the SFW. Good discussion on the topic in the linked thread
Couldn't agree more Zim.
They are the reason Utah steals more tags to sell to the wealth hunter than all other states combined, if you count convention, conservation and landowner permits.
Tough pill to swallow for the average guy. On the other hand, if you have a spare $20 - $30k to buy tags every year it's awesome :(
Cheers, Pete
For any of you that follow Brian Call/Gritty Bowmen, he’s stirred the pot a bit lately as he aired a podcast this week discussing SFW’s involvement in the hunt expo. He seems to be more in the pro SFW camp but I whole heartedly disagree. You can find the episode on iTunes and YouTube. I’m a fan of his but really disagree with him on this particular point.
If you are an average Joe [financially] and love to bowhunt, especially Elk then SFW is not your friend. Although it is not well known SFW had a hand in killing an archery only elk hunting opportunity in Utah known as AR 301. This tag allowed an archery hunter to apply every year for an elk tag in some of Utah's better Elk units with no waiting period and no preference points involved. Only about 300 tags were up for grabs but I was lucky enough to draw two of the three years the program was in place. I had a great time hunting mature Bulls even though the hunt ended the same time as our LE hunts now end. I have a hard time supporting the whole EXPO tag grab also. Especially when you are aware of the actual amount of money that really hits the ground for conservation. Another thing that is a sore spot with me was how R.M.E.F was shafted out of hosting the Expo. No,I think Utah could and would do just fine without SFW.
I listened to that episode Zim. I was surprised and disappointed.
YZF, so was I. I think he's in a tough spot though...I'd heard on other podcasts that this is his primary source of income now. He's clearly aligned with Mtn Ops given he's "broadcasting" form a studio on their premises and Mtn Ops has to be aligned with the Hunt Expo from a business standpoint in order to grow advertisement presence, gain premier booth placement at the expo, etc. I'm certainly not against the expo, but I am wholeheartedly against the SFW's involvement when folks like Randy Newberg lay out a very clear case against that organization (among others). If you're Brian what do you do when you're in bed with an organization that is in bed with SFW and subsequently learn that SFW is a pox on western hunting? It's a tough situation...ideally I would like to see him call SFW out for the corrupt organization is but at this point I am guessing that would have some pretty negative ramifications for him and his family financially. Trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, he likely got out over his skis on this one not knowing who he was defending and now he can't back out. Either way, anyone in the podcast community that is supposedly for us "little guys" needs to call out SFW and the Utah DNR on these corrupt practices otherwise they will only become more and more emboldened.
I flew into SLC today. As bad as I wanted to stop over to apply for those EXPO tags, I just couldn’t do it. Just kept on driving!
Good for you Jason. I haven't succumbed to the temptation for 7 years now. Just refuse to give them my money to steal our tags and sell to the highest bidder.
Cheers, Pete
I usually go to the Expo but even that circus has lost its appeal to me. Haven't applied for any tag there since they were forced to post the odds.
The expo is a joke, and makes my blood boil as it is the biggest scam around. Public tags are taken out of our hands and auctioned to the highest bidder in the name of conservation. As far as Brian Call I'll never listen to another podcast he does. Over the years I have watched these social media stars succumb to the almighty dollar. They come in claiming humility and doing it for the right reasons and it doesn't take long for their views to be clouded to make a dollar. $FW has done the same thing, started out as a good thing, but has become the biggest downfall to western big game hunting.
OP you can get tons of info on SFW by searching the MM archives. More than you can possibly imagine. Here are a few scandal links from over the years.
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Wherever SFW goes, scandal and corruption follow:
http://kutv.com/news/local/allegations-of-corruption-surround-utah-hungtin-and-conservation-expo
https://www.cascwild.org/don-peay-the-man-who-would-be-king-baron/
http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/conservationist/2012/03/group-founder-declares-north-american-hunting-model-%E2%80%9Csocialism%E2%80%9D
http://www.standard.net/Recreation/2016/02/10/Transparency-still-debated-around-2016-Western-Hunting-and-Conservation-Expo.html
http://www.mtbullypulpit.org/2012/06/pox-on-fox.html
http://www.thewildlifenews.com/2013/03/19/did-don-peays-organization-essentially-buy-utah-division-of-wildlife/
http://westernvaluesproject.org/taxpayer-dollars-down-the-drain-utah-group-favors-privatized-hunting-energy-industry-over-hunters-anglers/
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/us/auctions-introduce-market-forces-to-conservation-but-hunters-cry-foul.html?smid=pl-share&_r=2
http://www.themudflats.net/archives/25891
http://www.sltrib.com/news/4054427-155/rolly-lawyers-criticism-of-herbert-leads
Well Twine, I think there is a guy over on the BG forum talking about aquiring one of the very few limited LE bull tags aquired at the Hunt Expo and asking for "advice"...
Yep, SFW has played us for fools. I believe that way less than 80% of the money ever really hits the ground. Especially when "Uncle Joe" is hired for backhoe work and habitat projects are done on "key" private land in an under the table exchange for "private Ranch hunting permits". There are lots of ways to justify how money was spent but given the amount of money this organization has made "for wildlife" over the years wouldn't you expect our deer and elk herds to be the best in the west? Well … they aren't and they are the organization that orchestrated the current system in Utah.
I sat at the Northern Regional Rac representing bowhunters when they presented the current plan and told us all how we would be able to hunt high quality animals every 4-6 years. I also stepped to the microphone and challenged their thinking. They had so many of their brainwashed followers there that day that I was booed after I made my comments. Anyhow, the memory still makes me want to vomit. We as sportsmen allowed ourselves to be hoodwinked out of our own greed for horn porn despite the warning signs, despite the few of us asking legitimate questions and only getting vague or consciously deceitful answers with word play. I recall at that meeting asking why there was no accountability built in to the law as it was written and Mr. Bateman saying to an applauding house "If we can't do business with just a handshake then we shouldn't do business at all" Think about that statement and let it sink in. Talk about the Naivety in that meeting that day. Yep, I could see the writing on the wall and it has not disappointed. "Don Peay to play" has lived up to his reputation. Enjoy the crumbs and the conventions my fellow Utah'ns because that is about all you are going to get. OIL tag means statistically Never in your lifetime. LE statistically is one maybe 2X in your lifetime. Convention tag odds at best are 1 in 1500. Very far indeed from the sly foxy promises of yesteryear. We now have the creation of the CWMU's which we never had before where state managed lands are to be used to help maintain a high dollar tag on private land. Oh yeah, look at how many Elk bull tags are given to the CWMU's to sell and then look at how many cow elk tags are given to the CWMU's to give out to the general public. Bull tags for private sale and the public joe hunter gets to shoot a cow but wait, if you know the "family" then somehow you can draw out every year. All you have to do is know a guy. Yep lots of fingers in the pot in this system. U-G-L-Y and it is now embedded as deep as a tick can go. I have been hunting out of state for the most part for a while now. I'm sorry boys, I have lost my faith in Utah Wildlife Management. I think I lost it about the same time we "bowhunters" lost the statewide deer hunting opportunity. SFW was the main player in that as well. I don't think you can call SFW any friend to any bowhunter in the state of Utah.
The rmef is just as corrupt!! The chapter president in the Uintah basin poached a big bull elk and the rmef took care of it and swept it under the rug. Also I went to a rmef banquet several years ago and a convicted felon won 4 guns and put them in his moms name and then was selling them to people when they left. When I asked the chapter president about it he said “ who cares. Do you know how much money he spent tonight!!” So I have a hard time swallowing anything the rmef has to say!!
I will take RMEF any day over SFW. I find it hard to believe that RMEF carries enough weight with the UDWR to convince them to look the other way on an Elk poaching incident. Not saying it didn't happen but I would have to see the evidence. As far as the convicted Felon winning a firearm as long as he does not possess the weapon I doubt there would be any violation of his parole.
Alaskahunter, give us some links or I'm calling BS
Still waiting for those links Alaskahunter.
Bunch of Crooked>>Money GRUBBERS, They an the DWR>> Same>>Same>>
