Great episode 7

[Oneye]

Loved the podcast, and I'm glad someone with a playform is finally calling out BGF and SFW.

 

[jryoung]

Just got done listening, I'm wondering if Randy's blood pressure has come back to normal yet. Another great episode and another great guest.

 

[Nutrioso]

Ed Arnett was a an excellent guest and this was another great podcast. No need to apologize for being unfiltered. This is exactly the type of discussion we need on conservation topics.

 

[Matt/VT]

I liked it, learned a lot. I always like listening to smart people talk.
I also appreciate it when people and situations are called out based on fact., especially for those of us remote/unaware of the situation and politics involved.

 

[Whiptail]

Agreed, good podcast. If someone had been that candid about Quail Unlimited decades ago it would have saved(me) a lot. Thanks for exposing the truth.

 

[danadrums]

Yep, #7 was gold. Really appreciated hearing Ed Arnett.
Hey, wait, I live in Loveland! Maybe I can run into him at the coffee shop sometime...

--Dana

 

[7MAG]

We've been enjoying listening to the podcast at the shop. Look forward to more - Thanks!

 

[Lost Arra]

I enjoyed the podcast but when I follow up with reading about the recent ruling (sage grouse not being listed) it almost makes my head hurt. It seems like groups from every side of the issue are upset about something.

 

[Twall13]

Great podcast! This one definitely has me thinking. I appreciate all of the factual information presented and especially the fact that Randy is "unfiltered". This is exactly what the hunting community needs to stay informed.

 

[grizzly_]

Randy, as a Utah resident that is stuck with my tax dollars going towards the groups mentioned in Podcast 7... it was very disheartening to hear their history laid out succinctly. Because of this podcast, today I joined BHA, TRCP, and RMEF. Keep up the good work and more Utah hunters will wise up.

 

[Big Fin]

Randy, as a Utah resident that is stuck with my tax dollars going towards the groups mentioned in Podcast 7... it was very disheartening to hear their history laid out succinctly. Because of this podcast, today I joined BHA, TRCP, and RMEF. Keep up the good work and more Utah hunters will wise up.

Thanks for the kind comment. I wish it was a different outcome and all that money was being spent in a way that could show great results for Utah. Unfortunately, that is not the case and the two groups involved are considered the laughing stock of the hunting/conservation world. In this position I am often in meetings with the national leaders in the hunting and conservation movement. To this point, I have yet to hear a single complimentary word about the two Utah-based groups from any of these national leaders. Maybe my personal experience is an anomaly.

Too bad for Utah, the $4 million of sage grouse welfare has been tossed down a rat hole; an even bigger rat hole than the wolf delisting debacle.

In the podcast I promised that I would provide a link to the news release from the NRA that completely defrocked SFW and BGF. Here is that link - http://www.theoutdoorwire.com/story/13004394711jzrfxykqtu

The last paragraph in that release are the words of the NRA, not Randy Newberg. I quote them below, with my emphasis. Those words are very good advice for anyone dealing with SFW and BGF.

Congressional offices and members of the media should exercise caution in accepting as fact, or repeating, any claims made by Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, Big Game Forever or any person claiming to represent them. Due to the blatant misrepresentation contained in the press release circulated by these two groups, any claims they make in the future should be thoroughly investigated and independently confirmed.

Yesterday, I was sent a link to the BGF website by a person not happy with the facts I provided. On the page the link went to, I found that Ryan Benson is taking credit for wolf delisting. Here is their quote under his bio - An ivy league-trained attorney, "Ryan spearheaded the successful wolf-delisting efforts in Washington D.C."

So there you have it. The guy who worked to derail delisting, the guy who was part of the effort that misrepresented the NRA/B&C/CSF/SCI as opposing delisting; the guy who got tarred and feathered by the NRA for his actions; the guy who claimed the delisting legislation was the doom to hunting in MT and ID, now takes credit for the work so many others did to get delisting in MT and ID; work that required kicking Benson's political teeth down his throat. That he has the stones, or maybe on should say, the dishonesty, to make that claim on his website is a classic representation of how BGF seems to operates.

Yet, BGF has many in Utah convinced that they/he is responsible for wolf delisting. As someone who spent years in the process, that chaps me. I know a lot of people who did a lot of heavy lifting to get that to happen; and none of them were from BGF or SFW. In fact, if not for their interference, we probably could have got an even better outcome on wolf delisting.

I do know this; most every hunter I meet from Utah is a great guy, committed to conservation, and very concerned about the future of hunting in their state. It is that personal experience with so many great folks from Utah that makes the actions I observe from those two Utah-based groups even harder to reconcile. In my personal experience, there is a huge disconnect between the outlook, the generosity, and the concern the average Utah hunter has toward hunting, and the actions of the two groups who claim to speak on behalf of Utah hunters.