I have defended the RMEF in most of their decisions over the last several years and have volunteered my time and money to the local chapter for 7 years as a committee member. With all the latest turmoil going on about backing the Roadless bill and then pulling their support I have started to feel a little uneasy about the way things were working in the organization. Now I have a reason to worry even more. I was just notified that our regional RMEF director has been let go. Over the past few years of working with him setting up banquets and attending meetings we have become friends. He helped our local chapter when it all but disappeared and now it is beginning to grow. He was always helpful and ready to answer our questions and pitch in when needed. I just got off the phone with our committee chairman who is ready to quit over this and if he does it will most likely be the end of the chapter for the foreseeable future. I'm not about to take his place because I haven't decided if I'm willing to donate more of my time and money to an organization I really no longer trust. None of the other committee members have been able to give up enough of their time to take the position either. I know what the RMEF has accomplished in years past but I am not convinced I want to give them more time and money to help them in the direction they are headed. May be time to start looking for an new organization to support. End Rant.
RMEF Rant
- Thread starter 6speed
- Start date
idnative1948
Well-known member
Ya, that leaves kind of a dirty, fowl taste in your mouth I would guess. Pretty much bites chit, big time.
I believe he was the guy for your area as well. Not really ready to go all in planning the next banquet knowing we won't have him and his wife to help out. We have a small committee and the help they provided will be hard if not impossible to replace.
RockyDog
Member
yes RMEF has done goods things and its too bad. All i can say is i hope either this management leaves or a new group grows to where i can support them instead. Just recently i cancelled my membership.
I dont buy into "the bugle of an elk is like the scream of an engine" as per RMEF ads and i like my elk country without roads, weeds and hoardes of ATVs contrary to RMEF positions.
The good news is im putting my money into other groups because of it and just sent a member. Im really interested in MWF and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
I dont buy into "the bugle of an elk is like the scream of an engine" as per RMEF ads and i like my elk country without roads, weeds and hoardes of ATVs contrary to RMEF positions.
The good news is im putting my money into other groups because of it and just sent a member. Im really interested in MWF and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
ERSS
Well-known member
Got the email about Kim as well, that is too bad he was an advocate for hunters and a strong voice for Idaho. I knew him back when he was a committee member for Pocatello chapter. The tone of the email makes me believe it was not his decision to leave.
Rat Fink
Member
I am no longer with RMEF. I joined the MWF instead. I would rather support a group that supports my view of hunting.
Carrion Carrier
Member
Agree 100%.
The studies are out there. Elk hate motorized vehicles and are highly disturbed by them. The RMEF knows this. What is their motivation to pretend otherwise? $$$
The studies are out there. Elk hate motorized vehicles and are highly disturbed by them. The RMEF knows this. What is their motivation to pretend otherwise? $$$
Talked with the committee chairman. Sounds like a lot more info coming out. He's done I'm done and it sounds like a lot of others in the region are done. More time for me and enough money saved to buy some new hunting stuff next spring. I was spending a few hundred bucks every year at our banquet.
NVLongbow
Active member
Very sorry to hear about the trouble you folks are experiencing.
Thanks for all of the efforts and resources you have put forth through the years.
We in Nevada have reaped huge benefits due to folks like you being involved with the RMEF. Elk populations and quality of animals continue to increase.
Hope some day you see fit to regroup, but if not; thanks again for your past devotion.
NVLongbow
Thanks for all of the efforts and resources you have put forth through the years.
We in Nevada have reaped huge benefits due to folks like you being involved with the RMEF. Elk populations and quality of animals continue to increase.
Hope some day you see fit to regroup, but if not; thanks again for your past devotion.
NVLongbow
Whiskers
New member
Why was he let go?
M. R. Byrd
New member
Could you fill me in on MWF? Did a google search and it came up Millennium Wrestling Federation-----hope that is not it.
I'm looking at either the Mule Deer Foundation or North American Moose Foundation. I haven't decided who to give some money to yet but our chapter chair did mention the possibility of starting a MDF chapter so if that happens I'll probably go that direction.
Could you fill me in on MWF? Did a google search and it came up Millennium Wrestling Federation-----hope that is not it.
Montana Wildlife Federation
dmserpa
New member
Rmef
I hate to see all this condemation of RMEF without knowing all the background info. Is there no one out there from RMEF that can give some insight as to their position? I know from experience that all is not clear about backing legislation, sometimes positions are taken without the public knowing the reasons behind them. How are RMEF positons established and who supports them?
I hate to see all this condemation of RMEF without knowing all the background info. Is there no one out there from RMEF that can give some insight as to their position? I know from experience that all is not clear about backing legislation, sometimes positions are taken without the public knowing the reasons behind them. How are RMEF positons established and who supports them?
M. R. Byrd
New member
Thanks for the info
BuzzH
Well-known member
I dont know the reasons for sure, but I had a good idea why they initially backed the recent legislation and from some very reliable sources, found out I was right.
Its just sad what hunting has become and what it continues to evolve toward.
I think to find the real root of the problem with many groups, all you have to look at is the leadership. I mean, when you're hiring a CEO based on his money raising skills ONLY, what do you expect them to do? Yep, thats right, they raise money, thats what they were hired to do.
In Allens case, and not picking on him, his background isnt with elk...its with the PRCA and Wrangler jeans. Still scratching my head how that skill set makes you qualified to know anything about elk and elk habitat.
Sure, you can hire people that do know about elk and elk habitat, but its impossible for any CEO to totally disregard their bias and background.
The RMEF, like any group, has to evolve, but it would be nice to see a more trim, stream-lined organization that always keeps their mission statement as their #1 priority. When you start selling out your mission statement for profit, its not going to be something that will be over-looked by some of the membership. In particular the core of the group that really DOES expect the RMEF to hold true to their roots (elk and elk habitat).
I get more propoganda in the mail from the elk foundation than the NRA...thats troubling to me and a classic example of how their worship of the almighty $$$ has clouded the mission.
Good shit sells itself...I dont need another RMEF note pad, a fancy banquet, or another 200 address stickers to make me join. I need the assurance of the group that they are being smart with their resources and doing whats best for wildlife. I need to see value in my membership, and frankly, I'm not seeing it anymore with the RMEF.
Its just sad what hunting has become and what it continues to evolve toward.
I think to find the real root of the problem with many groups, all you have to look at is the leadership. I mean, when you're hiring a CEO based on his money raising skills ONLY, what do you expect them to do? Yep, thats right, they raise money, thats what they were hired to do.
In Allens case, and not picking on him, his background isnt with elk...its with the PRCA and Wrangler jeans. Still scratching my head how that skill set makes you qualified to know anything about elk and elk habitat.
Sure, you can hire people that do know about elk and elk habitat, but its impossible for any CEO to totally disregard their bias and background.
The RMEF, like any group, has to evolve, but it would be nice to see a more trim, stream-lined organization that always keeps their mission statement as their #1 priority. When you start selling out your mission statement for profit, its not going to be something that will be over-looked by some of the membership. In particular the core of the group that really DOES expect the RMEF to hold true to their roots (elk and elk habitat).
I get more propoganda in the mail from the elk foundation than the NRA...thats troubling to me and a classic example of how their worship of the almighty $$$ has clouded the mission.
Good shit sells itself...I dont need another RMEF note pad, a fancy banquet, or another 200 address stickers to make me join. I need the assurance of the group that they are being smart with their resources and doing whats best for wildlife. I need to see value in my membership, and frankly, I'm not seeing it anymore with the RMEF.
I have definitely had issues with them over the years, mostly due to the cheap made in china crap they push on their banquet committees. I think they have definitely lost sight of their mission as I understood it. I know they can't protect the amount of habitat they do without making money but it seems that the way they have started to push the money raising agenda is a bit off to say the least. We would lose more committee members every year simply because they didn't want to help with a banquet where they felt like used car salesmen trying to push junk to make a buck. I thought we were growing out of that as the worst case was a few years ago when a state rep of some sort came in to our banquet and started ordering volunteers around to push sales of crap with the logo that no one wanted. Then there was the staged bidder who would run the price up on big money live auction items to make sure there was "enough" profit in the sale. Not just any profit would do as I felt should have been the case. Items bought by the staged bidder would go back to the RMEF to be sold somewhere else. Cheap made in china knives and flashlights every year were a tip off that quality was going down but with the made in USA Bucks they gave away this year we didn't hear near the complaints. That was followed up by the "thanks for making us enough money" committee prize of a garment bag, guess where it was made. When I started on our committee there was 2 of us we put on a small banquet and eked out a profit as I recall. Our last banquet was twice the size and made more money than our chapter has since I joined, we moved to a new venue and were already looking forward to expanding for next year to use up more of the available room. We had a caterer on tap and it was starting to look like our best banquet to date. Now that planning time seems wasted. Even if we weren't mad enough to quit we wouldn't be able to pull it off as the guy they fired would bring his wife and several other volunteers who, as I understand it from a good source, have all resigned. Without their help we would just make ourselves look foolish trying to do the work of so many who had the system down already.
Similar threads
