NWTF Convention disappointment

[HookedonHooks]

I missed this camo room you speak of. Also missed seeing the taxidermy stuff.


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Did you get the free Tee Shirt form Nomad ?  Wife and i both got one of those ... You could have you pick green or gray color ..

Nomad also had their camo in the event turkey shop BOGO and marked down. Got two very nice came dri-fit material shirts for $20 total no tax.

[mudhen]

Sounds like a great show put on by a great organization!

[silvestris]

It was started with great intentions...

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[TonyTurk]

I would love to attend the convention someday, but that would require me to take a couple days off from work...and I like to save those for turkey season!  Maybe I will go when I retire. 

[bbcoach]

WOW!  I've never been to any of the conventions, just because of the travel time but it sounds like another Strong Armed tactic to gain membership and put money in their coffers.  QDMA did this several years ago and I dropped them.  Seems as if Bass Pro and NWTF have teamed up with the $35 promo, to make you think you are only paying $10 but in fact BP's prices are so high for stuff, they will get that $25 back and tons more.  Marketing Bait and Switch!  Just read where Disney was raising their One day passes to $200 per day, ARE YOU KIDDING, to stand in line all day and pay even higher prices for food and drinks.  Not me!  I'm wondering how BAD the vendors got gouged for their individual tables?  Was there a fee to Park as well?  I'll continue to purchase from the guys here on OG and skip the lines along with the Marketing Bait and Switch.

[Cowboy]

My GF and I spent two days there. I missed the free t shirts I guess. Paid $5 a piece for them. Also didnt realize the Taxidermy was in a different location ? I got to attend the Seniors division prelims and finals for the first time. Got to watch Dave Owens take home the Reserve Championship. We got to meet him and his GF Courtnay. Both extremely good folks and down to earth. We got to see some wonderful ppl get into the Hall of Fame. Overall I guess the show was pretty good. Also renewed my NRA membership while I was there. I look at it this way, $35 spent looking at TURKEY STUFF is better than going out to eat.

[eggshell]

I have expressed my displeasure with the NWTF here before and got hit pretty hard with criticism, but I see that others are feeling like me now. I was on board at the inception and actually met or knew many of the "old guard" officers. I remember when Rob Keck was just some young upstart guy. I actually called in an a amateur competition with him once, where he mentored the contestants with tips. He was a very personable guy. A friend of mine became a regional director and he often called me to take people they wanted to impress on hunts. Mostly these were pheasant hunts and he always joked he didn't want me he just wanted my dog. Anyway, I met a lot of the top people and they were great. As time went on, I saw less and less of these guys as "money men" took over. My friend told me once, "I can't get these new guys to come hunt with us we're not important enough". Since I also worked for DNR I saw how money was spent and that soured me too. All I will say is it wasn't spent wisely on the local chapters. I also contend that the states done most of the hard work and would have done it without the NWTF. What NWTF done best was put more idiots in the woods. OK, I'm starting to rant so I'll quit.

[aclawrence]

I missed this camo room you speak of. Also missed seeing the taxidermy stuff.


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Did you get the free Tee Shirt form Nomad ?  Wife and i both got one of those ... You could have you pick green or gray color ..

Nope dang it!  I carried my little girl this time so I was doing more of a speed walk through anyway. I think she was running out of steam.  Sounds like I missed out on some clothes deals. 


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[bigriverbum]

i work my butt off to be able to find time and afford to hunt and fish all year round. i always feel a certain disconnect when i page through the latest ducks unlimited magazine and see all the big wigs in tuxedos and ball gowns at their "events"

trout unlimited left an even worse taste in my mouth.  bunch of tools

work local and on a personal level with people to make a difference in the world.  more fulfilling than just writing a $35 check once a year

[Fullfan]

I feel the same way as you do, but I saw this 20 years ago.  NWTF is all about $$$  and they will never get another cent from me.

[davisd9]

There are people at the convention I would love to go shoot the bull with, but I have no other interest in it. Unicoi is where I have been going the last few years and the show I will continue to attend. It is made for the everyday turkey hunter without all the gimmick/commercialized crap.

[Brwndg]

i always feel a certain disconnect when i page through the latest ducks unlimited magazine and see all the big wigs in tuxedos and ball gowns at their "events"

DU was the worst when I was involved with them. Every meeting was about how to make more money. At banquets it was push, push, push to get money from folks. Dropped them years ago.
Sad

[guesswho]

We parted ways many moons ago.   If I ever do go to another N"WTF" sponsored event it will be to give them one last moon.

[GobbleNut]

I also contend that the states done most of the hard work and would have done it without the NWTF.

I'm sure this is true in some states, but here in NM that was certainly not the case.  Without us turkey hunters organizing under the banner of the NWTF here, I believe very little would have been done in terms of turkey management or for turkey hunters.  Our organized persistence with our Game & Fish Department back in the 80's and 90's is THE factor that put turkeys on the map here.  Without our insistence that turkeys be managed as a species worthy of their true value as a premier game animal, they would still probably just be a consolation prize for big game hunters.

Having said that, however, we watched over those decades as the emphasis at NWTF headquarters went from being about supporting sound wild turkey management and projects to benefit them to that of feeding the growing corporate machine and the greed that naturally accompanies that.  That transformation is truly unfortunate,...both for wild turkeys,...and wild turkey hunters.

Regardless of all of the above, I hope those that attended the party had a great time!

[NCL]

The need/push for more money seems to be a consistent theme for all these organizations. At various times I have been a committee member for DU, NWTF. Mule Deer and RMEF, along with attendance at their various events and events for other organisations I was not a committee member. I worked on a DU committee for several years and what really soured me was I was giving free labor to an organization that was paying one of it' chief executives $350000 per year when I was making about 20K per year. As has been stated all these organizations seem to start with good intentions and then deteriorate to a money generator for big salaried individuals..