One item for the birds

[Golden Hour]

Years ago, the founder of the company I work for was looking for ways to invest his money. Since there wasn't any more being made, he chose to purchase various tracts of land, both as a source of income, as well as recreation. At this time, pheasant numbers were down and he and his son purchased a couple dozen pheasants and released them on one of the farms. A few weeks later they came back to hunt. The son was walking and the dad blocking. A pheasant flushed and flew right toward the dad. As he raised his gun to shoot, the rooster stopped short, landing on the wooden fence post just a few yards away. They left the farm (and the simpleton rooster) and decided to take a different course, the habitat development course.

Fast forward a quarter century or so. Even though the founder has passed on, his love of the outdoors and his passion for conservation carry through today. Two years ago, we developed an item called Pro Pheasants. The thought was simple. Every penny of profit made on that item would be put back into local habitat. After a couple years of generating revenue and discussions of where to spend those dollars, the first contracts were signed this past weekend. The program isn't directly tied in with NRCS, but we are giving $50 per acre (on top of any other money they might receive) to folks who plant/care for tree protection/nesting habitat projects.

Anyway, I have tried to promote this idea to other retail businesses. Select one item off of the shelf and donate all of the profits toward a particular cause. I tried to share this revenue generating idea with another conservation group and was basically told to piss off. But that is a whole other story.

Anyway, the off season is kinda like a birthday party at the nursing home. You know it has to happen, but no one is really having a good time. Thought some of you might like this story.

 

[A5 Sweet 16]

Nice work, Pro Pheasants.
Was the group that told you to go pound sand Pheasants Forever? If so, I'm not surprised.
They say they're "The Habitat Organization", dedicated to providing habitat so wild pheasants can flourish. Then they use flare nare pseudo pheasants in their calendars, shoot flare nares on The Flush, etc. I know some local chapters have their poop in a group, but on the whole, they're NOT dedicated to wild pheasants if you ask me. Too bad they didn't think your idea was worthy, because it sounds to me like it's working.

 

[Golden Hour]

Nice work, Pro Pheasants.
Was the group that told you to go pound sand Pheasants Forever? If so, I'm not surprised.
They say they're "The Habitat Organization", dedicated to providing habitat so wild pheasants can flourish. Then they use flare nare pseudo pheasants in their calendars, shoot flare nares on The Flush, etc. I know some local chapters have their poop in a group, but on the whole, they're NOT dedicated to wild pheasants if you ask me. Too bad they didn't think your idea was worthy, because it sounds to me like it's working.

Yes, it was PF. I get that they might not want to show people an item with Pro Pheasants on it and I even offered to hide the title because, as you said, it's the idea of businesses raising money to help pheasants that I was hoping to promote. And it might have just been the gentleman that I spoke with.

 

[hunter94]

i refuse to give PF a dime, they cater to their own desires and to their own guys.

 

[Golden Hour]

i refuse to give PF a dime, they cater to their own desires and to their own guys.

I was genuinely shocked that an organization purportedly dedicated to habitat improvements for the conservation of pheasants would so quickly dismiss an idea based solely on the packaging of an item. We had also tried to have a discussion with PF about different avenues to spend the money and they refused to even talk about pheasant habitat with anyone not associated with their group, but did say we could give the money to them. That told me everything I needed to know.

 

[Wind River]

Many of the wildlife organizations have lost the personal touch of communication. Sad, try to get a call back sometime from any wildlife group.

 

[goldenboy]

Anyway, the off season is kinda like a birthday party at the nursing home. You know it has to happen, but no one is really having a good time. Thought some of you might like this story.

That statement right there just about made me spit my coffee out this morning! Great humor for my day. I feel sad that PF has gone the direction they have. I think the initial thought was a way to help local guys put their dollars into local habitat. The corporate side of things always breaks down to the dollar. Great idea, don't give up on it.

 

[birddude]

Q.U. sure left a bad taste in my mouth. I quit P.H., N.R.A. W.T.F. Once most organizations reach x amount seems like some sort of scandal or corruption happens.

 

[Redmoose]

Have you try Sportmans for Fish and Wildlife. They have done a lot for Utah WMA's for habitat. Plant shelter belts, at Wma's and rebuilt some dikes and boat ramps. They been restoring our mule deer winter ranges.

 

[remy3424]

Nice of you 2 to tag-team a PF beat-down. Smells like an organized little poop slinging to me. Lost a little respect for both of you with this thread.
They are doing their thing, you can do your thing and now you want to bash them why? Your issue again is what? I continued to be floored by pheasant hunters that don't like and won't support PF. What other organization does anything close to what PF does for pheasant habitat?
Rant over.

 

[Bob Peters]

GH, thanks for posting, I love hearing a story like this where grass roots fundraising is helping to start and improve pheasant habitat. If I ever saw this "item for the birds" I'd slap down much hard earned cash to support wild birds and American independence. When it comes to PF, I'm conflicted. It's an organization that has done a lot to promote and help wild pheasant hunting in the US. I've had some very close contact with some from the corporate office and they are very friendly and open minded people. I have called a few of the biologists for info, and a guy from Iowa especially was very helpful and kind. I also know a member who started a chapter when pf was in its infancy. He worked out a deal to buy an acreage next to a wma for a sum of around 20,000 dolllars. PF denied the purchase because it needed to be a minimum of $50,000 in order to "cover payroll." He was eventually forced out of the chapter he founded by PF. When I've watched "the Flush"(which is rare), it appears to me as a canned hunt of pen-raised roosters. The fact that these guys get a bunch of info from locals and just show up and hunt a hot spot turns me off. I show up and bang out the few wild birds I get each year, but "by God" I earned every one! Working for a non profit "habitat organization" I wonder how Howard Vincent, pheasants forever ceo, is justified being paid $340,000 a year.

 

[GetTothePoint]

Nice of you 2 to tag-team a PF beat-down. Smells like an organized little poop slinging to me. Lost a little respect for both of you with this thread.
They are doing their thing, you can do your thing and now you want to bash them why? Your issue again is what? I continued to be floored by pheasant hunters that don't like and won't support PF. What other organization does anything close to what PF does for pheasant habitat?
Rant over.

I'm a Kansas resident but I can't really think of anything that I've seen that QF or PF has done for habitats in our state. I remember seeing a PF tract 20 yrs ago near Osborne but it was a revolving door of hunters and useless after the first few days. I think we'd all be ahead to find the right farmer and give them the dollars, you'd give PF, to improve a little something on their property. Your dollars would go a lot farther that way. Im still pretty new to SD hunting, less than 20 days, but can't say I've seen any PF fields there either.

And I don't ever hear their voice fighting against these dwindling crp contracts and farming practices that have habitat disappearing very rapidly.

 

[gimruis]

I wonder how Howard Vincent, pheasants forever ceo, is justified being paid $340,000 a year.

That is appalling. Thanks for sharing. They won't be getting a dime from me again.

 

[Golden Hour]

Nice of you 2 to tag-team a PF beat-down. Smells like an organized little poop slinging to me. Lost a little respect for both of you with this thread.
They are doing their thing, you can do your thing and now you want to bash them why? Your issue again is what? I continued to be floored by pheasant hunters that don't like and won't support PF. What other organization does anything close to what PF does for pheasant habitat?
Rant over.

First, this post was about raising money for pheasants and putting it toward habitat. The subject of Pheasants Forever was intentionally left out of my original post. You can think what you want about an organized effort, but you would be wrong.

Second, the issue is not and never has been what PF has done in creating habitat. I'm proud of the company I work for and am not trying to sound like we are any sort of angels, but taking the entirety of profits from an item and donating to pheasant habitat is pretty awesome. What would be even better is if other retail businesses did the same. So I tried to share that idea with the largest pheasant conservation group on the planet. And was shot down, very rudely. And when I offered to blur out the references to an organization that wasn't PF, the answer was still no. The only answer I can come up with is that it is because PF didn't have their name on it.

But the real kicker was having two different members of Pheasants Forever refuse to even talk about what types of projects might be worthy endeavors for the money we had raised. Wouldn't even have a conversation about pheasant habitat. I get that as a Rooster Booster, a guy might not be a big deal, but the arrogance of refusing to talk to a guy who is a freaking member of PF about pheasant habitat because the money was raised from another organization is disheartening.

It is for these reasons that I have a grievance with PF. They'll still receive money and their overall mission is good, I just wish it was 100% dedicated to the proliferation of pheasants.

EDIT: ...proliferation of "wild, hatched on the prairie by a hen that was hatched on the prairie" pheasants.

 

[birddude]

I'm a Kansas resident but I can't really think of anything that I've seen that QF or PF has done for habitats in our state. I remember seeing a PF tract 20 yrs ago near Osborne but it was a revolving door of hunters and useless after the first few days. I think we'd all be ahead to find the right farmer and give them the dollars, you'd give PF, to improve a little something on their property. Your dollars would go a lot farther that way. Im still pretty new to SD hunting, less than 20 days, but can't say I've seen any PF fields there either.

I'm a Kansas resident but I can't really think of anything that I've seen that QF or PF has done for habitats in our state. I remember seeing a PF tract 20 yrs ago near Osborne but it was a revolving door of hunters and useless after the first few days. I think we'd all be ahead to find the right farmer and give them the dollars, you'd give PF, to improve a little something on their property. Your dollars would go a lot farther that way. Im still pretty new to SD hunting, less than 20 days, but can't say I've seen any PF fields there either.

My point was not necessarily to trash P.F. Just pointing out that almost any time a lot of money is involved there's some crook trying to get it. We donate to American Paralyzed Vets. Audubon Society, etc. If I hunted ducks, I would join them, because I know these groups do some good things. I was in N,W.T.F. for years. Now there are turkeys everywhere here. I don't see how they could do any more so, adios to them. I was a Q.U. member. Helped with projects, donated paintings and such for the annual auctions. Then they went belly up because they spent most of the money buying a plantation, and catering to movie stars and pro athletes shooting pen raised birds for photo ops. than giving back to the grass root boys who really needed them! I was a P.F. member. Then after almost 40 years of hunting Phez in Iowa and K.S. I realized I never saw any indication that I have ever hunted anywhere that they helped. I worked hard for 50 years for what I have so forgive me for looking at these groups out of the corner of my eye.

 

[A5 Sweet 16]

Nice of you 2 to tag-team a PF beat-down. Smells like an organized little poop slinging to me. Lost a little respect for both of you with this thread.
They are doing their thing, you can do your thing and now you want to bash them why? Your issue again is what? I continued to be floored by pheasant hunters that don't like and won't support PF. What other organization does anything close to what PF does for pheasant habitat?
Rant over.

When someone says, “…with another conservation group and was basically told to piss off. But that is a whole other story,” is it REALLY another story? It seemed like a door too open to not walk through. But your smeller’s a little off; there was nothing “organized” about it. I happened to know just a little of the back story on this one. I happen to be interested in pheasant/habitat projects. While I am a PF supporter & can name no organization that has done so much for pheasants & pheasant hunting, I find myself increasingly at odds with their modus operandi. This forum is full of real examples of how PF hasn’t lived up to the expectations of pheasant hunters, especially more recently, and especially at a corporate level. Some are listed in this thread.

I’m guessing almost everyone who’s ever visited this site sees the good PF has done. But that doesn’t mean we have to gush over them. I think the main reason any of us point out PF’s shortcomings, as we see them, is that we’d prefer to see them corrected. We’d prefer to see the organization improve! The way to make that happen is NOT to remain silent, willingly accepting obvious deficiencies.

A relatively small local group develops a seemingly effective way to raise a significant amount of money for pheasants & the places they live. They take it to the world’s foremost “advocate for pheasants”, thinking they’ll at LEAST get a little constructive input, if not a partnership. They’re told essentially, “You don’t have enough money for us to be concerned with you. But you can sure give US your money! We’ll allocate much of it to corporate, up-front, overhead type costs. But maybe there will be a little left to buy a few trees or something.” To me, exactly NOTHING about that makes sense.

 

[gimruis]

I used to be a donating member of many different conservation organizations. PF, DU, NWTF, BASS, and even the NRA. I quit all of them many years ago for various reasons, some of which have already been stated.

The problem is that they're all like a used car salesman. They NEVER stop bothering you for more money. Its merciless. Mail, email, even random phone calls. Dude, just get off my back already. You aren't going to persuade me to re-join with your free vest or stickers. If I want to re-join, I will. But please stop bothering me like I just won the publishers clearing house.

 

[Redmoose]

The real problem with these organizations only spend small percentage go to cause, 90 percent of money goes to fundraising and administration. The money that your group raises, goes to another state to be spend. I would prefer not to get magazine or vest, I like that money use for habitat. I never seen any projects or signs saying this is PF Project. I have see DU projects in Canada and in Dakotas.

 

[remy3424]

So GS starts the thread, you (A5) add your bit about "Was the group that told you to go pound sand Pheasants Forever? If so, I'm not surprised" you already knew it was "I happened to know just a little of the back story on this one." and off we go to trash PF. I would say it was set-up nicely as A5 so much as admits. The smeller seems to be working fine. Enough of this, they didn't want to play your game and now your last feeling got hurt. So stir-up the anti PF talk again.

Get past the directors at the local levels (all volunteers), these fellas do get paid, as it is their full-time jobs in this business. Vincent pulls down good money as the CEO, seems like a lot....is it out of line with similar companies comp plans for the CEO position??? Some here seem to think so, I have no idea. Most companies would not make that public information, as a non-profit, it must have to get released.

If you have hunted public land, you may have benefited from the trolls at PF and their hapless efforts, they have helped acquire 187,000 acres, which are now open to public hunting.

If you google PF, with very little effort, you can find that 84.6% of their funds go to Programs, 3.5% toward Admin Expenses and 11.8% to fund raising (per Charity Navagator).

You don't see their signs and banners waving on all the projects they have contributed to. The local directors came out and helped get us started with taking ground out of production (no government program then) and into habitat back in 2005, they have helped cost share shelter belt trees and provided seed for food plots...no signs or banners flying there either. Maybe if they badged everything they contributed to, you would know and then be able to complain about that them clamoring for the attention/recognition...there is no winning.

I like them, I like what they do, I love pheasants and I don't apologize for it. I attend the local banquets and spend some money, as that is what they use for the projects they do, the $35 memberships go to corporate, that isn't doing anything at the local level for projects. If you think pheasants are better without them, bash away.

 

[hunter94]

So GS starts the thread, you (A5) add your bit about "Was the group that told you to go pound sand Pheasants Forever? If so, I'm not surprised" you already knew it was "I happened to know just a little of the back story on this one." and off we go to trash PF. I would say it was set-up nicely as A5 so much as admits. The smeller seems to be working fine. Enough of this, they didn't want to play your game and now your last feeling got hurt. So stir-up the anti PF talk again.

Get past the directors at the local levels (all volunteers), these fellas do get paid, as it is their full-time jobs in this business. Vincent pulls down good money as the CEO, seems like a lot....is it out of line with similar companies comp plans for the CEO position??? Some here seem to think so, I have no idea. Most companies would not make that public information, as a non-profit, it must have to get released.

If you have hunted public land, you may have benefited from the trolls at PF and their hapless efforts, they have helped acquire 187,000 acres, which are now open to public hunting.

If you google PF, with very little effort, you can find that 84.6% of their funds go to Programs, 3.5% toward Admin Expenses and 11.8% to fund raising (per Charity Navagator).

You don't see their signs and banners waving on all the projects they have contributed to. The local directors came out and helped get us started with taking ground out of production (no government program then) and into habitat back in 2005, they have helped cost share shelter belt trees and provided seed for food plots...no signs or banners flying there either. Maybe if they badged everything they contributed to, you would know and then be able to complain about that them clamoring for the attention/recognition...there is no winning.

I like them, I like what they do, I love pheasants and I don't apologize for it. I attend the local banquets and spend some money, as that is what they use for the projects they do, the $35 memberships go to corporate, that isn't doing anything at the local level for projects. If you think pheasants are better without them, bash away.

84.6 for projects? qualify that, where, when, what? no signs, no ,banners, no money. Vincent milking the cow.
if his heart was really in it, he would do the job for a helluva lot less!