Pheasants Forever Banquet Ideas

I appreciate the feedback and glad to know I’m on the right track with the firearms we’re looking at!

Something to consider in MN, specifically, on the type of firearms offered in a raffle.

MN requires a "permit to purchase" when acquiring specific type of firearms. Handguns and ARs fall into this category because they have a "pistol grip." You may want to consider this when raffling off guns. Will be much easier for the individual to obtain their prize if it falls outside of this rule.

I know for a fact that if I won a handgun or AR, I would have to go through the process of acquring that permit before I could claim my prize. Not that I wouldn't necessarily do it; but it would be an added hurdle. (The permit to purchase is different than a carry permit; once you obtain a carry permit, you also have rights to purchase).

If you go with a standard shotgun or rifle instead, that hurdle does not exist. The individual can claim the prize by simply passing a standard back ground and mental health check.

And before anyone starts criticizing me here on this - I didn't write the rules here. I'm just explaining how it works in one specific state where the banquet is being held.
 
Something to consider in MN, specifically, on the type of firearms offered in a raffle.

MN requires a "permit to purchase" when acquiring specific type of firearms. Handguns and ARs fall into this category because they have a "pistol grip." You may want to consider this when raffling off guns. Will be much easier for the individual to obtain their prize if it falls outside of this rule.

I know for a fact that if I won a handgun or AR, I would have to go through the process of acquring that permit before I could claim my prize. Not that I wouldn't necessarily do it; but it would be an added hurdle. (The permit to purchase is different than a carry permit; once you obtain a carry permit, you also have rights to purchase).

If you go with a standard shotgun or rifle instead, that hurdle does not exist. The individual can claim the prize by simply passing a standard back ground and mental health check.

And before anyone starts criticizing me here on this - I didn't write the rules here. I'm just explaining how it works in one specific state where the banquet is being held.
That really sucks, who came up with that...Waltz? Pistol grip, they make a gun look dangerous.:ROFLMAO:
Funny how MN and IA are so different and so close.
 
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That really sucks, who came up with that...Waltz? Pistol grip, they make a gun look dangerous.:ROFLMAO:
Funny how MN and IA are so different and so close.

That law has been on the books since I was legally able to buy firearms at 18. So its at least 24 years.
 
That law has been on the books since I was legally able to buy firearms at 18. So its at least 24 years.
So long before Waltz. So is it a big deal to purchase ARs and handguns? Is your "permit" good for one purchase or for so many years? In your neighboring state to the south, as crazy as it seems, they can sell us anything, short of full autos, with a quick background check or instantly if you have a purchase permit or concealed carry permit. Nuts, right! Barring you are not a felon, don't have a history of violence, not a user of illegal drugs, etc.
 
So long before Waltz. So is it a big deal to purchase ARs and handguns? Is your "permit" good for one purchase or for so many years? In your neighboring state to the south, as crazy as it seems, they can sell us anything, short of full autos, with a quick background check or instantly if you have a purchase permit or concealed carry permit. Nuts, right! Barring you are not a felon, don't have a history of violence, not a user of illegal drugs, etc.
1 year for permit to purchase, 5 years for permit to carry (which doubles as a permit to purchase, as gim said).

Here are the details on the guns that require the permit to purchase: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/pu...how-obtain-transfer-firearm/bca-list-firearms

Can affect some shotguns too, in theory.
 
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I think the "gun I wouldn't buy" is a slippery slope, the gun I wouldn't buy but would love to own is a pretty narrow window. I won a O/U .410 a while back, I haven't bought a ticket since. I hate being a sore looser but I was frustrated that the retailer that was the FFL wouldn't even give me store credit. I suppose they didn't want it either!

I like the idea of gun safes, a couple months of dog training with a local pro, or a drawer system from Decked.
We try to always have 1 or 2 guns that most would want to own, but wouldn't spend their own money on it. The best example of this was the year for our "door prize" drawing, we gave away a Charles Daly Triple Crown. There is no way I would want to ever carry it in the field, but I would love to hang it above the mantle for conversation starters. We have also done a few Browning White Gold Medallion with Maple stocks. Man are they pretty, but what do you do with it? If you win it, you don't feel like you have to do anything but look at it!
 
1 year for permit to purchase, 5 years for permit to carry (which doubles as a permit to purchase, as gim said).

Here are the details on the guns that require the permit to purchase: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/bca/pu...how-obtain-transfer-firearm/bca-list-firearms

Can affect some shotguns too, in theory.
I can see how the citizens of the state are much safer with this regulation in place. My guess is that the people who came up with this, don't even own a gun.
 
I was a long time MN chapter officer and banquet co-chair. My Co- chair and I took over at time when the chapter membership banquet seemed to be in decline, particularly youth attendance. We decided memberships were more important than total dollars so we did three things: 1. We subsidized youth tickets, only charging for the youth membership and not the meal; 2. Subsidized the meal cost for adults; and 3. Increased the quality of the prizes. Attendance had dropped below 300 and we got attendance back up over 400 (including about 70 kids) and still made money comparable to chapter history.

We tried a lot of different games and prizes. The only thing that really seemed to hit any kind of paydirt were the lifetime license giveaways, one for adult and one for kids. Other items- TVs, drones, supposed discount safaris, were disappointing.

We also improved on the show of the prizes. Plenty of physically big items like pop up ice fishing houses or tree stands, but not necessarily top of the line brands, but show nice none the less.

But guns were still the best sellers and we have away upwards of 40 guns and we got away from Mossberg 500s and more towards Benelli when it came to quality. No, we didn't give away 40 Benelli and yes we gave away some cheap guns but no games, board or table was going to have an 870 or 10/22 as the top prize.

We'd save 2 or 3 high quality guns for pop up raffles, after all other games had closed, too get the last $20 (or $40 or $60) out of the pockets. Sometimes, reading the room, we would save a gun or two for the following year.

As for games, we learned that games that move fast made the most money and slow games (multiple dice rolls for instance) made less despite the prize matrix.

Our biggest prize was an outside, attendance not required raffle of 9 Browning shotguns, rifles and a pistol, plus a gun cabinet, later a safe. That sold a lot of tickets for what was then a higher price. I see a lot of organizations moving towards very high value raffles like ATVs and Ice Castles, with high volume high price tickets with a lot of success. It seems to me that there is a growing market of folks who would rather spend $100 on a chance at a high value prize than $20 on a chance at a gallon of carpet shampoo.
 
Our chapter usually does a bunch of raffles for guns that I don't want to own so I don't buy tickets.
Example are a Mossberg pump, CZ SxS or O/U, Steven's 555 or any Stoeger. Now if they did a raffle for a Browning Sweet Sixteen, a Benelli auto, or a Beretta Auto or O/U, a Franchi auto or O/U, I'd buy a ticket for that and pay more for the ticket. I also am not a big fan of 28 gauges. Last year they had two 28 gauges. If it a 12, 16 or 20 I'm much more likely to buy a ticket.
I may not be the "average" banquet attendee but I will buy tickets for something I want, but won't buy for something that I don't want.
Agreed. So many fundraisers for various kids groups, kids trips, kids sports teams around here have raffles for whatever the cheapest entry level rifle or shotgun they can get their hands on. I'll pay my $20 and almost hope I don't win. I'd much rather pay $100 to the same group for a chance at something 'nice' and not made in Turkey with a plastic stock on it.

A local group for years did a 5 gun raffle as their big money making project. It was a Browning Buckmark .22 pistol, a Browning SA22 rifle, a Browning Citori Shotgun, and a Browning A-Bolt rifle and one more Browning gun, I can't remember what. The winner took all 5 prizes. They had a table set up at about every local event/craft show/festival/parade. They made bank selling those tickets even though the guns were a bit higher end for their initial outlay. Everybody wanted a set of Brownings, as opposed to a Mosserg Maverick.
 
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