BigGameHoundsmen.com

http://nhtda.org/index.php/membership/club-membership

Any information about this organization. I found it on FB a couple days ago.

Before people go sending in their dues do their homework on this club. I like the idea but bang sure not convinced it's for real. Their site don't show much and from what I can gather it's very new.

I find it odd that a new club like this is not on this site trying to drum up membership and introducing the club and telling hound hunters who they are and what they are about. Where are they based? Who is their lobbyist?

If there is someone that is involved in the leadership of this club speak up and let's have a question and answer thread about the club and it's goals.

Kind of the reason why I posted this CRA. Was hoping to hear some input like that. You'd think being a big hound site they'd be trying hard.

You would think a site like that that would use spell check. Reminds me of the spam emails from Raulle from Monabuba who needs someone he can trust with his millions.....just needs your bank account number.

Let us know if it is legitimate.

I think its the guys that done the tailgate adventure shows that started this. They promote the club on the UKC forums.

It's David Schmidt with Tail Gate Adventures

http://nhtda.org/index.php/about/board-of-directors

What do you guy's think of this?

I was indeed the producer of Tailgate Adventures, and in the same spirit of promoting (to protect) our sport, I and a few other started this National non-profit, back in the spring. The reason I never got on here to promote it, was in the past, when I attempted to "promote" something "business related" on this forum, my posts were taken down and I was asked to buy advertising space.

CRA - Yes, the non-profit is very new, and so membership has been very light, and therefore so have the revenues. So no, there are no lobbyists as of yet. One you have to be able to afford a lobbyist, and two, as a tax-exempt non-profit, only a minority of your effort can be dedicated to lobbying. So we have much to do, to create a "majority" of our effort, before we would even be allowed to lobby. The incorporation was made in Indiana, but it's a national tax-exempt non-profit, and I'm pretty sure the contacts page have been maintained with my address, although it has changed recently.

So, if moderators are willing to allow it, I would be happy to field anyone's questions, about our organization!

Ok I was going to keep my opinion on this to myself, I've been asked about it privately quite a few times. But I guess I've been called out, so I'll address my concerns and address the comments about moderation as well.

Here were my concerns and still are my concerns to date:

I can ask the Folks in Maine but I don't think this group was even on the Radar with the Fight in Maine when they were being attacked for Hounds this year. In my humble opinion if there was any National association that started this year or recently Maine should have been on the top of the discussion list would be Maine and next would be what happened in California. I haven't found anything that suggests this group considered or talked about either issue and can't find even a Mention about the Maine issue or the outcome of the ballot on your website or facebook posts.

David I apologize I'm sure this sounds harsh especially since I'm sure your personally involved with this and it probably hurts your feelings to hear criticism with something your working really hard on. Trust me I get that, But what your trying to do is going to be a long road to hoe.

Lastly, your comments about moderation: I'm not really going to get too much into your comments but the bottom line is your more than welcome to discuss this on this website, regarding your comments about how and what Moderation we do have here, our rules here on BigGameHoundsmen are pretty clear regarding Business. Your Television show was something that was to make you a profit if I recall you were trying very hard to promote your show for Free here on BGH so you could sell advertisements. I'm sorry you didn't understand why that was not OK. You didn't bring any value to our website except to promote your show. I simply asked if you would allow free advertisement on your Television show. I think I might have mentioned giving Credit to BigGameHoundsmen for advertisement. If not why would you be upset that we don't allow ads on our site for free? It was a while ago but you proceeded to explain to me how TV and Website are entirely different and you didn't need to pay internet guys to promote your TV show. I agreed and although I don't watch your show I hope for your sake it's still going strong. I wasn't singling you out, I've pissed off several others and probably have a few pissed off in the Que right now! Unfortunately I really try to make sure this website does not tun into a discussion about business and stays a discussion about Hunting Dogs. I catch allot of Heat for this rule sometimes, but Even with my own company I try to abide by the same rules as well You'll notice most of my advertisements are in the paid advertisement section and not in the General discussion boards. If you are promoting something you need to make sure that you contribute to the site and don't just show up here to promote the latest and greatest thing you have going to make money.

If you association is genuinely geared to make the right decisions for the Hounds men you will find that most of the members will support you including myself.

We incorporated in March and managed to achieve our tax exempt status in July, and our focus has been organization and working those initiatives that we can effect. We could have discussed the bear hunting issue in Maine and many other topics, but that's a double-edged sword, as the first words out of everyone's mouth is what are you going to do about it??? Even on this thread, someone mentioned a "new" organization, and immediately asked about lobbying, as if that was achievable, on "day one".

The fact is... there are numerous issues that need and deserve "consideration" but the expectation of what that is supposed to be, is much higher than is often achievable. And if you engage in a topic, people assume you can make a difference, and if you don't, they assume you aren't worth supporting. We've asked people to join our organization, and they immediately ask what we're going to do for them? Or they ask about lobbying, or legal support for a friends dog that was shot. But the truth is, if you only have a couple dozen members, and nothing but IOUs in the bank, there's not much you can do!

Our association IS genuinely geared to help houndsmen/women and our great sport, but we have to be careful to not bite off more than we can chew, and/or make promises we can't keep. So we've kept our heads down and focused on some small initiatives like our charity drive, working a DNR education program (started in Wisconsin this past Summer), and putting together a membership discount program so we and our affiliate clubs can help drive membership, and answer the question of "what's in it for me?" that too many houndsmen ask, when you ask them to help you "organize".

On the TV show... you're right, (at the time) I didn't understand why I wasn't allowed to promote a show about hounds. I wasn't making money, never thought I would make money, nor ever intended to make money. All I was trying to do was promote our sport, and that's the only thing I wanted out of it. That's where my head was at... promote the sport for the benefit of all houndsmen. BUT with that said, I can see your perspective and the job you had and have to do. I'm sure there's a lot to sort through and manage on this forum.

The good news, from my perspective, is that many of you have heard about us, and are discussing the topic of organizing nationally! Getting the word out is the first step...

Now... I'd be happy to answer any questions on what we plan to do, with regards to our mission, vision and objectives. And I'd be happy to explain what we're currently working on, with regards to active initiatives and what's on deck, once we have the membership base and funding to be effective. BUT if we want to discuss what we're not doing... well, unfortunately that's a long list, and the priorities drastically change, depending on which part of the massive hound world you come from!

First off I think Buddy gave some "stand up" answers to TGA's questions. and I can see how there could have been some confusion on what was allowable and what the intentions were. My biggest hang up on a National Organization is what I have seen first hand as an officer of a statewide organization trying to preserve the right to bear hunt in Virginia and across the country. It is hard to get the majority people to get off their butts and offer more than lip service and criticism about what is NOT being done in their own state until the war has started and then also most sit back and won't even write a letter or make a phone call on a matter that affects them personally. If you can't get support for local causes them I feel it will be very hard if not impossible to get the organization and support that an organization on a national level will require. I wish the best and hope you prove me wrong but you have one steep climb to make this get off the ground. Sorry to sound this way but it is what I believe from what I have seen over the years.

TGA,

We (Double U) help and donates to more hound groups and associations than any other company that I'm aware of. Most of the time we have to justify which groups are actually fund raising to use the funds to fight for rights, and which ones are looking for Free Gifts.

I want to clarify, I don't think your looking for free gifts at all and I think your intentions are good. I don't know if you'll be able to execute. I apologize for being so direct but your talking about is a National organization, That is a HUGE undertaking.

I have a couple questions for you. I'm just going to ask them, especially since this is a National Organization I'm not going to pull any punches? If you have things going right I'm sure you'll find Double U a Huge Asset to what you are tying to do.

How are your officers selected?

Who have you offered a director position to and More importantly Why did you select them?

Where are your meetings held? How often? Phone, In person?

Do you have bylaws to follow when selecting and where to fund issues?

Which bank are you using, A local bank or is it a national bank?

Who is authorized on the Bank account and why?

Since this is a National organization, What groups nationally have you reached out to to discuss this? What was the feedback?

How many paid members do you have?

So far would you consider your efforts a success or Failure what are you going to do differently for 2015?

David,

Sorry my daughters School called before I was able to proof my post earlier. I also want to be clear these are questions that I've been thinking about for about two years now regarding starting an association. It has more to do with my concerns for starting a National Organization and not as much your group. Although these might seam pointed at your association they are more questions that i have not found an answer for starting something with others, I'm hopeful that you've found a way to build the correct foundation. --Buddy

a national hound org. would have to contact the state and regional org.s and work with them before i could ever believe that they had a chance to get enough support to really consider them a viable contender. work with the different kennel clubs etc, but until they get the "grass roots" support it's going to keep getting those questions of what they are doing for the houndsmen. you have to remember your asking them to support you and then not expect support from you. anyway with out the bottom the top is useless just look at our federal government.

Buddy,

I'm happy to answer your questions. Here they are, in direct response:

How are your officers selected?

Our officer were initially selected by myself and my business partner and VP, Joe Newlin. When you start from scratch, someone needs to make those initial decisions. After it's creation, though, the organization's officers are selected as defined in the By-Laws which are approved by the state in which you incorporate and the IRS, given the tax -exempt nature of the non-profit. In our case, they are voted on by the board, annually.

Who have you offered a director position to and More importantly Why did you select them?

Beyond the three executive officers (Pres., VP and Secretary) we have two directors. Dan Kirschner who I know well as a successful guide and business man. Because he is a very articulate houndsmen, he's a big game hunter (which we need to balance Joe and I's coonhound experience), and he has some lobbying experience in the state of Michigan. The other director is Erica Froeming, who is a passionate and experienced houndswomen and organizer. Because of her organizational skill and the fact that she had personally undertaken hound and coon hunting training for Wisconsin DNR officers and biologists, which is a program we want to spread to other states.

Where are your meetings held? How often? Phone, In person?

We have officers in North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana, so our meetings are held virtually, over the phone and internet. We formally meet a minimum of semi-annually, but there are a lot of email and phone conversations in between. Also, I personally plan to meet and speak with each of them, a couple times per year.

Do you have bylaws to follow when selecting and where to fund issues?

Yes, incorporation and tax exempt applications require it.

Which bank are you using, A local bank or is it a national bank?

We use a national bank... US Bank, with a corporate account.

Who is authorized on the Bank account and why?

The president and treasurer have access to ensure appropriate accounting, but expenditures are approved by the board.

Since this is a National organization, What groups nationally have you reached out to to discuss this? What was the feedback?

Unfortunately there's not a directory of all the hound and tree dog associations, which is one of the reasons to be more organized, so we can be aware of one another and work together on common goals. But, surfing the web and periodicals have provided for a laundry list of emails to various organizations (coon hunting, breed specific, cur, beagle and big game), which enabled me to send an introductory email to about 50 plus hound and tree dog groups. I wanted to introduce us, and ask how we can communicate and work together. But just as Bearsnva would likely have predicted, we received only a handful of responses. Our primary goal as an organization is to bring hound and tree dog clubs and associations together. We don't want to replace them, nor do we want to start from scratch. So we created and Affiliate Club program, where clubs' members can have dual membership and gain all the benefits each club has to offer, specifically a growing discount program we offer our members.

How many paid members do you have?

We just passed 50 members, but a coon hunting club just joined as an affiliate, and so their membership roster will be added at the first of the year.

So far would you consider your efforts a success or Failure what are you going to do differently for 2015?

We would love to be much larger than we are, in our first year, but just getting tax exempt status as a rather conservative group (IRS scandal and all) was a victory. We also had several great sponsors come on board, in our first year, offering nice discounts to our current and future members, which is a huge victory. We've kept focused on organization and small achievable initiatives, which we'll continue. IF we reach too high, we may fall flat on our face, and we believe that's why there hasn't yet been a successful national organization. We are going to start focusing on a more grass-roots approach to meeting with small local clubs and building partnerships, because until we have strength in numbers, there's not much else we can do.

Dave

We completely agree pegleg, that's what the Affiliate Club program is all about... not competing with local and regional clubs and associations, rather partnering with them. And the true strength won't be what the NHTDA can do for each club, but rather, what we all do collectively and for one another.

The NWTF, for example, is a very succesful group of sportsmen/women, but they are the sum-total of all their chapters. For us, it didn't make sense to start from scratch, but instead find a way to partner and help grow all the existing state and local clubs. The club that just joined us, saw an opportunity to help the cause, and benefit from the discount program we offer, to potentially help them gain more members. A win-win...