Sportsmen’s Forum: Periodically, issues crop up dealing with outdoor activities related to hunting and fishing that need to be discussed on a region-wide basis. When that has happened in the past the Club hosts a Sportsmen’s Forum where representatives of IF&W, biologists, the Warden Service, other issue experts, and members representing other Rod and Gun or Fish and Game clubs in the immediate area come together to discuss. This information sharing helps the public to understand what the controlling agencies’ intent is and they get a sense of the sporting public feels about something like a proposed rule change before it happens.
Good Gear Bucket Raffle: Twice a year we will accept donations from Club members of sporting equipment that they no longer use or want, sometimes slightly used other times still new in the box. The items are then displayed on tables with a bucket for tickets. Members buy tickets and deposit them in the buckets of items they are interested in—the more tickets they put in the greater their chance of selection. At the start of the raffle the buckets are “closed” to further tickets and a drawing is held out of each bucket with the winner going home with his/her new treasure.
Hunter Safety Classes: When we can get a properly certified instructor committed, we will hold a Hunter Safety Classes throughout the year. These are open to the public and allow them to qualify for a Maine Hunting License. We anticipate running several classes this year including some for youth hunters and women.
Social Issues: From time to time the Club gets asked to weigh in on issues that have a broader application than simply hunting and fishing. Sometimes it is just creating a greater awareness on a topic that indirectly affects the sporting world such as the broader issue of gun control, political agendas that are inimitable to issues outlined in our charter such as the Bear Referendum or environmental concerns such as the potential impact of “tar sands” being shipped through pipelines crossing the Crooked River. When that happens we discuss it in full member open forum and decide what, if anything, the Club as an entity should do.
Good Gear Bucket Raffle: Twice a year we will accept donations from Club members of sporting equipment that they no longer use or want, sometimes slightly used other times still new in the box. The items are then displayed on tables with a bucket for tickets. Members buy tickets and deposit them in the buckets of items they are interested in—the more tickets they put in the greater their chance of selection. At the start of the raffle the buckets are “closed” to further tickets and a drawing is held out of each bucket with the winner going home with his/her new treasure.
Hunter Safety Classes: When we can get a properly certified instructor committed, we will hold a Hunter Safety Classes throughout the year. These are open to the public and allow them to qualify for a Maine Hunting License. We anticipate running several classes this year including some for youth hunters and women.
Social Issues: From time to time the Club gets asked to weigh in on issues that have a broader application than simply hunting and fishing. Sometimes it is just creating a greater awareness on a topic that indirectly affects the sporting world such as the broader issue of gun control, political agendas that are inimitable to issues outlined in our charter such as the Bear Referendum or environmental concerns such as the potential impact of “tar sands” being shipped through pipelines crossing the Crooked River. When that happens we discuss it in full member open forum and decide what, if anything, the Club as an entity should do.