https://firstforhunters.wordpr...ort-cecil-aftermath/

This one of the more interesting comments in the article.

"It was abundantly clear that the rush to judgement over the events in Zimbabwe had already spilled over the boundaries of the single incident. The incredible din of public and media condemnation threatened to conflate the incident with trophy hunting as a whole. Any and all discussion of trophy hunting overseas in this environment would inescapably be seen through the filter of the events in Zimbabwe. That’s why the only public statement made by SCI in this initial period was to effectively disassociate itself from the incident and the individuals involved. And this action was not taken lightly, coming only after hours of sober deliberation by your leadership.

The end result is that only .5% of the coverage of the incident even mentioned Safari Club. And then the furor began to dissipate. The analytics tool confirmed that the peak of the public outrage came and went within four days. Despite the best efforts of many in the media and our political opposition, SCI was not tarred by association with the events in Zimbabwe."

I cracked up when I read that second paragraph earlier today. In other words, it is a victory to be invisible. Wonder if the NRA believes that it is a victory to be invisible when the Second Amendment is under attack? If there was ever any doubt as to whether SCI's strategy is defensive or offensive, we know the answer now. Actually I find their defensive strategy offensive . . . so to speak.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeBurke:
https://firstforhunters.wordpr...ort-cecil-aftermath/

This one of the more interesting comments in the article.

"It was abundantly clear that the rush to judgement over the events in Zimbabwe had already spilled over the boundaries of the single incident. The incredible din of public and media condemnation threatened to conflate the incident with trophy hunting as a whole. Any and all discussion of trophy hunting overseas in this environment would inescapably be seen through the filter of the events in Zimbabwe. That’s why the only public statement made by SCI in this initial period was to effectively disassociate itself from the incident and the individuals involved. And this action was not taken lightly, coming only after hours of sober deliberation by your leadership.

The end result is that only .5% of the coverage of the incident even mentioned Safari Club. And then the furor began to dissipate. The analytics tool confirmed that the peak of the public outrage came and went within four days. Despite the best efforts of many in the media and our political opposition, SCI was not tarred by association with the events in Zimbabwe."

Bloody hell, can they actually get any worse!!


"...this action was not taken very lightly, coming only after a few hours of sober deliberation by our leadership..."

And the last paragraph speaks for itself - as it is their only concern to be invisible!


Does SCI actually HAVE a sober leadership??

I somehow doubt it.

What an incredible lack of leadership.

How do people that are evidently successful in their personal lives come together and become so incompetent as a group.

Would a public company allow leaders like this or would the stockholders rise up and make changes.

quote:

Originally posted by AilsaWheels:

Would a public company allow leaders like this or would the stockholders rise up and make changes.

No question.

Yep, that statement about SCI being under the radar was just a disgrace.

Politically correct cowards.
Cal

Between this self-serving release and SCI's obvious attempt to sabotage its own members efforts to overturn the airline's ban on shipping trophies,
they get an F- from this member.

Pathetic.

.

This issue won't go away. PETA won't go away. We've got to get out in front of this and put out a positive message. Not "fly under the radar."

DSC put out a statement. It was quite good; a bit belated but that was explained. We are weeks down the road and where is SCI? I'm a member, a supporter. But -- "First for Hunters" is starting to ring hollow. Where are they now?

That was disturbing to read. What the hell is wrong with the leadership? I hope they have enough people tell them to sit back and contemplate what they have done and said.

First for hunters my ass. That response is absolutely not what most members would have wanted to hear. Flying under the radar with hunting issues is just the opposite of what we need right now.

Another interesting quote:

"Fortunately, the vagaries of fleeting public opinion do not dictate the legality and regulatory environment surrounding the pursuit that SCI stands for. The community of international hunters is a relatively small ecosystem that is governed by Congress, federal agencies, international bodies such as CITES, and foreign governments as well. This, by necessity, is the audience upon which SCI must focus to protect and preserve the sport that we cherish."


That may be the case but we surely cannot transport the big 5 trophies from Africa on almost all airlines. That was done by public opinion and nothing else.

I believe the only reason we still fly with firearms is because the NRA would unleash hell if they tried to ban firearms on aircraft.

+1

quote:

Originally posted by cal pappas:
Politically correct cowards.
Cal

quote:

Originally posted by Thomas "Ty" Beaham:
....... SCI's obvious attempt to sabotage its own members efforts to overturn the airline's ban on shipping trophies........


.

How/where did they do what. Been out hunting and must have missed something?

quote:

The end result is that only .5% of the coverage of the incident even mentioned Safari Club. And then the furor began to dissipate. The analytics tool confirmed that the peak of the public outrage came and went within four days. Despite the best efforts of many in the media and our political opposition, SCI was not tarred by association with the events in Zimbabwe."

Asinine!

Not a member, and this sure does not make me =want to join.
See you in Dallas in January.

quote:

SCI was not tarred by association with the events in Zimbabwe."

As if they need more tarring!

What a bunch of utter idiots running that organization!

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Graham:

quote:

Originally posted by Thomas "Ty" Beaham:
....... SCI's obvious attempt to sabotage its own members efforts to overturn the airline's ban on shipping trophies........


.

How/where did they do what. Been out hunting and must have missed something?

Matt,

1. Follow the link that Larry Shores posted in
this very forum on August 21st.

2. Follow the link SCI sent you in their "In The
Crosshairs" e-mail the week of August 25th.

3. Follow that same link that was posted and
cross posted all over the internet by SCI
members and non-members.

4. After you get sick and tired of repeatedly
being directed to a page that says "Page not
found", try a search in a search engine to
try to find the information you're looking
for...

5. Then, if and when you find the new link,
scroll to the comments section at the
bottom of the page at the new url / address
and read SCI's lame excuse...

Anyhow Matt, hope the hunting has been good there for you and yours.

I made a visitor post on the SCI Facebook page on this issue. Folks may wish to comment on the post to help send a message to SCI. I was going to recommend that folks send SCI emails, but when you go to their website no email addresses can be found. Guess they do not like hearing from folks.

quote:

Originally posted by Thomas "Ty" Beaham:

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Graham:

quote:

Originally posted by Thomas "Ty" Beaham:
....... SCI's obvious attempt to sabotage its own members efforts to overturn the airline's ban on shipping trophies........


.

How/where did they do what. Been out hunting and must have missed something?

Matt,

1. Follow the link that Larry Shores posted in
this very forum on August 21st.

2. Follow the link SCI sent you in their "In The
Crosshairs" e-mail the week of August 25th.

3. Follow that same link that was posted and
cross posted all over the internet by SCI
members and non-members.

4. After you get sick and tired of repeatedly
being directed to a page that says "Page not
found", try a search in a search engine to
try to find the information you're looking
for...

5. Then, if and when you find the new link,
scroll to the comments section at the
bottom of the page at the new url / address
and read SCI's lame excuse...

Anyhow Matt, hope the hunting has been good there for you and yours.

You think they're purposely sabotaging their member efforts because the URL change!? That's a stretch if I ever heard one.

SCI broke the link 2 weeks into their campaign with no forewarning and no follow-up.

No forewarning and no follow-up being the key words.

SCI has effectively scuttled members and non members efforts.

Here we are a week later and the new link has not
been provided on SCI's home page, SCI's Facebook page, SCI's Twitter feed etc. etc. etc...

Oh, and Jeff32 here's the punch line...

SCI asked me to update the broken links wherever I might find them.

Seems to me to be a case of do what I say, not what I do.

Like I said before.

Pathetic.

.

Why I joined DSC!

SCI can't be "First for Hunters" if it ducks and hides when hunting is under attack.

quote:

Originally posted by drongo:
Why I joined DSC!

SCI can't be "First for Hunters" if it ducks and hides when hunting is under attack.

SCI moto has always been for the ME ME ME crowd. The the self glorifying people whose only purpose in hunting is thier claim is MINE IS BIGGER THAN YOURS!

Nothing else.

They are not perfect but as a member of SCI , I will back them up and give the the benefit of the doubt
In the end, who is perfect?
They are learning like everyone else and things will get better

Jesus I get tired of the unwarranted SCI bashing. I will be the first one to say the are on the wrong track and have not addressed a bunch of things that need to be fixed. I am a life member......... did it to save money on the long haul and because they are the one club that does things all over the globe.

I think DSC is great, I think HSC is great. What do they do as far as conservation issues in New Zealand, Canada, etc? Fill me in.

They do some good deeds in Africa and that is great but I want to see good deeds done by an international hunting organizations all over the globe.

SCI has some BIG problems but until I see some DSC hands on in Canada or Australia or........... my life does not entirely revolve around Africa.

Kelly,

I do agree with you.

However, in this case the constructive criticism is absolutely warranted.

Without it SCI will never be what you and I need it to be.

When has SCI actually learnt anything?

When was the last time they have done any good in our name?

Remember the terrible lion conservation episode??

SCI is actually worse than a ship without a captain!

It is run by a bunch of incompetent idiots!

Sadly, SCI has done nothing to earn their slogan of "first for hunters". The more I see the less confident I am in them.

While we are losing the battle, SCI is busy giving self flagellating awards. They seem oblivious to what is really happening.

NRA Hunters Leadership Forum is our only hope.

quote:

Originally posted by Skyline:
Jesus I get tired of the unwarranted SCI bashing. I will be the first one to say the are on the wrong track and have not addressed a bunch of things that need to be fixed. I am a life member......... did it to save money on the long haul and because they are the one club that does things all over the globe.

I think DSC is great, I think HSC is great. What do they do as far as conservation issues in New Zealand, Canada, etc? Fill me in.

They do some good deeds in Africa and that is great but I want to see good deeds done by an international hunting organizations all over the globe.

SCI has some BIG problems but until I see some DSC hands on in Canada or Australia or........... my life does not entirely revolve around Africa.

I don't agree with the constant bashing either - but to be truthful - DSC does have an affiliate in Australia and conservation funds are open to any country, not just Africa. Organisations need to apply for the funding; if they do not apply the funds cannot be granted.

quote:

They are learning like everyone else and things will get better

Sure as hell taking their time learning the process.

If we apply the learning curve SCI is taking to learn anything to the human race, one would have to live about 1,000 lives, and might still not learn anything

Gentlemen,
I think that a bit of sober introspection and a re-read of the complete SCI release would very well lead to a couple of conclusions. First, anything they would have said or done would have been screamed down in both the press and social medias. It also would have made them a target for many more haters than usual. And secondly, if you believe, (as many of us do), that politicians are bought and paid for by special interests, then it makes sense for an organization to utilize its' resources to be one of those special interest groups, a point that was subtly made in the release, but not posted here. For the record, it is the NRA's policy not to comment immediately after a shooting tragedy. Advocacy organizations often work behind the scenes, and do not want some of their activities made public, even to their members. When Emirates Airways banned trophy shipments, there were some here who criticized Saeed, no doubt unfairly, for his silence, while others commented that none of us knew exactly what he was doing behind the curtain. Unless we know all the facts, it does no good to pile on.

quote:

Originally posted by Tim Ferrall:

For the record, it is the NRA's policy not to comment immediately after a shooting tragedy.

Regarding the facts . . . the Sandy Hooks tragedy occurred on December 12, 2012. On December 18, 2012, the NRA announced that it was having a press conference on December 21. At that press conference the NRA put forward a specific proposal that schools be protected by armed guards.

No, I am not suggesting that Sandy Hooks and the lion incident are in any way comparable. They absolutely are not. But any suggestion that the NRA would be publicly sitting on its hands some two months after the lion incident is absolutely wrong. Nor do I believe that the NRA would gauge the effectiveness of its response to the crisis based on how invisible the NRA remained during the crisis.

Tim,

I read the press release well and in fact more than once to make certain I was not imagining things. Since then I have communicated by email with one of the board members.

By SCI's own admission the "peak of the public outrage came and went within four days." We are now around two month past the peak outrage. I truly believe one of the reasons SCI "was not tarred by association with the events in Zimbabwe" is because very few know who we are. Everybody knows the NRA, few know SCI. To put things in perspective the NRA currently has nearly 100 times more members than SCI.

This was a golden opportunity for SCI to step up and be a leader. They failed miserably. I truly want SCI to succeed as being first for hunters. While there is no need to defend the "incident" publicly, there is a huge need to defend hunting in general. The airline ban was instituted in the court of public opinion, not in DC. This war will not be won in Washington DC alone and SCI has not even been that successful there. They simply just do not have enough clout.

Two months down the road and not one interview? Even John Jackson had one interview. Not one major push to educate the public as to the conservation benefits of hunting? Not one effort to make hunters in general understand that the anti's will not stop until all hunting is banned? Not one effort to have a massive increase in membership to help fund what needs to happen? I can continue but will now digress....

Complaining about it on AR will not change much. Contact "leadership" at SCI with your concerns.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeBurke:

This was a golden opportunity for SCI to step up and be a leader. They failed miserably.....

While there is no need to defend the "incident" publicly, there is a huge need to defend hunting in general.......

Two months down the road and not one interview? .

+1

Wonder if this is what McElroy envisioned his creation to become?

quote:

Complaining about it on AR will not change much. Contact "leadership" at SCI with your concerns.

Does SCI actually have leadership??

If they do, where the hell have they been the past few years?

quote:

This was a golden opportunity for SCI to step up and be a leader. They failed miserably. I truly want SCI to succeed as being first for hunters. While there is no need to defend the "incident" publicly, there is a huge need to defend hunting in general. The airline ban was instituted in the court of public opinion, not in DC. This war will not be won in Washington DC alone and SCI has not even been that successful there. They simply just do not have enough clout.

Two months down the road and not one interview? Even John Jackson had one interview. Not one major push to educate the public as to the conservation benefits of hunting? Not one effort to make hunters in general understand that the anti's will not stop until all hunting is banned? Not one effort to have a massive increase in membership to help fund what needs to happen? I can continue but will now digress....

Complaining about it on AR will not change much. Contact "leadership" at SCI with your concerns.

Yes! This was exactly my point in my e-mail to SCI which I never received a response to. SCI backing away from the Cecil incident as fast as they could was in my opinion a catastrophic blunder.

Mark

Why don't you guys and gals who are SCI members carefully read their bylaws and engineer a coup like Harlon Carter and Neal Knox did at the NRA in 1977? The only hope is to throw the stumblebums out.

Honestly, I think the time and effort is better spent working on getting the NRA energized to step up on hunting issues and supplant the efforts of groups like SCI.

quote:

Originally posted by MJines:
Honestly, I think the time and effort is better spent working on getting the NRA energized to step up on hunting issues and supplant the efforts of groups like SCI.

Exactly the wrong approach (if you're looking for support from the general public). It just reinforces the idea that the hunting community is comprised mostly of gun-nuts (which, of course, a lot of you are), rather than the idea that hunting is a way to experience nature - a much more palatable concept to the public.

<> <> <>

I will happily put my faith in a 5 million member organization that has done an incredible job of protecting and advocating for the rights of gun owners under the Second Amendment versus a 50,000 member organization that seems to be clueless on what it takes to wage a political and public relations fight. The records of accomplishment between the two organizations do not even begin to compare.

That said, Godspeed in your efforts to work with SCI.