It is time to quit whinning and bashing each other - AND BOYCOTT ZIMBABWE.

The MUGABE MONSTER must be stopped!!

I am sorry but I think a boycott will work right into Mugabe's plan. A boycott will be the end of all quality operators in Zim.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
I am sorry but I think a boycott will work right into Mugabe's plan. A boycott will be the end of all quality operators in Zim.

I can't imagine Bobby Mu wants to end this stream of forex. If we boycott it punishes the operators that have hung on against all odds and turned over the wildlife to the poachers. Kenya experienced a 70% decline in the photogenic megaphauna. Zim's will be harder, faster and much more destructive. But then I constantly underestimate the stupidity of people.

Jeff

Zimbabwe just cut its own throat.

SIR Lawrence,.....cannot agree with you more! This is EXACTLY WHAT R.M. wants .fortunatly for me I have hunted ZIM three times in the last 7 years as you know its not unusual to be accused of doing something unethical or even illegal after the hunt! in ZIM ITS THEIR WAY ....just like the fire in the wherhouse in bellawayo some 200 hunters lost their trophys in 2012 I being one of them...maybe... later I was told several of the surviving trophys were sold to the highest bidder....maybe...once I sat on the tarmac at Zim falls for four hrs our plane would not be released because their was ZERO.... funds in ZIM. TREASURY DEPT ZERO.....FORTUNATLY SOMEBODY MADE A THIRTEEN MILLON DOLLAR DEPOSIT SO WE COULD TAKE OFF.....ITS THEIR WAY!.... It looks like to me Larry our buddy D.B.A.P.has been training them well...Unfortunalty their are going to be some wonderful people inflicted upon .this is not about one hunter an about his conduct or his extradition we all know we are convicted on our priors...well see how it all washes out!!!!! one fact for sure the hunting community an people of ZIM.WILL LOOSE!

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
I am sorry but I think a boycott will work right into Mugabe's plan. A boycott will be the end of all quality operators in Zim.

I can't imagine Bobby Mu wants to end this stream of forex. If we boycott it punishes the operators that have hung on against all odds and turned over the wildlife to the poachers. Kenya experienced a 70% decline in the photogenic megaphauna. Zim's will be harder, faster and much more destructive. But then I constantly underestimate the stupidity of people.

Jeff

So y'all are happy to keep subsidizing Uncle Bob even when he does things this egregious?

The operators in Zim had better get out anyway--Bob is going to get them sooner or later. As he gets more feeble and comes closer to the next civil war the "government" will use whites more and more as a whipping boy till none are left. Sorry, It was a beautiful country, but its gone for the foreseeable future.

Mugabe is taking aim at the white outfitters, who won't last much longer.

"Zimbabwe’s Mugabe condemns ‘white’ safaris, eats baby elephant at birthday bash…

So Mugabe, over a feast of varied exotic animals, took the pulpit to excoriate safaris. “Zimbabwe has lots of safaris, but very few are African,” the leader said, according to the Associated Press. “Most are white-owned. In our region, we have the most safaris and animals. But we are not going to invade those forests.”

The Mugabe screed continued: The United States “can’t have it both ways. … They can’t say ‘allow our people to visit, allow our people to have safaris,’ to kill our lions and take safari trophies to America.”

When all is said and done with the Cecil story, I'm betting some Mugabe bureocrat didn't get the bribe he was expecting! I think following the money will
Be real interesting! I've never been to a more corrupt country! I actually walked up accidentally on a native poacher last time I was there! I think we should all send Zimbabwe a message and boycott it if they try and extradite Palmer. He may be a bad shot and use poor judgement, but it was the landowner and PH who made the mistakes! Let them eat all their Lions! I'm done with Zimbabwe. Although I do wish to go back and piss on Bobs grave someday!

quote:

Originally posted by Russ Gould:
I think it will be a very hard season for the safari companies, their dependents, and the Parks dept.

I wonder whether some in Govt are not looking at this as an oppy to get rid of the remaining whites. Without a livelihood a lot of them will have to make the leap. The fact that they are shooting themselves in the foot does not matter. In Africa, idealogy trumps material well-being. If so then it could be the end.

However it could go the other way if fate finally plays the trump card. But then again, look at Haiti. The place never recovered from the loss of colonial influence and probably never will, no matter how many times the Clintons do a fly-over.

Notice little has been said of the "land owner", who is a relative of either Jonathan Moyo or Obert Mpofu, and who may now be a "state witness". So while it may not be a forethought attempt, it can be used in that direction. And keep the Clintons away, please. Soccer balls and t-shirts are the 21st century beads and mirrors and no more.

“Is Zim finished as a hunting destination?”

No.

It is too precious and above the ordinary.

Whoever hunted there and felt the “Genious Loci” of the Valley, Lovweld, Matopos, Kariba...knows it – it is eternal, immortal.

Bushfire...things will be noted, lessons will be learned...hunting in Zim will get better!

I have always liked Zim and the people. Yes there are crooks and corruption, but it's Africa and that's endemic in the whole continent.( and probably always will be )
I can't wait to go back and exercise my addiction for African big game safaris.
All the recent hassle has purely been a clash of cultures exacerbated by modern communication.

My prediction is that we will all be back to normal by the end of the year and this will blow over. Zim is not going to extradite anybody.

This country is scaring me more than Zim. I would really like to live in Bulawayo. I get a lot more respect there than here for sure.

i bet there are a few white folks in Bulawayo who will give you a good deal on a house paid for in cash outside the country.......

Magistrate Lindiwe Maphosa ordered the trial to reconvene on September 28 to hear the case against Bronkhorst, who has been charged with "failing to prevent an illegal hunt".

Bronkhorst, who runs a safari company, denies any wrongdoing over the hunt in early July when Walter Palmer, a dentist from Minnesota, paid $55,000 (50,000 euros) to shoot the lion with a bow and arrow.

The hunt provoked worldwide outrage when it emerged that Cecil was a well-known attraction among visitors to the Hwange National Park and was wearing a tracking collar as part of an Oxford University research project.

"I feel sorry for my client (Palmer). He is a good man. He did nothing wrong," Bronkhorst told reporters as he left the court in Hwange town.

Palmer, an experienced trophy hunter, became the target of vicious abuse over the killing, and went into hiding after demonstrations outside his dental practice.

Palmer apologised for killing Cecil, who was renowned for his distinctive black mane, and appeared to blame Bronkhorst for misleading him.

But Bronkhorst said he was innocent of all charges and had obtained all the permits required to kill an elderly lion that was outside the national park boundaries.

...I am daydreaming and I see a buffer zone created – there will be folks with their necks out for you to have a hunt of your dreams from now on...don’t worry and don’t underestimate Zimbos – they have a plan – always have, always will...

...and hunting will be there no worries.

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
I am sorry but I think a boycott will work right into Mugabe's plan. A boycott will be the end of all quality operators in Zim.

Larry, you may be right, if Mugabe even has a plan, but I will never go to Zimbabwe.
I'd sooner spend my time hunting rabbits in my back yard than give ANY money to Mugabe.

It's all over for hunting operations in Zim.

They should get out while they can.

And all hunters should look elsewhere for their African hunting.

We disagree.. Sure there will be tightening of control hopefully, and more rigorous policing of existing rules and regulations... But it will survive.. The guerrilla war wasn't able to stop it completely, yes certain areas stopped, but it still continued. Clients will be able to request more information, looking at hunting licenses,hunting quota's etc when arriving in respective hunting areas.

One of the recommendations in the meeting was, if hunters and or operators are caught on the wrong side of the law,is to adopt a "zero tolerance " approach. The offender would lose his vehicle,weapons, these forfeited to the state. And have his license suspended for a minimum of 5 yrs. we think this would be a good deterrent , of course unless this is policed correctly there is always a chance of corruption coming into play.

Some said that it was all over for hunting in Zim when the land grabs started. Some said it was all over when indigenisation was implemented.
They were all wrong.
There are no people more resilient than the Zimbos.
After all this quietens down they will still " make a plan"

Blair 338 ,

I disagree completely! I agree with Begno ,this will blow over and it will be business as usual
For the legit operators. There is too much money coming in for it to fold.

Mate have you ever been to Zim. I love the country , and it's people. I've never had major problem
In my 4 trips there. The hunting is wonderful, and we need to support the Good outfitters, not turn our back on them!

I'll be back next year for sure!!


Cheers

Nick

I hope you are right mate.

But if I had a family in Zim I'd being making a plan to get the hell out of the place.

quote:

Originally posted by Zimbabwe Wildlife Conservation:
We disagree.. Sure there will be tightening of control hopefully, and more rigorous policing of existing rules and regulations... But it will survive.. The guerrilla war wasn't able to stop it completely, yes certain areas stopped, but it still continued. Clients will be able to request more information, looking at hunting licenses,hunting quota's etc when arriving in respective hunting areas.

One of the recommendations in the meeting was, if hunters and or operators are caught on the wrong side of the law,is to adopt a "zero tolerance " approach. The offender would lose his vehicle,weapons, these forfeited to the state. And have his license suspended for a minimum of 5 yrs. we think this would be a good deterrent , of course unless this is policed correctly there is always a chance of corruption coming into play.

Corruption in Zimbabwe? LOL!
And how many here could stand the amount of negative press the dentist is receiving? And even if your business could survive the negative press, it wouldn't be fun. Zimbabwe has contributed to the negative press tremendously, and add in the threat of extradition, no thanks.
Just my decision for my hunting dollars.

quote:

Originally posted by R.Jolly:

After all this quietens down they will still " make a plan"

+1

I have completed 7 hunts in Zimbabwe to date and look forward to another one next year. When the permits were revoked for the Save Conservancy a few years back my PH, Mike Payne, "made a plan", and I had 2 of the best hunts I have ever had in other parts of the country. The safari operators in Zimbabwe are resilient - this is just another bump in the road.

quote:

Originally posted by mmassey338:

quote:

Originally posted by Zimbabwe Wildlife Conservation:
We disagree.. Sure there will be tightening of control hopefully, and more rigorous policing of existing rules and regulations... But it will survive.. The guerrilla war wasn't able to stop it completely, yes certain areas stopped, but it still continued. Clients will be able to request more information, looking at hunting licenses,hunting quota's etc when arriving in respective hunting areas.

One of the recommendations in the meeting was, if hunters and or operators are caught on the wrong side of the law,is to adopt a "zero tolerance " approach. The offender would lose his vehicle,weapons, these forfeited to the state. And have his license suspended for a minimum of 5 yrs. we think this would be a good deterrent , of course unless this is policed correctly there is always a chance of corruption coming into play.

Corruption in Zimbabwe? LOL!
And how many here could stand the amount of negative press the dentist is receiving? And even if your business could survive the negative press, it wouldn't be fun. Zimbabwe has contributed to the negative press tremendously, and add in the threat of extradition, no thanks.
Just my decision for my hunting dollars.

I am sure there are people in Zim that are not happy with all this.

quote:

Originally posted by mmassey338:

quote:

Originally posted by Zimbabwe Wildlife Conservation:
We disagree.. Sure there will be tightening of control hopefully, and more rigorous policing of existing rules and regulations... But it will survive.. The guerrilla war wasn't able to stop it completely, yes certain areas stopped, but it still continued. Clients will be able to request more information, looking at hunting licenses,hunting quota's etc when arriving in respective hunting areas.

One of the recommendations in the meeting was, if hunters and or operators are caught on the wrong side of the law,is to adopt a "zero tolerance " approach. The offender would lose his vehicle,weapons, these forfeited to the state. And have his license suspended for a minimum of 5 yrs. we think this would be a good deterrent , of course unless this is policed correctly there is always a chance of corruption coming into play.

Corruption in Zimbabwe? LOL!
And how many here could stand the amount of negative press the dentist is receiving? And even if your business could survive the negative press, it wouldn't be fun. Zimbabwe has contributed to the negative press tremendously, and add in the threat of extradition, no thanks.
Just my decision for my hunting dollars.

I for one could not stand the negative press. It would DESTROY my business in weeks. None the less I am leaving in 3 weeks to hunt with CMS. I have thought long and hard about this. I don't like being pushed around but I am no fool either. I am leaving with a certain amount of trepidation but I trust CMS as an above board operator.

There will be caveats to this hunt that I have not insisted on before. I will see permits before I leave the US. I will not be placed on any Facebook page. If I am so fortunate to bag a critter that is worthy of their newsletter, fine. But it's a different world now.

Jeff

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mmassey338:

Corruption in Zimbabwe? LOL!


Ok- I just had to post this sign I photographed at Debshan Ranch in the Shangani region of Zimbabwe a few years ago. It took my breath away!

quote:

Originally posted by BEGNO:
... I would really like to live in Bulawayo. I get a lot more respect there than here for sure.

You might get more respect, but won't get much water. .

quote:

Originally posted by mmassey338:
...Larry, you may be right, if Mugabe even has a plan, but I will never go to Zimbabwe.
I'd sooner spend my time hunting rabbits in my back yard than give ANY money to Mugabe.

How much of a typical hunting dollar really goes to Mugabe? Especially if one is hunting in CAMPFIRE areas.

Government gets a minimal tax, rest goes to the locals, outfitter, PH and of course the staff.

Quite a few variables to that question. Depends on what land you hunting on :-

private land ranch/conservancy - bulk of the funds to the land owner.probably some form of levies payable to conservancy / gov land tax etc

Government concession - concession fee, right to hunt fee and trophy fees paid to national parks by the lease holder of the concession. To give you an idea, concession fee is worked out at 30% of the value of the fixed quota trophy fees. a Buffalo trophy fee is currently $3500. 30% of this is $1050.towards concession fee ,makes direct cost of a buffalo trophy fee to an operator $4550.00

Campfire / tribal land - similar to gov concession above, but generally no concession fee.... However in a lot of cases they would probably pay a higher trophy fee to council/campfire.

P/hunters have been on the same daily rate for the past 8-10yrs. Unless of course you work for yourself / book your own safaris.

Tanks,
That is what bore holes are for. The homes I have been in have wells and generators as backup, even in the city.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by chupacabra:
SIR Lawrence,.....cannot agree with you more! This is EXACTLY WHAT R.M. wants .fortunatly for me I have hunted ZIM three times in the last 7 years as you know its not unusual to be accused of doing something unethical or even illegal after the hunt! in ZIM ITS THEIR WAY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So why on earth would you want to spend your hard earned dollars in a place like that?????
Its not like its the only place to hunt.

Very interesting read, an article by a Zimbabwean.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08...ons.html?mwrsm=Email

Butch, even if they ban firearms, you could still go over and wrestle them :-)

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:

quote:

Originally posted by mmassey338:

quote:

Originally posted by Zimbabwe Wildlife Conservation:
We disagree.. Sure there will be tightening of control hopefully, and more rigorous policing of existing rules and regulations... But it will survive.. The guerrilla war wasn't able to stop it completely, yes certain areas stopped, but it still continued. Clients will be able to request more information, looking at hunting licenses,hunting quota's etc when arriving in respective hunting areas.

One of the recommendations in the meeting was, if hunters and or operators are caught on the wrong side of the law,is to adopt a "zero tolerance " approach. The offender would lose his vehicle,weapons, these forfeited to the state. And have his license suspended for a minimum of 5 yrs. we think this would be a good deterrent , of course unless this is policed correctly there is always a chance of corruption coming into play.

Corruption in Zimbabwe? LOL!
And how many here could stand the amount of negative press the dentist is receiving? And even if your business could survive the negative press, it wouldn't be fun. Zimbabwe has contributed to the negative press tremendously, and add in the threat of extradition, no thanks.
Just my decision for my hunting dollars.

I for one could not stand the negative press. It would DESTROY my business in weeks. None the less I am leaving in 3 weeks to hunt with CMS. I have thought long and hard about this. I don't like being pushed around but I am no fool either. I am leaving with a certain amount of trepidation but I trust CMS as an above board operator.

There will be caveats to this hunt that I have not insisted on before. I will see permits before I leave the US. I will not be placed on any Facebook page. If I am so fortunate to bag a critter that is worthy of their newsletter, fine. But it's a different world now.

Jeff

Jeff, what if it turns out everything was legal? Will that undo the damage done to the dentist?
Next the greenies will be going after anyone who shoots Cecil's cousin. Or friend. Or whatever, and Zim will play along and turn over the hunters name to the media.
The chance of it happening is small, but if it did, it would wipe some of us out.

quote:

Originally posted by mmassey338:

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:

quote:

Originally posted by mmassey338:

quote:

Originally posted by Zimbabwe Wildlife Conservation:
We disagree.. Sure there will be tightening of control hopefully, and more rigorous policing of existing rules and regulations... But it will survive.. The guerrilla war wasn't able to stop it completely, yes certain areas stopped, but it still continued. Clients will be able to request more information, looking at hunting licenses,hunting quota's etc when arriving in respective hunting areas.

One of the recommendations in the meeting was, if hunters and or operators are caught on the wrong side of the law,is to adopt a "zero tolerance " approach. The offender would lose his vehicle,weapons, these forfeited to the state. And have his license suspended for a minimum of 5 yrs. we think this would be a good deterrent , of course unless this is policed correctly there is always a chance of corruption coming into play.

Corruption in Zimbabwe? LOL!
And how many here could stand the amount of negative press the dentist is receiving? And even if your business could survive the negative press, it wouldn't be fun. Zimbabwe has contributed to the negative press tremendously, and add in the threat of extradition, no thanks.
Just my decision for my hunting dollars.

I for one could not stand the negative press. It would DESTROY my business in weeks. None the less I am leaving in 3 weeks to hunt with CMS. I have thought long and hard about this. I don't like being pushed around but I am no fool either. I am leaving with a certain amount of trepidation but I trust CMS as an above board operator.

There will be caveats to this hunt that I have not insisted on before. I will see permits before I leave the US. I will not be placed on any Facebook page. If I am so fortunate to bag a critter that is worthy of their newsletter, fine. But it's a different world now.

Jeff

Jeff, what if it turns out everything was legal? Will that undo the damage done to the dentist?
Next the greenies will be going after anyone who shoots Cecil's cousin. Or friend. Or whatever, and Zim will play along and turn over the hunters name to the media.
The chance of it happening is small, but if it did, it would wipe some of us out.

I guess I will just have to deal with it. The same way I still go to movies albeit with a handgun and I still support my country even though it's not popular and I still support our troops and law enforcement officers. I am not going to hide. But I am not going to be in your face about it either. In the end I am a hunter. I have a 10 year old son. He watches every thing I do. What would I tell him?

Jeff

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:

quote:

Originally posted by mmassey338:

quote:

Originally posted by Bwana Bunduki:

quote:

Originally posted by mmassey338:

quote:

Originally posted by Zimbabwe Wildlife Conservation:
We disagree.. Sure there will be tightening of control hopefully, and more rigorous policing of existing rules and regulations... But it will survive.. The guerrilla war wasn't able to stop it completely, yes certain areas stopped, but it still continued. Clients will be able to request more information, looking at hunting licenses,hunting quota's etc when arriving in respective hunting areas.

One of the recommendations in the meeting was, if hunters and or operators are caught on the wrong side of the law,is to adopt a "zero tolerance " approach. The offender would lose his vehicle,weapons, these forfeited to the state. And have his license suspended for a minimum of 5 yrs. we think this would be a good deterrent , of course unless this is policed correctly there is always a chance of corruption coming into play.

Corruption in Zimbabwe? LOL!
And how many here could stand the amount of negative press the dentist is receiving? And even if your business could survive the negative press, it wouldn't be fun. Zimbabwe has contributed to the negative press tremendously, and add in the threat of extradition, no thanks.
Just my decision for my hunting dollars.

I for one could not stand the negative press. It would DESTROY my business in weeks. None the less I am leaving in 3 weeks to hunt with CMS. I have thought long and hard about this. I don't like being pushed around but I am no fool either. I am leaving with a certain amount of trepidation but I trust CMS as an above board operator.

There will be caveats to this hunt that I have not insisted on before. I will see permits before I leave the US. I will not be placed on any Facebook page. If I am so fortunate to bag a critter that is worthy of their newsletter, fine. But it's a different world now.

Jeff

Jeff, what if it turns out everything was legal? Will that undo the damage done to the dentist?
Next the greenies will be going after anyone who shoots Cecil's cousin. Or friend. Or whatever, and Zim will play along and turn over the hunters name to the media.
The chance of it happening is small, but if it did, it would wipe some of us out.

I guess I will just have to deal with it. The same way I still go to movies albeit with a handgun and I still support my country even though it's not popular and I still support our troops and law enforcement officers. I am not going to hide. But I am not going to be in your face about it either. In the end I am a hunter. I have a 10 year old son. He watches every thing I do. What would I tell him?

Jeff

We keep thinking of these anti hunting opponents are greenies and hippies and emotional types.


They are the exact opposite - they are very strategic. We hunters and our hunting organizations are the emotional type.

The anti hunters are small but they are smart a lot smarter than sci or dsc which at end of day organize hunting shows.

The anti with little science or resource economics on their side are able to frame the debate and slowly thru 1000 cuts curtail hunting and advance their agenda.

They figured out airlines and trophy transport.

They have learned to take down doctors and dentists - this is a strategic action. If Cecil was killed by hunter in a commodity business or something with lower consumer face time the impact would be totally different.

The anti have learned doctors and dentist and vets too can be taken down by social media picture ect. This is beyond celebrities and high profile corporate types.

I am impressed and terrified with how strategic the anti hunting guys are. We need to react rational, strategically and with the same long term vision our opponents have.

Mike

I on the other hand would support the responsible Zim operators to the hilt. Unpredictability and danger is much what we strive in hunting Africa. Always have done always will.

quote:

Originally posted by TANZ-PH:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by chupacabra:
SIR Lawrence,.....cannot agree with you more! This is EXACTLY WHAT R.M. wants .fortunatly for me I have hunted ZIM three times in the last 7 years as you know its not unusual to be accused of doing something unethical or even illegal after the hunt! in ZIM ITS THEIR WAY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So why on earth would you want to spend your hard earned dollars in a place like that?????
Its not like its the only place to hunt.

I haven't hunted Zim for 10 years.

And as an Australian, with our record of opposing Mugabe in the Commonwealth etc it's not worth the added potential for trouble.

quote:

Originally posted by TANZ-PH:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by chupacabra:
SIR Lawrence,.....cannot agree with you more! This is EXACTLY WHAT R.M. wants .fortunatly for me I have hunted ZIM three times in the last 7 years as you know its not unusual to be accused of doing something unethical or even illegal after the hunt! in ZIM ITS THEIR WAY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So why on earth would you want to spend your hard earned dollars in a place like that????? Its not like its the only place to hunt.

I'm sorry but this bothers the crap out of me. Whenever I see an Operator or PH from one country discourage hunting with legitimate hunting outfits in other countries with the implied or explicit motivation of generating more business for outfitters in their country, or for that matter, their own outfit, I'm simply disgusted. This goes to the heart of pitting hunter against hunter, and I for one will not encourage or reward it. Whenever I see a post of this nature, I immediately check off that outfitter / PH as one I'll NEVER hunt with, nor will I EVER recommend anyone within my circle of influence to consider a hunt with them.

quote:

Originally posted by Todd Williams:

quote:

Originally posted by TANZ-PH:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by chupacabra:
SIR Lawrence,.....cannot agree with you more! This is EXACTLY WHAT R.M. wants .fortunatly for me I have hunted ZIM three times in the last 7 years as you know its not unusual to be accused of doing something unethical or even illegal after the hunt! in ZIM ITS THEIR WAY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So why on earth would you want to spend your hard earned dollars in a place like that????? Its not like its the only place to hunt.

I'm sorry but this bothers the crap out of me. Whenever I see an Operator or PH from one country discourage hunting with legitimate hunting outfits in other countries with the implied or explicit motivation of generating more business for outfitters in their country, or for that matter, their own outfit, I'm simply disgusted. This goes to the heart of pitting hunter against hunter, and I for one will not encourage or reward it. Whenever I see a post of this nature, I immediately check off that outfitter / PH as one I'll NEVER hunt with, nor will I EVER recommend anyone within my circle of influence to consider a hunt with them.

Todd,

You are a good man and go support those boys. By god they deserve it.