quote:

Originally posted by Arctic:
From all I hear, Ray Oelrich has kind of disappeared from the planet and there's a few advertisers looking for their money. ......Rest assured, he'll surface again with a new scam!
~Arctic~

quote:

Originally posted by Canuck:
LOL What a tool. I hope to meet him someday. I guess he's gotten into Real Estate because hunting canned bison was too scary.

Yes I am bitter about what he did to what was my favorite magazine before he got involved, and for taking my money for a three year subscription renewal and walking away without sending me a single issue or the courtesy of even a form letter explaining their situation.

quote:

Originally posted by Canuck:
FROM the BGAMAG.COM website:

quote:

NOTICE TO READERS, SUBSCRIBERS AND ADVERTISERS
OF BIG GAME ADVENTURES MAGAZINE
The Fall 2007 issue is still at the printers in the US. It is partially printed and we hope will be finished shortly so it can be delivered to all newsstands and subscribers worldwide. In the meantime a complete digital online version will soon be available on this site at no cost. It will feature every story, every ad and hotlinks will connect you to every advertiser.

To say this year has been disastrous is an understatement. Nearly every one of the BGA team has been affected somehow in the last 12 months, including:

Our publisher (Keri-Lynn) has severe bi-polar disorder and it continues to affect any work she tries to do with the magazine. Currently she is not active in the magazine at all and is on permanent disability. Keri is my wife and she has her hands full with three children under the age of 7 years old.

Personally I was nearly killed by a bison charge in December when I was filming a segment for our TV show. I immediately promised my wife and family I would give up hunting forever and have done so. I never set foot in the field again since that day and do not plan to ever again. The stress it caused my wife and children is unmistakable and I will not cause any more by hunting again in my lifetime.

Our Director of Operations (Glenn Bowden) has cancer and is not expected to ever return to BGA. Our secretary (Nora) was run over by a car this summer while riding her bicycle and suffered a broken spine and will not return to work ever again. Our Subscription Manager (Leatha Lockhart) has resigned due to health reasons. Irate subscribers calling and swearing at her and leaving threatening messages on the phone and by email has only exasperated the situation for her. It is not her fault the magazine was late coming out and the voices of a few caused us to lose a very good employee. Shame on those of you who did this, and you know who you are! To help solve this I am immediately disconnecting the phone and fax line that went into her office, as that is her home as well. NO ONE should have been subjected to what she endured in the last six months!

The rising Canadian/falling US dollar has cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars and our booking agency partners that were supposedly going to sell our excess hunt inventory did nothing at all, costing us much more.

All in all it has been a tremendous struggle and a secret to no one. Many other publications are facing the same difficulties we are right now. We are not alone in this struggle. We are seeking qualified investors and possibly buyers at this time to restructure BGA and to continue what we feel is the best hunting magazine in the world. We have three interested groups and we feel a sale is imminent to one of these three groups. Others may surface in the near future. We have turned down some buyers as they were not qualified and would have led to the failure of the company.

In the meantime please understand we have minimal staff and writing or calling to "check on my subscription or ad" is a complete waste of our time (and yours) right now. The magazine will be shipped out when it is done, either by present management, future management or new owners, or all three.

Please be patient and thanks in advance for your understanding. Compared to other true tragedies around the world (such as the fires in California at this time) not having a hunting magazine to read right now is a pretty minor event, so please keep that in perspective. None of us have lost our lives here, so lets remember this is not life or death OK? The strain of this had damaged the health of Keri, Leatha, Glenn and to a great extent myself, so we know the struggle more than anyone else can imagine. Stress is THE leading cause of cancer and to a great extent depression and bi-polar disorder so I am taking steps to eliminate this from the lives of these three people.

Thanks for your patience and understanding and we are doing all we can to get back to four issues per year as soon as possible. Your help in this matter is greatly appreciated at this time.

Sincerely,

Raymond F. Oelrich
Publisher and President