G-Dawg I cant speak for the " raffle fixers" you are talking about, (and I hope if true, they are dealt with severely) but I am on my local DU Committee here in Madison County, TN and I think I can fairly say that " fixing" at ANY DU event is a rarity. Do you know that each banquet is attended by a DU official who has rank and say over anyone else? There are many rules of protocal a committee must abide by as dictated by DU headquarters. dr got it absolutely correct, the wealthier members typically by more tickets thereby increasing their odds of winning. The absolutely best odds of any drawing for a gun is found at your local DU banquets. There simply arent enough tickets purchased by seperate individuals to make it a high number to draw from. When someone buys 50-100 tickets and drops them into the bucket with a couple hundred others, simple math dictates they have the odds in their favor!

DW is likewise a fine organization and I have noticed over the last few years that an alarming number of " average duck hunters" are switching to DW vs DU. I hate to see that, but it IS a free country. DU is the sole reason why we even have any ducks today! (I know, DW was founded in 38, but they havent had nearly the continental impact that DU has! ESPECIALLY in the first half of the 1900s.) DU does have many extremely wealthy members in its rank and certainly the banquets are as much of a social event as they are a fundraiser. But thats part of it. Bring likeminded people together for a common cause. I rarely even duckhunt anymore and everyone knows my blood has antlers in it, but I look forward to putting on our local banquet each Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Its a wonderful time with fellow sportsmen and a good way to make new huntin buddies and keep up with old ones!

As you said DU does pay for " private land management/re-construction/enhancement" . That is because the vast majority of wintering water is on private land here in the lower 48. Sure it helps the hunters on that land. But it likewise helps all the hunters around that area as well. Regardless what wetland/conservation laws are in effect, todays farmers must put every good acre into production. And in other instances, many areas and farms are being bought and restored to the great wetlands they once were. There simply isnt enough money in the govt sector to meet this management/restoration demand and this is where DU comes in. I hear many folks complain about DU " puttin in a floodgate" for a hunter/farmer. But what if they didnt? Thats one less waterhole, resting pool or roost for the birds! For every 10k acre refuge along the flyway, there are thousands upon thousands of small " potholes" that hold many more ducks overall. And that land is all privately owned. Ducks dont care who owns the land, they just know what they need and like. Collectively we sportsmen pay for all the ducks right? Well their grounds encompass Canada, the U.S. and Mexico for the largest part. Were ducks like deer and ranged on a square mile or two for their entire lives, yeah you could say its only right to spend this money here and that money there. But with BILLIONS of acres that make up the various flyways, added to the fact that the large majority of those acres are privately owned. What else could we do if we must take care of the land for the ducks needs?

DU is a great organization and one of the, if not THE best example of " for sportsmen by sportsmen" restoration/conservation/wildlife mgmt organizations in history.
RA