I agree that everyone should get their kid a lifetime hunting license and then take their kid hunting. Of course some hunters are just too busy or don't want to be bothered with having a kid hanging around and making noise and spoiling their hunting trip. There are always those few who are always thinking about themselves in everything they do. You can always spot them a mile away because they are the ones always looking for an angle in everything and always looking for an excuse to not take a friend hunting or introduce a kid to the sport. Even a friend's kid. In today's world of more and more single parent families, the woman is the one who ends up with the kids 95% of the time, and everyone knows that a working mom simply doesn't have the means or the time to take her kids hunting, and heaven knows she can't afford a lifetime hunting license. Sure the manufacturers want to stay in business and make a profit and I'm certain that some manufacturer's ads will be placed on every e-mail that goes out notifying people of who won. Thats just good business. But lets face facts here. Who else is offering to purchase a lifetime hunting license ( In those states that have such a program ) or give a family enough money to buy 10 consecutive hunting licenses (In those states that don't have a lifetime program ) for a kid in order to help get that kid indoctrinated and help him become one of us? $66 is a lot to spend every year, but your post points out one very important thing. Thats the thing this whole program is designed to do, and that is to get people to thinking about the importance of taking kids hunting while they are still kids. Once they are grown up its too late. Once the video games take over, or the gangs get a hold of them, or they start doing dope, its too late. And being cynical in the face of a great program that is designed to help address those problems is not part of the solution, its rather a part of the problem itself. That type of cynical attitude is what has kept far too many of our fellow hunters from introducing more kids to our grand sport in the first place. How many among us can truly say that we have taken EVERY opportunity to introduce as many kids as possible to the sport? How many of us were simply not willing to be bothered? How many times did we fail to take a neighbor's kid because we were hunting a good buck and didn't want to mess up our chance that day? Our folly is going to reach out and bite us one of these days and that day isn't as far off as many people think. At least these manufacturers are getting people talking about the problem. And they are removing one more hurdle, that being the cost of the license. I for one applaud their efforts and don't see anything fishy about it. If your state doesn't offer a lifetime license, its not the manufacturer's fault. You should get in touch with your legislators and help them see the light. And you should support this program too.

Thanks Gerald for your efforts if they are indeed sincere. Perhaps had you been an active member of this site for longer than to post a big ad, we would have taken your offer more seriously. We are on here everyday helping each other and the many kids who stop by daily. We provide to charities for kids, and have links so you too, can contribute. We also have threads that allow us to give free hunting stuff to others less fortunate than ourselves. So while your post is noble, please know your audience before you challenge our efforts to give back!

Well put Gerald,

I think that most of the HNI regulars do support what you are saying and do take steps to
introduce their kids or others to hunting. People are just a little jaded about getting 25
pieces of mail everyday and being harrased on the phone after helping out.

Case in point. I gave money to a particular worthy cause a couple of years ago. They obviously
thought they would make more money and sold my name to a huge list. I started getting calls
and mail every darn day. The problem is I am not a cash machine, don't have that many hours
in the day, and all these groups are wasting their resources by sending me loads and loads of
calendars, stickers, coins, etc. The only thing that has slowed down the barrage is to stop giving,
and that defeats the whole purpose.

All that said, we do have a duty to pass on the love and sport of hunting. Kids will not do it
by themselves, they will sit in front of the tv all day. This looks like a worthy cause and
hopefully donors won't be treated like I was.

Lebeau,
I understand and agree with your point completely. I have been hunting since the late 1950's (telling my age here) and bowhunting almost exclusively since the late 1970's. I was appointed to Alabama's Game Commission in the early 1980's (It's called The Conservation Advisory Board here in Alabama and they are responsible for setting the hunting seasons and creel limits for fishing and hunting ) I served for 6 years on that body. One of the most important things I did while I was there was to make the original motion to initiate a youth deer hunt here in Alabama. That hunt occurred before the regular gun deer season. It has since evolved to include a youth turkey hunt as well. And guess what? I got hammered by a lot of folks who were jealous that the kids were being afforded an opportunity to get a shot at a deer before they were! According to some of the ones who contacted me to complain were some who said that the bucks they had been watching were going to be spooked by all of the kids in the woods before they got a chance to even hunt. Can you believe that attitude? Actually most people understood the reasons behind my efforts but it still to this day amazes me the attitude of a few, and as a deer hunter I hate to admit it but the main ones who expressed that type of attitude were fellow deer hunters. I guess it takes all kinds.

Perhaps we should post the rules so everyone is aware what they are signing up for. These are off your Generous website.

And this is why whenver someone calls for the firefighter's or policeman's ball, etc. I always hang up the phone. I do give money to charity and our church and the foodshelf every year. But I don't give it to solicitors because they are required by law only to give a small portion to the cause they are touting and keep the majority for themselves. Its often a scheme. I've seen this detailed on 20/20, Dateline, Primetime, you name it. For instance, those change or coin jars at the local supermarket touting money for the blind or whatever cause only requires those who put them out to give pennies on the dollar to the charity. [:-]Not to say that some are legit but its good, very good to be skeptical and check these things out before handing over even 50 cents.