Hey guys,
I would like to throw out a few things to you that might help you in all the confusion that is apparent here on this thread.
First off, I'm Travis Roundy and I'm one of the owners of Huntin' Fool, as well as one of the HF hunting consultants.
Huntin' Fool has changed hands in ownership, and Garth is retired and gone from the company, just so that is clear.
We follow state law with the membership drive giveaway, and nothing has changed in how or who may enter the drawings for the hunts.
We have debated over whether to publish the odds for the giveaway for months, and through a discussion on our forum among the members, the majority asked that the odds not be published. We as a company are trying to listen to our members and provide the type of service they want.
If any of you are interested in coming in to the office, we have the ticket boxes available for public viewing, and we also encourage anyone, member of HF or not to come to the drawing and participate. We are honorable human beings and would be happy to have more witnesses there to validate the fact that we run a fair and honest drawing. In fact, if you don't have a ticket in the barrel, you will probably get a chance to reach in and draw out a hunt or two for a lucky winner while you are there.
We continue to offer the hunts in our giveaway because of the popularity of it as witnessed by our members participation. We continue to add hunts, and even offer hunts that are not available to most people due to their financial status. This year we are offering a Henry Mountains Mule Deer hunt that is out of sight for most of us. It cost us a lot of money, and I don't know many people or companies that would even consider dropping close to a hundred grand on a voucher and then putting it in a giveaway to it's members. We felt like it was a cool thing to do, and I'm sure someone is going to be happy we did. We also offer hunts that are not available in state drawings, like Stone Sheep, and Mexico Mule Deer to give people a crack at something they most likely will never do because of the cost of the hunts.
We have added several new consultants to the Hunting consultant dept to serve the members and cut down on call hold times. We were fielding lots of chit chat type calls, and the consulting dept was not profitable, so we opted to keep all members at the $100 per year price and add the consulting option for the extra $100 if a member needed or wanted it. Many members are using the consulting option and enjoying the extra time they get on the phone with the consultants now that there are enough there to handle the calls at peak times. Many members opt to stay at $100 which is the same price this service has been since 1995.
We are not just another magazine, and if you really take a comprehensive look at all the services HF offers, you will see that the $100 price tag is a bargain. Less than a tank of gas on a full size truck.
12 issues of HF magazine with research and statistics, including information from some of the top hunters in the west on where to find a great hunt that fits your needs and your budget.
Member draw list. Members can call in and receive a list of members including phone numbers, who have previously drawn the unit you drew out for. This service alone will save you some scouting time and put you in the right area in a unit you haven't hunted before.
Interactive odds calculator on the website. This is my favorite. I can find hunts all over the west that I can draw by using this calculator.
HF will provide you with recommendations for our endorsed outfitters at no charge to you. We help our members book hundreds and hundreds of successful hunts each year. No charge to the member.
We operate an application service to help those who don't have time, or who don't want to do their own applications. This is a big hit with the members and we consistently help our members draw a big percentage of tags in the west. As part of this service members may speak with a hunt consultant to go over the areas and units that you are considering. A great way to get in on top hunting areas.
We are also adding new ideas and innovations to the business continuously to improve the member experience. Our goal is to help every one of our members to achieve the hunting success that they desire. We are good people that love the outdoors and we are thankful that we can work in the hunting industry and work with and around good people from all around the globe.
I'm sure that there have been people that have been offended, or had a bad experience with any company out there, and HF is not exempt from that. We have a new perspective on this business, and we are trying to be innovative, and progressive, as well as service oriented to give the member the best bang for the buck.
I don't spend much time here on Monster Muleys anymore due to my obligations at work, and with our own HF forum, but I thought this may be of some value for those of you in this debate.
Best of luck in the draws, and on your upcoming hunts!
Travis Roundy
Huntin' Fool