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[DonVathome]

I am also posting this under elk forum and on Bowsite.

Over the past couple years I have made numerous posts that Huntin Fool was wrong about the odds they show for nonresident mountain goat and sheep. I received a call from Jason Carter at Huntin Fool to discuss this. Before I called him back I went back and checked, something I should have done a long time ago, as it turns out Huntin Fool was correct, I was not. I do not know what I did wrong when I originally checked the odds, and that does not matter. I wanted to do everything I can to clear up my mistake. I am disappointed in myself for posting incorrect information and leading others astray. I am also disappointed in myself for falsely accusing Huntin Fool of incorrect odds information, not only did I make them look bad but also caused them to get calls from people who saw what I said and then questioned them about their odds.

I spoke with Jason Carter about 24 hours after he left me message, and I had time to check the odds, and I gave him my sincerest apology. He handled it very well, I cannot say enough about how professional and courteous he was to me after what I did. I am extremely happy with his handling of the situation. I hope to maintain a good relationship with Huntin Fool, and the Carters in the future. I have watched them over the last few years and I have seen quite a few things I like. I noticed that they worked to get an article in the latest issue to help the California FNAWS sell tickets to benefit the sheep there. I also noticed when Colorado announced the requirements for landowner tags that Huntin Fool mentioned that they would assist hunters and landlords finding each other to get tags sold, without any charge by Huntin Fool. I agree when they said this was likely to become one their biggest benefits to subscribers. I was, and still am, very impressed and grateful for this free service and the way they handled the situation.

I also noticed that every issue this year (I just started to pay attention to this so they might have done it all along) they explain exactly how they calculate odds ? and also say they are not true odds and list what else might affect the odds. I think this is great and very fair.

I have called there odds ?slanted? - there are times when I wish they looked at odds from another angle, however it is their magazine and they can do what they wish with it. I simply wish they shed a more dismal light on draw odds ? simply for my own benefit since it would scare off some applicants and increase my odds. I know this is a bit selfish but I am sure many of us dreaming of the tougher tags to draw wish this from time to time. Again I do wish they slanted odds to make things look worse (so some applicants drop out) but they can show the odds how they choose, and in most situations there is room for interpretation, and since they explain how they calculate odds I feel they are justified.

Ever since I thought they were wrong about Colorado odds I have been unhappy (with some of the odds they post) and always looked at ways they could have posted odds to make them look worse. As many of you may realize in many states it is very difficult to estimate true odds, especially for nonresidents. I feel Huntin Fool can interpret the odds any way they feel, and again they explain how their odds are calculated and I feel this more then covers them if someone else chooses to view odds differently. Despite my displeasure with how they showed odds (which again turned out to be wrong) I have always loved the magazine. The information there saves me so much time and research that it is well worth the cost. The articles and photos are the icing on the cake. I look forward to my magazine every month and red it cover to cover within 2 hours of receiving it. I checked many of my old posts and even when I complained about some of their odds reports I always said I liked the magazine, loved the articles, and liked the draw odds summaries, and enjoyed it overall.

I intend to find my olds posts and send messages to everyone who posted there with this info to do my best to correct my error as well as an email with this to everyone I know who hunts.

I did not intend to mislead anyone, I truly believed the odds were wrong and I was doing my best to inform everyone. We can all learn from my mistake, there is a lot of good information here, but there is also some incorrect information, so remember to double check everything before hanging your hat on one piece of information.

I have always liked Huntin Fool magazine, despite what I thought was an occasional error, and now that I know the truth and experienced first hand how they deal with someone who caused them an unwarranted problem I can only say I am extremely happy with them. If they were this nice with me imagine how nice they will be to you!

Sorry for longwinded post and sorry for any problems I have caused, in the future I will be more careful to not make such mistakes and if I ever question information, such as that found in Huntin Fool, I will give them a chance to explain themselves (which I should have done this time). Everyone makes mistakes so I hope everyone can forgive me.

Thanks

DonV

PS many think I am a ?glass is half full? guy since I can often be seen complaining about tough draw odds. I do wish odds were better, but the more I know about the hunting opportunities out west the more excited I am. I have been blessed with a supportive wife, good health, and the finances to travel out west to hunt - and to apply for coveted and pricey tags. It will take some time to draw many of them but I will ? and I know that I have several hunts of a lifetime to look forward to and I am extremely excited.

Thank You for your time.

 

[roger]

DonV,
I admire you very much for admitting your mistake. I am a big fan of Huntin Fool and they have been a huge help to me over the years. I live in the Southern US and never really had any knowledge of applications or draw odds. Huntin Fool was the most economical way for me to learn how to play the application game. I have always been treated with the utmost class and respect when talking to any of the "Huntin Fool" staff.

If you get caught up in the draw odds it can be a pretty depressing game. Do your home put your name in and hope for a lot of luck.

Nice post and good luck in the draws.

Roger

 

[littlebighorn]

DonV
I too applaud you for your comments, because it shows that not all hunters are egotistical idiots!(as we are often portrayed)
I too can attest to Carter's "class" in responding to questions or disaggreements on issues. A while back I wrote Jason a letter about an article he wrote and I called him hypocritical for what he said. He quickly responded with a personal letter, appologizing and assuring me that he had not intended to sound hypocritical and if I interpreted what he wrote that way he was sorry.
The fact is, most of us would love to swap jobs with the Carters, but they are the ones with the idea and the guts to carry it out. No doubt their service makes odds worse, but if they didn't do it, someone else would.
Good on you DonV and you are welcome to share my campfire anytime!

 

[Warren]

Don,

It takes a class act to admit being wrong. I was fortunate enough to meet Garth at the Grand Slam last year. He certainly took plenty of time to speak with me and was interested in my hunting pursuits. Also, Jason has pointed me towards two excellent outfitters that were as good as anyone could hope to find. The Huntin' Fool is often cited as the reason for the increase in applicants. However, I think that the credit card and online applications has more to do with it than anything. It sure does seem like the New Mexico elk odds have gotten tough.

 

[Califelkslayer]

I too applaud you for your post. I've been tough on Garth myself, blaming him for the drastic price increase of Colorado Landowner Vouchers. In some part I'm jealous that I didn't have the idea and $$$ to do what he did the last 4-5 years and I am further impressed with his stance this year rather than business as usual like AP. My apology isn't near as good as yours but it's the best I've got.

 

[alwayzbhuntin]

Good job Don, real stand up thing you done here.

 

[joesikora]

Don, did I meet you @ Carson Forest building with Frn Cortez last archery season in Unit 52

Thanks Joe