Hullett Marsh 2016 "Pheasant Challenge" & 2017 Pheasant Release

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Originally Posted by Big Gunner

Like I said get ride of the free loaders, who contribute nothing and expect everything

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Going a bit too far. Look if you want to pan handle great go ahead but don't berate those who just don't see your point of view. Remember Hullet is a public area and for me should be left that way. Spend the bulk of my time on public lands that has zero fees attached and there is plenty of game to keep me entertained. So fees do not equate to better hunting. Even Norfolk that has a pheasant program I neither buy a permit or bother with their birds. So the notion that you got to spend here and there is not supported. No where is there so much pan handling than at Hullet and for what actually? For me let it go wild this year haven't see it look so good.

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Originally Posted by Big Gunner

...because I'm not very vocal on this site please, to say I " know squat about pheasant hunting opportunities in this province."

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Uh, no. It was because you claimed that Hullett was the only option other than game farms. I gave you the benefit of the doubt, and assumed you were just ignorant of all the other opportunities out there. Now you've come back to admit that you were lying. Thanks for clearing that up.

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Originally Posted by Big Gunner

There is someone at that office everyday, all they have to do is take a drive around the parking lots every few hours, see a car check for the pass.

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FOH has two full-time employees, Scott and Sarah, who already have full-time jobs. They are not sitting around the office looking for things to do.

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Originally Posted by Big Gunner

If everyone payed there would not be a problem with pheasant program, and hello there is an organization formed it's FOH, they just need more F-ING money, its already established ...

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Sorry to burst your bubble, but while FOH manages the area and raises its own funds, other groups also raise funds for Hullett Marsh. The waterfowling zone is a joint effort between FOH and DU, and there is also a Hullett waterfowlers association. There is a group of people who maintain the trails (the Trailblazers), who hold an annual spaghetti dinner fundraiser. And so on. It's clear you don't actually know much about how this area is run.

The point is, other users of the area are represented by groups that raise money to help out. Pheasant hunters are not.

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Originally Posted by Big Gunner

I read the form quite a bit and do know that you take full advantage of Hullett which is funny to me that you who has used the grounds so much would not agree with this ... like you could take more then my fill but there are others who also need to use these resources, So if you shot 6 pheasants last weekend alone, how many do you shoot in a season? That you refuse to contribute anything to.

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Ah, so now I'm a freeloader. The fact that I shot a couple of limits proves this. It proves that I never contribute anything -- I'm not a member of FOH, don't buy pheasant challenge tickets, and never give FOH additional cash donations. And I'm certainly not involved in any fundraising activities related to Hullett and other areas!

I guess you know me pretty well.

But this isn't about me. It's about the question of how to raise more money for pheasants at Hullett. Which returns us to a basic point: FOH cannot legally charge fees for use of the area. So your idea is a non-starter.

There is a practical alternative: form an association of upland hunters to raise money for pheasants. Based on Scott's math, with FOH covering half the expense and the rest coming from pheasant challenge tickets and donations, we are only looking at a shortfall of ~ $2000. I'm pretty certain we could raise that money in several ways, but none of them involve sitting on our thumbs asking other people to take care of it for us.

$2k doesn't sound like an impossible amount. Do they ever have raffles? I'm a sucker for gun raffles. And I don't hunt Hullet.

A couple of years back, the importer for Webley & Scott shotguns donated a shotgun for a raffle to support the pheasant program. The only thing I know about how that worked out was that I didn't win the gun.

But let's remember that FOH is made up of very busy volunteers and two also-very-busy full-time staff. All these things take someone's time.

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Originally Posted by terrym

$2k doesn't sound like an impossible amount. Do they ever have raffles? I'm a sucker for gun raffles. And I don't hunt Hullet.

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They had a big auction this Fall-sold out seating.

It's sad when you consider all the revenue Hullett collects from land rent. It's too bad a very small percentage of this isn't earmarked for side A which is officially designated as upland use and to be managed for this.
Side A could be logged which would greatly improve its value as upland game habitat. This would also raise valuable funds for years of assistance for Sude A.

The forest north of Conservation Road will not be logged, as it is earmarked to be managed as forest. There are few woodlots in southern Ont large enough to provide significant habitat for forest interior birds, but that forest qualifies and that's what's in the management plan for the long term. It can't all be about upland birds.

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Originally Posted by peteypointer

It's sad when you consider all the revenue Hullett collects from land rent. It's too bad a very small percentage of this isn't earmarked for side A which is officially designated as upland use and to be managed for this.
Side A could be logged which would greatly improve its value as upland game habitat. This would also raise valuable funds for years of assistance for Sude A.

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Hullett Financial Facts:

Zone A is managed for wetland habitat and Zone B is managed for upland habitat.

The land rent is the majority of revenue used to operate the HPWA as a whole. Fundraising, membership donations and funded environmental projects make up the rest. A large part of staff time goes into these revenue generating activities with mnay hours spent writing funding applications of which only a few are successful but we have to try.

For those of you that attend the annual AGM you will know that the annual operating budget is only between $130K to $160K per year average depending upon funding success.

Operating costs:

-wages for 2 full time employees (we can afford 2 now that we have paid off a bank loan for our office trailer)
-insurance and repairs for 2 snowmobiles, lawnmowers, 2 atv's and one tractor and one large habitat mower
-hydro, telephone, internet, and propane heating costs
-repairs and purchases of weed wackers, chainsaws, pressure washer, generator etc
-computer and software upgrades, web site hosting fees, radio licence fees, pheasant licence fees
-bookeeping and payroll fees, accountant sees to prepare our charitable tax return
-insurance on contents (tools etc)and new office trailer insurance
-liability insurance for volunteers and Board of Directors
-Volunteer Director expences for meeting mileage and ink and paper
-Paint, materials and supplies for the 21 parking lots and gates
-Road grading and gravel costs
-Signage costs incuding posts and hardware
-Waste dispsoal costs
-Personal protection costs for staff and volunteers
-snow removal
- etc etc

-$8500 for a new and needed privy was spent 2016 as well as $8000 on a new roof at the main viewing stand, these are huge costs on infrastructure that FOH is responsible for and expected to maintain by the provincial governmant that governs us

Therefore as the OP on this thread it is easy for all to see how the $10000 annually to release 1000 pheasants in 2017 is a huge cost to FOH. Pheasant hunters are the most financially consumptive user group that we have.

We are very proud for all that we do in managing the HPWA with so little dollars.

We will elaborate on another post soon regarding all the conversations in this thread.

It's FRiday night Scott. Go have some fun. :)

A bunch of years ago, when my (late) Brittany Sadie and I would go up to Hullet regularly, I posted this thought....if every upland hunter bought a FOH membership and a Pheasant Challenge ticket they would have spent $35. That's a deal for one day of hunting at Hullet. If a person went there five times during the season, they would have invested the princely sum of $7 per visit. The solution is simple. Users....ante up. If you can't see your way clear to spent $35 a season for the opportunity to hunt Hullet as much as you want, well....

Having said that, I did take two dog-less strolls at Hullet this year, for the first time in four or five years, and harvested one whole squirrel. I am going to buy a FOH membership, just because.