Who are We, and Where have We been

[Pick A Spot]

Here is my .02 cents on this issue from my prospective.

I've been a member off and on for maybe 25 years. I've never once participated in any hunt or banquet. I did work the TTH show many years ago in Fort Worth. I would like to do more but it's never worked out with my schedule. I also think that the Association for most hunters feels (for lack of a better term) remote. I will be the first to say that I feel this is not fair. Nor do I believe it to be really true. But regardless it feels that way due to it's purpose and mission IMHO.

I also do not think that for the vast majority the associations purpose is not enough to generate continuous interest. Most bowhunters have a lot of interest about 4 months of the year. The LSBA needs something else to pull in members and keep people engaged all year long. Only a small percentage of members do so it seems.

I also have a strong interest in skeet shooting and in the past two years have put together a club. We have about 50 members. That in itself would not be a big deal but all 50 live in my neighborhood. If you know anything about skeet shooting you would know that numbers have declined over the years. The fact that 49 new shooters have come together out of one neighborhood has generated a lot of "how is this happening" questions from folks around the country. What is the trick?

I think the answer is that it's become almost a social club with skeet shooting on the side. Yes we shoot each week for 6 months with several thousand dollars spent but we also plan a lot of other events. Parties, horseshoe tournaments, happy hours, chili cook offs and more. We keep it fun.

I realize that a state wide organization makes that tough to do and I know that the fellowship hunts and other events are efforts to do the same things but if it was organized into regional events ( participate closer to home) with activities throughout the year it might keep folks engaged and motivated. There are numerous die-hard bowhunters but there are many more die-hards at having fun.

I also realize that it takes a lot of work to plan events and get the word out etc. The fact that it's a state wide organization makes it more challenging. I certainly do not have all the answers but if activities were close to home and fun (regional activities) more would participate and others would hear about it and membership would grow.