Did you attend the Expo? (Poll)

Did you attend the Hunt Expo in SLC?

  • Yes, and went into the Expo

    Votes: 95 33.2%

  • Yes, but only to apply for tags

    Votes: 19 6.6%

  • No, I didn't, but would have if I could have

    Votes: 43 15.0%

  • No EXPO for me!

    Votes: 129 45.1%
  • Total voters
    286
Founder

Founder

Founder Since 1999
Messages
11,470
So when it's all said and done, after all the complaining, bickering and all the rest that comes up as a result of the big Hunt Expo, who all actually attended?

I didn't make it, but probably would've if I had been in town.
 
I was there starting Wed night for the kickoff party and stayed till mid day Sunday.
Worked my tail off at every auction, banquets, elk calling and afterpartys.

Regardless of the outcome of this particular poll, records were broken in every category at the Expo, including attendance.

I didn't draw a $5 tag, but I enjoyed the extra opportunity the Expo gives to be able to apply for all OIL tags at once and an opportunity to draw elk tags when I am in my waiting period for 5 years.
 
slamdunk said:
I was there starting Wed night for the kickoff party and stayed till mid day Sunday.
Worked my tail off at every auction, banquets, elk calling and afterpartys.

Regardless of the outcome of this particular poll, records were broken in every category at the Expo, including attendance.

I didn't draw a $5 tag, but I enjoyed the extra opportunity the Expo gives to be able to apply for all OIL tags at once and an opportunity to draw elk tags when I am in my waiting period for 5 years.
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I am happy you enjoyed your opportunity to apply for tags that take opportunity away from the public draw. I'm glad you enjoyed the opportunity the state had to give away I believe 38 tags to out of state hunters through that draw. Its so awesome records were broke and millions were made And our quality of game and opportunity to hunt has never been worse. Good for you.
 
I went and applied for some tags and checked out some nice taxidermy. I’m hoping non residents can’t apply after this year. I’m going to identify as Remi Warren going forward.
 
I went, got some good deals on a couple of things I needed and got to have another chance to apply for another round of tags. I throw more money away on required hunting licenses to buy points in states that continually creep up to the point I'll probably never draw those tags either so why not waste a little more for 1 more chance. Worked once... someone's got to get lucky...
 
I went just to see what it was about. Not a lot different than SCI. Didn't apply for a tag as I have my own two secret spots to choose from. I didn't see anything I needed either.
 
treedagain said:
Plus you live 20+ hrs away
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I would not attend even if I lived next door to the Salt Palace. And I would not buy raffle tickets if they made them available online without attending.

But that’s just me. I’ve always been active politically, regardless if the issue affects me personally. Heck I joined Iowa Bowhunter’s Assoc despite I may never hunt there again, and if I did I could only draw once every 8 years. I admire their political activity & power, including fighting off multiple Ravin lobbyists & greased legislators annually.

I loathe corruption. Even moved my residence in 2019 to escape it.
 
Zim said:
I would not attend even if I lived next door to the Salt Palace. And I would not buy raffle tickets if they made them available online without attending.

But that’s just me. I’ve always been active politically, regardless if the issue affects me personally. Heck I joined Iowa Bowhunter’s Assoc despite I may never hunt there again, and if I did I could only draw once every 8 years. I admire their political activity & power, including fighting off multiple Ravin lobbyists & greased legislators annually.

I loathe corruption. Even moved my residence in 2019 to escape it.
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Ok Zim. Keep up the good work. 🦌🦌🇺🇸
 
Yes my son and I went, and had a great time. We visited with several hunting buddies, I was able to meet mozey from this forum in person face to face, we sat with Zeke and his kids, and donated a bunch of money to help others go on sheep hunts at full curl sheep camp. I also applied, for a bunch of hunting tags without drawing , which is what I expected.
If nothing else, the success of the Expo demonstrates to me that there are still many, many thousands of hunting enthusiasts willing to show up, in support of hunting in general. Given the climate of society, I think that means something, so I will continue to attend.
 
I went 2-3 times; many years back. I think I missed the first one, but made it to the next 2. Pretty much the same thing. I enjoyed it. Lots of stuff to look at! But-I've seen it. No need to drive into Big Smoke for the Expo anymore...
 
Didn’t make it this year. First miss in many years. They sell raffle calendars, I’ll probably buy a couple this month help with their fund making efforts.

My sons all went, they thought this was the the busiest Expo they can remember. I know the local banquet here, last month, had the largest attendance we have ever had. We went through right at 600 prime rib dinners.
 
I have to admit.

In my old age I've softened a bit, and holding a grudge isn't useful.

So yes, Saturday I did attend.

My daughters robotics tournament.

Watching 42 other teams of boys compete against 3 girls teams while those little nerds tried to chat up the few girls that were there, impressing them with their tales of adventure, reminded me that the expo was in SLC, and the same was going on there for the few guides.

Watching those little dorks, with their pants waiting for the flood, their star wars t shirts on, impressing the other dorks, made me realize, perhaps I should go to the expo? All the dorks were super impressed by the other dorks. There were secret handshakes, secret passwords. My God I understood HUSH in a deeper level.

The odds say that maybe, possibly, but not likely one of those little nerds might touch a girl someday, like the odds of drawing a tag. A for damn sure when they do, they will post it in IG.

So, while I didn't attend, yet again, I was there in spirit with those that did.
 
treedagain said:
I don't think the tags are the main draw anymore.
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Great! Then why don't we just put them back into the real public draw and see what happens? SFW & MDF will still have their Conservation permit funds and membership dues, EXPO tickets, booth fees, entertainment tickets, parking lot income and state, county and city tourist income. If the people still attend, the local businesses will still get the same amount of business they are getting now and the public will still draw the tags from the DWR, but with an increase of $5.00 per application. AND I think we can guarantee that all those tags will still be sold!

Edited: Or we can set those 200 hunts aside of the main draw into another category ("Supra") and give them the same benefits the EXPO tags get, ie: no waiting periods, no points needed or lost, only one application per hunt but no limit on the number of hunts applied for. Only one Supra Hunt per year, etc. And the rules of the main hunt remain the same as they now are for the EXPO hunts (One moose per year, one buck deer per year, etc.) All those benefits, but without the validation. It won't be needed since the attendees are going to be here anyway! We could still charge only $5.00 per application and the DWR would still get what they are getting now, but I would wager that the number of applications would double since we know where the money is going and we don't have to make a 520 mile round trip to validate!
 
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elkfromabove said:
Great! Then why don't we just put them back into the real public draw and see what happens? SFW & MDF will still have their Conservation permit funds and membership dues, EXPO tickets, booth fees, entertainment tickets, parking lot income and state, county and city tourist income. If the people still attend, the local businesses will still get the same amount of business they are getting now and the public will still draw the tags from the DWR, but with an increase of $5.00 per application. AND I think we can guarantee that all those tags will still be sold!

Edited: Or we can set those 200 hunts aside of the main draw into another category ("Supra") and give them the same benefits the EXPO tags get, ie: no waiting periods, no points needed or lost, only one application per hunt but no limit on the number of hunts applied for. Only one Supra Hunt per year, etc. And the rules of the main hunt remain the same as they now are for the EXPO hunts (One moose per year, one buck deer per year, etc.) All those benefits, but without the validation. It won't be needed since the attendees are going to be here anyway! We could still charge only $5.00 per application and the DWR would still get what they are getting now, but I would wager that the number of applications would double since we know where the money is going and we don't have to make a 520 mile round trip to validate!
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No argument here. You spent 20min typing for nothing. I would not be hurt if they went back. I already drew my bull tag a couple years ago and shot a GREAT BULL. At least I can say it was not totally rigged that year. 🤔
 
elks96 said:
Why are you so obsessed with where I have been? I am happily married… Flattered, I am… 😚
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Because you act like you are on the A-list for conservation after a few yrs as a Wyo resident.
Along with being a NR hater that chimes in to keep the narrative negative. Most people should agree residents should come 1st.
 
PacificFork said:
I’d rather go to an abstract art gallery in San Francisco and suck 75 d*cks in front of my mother than attend that cesspool mullet flat brimmed douche festival where posers drool over non fair chase products while they peg eachother waiting in line to meet insta fame bigger douches. There I said it.
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You covered it pretty good😉
 
treedagain said:
No argument here. You spent 20min typing for nothing. I would not be hurt if they went back. I already drew my bull tag a couple years ago and shot a GREAT BULL. At least I can say it was not totally rigged that year. 🤔
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Thanks! I appreciate your prompting post, but don't flatter yourself too much! Actually, I wasn't typing it for you! I don't really care what you personally think about the EXPO, but I do care what the general hunting public thinks about it and I did what I usually do. I was just putting out to ALL the readers, a reasonable, workable idea of a way to put those tags back into the main public draw in the hopes that the DWR, SFW, MDF, RAC's, Wildlife Board and/or enough readers will pick up on it to consider a change. That way, it's a win for everybody!
(1) The EXPO can go on the way it always goes on with auctions, dinners, booths, food, animal displays, things for the kids to do, shows, etc. And/or they can come up with some ideas of their own to increase the attendance.
(2) The local businesses will still make the money they are now making from the public, In fact, I suspect there would be much more attendance from families who love to hunt.
(3) The DWR would still make the same amount per tag (or $5 more if the charged the usual $10). They would just pay the $3.01 application fee to their established draw vendor, instead of to the SFW/MDF's vendor. And if they still wanted to make the announced winners into the show that it's become, they can still do that. And, of course the winner still has to have a hunting license and still has to pay the going price for the actual permit and he/she doesn't have to have a voucher.
(4) The wildlife receives the same benefits they are now getting, ie: $1.99 per tag. (Or $6.99 per tag if the application fee is $10.)
(5) What's in it for SFW/MDF? A WHOLE LOT BETTER PR! Most of these kinds of threads go away if there's nothing to gripe about. They might even be accepted in the surrounding states!
(6) The hunting public can still dream of getting a once-in-a-lifetime tag that they may never get in the general draw. This still is that additional draw that we claim for the EXPO tags now.

There may be something I missed, but it seems like it would work and would tone down the anger that SFW is now getting.
 
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Remember the line " All hunting should be privatized and sold to the highest bidder". You have to be a special kind of stupid to support an organization that wants to eliminate the average working class hunter. Kinda like voting for Biden
Wes
 
Living in the Elko area we really do not have anything like this. I used to love going over to Salt Lake City to the Antlerfest and meet people from this website. People i taked to for years and got to put a face to a nickname. I met some pretty awesome people and cool characters. So every couple of years I come over to the expo and look around and see the taxidermy and some new products. And some of the vendors I met years ago. I do not stay for the tag auctions or get in them. And after about 4 hours of walking around I can't wait to get out of there. I wish we had a place annually where good people who just love the sport could meet up and just discuss hunting. I guess thats what MM is for. I hate where the sport is going but it is my sport and every once in awhile i like to get around like minded people and just hang out. Fatrooster
 
fatrooster said:
I hate where the sport is going but it is my sport and every once in awhile i like to get around like minded people and just hang out. Fatrooster
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Sounds like you would love hunting Elk in Colorado during the OPTC archery season. If you like talking to people, there is no shortage no matter where you go!

Hurry up though, I hear its ending this year. lol
 
257roberts said:
Thanks Zim.
I heard about this, but had not read anything for myself.
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SFW wants you to forget. They’ve always operated with that strategy. RMEF & Randy Newburg got screwed. To hell with our own regulations, we’ll just change all the rules even AFTER the deadline. You can’t make this stuff up. BTW - Even the governor gave his blessing to this fiasco.

I live in Indiana, but have family there. My sister-in-law is a Utah state representative, district 10 (West Jordan).
 
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Mallardsx2 said:
Sounds like you would love hunting Elk in Colorado during the OPTC archery season. If you like talking to people, there is no shortage no matter where you go!

Hurry up though, I hear its ending this year. lol
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I hunted mule deer muzzleloader which coincided with archery elk for a few years and it was great. I think the wolves are gonna change things throughout the next 5 to 10 years so enjoy good hunting while you can. Goodluck. Fatrooster
 
Zim said:
SFW wants you to forget. They’ve always operated with that strategy. RMEF & Randy Newburg got screwed. To hell with our own regulations, we’ll just change all the rules even AFTER the deadline. You can’t make this stuff up. BTW - Even the governor gave his blessing to this fiasco.

I live in Indiana, but have family there. My sister-in-law is an Utah state representative, district 10 (West Jordan).
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Randy “loose lips sink ships” Newberg got screwed… that’s hilarious…
 
Tikka said:
Randy “loose lips sink ships” Newberg got screwed… that’s hilarious…
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What is this supposed to mean? Everyone knows what happened. It’s no secret. Even a dumbfounded KUTV ran several segments.

How do you stop the whole bidding process AFTER the deadline. Go silent for 5 days. Then make an announcement that all the bid regulations will be changed to favor SFW & in-state sportsman’s organizations? And only then go back and evaluate the previously submitted proposals???

You can’t make this stuff up. Hell even Illinois corruption isn’t this brazen. Quite an accomplishment.

As if the 15-20 previous scandals weren’t enough to cement their legacy. Corri Rossi ring a bell? One of many.
 
I have always just went and validated my application.

Well, this year I went with a friend. We went in. I’ve never seen so many roided up egomaniac's in thousands of dollar costumes in my lifetime! They had lots of people hoodwinked into thinking they’re some kind of heroes!!! 😂😂😂
 
Zim said:
What is this supposed to mean? Everyone knows what happened. It’s no secret. Even a dumbfounded KUTV ran several segments.

How do you stop the whole bidding process AFTER the deadline. Go silent for 5 days. Then make an announcement that all the bid regulations will be changed to favor SFW & in-state sportsman’s organizations? And only then go back and evaluate the previously submitted proposals???

You can’t make this stuff up. Hell even Illinois corruption isn’t this brazen. Quite an accomplishment.

As if the 15-20 previous scandals weren’t enough to cement their legacy. Corri Rossi ring a bell? One of many.
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My comment had nothing to do with the expo…

Randy has hot-spotted more units/states than anyone out there… I think he’s “screwed” his fare share of public resources…
 
Zim said:
SFW wants you to forget. They’ve always operated with that strategy. RMEF & Randy Newburg got screwed. To hell with our own regulations, we’ll just change all the rules even AFTER the deadline. You can’t make this stuff up. BTW - Even the governor gave his blessing to this fiasco.

I live in Indiana, but have family there. My sister-in-law is a Utah state representative, district 10 (West Jordan).
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How did Randy Newburg get screwed?
Is he the president of RMEF?
 
Tikka said:
My comment had nothing to do with the expo…

Randy has hot-spotted more units/states than anyone out there… I think he’s “screwed” his fare share of public resources…
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I don’t disagree. The difference being I don’t think any of his activities can be described as being nefarious, unethical nor illegal.

Unfortunately there’s also thousands of other honest YouTubers educating greenhorns on a public resource. I don’t hate any of them. In fact, I planned ahead for it back in 1996.
 
Zim said:
I don’t disagree. The difference being I don’t think any of his activities can be described as being nefarious, unethical nor illegal.

Unfortunately there’s also thousands of other honest YouTubers educating greenhorns on a public resource. I don’t hate any of them. In fact, I planned ahead for it back in 1996.
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How much money has “Newberg” or the thousands of “honest” YouTubers given back to the resources they pimp out, all while making money?

ZERO that’s how much….
 
Tikka said:
How much money has “Newberg” or the thousands of “honest” YouTubers given back to the resources they pimp out, all while making money?

ZERO that’s how much….
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Well, not sure about a figure for Randy, but he did help me give back approx. $350 million worth of big game tags to AZ since 2012. That alone is some significant coin. Also I know he’s also been involved in getting public access grants through RMEF. That’s in fact better than money as money breeds corruption. They go hand in hand. I’m quite sure we both know that. Illinois is the corruption capital of the East, and Utah is the corruption capital of the West.

I had to burst out laughing when I heard “pimp out” used for anything other than auction & wealth tags in Utah. They pretty much set the modern day standard, with plenty of special interest parties dippin in that till.
 
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