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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt podcast, your home for

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Speaker 1: deer hunting news, stories and strategies, and now your host,

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Speaker 1: Mark Kenyon. All Right, welcome to the Wired Hunt podcast,

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Speaker 1: brought to you by Onyx. Today the show, we are

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Speaker 1: taking a step back from the hunting strategy that we've

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Speaker 1: been focusing on so much over the past couple of weeks,

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Speaker 1: as we're getting ready for late summer and early fall

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Speaker 1: and all the excitement, and instead we're going to talk

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Speaker 1: about the people and organizations that are working day in

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Speaker 1: and day out to make sure that we have deer

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Speaker 1: to hunt and places to hunt them. You know, we

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Speaker 1: talked a lot about deer conservation and advocacy and that

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Speaker 1: kind of stuff over the years, but today we're we're

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Speaker 1: possibly discussing the biggest change to that whole world when

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Speaker 1: it comes to deer since we started this whole thing,

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Speaker 1: this podcast, and probably farther back than that. I'm gonna

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Speaker 1: let our guests explain exactly what's happening themselves, but in short,

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Speaker 1: there are some very signal can changes coming for the

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Speaker 1: major deer conservation organizations that many of you are familiar,

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Speaker 1: the people we've been talking to over the years, the

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Speaker 1: organizations that I've been involved in and many of you,

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Speaker 1: and these changes that are coming down the line, as

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Speaker 1: you're going to hear, they're hopefully going to lead to

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Speaker 1: better outcomes for US deer hunters and for the deer

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Speaker 1: we pursue and the places we enjoy exploring while we

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Speaker 1: do that. So we're gonna talk to Nick Penzotto of

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Speaker 1: the National Deer Lions and Lindsay Thomas Jr. And Kip

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Speaker 1: Adams from the Quality Deer Management Association. They're going to

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Speaker 1: be discussing what these changes are, why this is all happening,

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Speaker 1: and probably most importantly, what does this mean for US hunters?

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Speaker 1: What can we expect in the future for the resource,

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Speaker 1: What can we as hunters You'll be doing to be

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Speaker 1: more engaged, you know, what's needed from us to make

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Speaker 1: sure that deer and deer hunting are here along into

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Speaker 1: the future for our kids and their kids and so on. So,

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Speaker 1: if if you're pumped about the upcoming hunting season and

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Speaker 1: you really want to be thinking about tactics and strategies

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Speaker 1: and hunting plans, I don't blame you. I'm right there

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Speaker 1: with you, but don't short change this conversation and skip it.

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Speaker 1: To get to the next honey how to because if

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Speaker 1: we don't get this stuff right, if we're not strong

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Speaker 1: advocates for deer and deer hunting, we won't get to

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Speaker 1: enjoy the fun stuff for very long at all. So

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Speaker 1: with that out of the way, let's get to chatting

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Speaker 1: with Nick, Lindsay and Kip and learn exactly what's going

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Speaker 1: on in the dear conservation world and how it's going

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Speaker 1: to impact all of us. All right with me now

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Speaker 1: on the line. We have got Nick penzelto Lindsay Thomas Jr.

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Speaker 1: And Kip Adams and and rather than trying to do

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Speaker 1: the usual introductory chit chat like we do, I just

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Speaker 1: want to jump right into the news because in my

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Speaker 1: introductory marks just before this, I kind of teed things up.

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Speaker 1: We've got a pretty big announcement set of updates and

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Speaker 1: news for for everyone here today. And Nick, can you

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Speaker 1: just tell us what is going on? Why are we

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Speaker 1: all here together to chat today? Absolutely jumping right into it? So, yeah,

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Speaker 1: we uh have just recently announced that the National Deer

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Speaker 1: Alliance and the Quality Deer Management Association are essentially becoming

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Speaker 1: one organization, which is probably surprising and shocking news to

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Speaker 1: some even even us initially when we started working on

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Speaker 1: it UM. But the real brief history for those who

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Speaker 1: have been following along back in two thousand fourteen and

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Speaker 1: into it was really the Quality Deer Management Association that

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Speaker 1: got the ball rolling, that started the National Deer Alliance.

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Speaker 1: And here we are about five years later announcing that

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Speaker 1: we're coming back together, and we're very excited about it,

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Speaker 1: and we're very appreciative of you've given us this opportunity

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Speaker 1: because many of us have been on your show, whether

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Speaker 1: from a t d m A or NBA perspective, and

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Speaker 1: you were personally involved and we got rolling, and so

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Speaker 1: this is a really this is a really cool discussion

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Speaker 1: we're having right now, and we're excited for it. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: it is, and it is coming full circle in a

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Speaker 1: lot of different ways. And like you mentioned, I've gotten

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Speaker 1: to know all of you in different ways individually and

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Speaker 1: with q d m A and the n d A

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Speaker 1: and and now seeing this i'll come together. It's it's

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Speaker 1: it's exciting, but it's also I'm sure from the outside

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Speaker 1: looking and a lot of people have questions more so

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Speaker 1: around the why why is this happening? There? We've had

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Speaker 1: tough times in the conservation world recently with COVID nineteen.

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Speaker 1: I'm just curious if you can give us a little

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Speaker 1: bit more context as far as what what really led

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Speaker 1: to this, the specific things and why this is why

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Speaker 1: this is is like a clear win. This isn't like

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Speaker 1: a fallback option, right as I understand, this is like

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Speaker 1: a this is a really exciting move, nothing negative. Is

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Speaker 1: that the right way to interpret it? Yeah? I love Actually,

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Speaker 1: I love the way that you frame the question, and

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Speaker 1: because that's one of the aspects of this that we

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Speaker 1: want to make sure it gets out and that is

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Speaker 1: number one. So these these discussions, they actually at the

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Speaker 1: very earliest stages, began before any of us realized that

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Speaker 1: COVID nineteen was going to shut our lives down. Um.

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Speaker 1: So this is back early the earlier part of this year. UM.

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Speaker 1: At that point, UM T d m A had a

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Speaker 1: transition and at their CEO position, and so we just

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Speaker 1: had some early discussion like, hey, there's there's some opportunity here.

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Speaker 1: Let's you know, let's let's just have some conversation about

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Speaker 1: how at the very least this might be an opportunity

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Speaker 1: for the two groups to work more closely together. And

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Speaker 1: while that was just started starting to just get out

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Speaker 1: of the starting blocks. Hope it happened. Travel kind of

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Speaker 1: got shut down, banquets got shut down, which are a

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Speaker 1: huge part of the fundraising mix for two D m A,

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Speaker 1: And all of a sudden it just became a little

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Speaker 1: bit more of an urgent discussion. Just from the standpoint

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Speaker 1: of number one. It's a different it's a different day

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Speaker 1: in a lot of ways, not just because of COVID nineteen,

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Speaker 1: just the way with with modern society, the different ways

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Speaker 1: that we can do business now effectively, the different ways

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Speaker 1: that we can raise money, and so you start asking

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Speaker 1: yourself questions like why why do we let something like

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Speaker 1: COVID or some other fact that we can't control. Why

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Speaker 1: does that have to completely control how we raise money,

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Speaker 1: for example? And so that forced us into just some

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Speaker 1: sort of alternative thinking about just from a general business perspective,

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Speaker 1: how we could do things more efficiently. The days of organizations,

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Speaker 1: for example, having these big, giant headquarter buildings and everybody

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Speaker 1: drives to the office, and you know, even even those

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Speaker 1: types of things are part of the conversation because at

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Speaker 1: the end of the day, the only thing that's necessary

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Speaker 1: and the reason we all exist is because of the

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Speaker 1: mission and it's not for any of these other reasons.

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Speaker 1: And that's that's one of the things that with COVID happening,

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Speaker 1: I think that just sort of woke not just it's

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Speaker 1: not even just us in the conservation world. I think

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Speaker 1: business in general has woken us up to this idea that,

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Speaker 1: you know what, there may be better ways, more efficient ways,

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Speaker 1: more cost effective ways to get things done. And so

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Speaker 1: the business aspect was part of it. Um. And then

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Speaker 1: I mentioned the vacancy at the CEO position, and UM,

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Speaker 1: I guess one of the things we probably should have

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Speaker 1: said at the outset is that I have been the

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Speaker 1: president CEO of the National Deer Alliance since it started,

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Speaker 1: and so um, what will happen now is I will

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Speaker 1: be the president and CEO of this new organization yet

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Speaker 1: to be named. And so that was also another opportunity

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Speaker 1: my interest in doing that. I've I've been had affiliation

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Speaker 1: with g d M a well before I was with

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Speaker 1: the National Deer Alliance through the Dear Steward Program and

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Speaker 1: a life member. Um, so that all made a lot

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Speaker 1: of sense too. And so it really was just a

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Speaker 1: lot of different circumstances that hould us together and very

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Speaker 1: quickly in our conversations. It's what we called it. We

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Speaker 1: called it a joint venture. I think it was you

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Speaker 1: know what, guys meeting number too. By the time we

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Speaker 1: started saying, you know what, we're actually a heck of

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Speaker 1: a lot stronger together and it's a lot more efficient

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Speaker 1: and cost effective, and we've got excited about it really quickly.

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Speaker 1: That that makes a lot of sense. I'm I'm curious though,

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Speaker 1: to hear what the I'm curious to hear from from you,

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Speaker 1: Lindsay or Kip on the q D May side. You're

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Speaker 1: kind of what's been going on for you guys behind

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Speaker 1: the scenes leading up to this too, because because you

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Speaker 1: have the added uncertainty around not having a CEO for

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Speaker 1: a while, trying to figure out what the new direction

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Speaker 1: is from your leadership standpoint, and I know you were

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Speaker 1: part of of a group trying to help decide that

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Speaker 1: that step next step forward and then this comes about. Um,

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Speaker 1: I'm just kind of curious to hear from one of

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Speaker 1: you and your perspective of of of why this seemed

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Speaker 1: like the right fit for q DM A. UM. You know, Nick,

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Speaker 1: from your perspective, you're the CEO of the National Deer alliance,

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Speaker 1: UM a relatively small organization, while with the q d

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Speaker 1: MAY you've got a larger staff, you have tens of

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Speaker 1: thousands of members, you have you know, a thirty plus

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Speaker 1: year history and legacy of what you guys have been

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Speaker 1: about what you have done. This stands as a pretty

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Speaker 1: dramatic departure in ways. In some ways from that. UM,

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Speaker 1: I'm curious about where your guys heads were at through

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Speaker 1: all this and where you think things are going now. Lindsay,

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Speaker 1: I'd like to respond to that first, and Mark, I'll

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Speaker 1: tell you. You know, Nick did a really nice job

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Speaker 1: given a detailed answer on kind of why this is good.

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Speaker 1: I'll give you the short answer. This the answer your question.

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Speaker 1: Is this good for dear? Absolutely? Like this is really

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Speaker 1: really good for deer and for deer hunters, and uh,

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Speaker 1: you know this is in no way a fallback position. UM.

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Speaker 1: If you take a look, the NBA was doing very well,

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Speaker 1: continuing to grow and have bigger influence. Q d m

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Speaker 1: A has you know, our DearS to a program that's

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Speaker 1: so successful, our white Tail Report that was so successful,

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Speaker 1: Fielder Fork. We had all these things that we're really

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Speaker 1: doing well for us, So we could have easily gone

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Speaker 1: and continue the way we were both organizations and continue

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Speaker 1: to be very successful and represent deer hunters and represent

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Speaker 1: the resource. But as soon as we started looking at gosh,

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Speaker 1: you know, we do some things together, there's some duplication

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Speaker 1: of efforts. Um, should we do this, you know, get

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Speaker 1: back together and continue working much more closely together and

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Speaker 1: then do stuff that we haven't done before. And we

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Speaker 1: quickly realized absolutely, this would be good for us, This

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Speaker 1: is good for NDA, but ultimately it's good for deer

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Speaker 1: and hunters. So this is all around the win win

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Speaker 1: and from QDM as in. One thing that was very

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Speaker 1: important for us is the you know, the change in

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Speaker 1: leadership that we had earlier this spring. We spent the

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Speaker 1: last four months with with the five person team leading

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Speaker 1: qd M A and that was really really good for

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Speaker 1: us because we got to bring in everything at the

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Speaker 1: different departments we're thinking, we're doing, and and enabled us

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Speaker 1: to ward much more closely together than we have in

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Speaker 1: a long long time. So as we started looking at

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Speaker 1: that and how we could better use you know, other

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Speaker 1: staff resources, how we could combine our efforts, uh, this

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Speaker 1: whole talk of a joint venture just fit into that perfectly.

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Speaker 1: And so I went from it wasn't just where should

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Speaker 1: we do this or not? Holy how how can we

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Speaker 1: not do this? We need to do anything possible to

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Speaker 1: take the opportunity we have here and just run with us.

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Speaker 1: So from our end of it, and I hope I'm

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Speaker 1: not step around Lindsay's toes here, but qum a side

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Speaker 1: of it, we see this as a huge win for

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Speaker 1: for deer and deer hunters, and ultimately that allows to

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Speaker 1: just make a very easy decision on our party. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: let's do everything possible to make this happen. Would you

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Speaker 1: add anything, lindsay? Wow, Yeah, I keep covered it pretty

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Speaker 1: well and I don't disagree with anything you said. And

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Speaker 1: that's very much where we were on this, and he's

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Speaker 1: right that. UM, if this had never come up CUTU

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Speaker 1: may would be fine. Um, we would make it through

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Speaker 1: this tough year. UM, like of a lot of other

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Speaker 1: conservation groups that are struggling with this, but making it

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Speaker 1: through we good bye. We'd make some of the tough

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Speaker 1: decisions that we've had to make. UM, we've made some

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Speaker 1: of the you know, we would have made some of

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Speaker 1: the changes we've had to make and been forced to

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Speaker 1: make by the pandemic. UM like switching gears on fundraising

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Speaker 1: and saying, okay, well, you know it can't be in

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Speaker 1: person events. What are we gonna do? How are we

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Speaker 1: going to replace that? And we found alternatives to that.

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Speaker 1: So it really was a situation where the whole team

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Speaker 1: came together and was saying, you know, what are the

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Speaker 1: you know, we've got to make some difficult decisions here, um,

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Speaker 1: and you know we handled those. What can we do

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Speaker 1: now to go forward? We worked on that. You know,

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Speaker 1: you may was gonna be fine. But when this conversation

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Speaker 1: and this this option came up, this idea, you know,

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Speaker 1: it just made sense to everyone as we looked at it. Um. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: As kept mentioned, we were in a CEO transition. We

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Speaker 1: were already the boarded named the five of us as

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Speaker 1: the temporary executive team. We were already had that question

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Speaker 1: in our mind of CEO. And I think it's if

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Speaker 1: you know, looking around the industry, Nick certainly was one of,

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Speaker 1: if not the top guy we would have talked to

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Speaker 1: and gone to as someone we'd love to have at

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Speaker 1: ahead of our team. UM. And and you know Nick's experience,

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Speaker 1: You've known him, you know, as long as we have,

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Speaker 1: and he he's a two hum a life member. He's

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Speaker 1: a level two. Dear Stewart just very a long term

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Speaker 1: uh dug in with qum A and the entire industry.

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Speaker 1: So he had been a strong candidate. But but looking

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Speaker 1: at Nick raised the bigger question of wait a minute,

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Speaker 1: what about you know, why are there these two organizations

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Speaker 1: and how can we maximize on efficiency and effectiveness? If

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Speaker 1: rather than just you know, looking to try to grab Nick,

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Speaker 1: what if both groups said how about a marriage here? Um,

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Speaker 1: how about we bring the entirety of both groups together?

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Speaker 1: And um and yeah, like kid said, as we started

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Speaker 1: looking at that, it's just everyone was really struck by

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Speaker 1: the opportunities um at a time right now where we're

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Speaker 1: all realizing, not just us, but everyone throughout the conservation

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Speaker 1: community is realizing changes have got to be made, and

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Speaker 1: in many cases it's changes that were overdue. Um. So

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Speaker 1: it just it's a good time. It makes sense. Um.

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Speaker 1: It is a path that sort of emerged in the

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Speaker 1: woods in the in the thicket of that we said, oh,

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Speaker 1: this is this is the path we need to be

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Speaker 1: following it. It's it's it just makes sense. Um. Certainly,

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Speaker 1: I mean initially when we were in the CEO transition,

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Speaker 1: and it was the five of us in positions of

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Speaker 1: leadership we had not really been in before making major decisions.

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Speaker 1: It was stressful, and we were looking at a time

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Speaker 1: when um, you know, banquets, we had to close all

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Speaker 1: these banquets, significant source of fundraising for us. Yeah, we

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Speaker 1: were all under a lot of stress. We were all

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Speaker 1: you know, relying on each other to uh discuss these

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Speaker 1: situations and how to handle them best. So when this

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Speaker 1: first came up, some of us, you know, most of

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Speaker 1: us were a little like, whoa hang on one thing

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Speaker 1: at the top. You know, it almost seemed like maybe

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Speaker 1: a little too much. But that was the initial reaction.

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Speaker 1: And within um, the first conversation with Nick about maybe

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Speaker 1: was there a bigger picture here? The lights sort of

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Speaker 1: went on and everyone realized, Okay, let's don't miss this

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Speaker 1: opportunity because we're feeling stressed with these other decisions of

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Speaker 1: running a nonprofit organization. So so I think, given all that,

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Speaker 1: then I want to spend most of our time talking

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Speaker 1: about and and maybe it's even dreaming a little bit.

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Speaker 1: Maybe maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves, but I'd really

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Speaker 1: like to spend time dreaming about, talking about hearing what

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Speaker 1: your ideas are about what is the future. How do

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Speaker 1: we now take this this new move and and catapult

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Speaker 1: deer and deer hunters and in the conservation space to

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Speaker 1: that next step where we're doing good things for the

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Speaker 1: resource and for the people. Um So I saw want

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Speaker 1: to spend a lot of time there. But before that,

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Speaker 1: I do think that there's probably some people listening who

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Speaker 1: might be fearful of change in some kind of way.

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Speaker 1: People that are you know, hardcore lifelong quality Deer Management

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Speaker 1: Association members who are involved in the grassroots who have

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Speaker 1: participated in the serious nuts bolts, you know, dirt hands

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Speaker 1: in the dirt kind of work on their land, real

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Speaker 1: advocates for that core original cuting a mission. Now with

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Speaker 1: this new move, as I understand, there's gonna be expansion

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Speaker 1: of that mission. And I'll let you guys, you know,

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Speaker 1: clarify er or correct me on any of that. But

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Speaker 1: as I understand it sounds like this is a widening

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Speaker 1: of the mission. This is a widening of the net.

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Speaker 1: This is not just white tailed deer anymore. This is

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Speaker 1: all dear species. This is not just people that are

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Speaker 1: managing for deer in private land. This is this is everything.

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Speaker 1: This is private this is public. This is both on

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Speaker 1: the ground and your back forty, but also national policy.

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Speaker 1: Um so there's there's a bigger picture things here. So

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Speaker 1: I gotta believe there's some people who are wondering, well,

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Speaker 1: what's this going to mean for my quality White Tales magazine,

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Speaker 1: What's it gonna mean for my branch meetings, for my

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Speaker 1: educational events, for my dear Steward course, for my APR

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Speaker 1: initiative in my state, whatever it is. I think there's

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Speaker 1: question marks for those people now that are listening. Can

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Speaker 1: either one of you or any one of you three really,

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Speaker 1: if you feel like you can, uh speak to that

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Speaker 1: a little bit, help us understand what those current CUTEI

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Speaker 1: main members, in particular those very involved in a lot

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Speaker 1: of the things you're doing, what do they have to

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Speaker 1: be aware of, look forward to be prepared for anything

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Speaker 1: like that? Okay, go ahead, lets you I don't I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna touch on the first part. I'll turn it right

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Speaker 1: over to you from the communication side that I don't

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Speaker 1: think they need to be nervous about anything here. Certainly

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Speaker 1: they should be anxious, they can be uh you know, inquisitive,

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Speaker 1: But some of the same questions we had an amount

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Speaker 1: of Hey, if we work more closely with NDA, you know,

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Speaker 1: does that mean we're gonna lose the core focus what

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Speaker 1: QT MEGA was based on, or what we believe in

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Speaker 1: or what we do and uh, the answers that is

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Speaker 1: not at all. We're not losing our our focus. We're

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Speaker 1: not losing the things we want to do. We are

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Speaker 1: just gaining an opportunity to expand on those and and

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Speaker 1: take them even to a higher level. Uh. Right now,

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Speaker 1: mark a full third of KET and they members don't

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Speaker 1: own any land. Um. Some people incorrectly look at us

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Speaker 1: as you know, the landownership organization, but that's not true.

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Speaker 1: We have a third of our members that that don't

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Speaker 1: own any land. You know that they hunt public land,

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Speaker 1: they hunt friends land. Uh. So we've had a big

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Speaker 1: person the last few years, you know, to be able

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Speaker 1: to do more policy work, particularly for public lands, to

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Speaker 1: have a bigger focus in our magazine, and you know

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Speaker 1: on some hunting related stuff versus management stuff. So we're

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Speaker 1: we're not losing any of that. We see this entirely

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Speaker 1: as keeping our core beliefs and just having a bigger

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Speaker 1: opportunity to have more impact actually on the landscape. Keeps

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Speaker 1: exactly right. On that And that's just exactly what I

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Speaker 1: was gonna say and mark this transition you're talking about,

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Speaker 1: I mean, it was pretty much already underway for q

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Speaker 1: d m A. You know, we were broadening out. I mean,

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Speaker 1: look at what the success we found with the Field

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Speaker 1: of Fork program that Hank Forrester piloted here under us,

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Speaker 1: you know, and that was showing us the great potential

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Speaker 1: in reaching out to non hunters and bringing them into

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Speaker 1: the family, and so we were heading that way. We

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Speaker 1: were trying to grow that. That was one of the

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Speaker 1: most exciting things to come along recently at q d

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Speaker 1: m A. Not only were we trying to grow that

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Speaker 1: program and expanded into more states and more events and

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Speaker 1: reaching more new hunters, but trying to also be there

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Speaker 1: for those new hunters in a way that we never

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Speaker 1: had before in terms of content and educational information. So

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Speaker 1: those chefs were already under way. You know. Uh, there

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Speaker 1: never was and never really will be. I don't think A,

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Speaker 1: you know, time to put up the mission accomplished banner

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Speaker 1: over quality dear management. But I think you can make

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Speaker 1: an argument that q may have come a long way

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Speaker 1: in thirty two years, and um, it's not even argument

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Speaker 1: the statistics are there every year in our White Sail

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Speaker 1: report that will show you where we've come as a

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Speaker 1: nation and throughout the history of qum may in terms

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Speaker 1: of buck age, structure of the harvest, and how more

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Speaker 1: hunters are killing you know, an older adult bucks than

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Speaker 1: they than ever before UM and how populations are balanced,

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Speaker 1: and hunters no more about doe harvest and habitat than

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Speaker 1: they ever have before. We're not ever gonna quit talking

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Speaker 1: about that something like I said, We're never gonna say

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Speaker 1: mission accomplished, but certainly we've reached a point in the

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Speaker 1: history of deer hunting here where QUTEN is pretty much

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Speaker 1: the primary, the primary and dominant philosophy in the minds

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Speaker 1: of most UH deer hunters. So that allows us to

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Speaker 1: kind of move on and look at things like spend

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Speaker 1: more time on things like hunter recruitment through field to fort.

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Speaker 1: Kip has spent you know a lot of time in

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Speaker 1: the last few years working on policy in a very

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Speaker 1: you know, in effective way. Matt Ross has got the

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Speaker 1: deer stewart program going well. Both Kip and Matt will

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Speaker 1: still be there. They're part of this, They're still part

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Speaker 1: of the leadership team. UM Hank Forrester, the who piloted

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Speaker 1: the field of fork program is still with us. I'm

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Speaker 1: still here. Who has you know, I've run quality white

401
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Speaker 1: tails in the content for a long time. And my

402
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Speaker 1: team and in the staff underneath us are going into this,

403
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Speaker 1: you know. And when you look at who we are, UM,

404
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Speaker 1: even look at Nick, who like I said, is a

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Speaker 1: Lettle too, Dear Steward and a life member. Um, when

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Speaker 1: you look at each of us and who we are,

407
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Speaker 1: this new organization is still going to have the values

408
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Speaker 1: that qdm A always had. We're still going to be

409
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Speaker 1: interested in and want to talk about food plots and

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Speaker 1: uh buck aide structure. We're never gonna get away from that.

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Speaker 1: But the need was there for us to broaden our outreach,

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Speaker 1: broaden our efforts. And when you take when you look

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Speaker 1: at the things we were doing that Nick and NBA

414
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Speaker 1: were duplicating again, it's just the perfect marriage. We come together,

415
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Speaker 1: We we enhance and become more effective on policy. We

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Speaker 1: continue the Dear Stewart education, We enhance the hunter access

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Speaker 1: and hunter recruitment efforts that both groups were working on.

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Speaker 1: So it's just a it's really an intensification of a

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Speaker 1: process and a transition that was already going on that

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Speaker 1: that from the outside looking in that has been apparent

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Speaker 1: as well. I've seen that, I've sensed that, we've We've

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Speaker 1: talked about it in past podcast too, So it does

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Speaker 1: make a lot It doesn't make a lot of sense.

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Speaker 1: And I hate to keep parking on this bit though,

425
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Speaker 1: but I and you don't want to be the person

426
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Speaker 1: stuck in the past, right, But there has to be

427
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Speaker 1: some little part of you guys that there's something I

428
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Speaker 1: don't know if it's romantic but nostalgic or sentimental about

429
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Speaker 1: the Quality Deer Management Association. And that name is going

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Speaker 1: away right like we're changing the name. This is a

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Speaker 1: new organization. So essentially this is a celebration of the

432
00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:58,520
Speaker 1: new organization. And and and because I just don't like

433
00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:00,840
Speaker 1: saying new organization, I don't like saying that yet to

434
00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:02,480
Speaker 1: be named, I'm just gonna call it the Wired to

435
00:23:02,560 --> 00:23:04,879
Speaker 1: Hunt Deer Association just because it's short and it sounds

436
00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:06,200
Speaker 1: good and I think it's gonna ring to it. So

437
00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:09,920
Speaker 1: I'm just gonna roll with that. Um No, But whatever

438
00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:14,200
Speaker 1: the new organization is, um that, we're celebrating that new future.

439
00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:16,919
Speaker 1: But there's also like looking at what we've achieved up

440
00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:19,240
Speaker 1: to this point. I'm just kind of curious if either

441
00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:30,880
Speaker 1: one of you, Kip or or Lindsay. Um, I don't

442
00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:32,879
Speaker 1: know what, what are your thoughts on the closing of

443
00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:37,080
Speaker 1: that chapter. Is there any sense of uh, nostalgia or

444
00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:40,600
Speaker 1: or is it just hey, gung home moving to the forward. Um,

445
00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:42,400
Speaker 1: just curious if if there's any of that kind of thought,

446
00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:44,080
Speaker 1: because I gotta believe there's some people that are gonna

447
00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:45,240
Speaker 1: be like like, Wow, this is kind of the end of

448
00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:47,320
Speaker 1: an era, and it's it's a good thing, but it

449
00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:49,879
Speaker 1: isn't the end of an era. Well, Lindsay and I

450
00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:51,720
Speaker 1: talked about this as we did it all of the

451
00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:55,359
Speaker 1: other staff, and um, yeah, I struggled with that for

452
00:23:55,359 --> 00:23:57,680
Speaker 1: a little bit. You know, I have been acute member

453
00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:03,320
Speaker 1: staff members since so too so uh one of my

454
00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:06,159
Speaker 1: closest personal friends is Mr Joe Hamilton's who you know,

455
00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:08,800
Speaker 1: who founded the organization, and uh, you know, I just

456
00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:11,520
Speaker 1: have such tremendous respect for Joe and what he has

457
00:24:11,560 --> 00:24:16,119
Speaker 1: done to our profession in addition to founding kd m A.

458
00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:18,600
Speaker 1: So there was definitely a part of that, you know

459
00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:21,480
Speaker 1: that it made me feel a little sad for Joe

460
00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,800
Speaker 1: more than anything else. UM, partly because as we went

461
00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:27,160
Speaker 1: through and we realized, you know what, we all agreed

462
00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:31,119
Speaker 1: unanimously that the qt MAY logo was really what was

463
00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:33,600
Speaker 1: more important than just the name. The fact that that

464
00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:36,639
Speaker 1: symbolized not just a buck and not you know, an

465
00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:41,320
Speaker 1: incredibly grotesque large buck, but you know, just a solid,

466
00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:45,000
Speaker 1: mature dear that included the female of the species. UM,

467
00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:47,359
Speaker 1: that logo was very important. It is more dear to

468
00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:52,040
Speaker 1: me than than just the name. So I said, I know, hey,

469
00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:55,920
Speaker 1: like I really feel strongly that we should keep the logo. UM,

470
00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,399
Speaker 1: I'm fine changing the name as long as we have that. UM.

471
00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,159
Speaker 1: Then with a conversation with Joe and said, hey, you know,

472
00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:04,359
Speaker 1: kind of because what's going on you. I'm really interested

473
00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:07,679
Speaker 1: in your thoughts here. You know, Joe is you know,

474
00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:10,560
Speaker 1: he's in the seventies now, but he is very forward thinking,

475
00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,640
Speaker 1: you know, and very understanding of how to be successful.

476
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:16,600
Speaker 1: And uh, he said, look, we have changed that name before.

477
00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:18,879
Speaker 1: You know, it started as a South Carolina q d

478
00:25:19,040 --> 00:25:21,200
Speaker 1: M A and went to the North American q d

479
00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:24,440
Speaker 1: M A, then the q d M A. And he said, hey,

480
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:26,480
Speaker 1: you know, as long as we continue to do good

481
00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:30,560
Speaker 1: work and stand by what the principles of this organization are,

482
00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:33,040
Speaker 1: then that's all we need to be concerned about. So

483
00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:36,920
Speaker 1: when he said that, I was totally fine if if hey,

484
00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:38,720
Speaker 1: if changing the name was going to be better. Now

485
00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:41,280
Speaker 1: changing the name was worse. I've been the first one

486
00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:44,359
Speaker 1: fighting against it. But there's the name has always come

487
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:48,399
Speaker 1: with some potential baggage just having the word management in it.

488
00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:52,439
Speaker 1: There are some who don't know us just see it

489
00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:54,800
Speaker 1: that thinks, well, if it's management and lady, you have

490
00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:57,520
Speaker 1: to be a landowner, so that must not be for me.

491
00:25:57,880 --> 00:26:00,560
Speaker 1: And uh, that's not true at all. But that belief

492
00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:02,840
Speaker 1: is definitely there by something that we have surveys to

493
00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:05,800
Speaker 1: show that. So uh So there was always a little

494
00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:08,399
Speaker 1: bit of hang up by a certain part of the

495
00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:12,879
Speaker 1: hunting public out there relative to that. So so I

496
00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:15,400
Speaker 1: don't see losing that name is a bad thing. Um.

497
00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:18,919
Speaker 1: I see us continuing to evolve. Um, I see us

498
00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:22,960
Speaker 1: keeping the logo, which is extremely important. So um I'm

499
00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,280
Speaker 1: good with it. And especially given that the founder is

500
00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:27,920
Speaker 1: and uh and he sees this as a positive thing,

501
00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:30,920
Speaker 1: and it's just the next chapter in uh in our life.

502
00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:34,080
Speaker 1: I'm totally a piece of the mark. What do you

503
00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:37,360
Speaker 1: think line, Yeah, I'm I'm agree with that too. It

504
00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:40,320
Speaker 1: would be real easy. And this this is something that's

505
00:26:40,359 --> 00:26:44,040
Speaker 1: been on my mind all this year, both in relation

506
00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:48,200
Speaker 1: to this discussion and the pandemic and everything else. It's

507
00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:52,960
Speaker 1: real easy to, um, not change because change is difficult.

508
00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:57,720
Speaker 1: I mean it always is. Change like this is always difficult,

509
00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:00,760
Speaker 1: and it's hard to take sometimes in that sense of

510
00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:03,840
Speaker 1: nostalgia or it's against you. You know, you want to

511
00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:07,480
Speaker 1: preserve what you've got, and it's easy to sit there

512
00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:10,520
Speaker 1: and do nothing and stick with the status quo rather

513
00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:14,040
Speaker 1: than do the harder thing and change when you need to.

514
00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:16,679
Speaker 1: And I just think that if ever there was a

515
00:27:16,760 --> 00:27:21,119
Speaker 1: time when, um, we need to all sort of realize

516
00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:23,960
Speaker 1: that sometimes you need to take action and take the

517
00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:27,600
Speaker 1: difficult path because it is time to change, um, and

518
00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:30,520
Speaker 1: that everything will be okay. This is that time. And

519
00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:32,800
Speaker 1: that's that's where I've settled on that is is that

520
00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:35,919
Speaker 1: it's not easy. I mean, it was Joe himself who

521
00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:38,080
Speaker 1: told me, you know, and told our group and talking

522
00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:41,600
Speaker 1: to us that everything is always changing. That's his outlook

523
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:45,600
Speaker 1: that and that's the truth. Um, change is always going

524
00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:49,200
Speaker 1: around us, and sometimes you have to open your mind

525
00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:52,200
Speaker 1: to the possibility that the change will be good and

526
00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:55,199
Speaker 1: though difficult, and that's that's where we are, and this

527
00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:58,680
Speaker 1: is where I am on this is that um Um, Yeah,

528
00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:01,040
Speaker 1: it's not gonna be easy. Have not been to talk

529
00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:04,159
Speaker 1: about this in some ways, but overall it is the

530
00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:07,480
Speaker 1: right time. And there's no doubt in my mind that

531
00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:14,159
Speaker 1: the benefits, the positivity of this, the potential of this

532
00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,440
Speaker 1: means we need to This is the right thing to do.

533
00:28:18,680 --> 00:28:20,520
Speaker 1: And I think, you know, even though I'm sitting here

534
00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:22,800
Speaker 1: talking about change again, goodbye to what I said about

535
00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:26,359
Speaker 1: who we are, you know, as a group of people,

536
00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,439
Speaker 1: there's a lot about this group that is who we

537
00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:35,280
Speaker 1: are is not going to change. Um. Just adapting to

538
00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:37,640
Speaker 1: the times, I guess if is the way I would say,

539
00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:43,800
Speaker 1: adapting to remain relevant and effective. So here's the interesting

540
00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:47,400
Speaker 1: I guess I look at the moment we're in right now,

541
00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:50,360
Speaker 1: and I compare this to the moment we're in about

542
00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:54,560
Speaker 1: five or so years ago, two fifteen, give or take

543
00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:59,760
Speaker 1: that period, we had started seeing some numbers that were

544
00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:03,040
Speaker 1: con starning as far as deer harvests. We're having back

545
00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:06,280
Speaker 1: to back years of bad e h d um. We're

546
00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:09,080
Speaker 1: of course seeing the hunter recruitment numbers that were concerning

547
00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:12,800
Speaker 1: They're all these little flashbulbs that were telling us, oh, there,

548
00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:15,520
Speaker 1: maybe maybe things aren't as great as we thought in

549
00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:18,600
Speaker 1: the deer hunting world. And some of that led to

550
00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:21,960
Speaker 1: lots of different conversations within the industry, within the conservation world,

551
00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:24,600
Speaker 1: and ultimately led to the creation of the National Deer

552
00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:28,400
Speaker 1: Lines which was going to be this national organization which

553
00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:31,600
Speaker 1: could help address some of these issues at a top level,

554
00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:36,040
Speaker 1: very all inclusive, much more policy driven, which which ended

555
00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:38,640
Speaker 1: up you know, coming to fruition, nick taking the helm,

556
00:29:39,360 --> 00:29:42,720
Speaker 1: so on and so forth. Now tell me if I'm

557
00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:44,239
Speaker 1: wrong here when I say this, but it seemed like

558
00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:50,400
Speaker 1: that was driven by a concern about current events, like

559
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:52,320
Speaker 1: there's things going on that said, hey, we need a

560
00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:56,840
Speaker 1: stronger a stronger organization to attack this type of issue.

561
00:29:57,440 --> 00:30:00,240
Speaker 1: Bringing to the picture NDA, now here we are about

562
00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:03,400
Speaker 1: five years later, We've got this, this next set of events.

563
00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:06,640
Speaker 1: This leads us to whatever this new organization is going

564
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:10,280
Speaker 1: to be. How would you look at the is there

565
00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:14,600
Speaker 1: is there a certain similar set of deer related issues

566
00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:17,640
Speaker 1: that also make this more important, or would you say

567
00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:19,560
Speaker 1: this has been more driven by the things we talked

568
00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:25,080
Speaker 1: about that being COVID leadership. UM, changing times, but but

569
00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:27,600
Speaker 1: not as influenced by Hey, the dear world is going

570
00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:31,400
Speaker 1: in the shifter. To excuse my french, UM, I don't know, Nick,

571
00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:32,920
Speaker 1: can you can you kind of speak to these two

572
00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:36,280
Speaker 1: different situations we found ourselves where really within the last

573
00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:39,440
Speaker 1: twenty thirty years, we've we've seen two big changes in

574
00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:42,520
Speaker 1: the deer conservation space, um, kind of evolving off of

575
00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:48,280
Speaker 1: each other. But UM, reflect on that, Ken, Yeah, and

576
00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:51,440
Speaker 1: and so having lived in on the front lines as

577
00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:53,760
Speaker 1: you were talking, many of these things were rushing back

578
00:30:53,760 --> 00:30:57,400
Speaker 1: into my brain. So UM, so the reasons that the

579
00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:01,760
Speaker 1: National Deer Lines was created, Um, not only have those

580
00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,400
Speaker 1: those issues not gone away, they're still there, but in

581
00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:06,840
Speaker 1: some ways they're even they're even more dire. So for

582
00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:10,320
Speaker 1: an example, when we first started NBA, we did a

583
00:31:10,360 --> 00:31:15,120
Speaker 1: strategic planning process and went through that entire process, and

584
00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:17,200
Speaker 1: one of the items on our list to work on

585
00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:20,680
Speaker 1: was diseases. But it fell on like number three year,

586
00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:23,080
Speaker 1: number four on the list. And before that first year

587
00:31:23,080 --> 00:31:27,360
Speaker 1: of the National the Airlines was complete. Chronic wasting disease

588
00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:31,760
Speaker 1: was rapidly spreading across the country. We're adding adding new states,

589
00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,680
Speaker 1: adding new areas within states that hadn't had it before.

590
00:31:35,400 --> 00:31:37,880
Speaker 1: And so by the next time we did the strategic plan,

591
00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:41,400
Speaker 1: we had the updated in c w D became what

592
00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:46,200
Speaker 1: we worked on, and so that was That's probably the

593
00:31:46,200 --> 00:31:49,200
Speaker 1: most significant thing that happened. It was the most abrupt

594
00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:51,600
Speaker 1: thing that in the meantime, other things that continued to

595
00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:56,560
Speaker 1: happen was more loss of hunters, um, loss of quality

596
00:31:56,560 --> 00:32:00,320
Speaker 1: places for people to hunt, or or maybe perceived loss

597
00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:03,640
Speaker 1: of those places and people just unable to find places

598
00:32:03,680 --> 00:32:10,040
Speaker 1: to go. That was happening, um continued infringement on on

599
00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:13,760
Speaker 1: our heritage just by bad policy or misinformed policy. And

600
00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:16,960
Speaker 1: I actually had felt that I feel this way right

601
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:19,080
Speaker 1: now that we we kind of took deer for granted.

602
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:24,200
Speaker 1: We we didn't think about the idea that seven out

603
00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:26,320
Speaker 1: of ten people that hunt anything that buy a hunting

604
00:32:26,360 --> 00:32:29,440
Speaker 1: license hunt deer in the next species is not even

605
00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:31,280
Speaker 1: anywhere close to that. So if you think about the

606
00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:35,320
Speaker 1: money that's generated off the backs of deer and people

607
00:32:35,320 --> 00:32:38,760
Speaker 1: who want to hunt deer for all of wildlife conservation, like,

608
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:41,920
Speaker 1: why would we ever take deer for granted? And I

609
00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:44,040
Speaker 1: felt like that was happening now in the meantime we

610
00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:46,880
Speaker 1: made some strides with the deer line. So for example,

611
00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:51,840
Speaker 1: we testified twice in front of Congressional committees in recent

612
00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:55,080
Speaker 1: years and it was on c w D. But it's

613
00:32:55,120 --> 00:32:57,160
Speaker 1: been a long time before anyone from the deer world

614
00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,080
Speaker 1: really had a chance to get in front of Congress,

615
00:32:59,120 --> 00:33:02,080
Speaker 1: for example. So we had a lot more success in

616
00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:05,200
Speaker 1: places like Capitol Hill and state legislatures because we pushed

617
00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:08,280
Speaker 1: for it. So I felt that the whole reason for NDA,

618
00:33:08,400 --> 00:33:11,400
Speaker 1: and I remember saying this many different times, because I'll

619
00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:14,320
Speaker 1: be honest with you, when the NBA first started, I

620
00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:15,920
Speaker 1: was one of the people out in the audience but

621
00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:19,040
Speaker 1: didn't think it was a great idea in my mind

622
00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:21,240
Speaker 1: at that time. And it's it's so funny thinking about

623
00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:24,000
Speaker 1: this as we as we come full circle, I thought

624
00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:25,680
Speaker 1: that we should have just invest more in t d

625
00:33:25,800 --> 00:33:28,360
Speaker 1: m A and let it happen. But low and behold,

626
00:33:28,400 --> 00:33:30,040
Speaker 1: things happened the way they did, and maybe it was

627
00:33:30,080 --> 00:33:33,080
Speaker 1: meant to happen that way. But what happened, though, was

628
00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:36,720
Speaker 1: one of the things we never we hadn't been able

629
00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:40,320
Speaker 1: to do that nb A was grow and there were

630
00:33:40,360 --> 00:33:43,640
Speaker 1: reasons for that. Number One, when we started, we said

631
00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:45,840
Speaker 1: right off the BAT. We weren't going for paid memberships

632
00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:47,920
Speaker 1: because we didn't want to compete with the other deer groups,

633
00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:51,680
Speaker 1: and in fact, we wanted to try to bolster their memberships.

634
00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:58,520
Speaker 1: And so UM competing for funds or UM not having

635
00:33:58,520 --> 00:34:01,720
Speaker 1: paid members you add all that up and you you

636
00:34:01,800 --> 00:34:04,880
Speaker 1: just don't You're unable to get the resources you need

637
00:34:04,920 --> 00:34:06,760
Speaker 1: to grow to a level that you need to grow too.

638
00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:10,839
Speaker 1: So I was the only staff person up until January

639
00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:14,000
Speaker 1: of this year, and that just was never going to

640
00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:17,920
Speaker 1: get it done. And so when you look at the

641
00:34:18,000 --> 00:34:20,640
Speaker 1: resources that t d M may already brings with the

642
00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:25,200
Speaker 1: success that NBA was starting to build, I just thought

643
00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:29,040
Speaker 1: to myself, listen, we could grow NBA like we could.

644
00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:31,960
Speaker 1: We could change the way we do business and try

645
00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:34,440
Speaker 1: to attract a bunch more dollars and add staff. Or

646
00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:38,480
Speaker 1: we've already got t d M a sitting here that

647
00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:42,040
Speaker 1: has a lot of great staff resources, they've got dedicated people,

648
00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:47,440
Speaker 1: they've got a robust membership and dedicated volunteers and a

649
00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:51,440
Speaker 1: strong board of directors. Wouldn't it make a lot more sense?

650
00:34:51,920 --> 00:34:54,399
Speaker 1: So let's let's just bring the family back together here.

651
00:34:54,840 --> 00:34:58,600
Speaker 1: NBA went off and sort of incubated, got its feet under.

652
00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:02,080
Speaker 1: It had a lot of six tess but now it's

653
00:35:02,120 --> 00:35:04,960
Speaker 1: time to come back home and make the family stronger.

654
00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:07,319
Speaker 1: And that's really how I view this. So even though

655
00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:09,919
Speaker 1: you had mentioned about it's gonna be all deer now

656
00:35:10,000 --> 00:35:12,440
Speaker 1: and those types of things, it's primarily going to be

657
00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:17,320
Speaker 1: all deer on the policy front. So when we advocate

658
00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:21,200
Speaker 1: for deer, we're gonna advocate for all all North American deer.

659
00:35:21,719 --> 00:35:25,080
Speaker 1: So it's not not like all of a sudden tomorrow

660
00:35:25,080 --> 00:35:27,239
Speaker 1: we're gonna go out and start working on mule deer

661
00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:31,040
Speaker 1: habitat and Wyoming for example. We have a very strong

662
00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:33,440
Speaker 1: partner in the Mule Deer Foundation that already does that,

663
00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:36,200
Speaker 1: but we are doing policy on behalf of mule Deer

664
00:35:36,239 --> 00:35:39,680
Speaker 1: for the Mule Deer Foundation through the NBA, So that

665
00:35:39,800 --> 00:35:43,080
Speaker 1: will continue um and we will still be able to

666
00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:47,279
Speaker 1: hold those very core programs that that q d m

667
00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:51,200
Speaker 1: A is very passionate about, combined with ndia's policy, and

668
00:35:51,239 --> 00:35:53,759
Speaker 1: I look at this as more for everybody, not less

669
00:35:53,760 --> 00:35:57,960
Speaker 1: for anybody. What do you you kind of mentioned how

670
00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:01,600
Speaker 1: nd A how went out, and you've worked on this

671
00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:03,400
Speaker 1: stuff and you kind of incubated for a while, and

672
00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:05,760
Speaker 1: now It's kind of coming back to quting May because

673
00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:08,000
Speaker 1: because qut May was part of what what kind of

674
00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:11,880
Speaker 1: launched the NDIAT there. I'm kind of curious, having been

675
00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:14,319
Speaker 1: out in the wilderness now for some number of years

676
00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:17,239
Speaker 1: NICK as a one man organization, pushing hard on the

677
00:36:17,239 --> 00:36:20,000
Speaker 1: policy front, trying to do all that. Now you come

678
00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,759
Speaker 1: back to the Quality Deer Management Association and taking the

679
00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:26,200
Speaker 1: leadership home there. What if you were to analyze the

680
00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:28,879
Speaker 1: legacy of n d A or your experience, the good

681
00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:31,000
Speaker 1: and the bad, what you achieve, what you wanted to

682
00:36:31,040 --> 00:36:34,400
Speaker 1: achieve but maybe didn't UM. Can you point to anything

683
00:36:34,440 --> 00:36:36,399
Speaker 1: that you feel that you can bring to the cut

684
00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:40,120
Speaker 1: You may now specifically on that side that is is

685
00:36:40,360 --> 00:36:45,319
Speaker 1: UM that represents like a big positive change that that

686
00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:47,759
Speaker 1: now this new organization can take advantage of because you've

687
00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:50,239
Speaker 1: got all these learnings, you're out there doing these things,

688
00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:54,359
Speaker 1: but you lacked the staff, additional support, additional resources. Now

689
00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:56,720
Speaker 1: you have that. I guess I'm just looking. I'm curious

690
00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:58,480
Speaker 1: about what examples there might be if some of these

691
00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:00,759
Speaker 1: things that you can take from that experience that now

692
00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:03,520
Speaker 1: you're given rocket fuel to you can do something big

693
00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:05,520
Speaker 1: and really exciting with other any examples a jump to

694
00:37:05,560 --> 00:37:09,160
Speaker 1: mind on that front. Well, the policy answers the easy

695
00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:11,200
Speaker 1: one because I think one of the things NBA was

696
00:37:11,239 --> 00:37:13,719
Speaker 1: able to do and it's not it's not, by the way,

697
00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:17,280
Speaker 1: like that q d m A wasn't doing policy. Kip,

698
00:37:17,560 --> 00:37:19,319
Speaker 1: who we have here on the phone, has done a

699
00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:21,880
Speaker 1: ton of policy work for g d M A. But

700
00:37:22,120 --> 00:37:24,160
Speaker 1: the other thing is Kip's also done a ton of

701
00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:25,919
Speaker 1: other work for q d M A, and he never

702
00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:30,160
Speaker 1: was able to just be a policy person um and frankly,

703
00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:31,880
Speaker 1: with all of the other skills that he has, I'm

704
00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:35,799
Speaker 1: not sure he should be just doing policy right uh.

705
00:37:36,040 --> 00:37:39,640
Speaker 1: N DA, we were able to just have that focus

706
00:37:39,719 --> 00:37:41,480
Speaker 1: on policy, and I think what it did was it

707
00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:43,440
Speaker 1: taught us that we can have impact, like all of

708
00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:46,160
Speaker 1: a sudden, when there was an opportunity to testify in

709
00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:50,520
Speaker 1: front of a congressional committee. We got the opportunity when

710
00:37:50,520 --> 00:37:53,400
Speaker 1: we were setting up meetings with our partners with legislators

711
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:55,560
Speaker 1: on Capitol Hill. We were getting those meetings. So it

712
00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:59,360
Speaker 1: allowed an entity to show if we have if we

713
00:37:59,440 --> 00:38:02,520
Speaker 1: have full focus in this area, which is a critical,

714
00:38:02,719 --> 00:38:06,080
Speaker 1: critical area, then we can actually make some impact. And

715
00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:08,880
Speaker 1: I think before that it was just a little bit too,

716
00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:12,719
Speaker 1: uh piecemelk you will um this Kimp will tell you

717
00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:15,920
Speaker 1: that there are so many different deer issues that go

718
00:38:15,960 --> 00:38:19,560
Speaker 1: on across the country on on a daily basis. It's

719
00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:21,880
Speaker 1: just you. You just kind of respond to what is

720
00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:23,799
Speaker 1: out there. But someone might ask you to do in

721
00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:25,439
Speaker 1: the case of q d M A with the number

722
00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:28,240
Speaker 1: of branches, um, and you've got all kinds of local

723
00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:32,400
Speaker 1: types of requests coming in. It's just impossible for anyone

724
00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:34,520
Speaker 1: to do all that and then also try to push

725
00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:37,880
Speaker 1: an agenda on Capitol Hill, which unfortunately, I mean, believe me,

726
00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:41,360
Speaker 1: it's not an aspect of the work I enjoy, but um,

727
00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:43,120
Speaker 1: it is what it is. Somebody has to do it,

728
00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:45,920
Speaker 1: we have to be there, and it has to be

729
00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:48,320
Speaker 1: a concerted effort on that front. So I think it's

730
00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:51,520
Speaker 1: it's NBA has proven that if we're not just reactionary

731
00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:55,960
Speaker 1: and we're proactive, we can make big strides on the

732
00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:59,120
Speaker 1: policy front. And I think that's what the five years

733
00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:01,439
Speaker 1: really allowed us to to. UM And a matter of fact,

734
00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:04,920
Speaker 1: the person that I had hired, Torn Miller, the first

735
00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:08,600
Speaker 1: hire at NDA, is a policy person and so I

736
00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:10,680
Speaker 1: can even just tell you bringing him on addition in

737
00:39:10,719 --> 00:39:13,799
Speaker 1: addition to the work that I was doing. Policy is

738
00:39:13,840 --> 00:39:17,359
Speaker 1: a is a big time, full time job for for

739
00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:19,440
Speaker 1: at least one person, and then you have to have

740
00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:22,680
Speaker 1: other people that can play into it. And as much

741
00:39:22,719 --> 00:39:25,400
Speaker 1: as I hate to say it, it's just it's really

742
00:39:25,440 --> 00:39:28,520
Speaker 1: just the reality. As much as we love doing all

743
00:39:28,600 --> 00:39:31,440
Speaker 1: the boots on the ground habitat work and recruiting and

744
00:39:31,840 --> 00:39:34,640
Speaker 1: new hunters and getting people interested in what we do,

745
00:39:35,239 --> 00:39:38,920
Speaker 1: the real battleground is the white collar aspect of what

746
00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:41,640
Speaker 1: we do. And that's that's not fun for anyone. That's

747
00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:43,879
Speaker 1: not fun for deer hunters to hear about. But if

748
00:39:43,880 --> 00:39:46,800
Speaker 1: we don't play the policy game, everything else that we

749
00:39:46,880 --> 00:39:49,480
Speaker 1: love to do is in big time trouble. So um,

750
00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:52,919
Speaker 1: I would say that's really the biggest piece. Yeah, yeah,

751
00:39:53,080 --> 00:39:55,120
Speaker 1: Like you said, it's not necessarily the fun part, but

752
00:39:55,280 --> 00:39:57,279
Speaker 1: if you don't get that checked off, the fun part

753
00:39:57,360 --> 00:40:00,839
Speaker 1: never comes. So I'm glad that the having people working

754
00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:02,840
Speaker 1: on those things, and there will be continuing to be

755
00:40:02,960 --> 00:40:05,200
Speaker 1: people working on those things, and I think that's maybe

756
00:40:05,200 --> 00:40:07,879
Speaker 1: where we need to go next, is is what we'll

757
00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:10,520
Speaker 1: be working on in the future. Um. As I've heard

758
00:40:10,520 --> 00:40:13,080
Speaker 1: in this conversation today and in some previous discussions. The

759
00:40:13,120 --> 00:40:14,960
Speaker 1: way I kind of if I had to sum all

760
00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:18,400
Speaker 1: of this up, it's we are we are taking the

761
00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:22,879
Speaker 1: best of these two strong organizations full of passionate people

762
00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:25,920
Speaker 1: about deer and deer hunting, and combining them so we

763
00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:30,840
Speaker 1: have a more efficient, more effective, better fueled engine to

764
00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:33,560
Speaker 1: drive positive change for deer and deer hunters. So this

765
00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:35,280
Speaker 1: is kind of like a two point all of everything,

766
00:40:35,880 --> 00:40:39,960
Speaker 1: and it all sounds really good. We have more resources,

767
00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:42,279
Speaker 1: we have leadership, we have we have a set of

768
00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:44,040
Speaker 1: new ideas that can help us take us in the

769
00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:47,000
Speaker 1: new direction, take that next step. It's two thousand twenty,

770
00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:50,160
Speaker 1: it's a new day. Lots of things are changing. I

771
00:40:50,160 --> 00:40:53,279
Speaker 1: want to understand more clearly what that new direction is,

772
00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:57,480
Speaker 1: what those new things are that we can achieve. Um,

773
00:40:57,880 --> 00:40:59,359
Speaker 1: I'd be curious to hear from all three of you,

774
00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:02,200
Speaker 1: but I guess maybe Nick, since you are now the

775
00:41:02,280 --> 00:41:06,040
Speaker 1: CEO of this organization, I'm curious, could you could you

776
00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:10,279
Speaker 1: articulate for me. Um, Let's say we're sitting in front

777
00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:12,839
Speaker 1: of the the new not the cut staff, the new

778
00:41:12,920 --> 00:41:16,160
Speaker 1: organization staff, and you're gonna give the pep talk. This

779
00:41:16,200 --> 00:41:21,040
Speaker 1: is what we're gonna do. These are our top three goals, Um,

780
00:41:21,239 --> 00:41:23,200
Speaker 1: could you give me that pep talk? How what we're

781
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:25,120
Speaker 1: gonna do, How we're gonna do it now that we've

782
00:41:25,160 --> 00:41:28,600
Speaker 1: got everything that we always wish we had. Yeah, Yeah,

783
00:41:28,840 --> 00:41:30,799
Speaker 1: And I've given this pep talk I think a half

784
00:41:30,840 --> 00:41:34,360
Speaker 1: dozen times in recent weeks the board members and even

785
00:41:34,400 --> 00:41:37,319
Speaker 1: staff and so on, so it's it remains fresh in

786
00:41:37,360 --> 00:41:44,000
Speaker 1: my mind. So, you know, Mark, it's less about the

787
00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:50,440
Speaker 1: top three things and more about challenging ourselves to to

788
00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:56,520
Speaker 1: look wider across the landscape. And this the big picture

789
00:41:56,560 --> 00:42:00,359
Speaker 1: of deer. I mentioned earlier that deer have become they've

790
00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:03,319
Speaker 1: they've been taken for granted in my view. And the

791
00:42:03,360 --> 00:42:06,000
Speaker 1: other thing that's that's really sort of scary and disappointing

792
00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:08,920
Speaker 1: is that, let's take hunters out of the equation. For example,

793
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:14,279
Speaker 1: the average person out there knows very little about deer

794
00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:17,400
Speaker 1: to begin with. I mean, how many national news articles

795
00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:19,160
Speaker 1: have we've seen that were about deer, and they've got

796
00:42:19,160 --> 00:42:22,359
Speaker 1: a picture of a red deer, you know, not even

797
00:42:22,360 --> 00:42:25,680
Speaker 1: not even a North American deer in the picture, because

798
00:42:25,719 --> 00:42:28,040
Speaker 1: they don't have somebody that knows what a freaking white

799
00:42:28,040 --> 00:42:31,560
Speaker 1: tailed deer and mule deer looks like right, um, that's

800
00:42:31,640 --> 00:42:36,319
Speaker 1: that's frustrating. And so everybody lives with deer around them,

801
00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:39,680
Speaker 1: whether it's a white tail or a mule deer um,

802
00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:42,719
Speaker 1: and they have no idea what they have no idea

803
00:42:42,719 --> 00:42:46,000
Speaker 1: about deer, and they also have absolutely no idea about

804
00:42:46,040 --> 00:42:48,480
Speaker 1: what they mean to broad wildlife conservation. But we know

805
00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:53,640
Speaker 1: that people generally care about wildlife and conservation, so really

806
00:42:53,680 --> 00:42:57,359
Speaker 1: they better know something about deer. And so setting our

807
00:42:57,440 --> 00:43:00,719
Speaker 1: hunters aside for a second, because we were hopeful that

808
00:43:00,760 --> 00:43:02,759
Speaker 1: our hunters will always be there and we and we

809
00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:05,320
Speaker 1: have every bit as much for them tomorrow as we

810
00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:08,040
Speaker 1: had for them yesterday. That's not going to change. But

811
00:43:08,160 --> 00:43:12,840
Speaker 1: we need to broaden an awareness for this animal period.

812
00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:20,440
Speaker 1: And when I talk about going to talk to Capitol

813
00:43:21,120 --> 00:43:24,799
Speaker 1: legislators on Capitol Hill, that's all well and good, and

814
00:43:24,840 --> 00:43:28,360
Speaker 1: we have some impact, but the reality is worldly backed

815
00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:32,560
Speaker 1: by about four of the population, maybe five will being generous,

816
00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:35,000
Speaker 1: that even hunt in the first place. And so when

817
00:43:35,000 --> 00:43:38,080
Speaker 1: you're competing against everything else that's going on in the world,

818
00:43:39,239 --> 00:43:42,240
Speaker 1: as bad as something like chronic wasting disease, for example,

819
00:43:42,480 --> 00:43:46,839
Speaker 1: is it's hard to be heard. So until we start

820
00:43:46,880 --> 00:43:50,040
Speaker 1: growing our ranks of people that are more aware of deer,

821
00:43:50,880 --> 00:43:53,040
Speaker 1: who are more sensitive to the needs of deer, who

822
00:43:53,160 --> 00:44:00,399
Speaker 1: understand what declining hunters mean to all conservations. It's gonna

823
00:44:00,400 --> 00:44:03,280
Speaker 1: be really hard to move the ball down the court

824
00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:07,000
Speaker 1: on Capitol Hill and state legislatures because we just do

825
00:44:07,120 --> 00:44:10,480
Speaker 1: not have the numbers. We need more numbers. And in

826
00:44:10,560 --> 00:44:13,440
Speaker 1: my way of thinking, if you, if you allow yourself

827
00:44:13,480 --> 00:44:17,360
Speaker 1: to dream and be optimistic a little bit, this broader

828
00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:21,520
Speaker 1: push of awareness, this this broader becoming a little bit

829
00:44:21,560 --> 00:44:27,239
Speaker 1: more of a conservation, more holistic conservation organization that has

830
00:44:27,239 --> 00:44:30,799
Speaker 1: a great message about our most iconic game animal in

831
00:44:30,840 --> 00:44:34,920
Speaker 1: North America. I think that leads to hunter recruitment. I

832
00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:38,040
Speaker 1: think you combine that very powerful campaign for deer with

833
00:44:38,080 --> 00:44:41,160
Speaker 1: a program like Field the Fork, which were only scratching

834
00:44:41,160 --> 00:44:45,680
Speaker 1: the surface of how effective that can be. UM and

835
00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:48,239
Speaker 1: and messages like if you look at even even with

836
00:44:48,360 --> 00:44:53,680
Speaker 1: the meat eater, your your affiliation there, you're reaching audiences

837
00:44:54,000 --> 00:44:58,680
Speaker 1: that frankly we have is just a deer group really

838
00:44:58,680 --> 00:45:01,400
Speaker 1: hard for us to reach. UM. I think it was

839
00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:03,440
Speaker 1: Kip earlier who said, or maybe it was Lindsay that

840
00:45:03,520 --> 00:45:05,840
Speaker 1: said that even just our name quality to your management

841
00:45:05,840 --> 00:45:09,040
Speaker 1: association in some ways put up barriers unfairly because q

842
00:45:09,160 --> 00:45:12,080
Speaker 1: d M A has always been way more for dearer

843
00:45:12,200 --> 00:45:14,680
Speaker 1: than what they've ever gotten credit for. But okay, we

844
00:45:14,760 --> 00:45:17,319
Speaker 1: can't just throw that away. I mean, that's reality. What

845
00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:20,200
Speaker 1: people perceive you to be is essentially who you are.

846
00:45:20,800 --> 00:45:24,440
Speaker 1: But we need to capitalize on learning like how did

847
00:45:24,480 --> 00:45:26,920
Speaker 1: how did you reach those audiences? How can we work together?

848
00:45:26,960 --> 00:45:29,759
Speaker 1: We want to work with the forward thinkers. We want

849
00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:32,319
Speaker 1: to get out of our comfort zone. If you look

850
00:45:32,360 --> 00:45:34,240
Speaker 1: at some of the images that come from that Field

851
00:45:34,239 --> 00:45:37,120
Speaker 1: to Fork program, and I'll tell you I've had to

852
00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:39,480
Speaker 1: present this to boards of directors and so on here

853
00:45:39,640 --> 00:45:42,759
Speaker 1: in recent weeks to get this down the road. Um,

854
00:45:42,800 --> 00:45:45,840
Speaker 1: I asked, uh, I asked Hank Forster at t d

855
00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:47,840
Speaker 1: M A, Hey, send me, send me a few pictures

856
00:45:47,840 --> 00:45:51,160
Speaker 1: that you like from the Field to Fork program. And

857
00:45:51,239 --> 00:45:53,759
Speaker 1: so actually I said send me one. He sent me

858
00:45:53,800 --> 00:45:56,360
Speaker 1: a few because he couldn't pick one. And then I

859
00:45:56,400 --> 00:45:58,120
Speaker 1: looked at him and I couldn't not use all of

860
00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:00,359
Speaker 1: them because I loved them all and I put them

861
00:46:00,360 --> 00:46:03,160
Speaker 1: in the presentation and I challenged our boards to say, listen,

862
00:46:04,200 --> 00:46:07,960
Speaker 1: we need to be comfortable being uncomfortable right now. If

863
00:46:07,960 --> 00:46:09,440
Speaker 1: we're going to move the needle here, and we need

864
00:46:09,480 --> 00:46:11,640
Speaker 1: to be willing to talk to people that are the

865
00:46:11,680 --> 00:46:15,480
Speaker 1: hardest people to talk to. Now, I'm not saying we're

866
00:46:15,480 --> 00:46:17,560
Speaker 1: gonna throw all the other stuff away that we already do.

867
00:46:17,640 --> 00:46:19,680
Speaker 1: That's the furthest thing from the case. What I'm really

868
00:46:19,680 --> 00:46:23,480
Speaker 1: saying is we're investing by doing this, We're investing in

869
00:46:23,520 --> 00:46:27,960
Speaker 1: the long term future of our sport, and more importantly

870
00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:30,279
Speaker 1: than all of that, the long term future of this

871
00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:34,320
Speaker 1: animal and frankly, the North American model of wildlife conservation,

872
00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:38,320
Speaker 1: which so depends on robust deer herds for for people

873
00:46:38,360 --> 00:46:41,440
Speaker 1: to hunt so um. I get passionate whenever I think

874
00:46:41,440 --> 00:46:44,640
Speaker 1: about it and talk about that. But because no one

875
00:46:44,640 --> 00:46:46,799
Speaker 1: else is going to do it, we have to be

876
00:46:46,840 --> 00:46:51,040
Speaker 1: the ones to do it. And I believe very strongly

877
00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:54,640
Speaker 1: that that our team is bought into that, and I

878
00:46:54,680 --> 00:46:57,239
Speaker 1: think in time we're gonna get membership bought into that.

879
00:46:57,400 --> 00:46:59,640
Speaker 1: And I envision the time where we have people who

880
00:46:59,640 --> 00:47:02,760
Speaker 1: don't ever desire to hunt a deer it will purchase

881
00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:06,120
Speaker 1: a membership to our organization, much like folks who would

882
00:47:06,120 --> 00:47:10,920
Speaker 1: belong to like Trot Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited. That's that's that's

883
00:47:10,960 --> 00:47:14,799
Speaker 1: our vision I think going forward here, and so if

884
00:47:14,840 --> 00:47:18,520
Speaker 1: I can, if I can rehash it back to you,

885
00:47:18,600 --> 00:47:20,360
Speaker 1: tell me if I kind of get the moral of

886
00:47:20,400 --> 00:47:24,000
Speaker 1: the story here, which is out the gate at least

887
00:47:24,120 --> 00:47:27,840
Speaker 1: more important than saying, hey, we're going to find the

888
00:47:27,840 --> 00:47:29,959
Speaker 1: solution of chronic wasting disease in the next three years.

889
00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:32,280
Speaker 1: Are more important than saying we're going to increase public

890
00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:35,400
Speaker 1: land access by in the next five years. More important

891
00:47:35,400 --> 00:47:37,600
Speaker 1: than any of those. The first thing we have to

892
00:47:37,640 --> 00:47:40,360
Speaker 1: do right, and the first thing that this new organization

893
00:47:40,400 --> 00:47:43,440
Speaker 1: has the opportunity to do, is to grow this family

894
00:47:43,600 --> 00:47:46,880
Speaker 1: in a significant, meaningful and different kind of way. Open

895
00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:49,600
Speaker 1: up the gates to not just the usual folks, but

896
00:47:49,760 --> 00:47:52,480
Speaker 1: new folks, those in the hunting community and outside the

897
00:47:52,560 --> 00:47:55,760
Speaker 1: hunting community, those in the rural areas and the urban areas.

898
00:47:55,840 --> 00:47:58,520
Speaker 1: Let's let's grow the family. Because once you've got a great,

899
00:47:58,520 --> 00:48:01,480
Speaker 1: big family that cares about this stuff, then you can

900
00:48:01,520 --> 00:48:04,120
Speaker 1: mobilize them and get them to take care of public

901
00:48:04,200 --> 00:48:07,520
Speaker 1: land access issue A or chronic wasting disease issue B,

902
00:48:07,760 --> 00:48:10,000
Speaker 1: whatever it is. When it comes down the line, the

903
00:48:10,120 --> 00:48:14,280
Speaker 1: most important thing is building an engaged and passionate membership

904
00:48:14,360 --> 00:48:17,640
Speaker 1: that can do something. Because if there's anything I found

905
00:48:17,680 --> 00:48:19,520
Speaker 1: from some of the things that follow on the public

906
00:48:19,640 --> 00:48:22,080
Speaker 1: land side, it's when you have a large membership that

907
00:48:22,200 --> 00:48:26,040
Speaker 1: does something that really interesting things happen. So I would

908
00:48:26,080 --> 00:48:28,400
Speaker 1: just say is that they kind of get the moral

909
00:48:28,400 --> 00:48:31,919
Speaker 1: of what you're describing or aspiring to. Nick. Yeah, and

910
00:48:31,920 --> 00:48:34,120
Speaker 1: and and what we've done is we've and it's it's

911
00:48:34,120 --> 00:48:36,560
Speaker 1: nobody's fault, but we kind of forgot the fundamental is

912
00:48:36,680 --> 00:48:39,640
Speaker 1: what it means to engage people. And so when you

913
00:48:39,719 --> 00:48:43,719
Speaker 1: ask our community, you bring up the whole, the whole thing,

914
00:48:43,840 --> 00:48:48,440
Speaker 1: the whole situation of well, we need to recruit more hunters. Okay,

915
00:48:49,200 --> 00:48:52,120
Speaker 1: well let's have a conversation about that, because what ends

916
00:48:52,160 --> 00:48:54,759
Speaker 1: up happening is we turn that into how quickly can

917
00:48:54,800 --> 00:48:57,000
Speaker 1: we get a gun or a bow into somebody's hands

918
00:48:57,000 --> 00:49:00,279
Speaker 1: and get them out into the woods. If you're if

919
00:49:00,320 --> 00:49:04,839
Speaker 1: you're coaching a person to play football for the first

920
00:49:04,880 --> 00:49:08,080
Speaker 1: time and they've never played before, you don't check them

921
00:49:08,080 --> 00:49:09,879
Speaker 1: out and equipment and throw them out on the field

922
00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:14,560
Speaker 1: and say, Okay, we're gonna run sweep um. And that's

923
00:49:14,560 --> 00:49:16,040
Speaker 1: what we try to do. In the hunting world, you

924
00:49:16,120 --> 00:49:18,719
Speaker 1: gotta teach the fundamentals. You've got to get them interested

925
00:49:18,760 --> 00:49:21,000
Speaker 1: in the idea of that. You gotta love the game first,

926
00:49:22,000 --> 00:49:24,719
Speaker 1: and so we need we need people to love deer

927
00:49:25,280 --> 00:49:27,000
Speaker 1: and not just think about it in terms of I

928
00:49:27,000 --> 00:49:29,880
Speaker 1: don't want to hit one with my car um, or

929
00:49:29,920 --> 00:49:32,040
Speaker 1: I wish somebody would pick up that dead deer along

930
00:49:32,080 --> 00:49:35,600
Speaker 1: the road, or it's eaten my flower's arden um. So

931
00:49:35,719 --> 00:49:39,320
Speaker 1: and I think part of it is is that even

932
00:49:39,719 --> 00:49:43,160
Speaker 1: CEOs of conservation organizations have have tended to be measured

933
00:49:43,160 --> 00:49:45,839
Speaker 1: on all the wrong things. They're measured on how big

934
00:49:45,880 --> 00:49:48,760
Speaker 1: is your membership or how how many you had mentioned

935
00:49:48,760 --> 00:49:51,759
Speaker 1: like did you conserve this many acres? That's important, that

936
00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:56,280
Speaker 1: is that is important, for sure, But it's the movement.

937
00:49:56,280 --> 00:49:59,080
Speaker 1: It takes a long time. You can't make this change

938
00:49:59,520 --> 00:50:02,480
Speaker 1: happen in the snap of a finger. You can't make

939
00:50:02,520 --> 00:50:05,520
Speaker 1: this change happen. Look how long if you talk to

940
00:50:05,520 --> 00:50:09,359
Speaker 1: to to Kip and lindsay, how long did it take

941
00:50:10,120 --> 00:50:12,080
Speaker 1: for more than half the people that shoot a buck

942
00:50:12,160 --> 00:50:15,799
Speaker 1: to shoot one? That wasn't a year link that took

943
00:50:15,840 --> 00:50:18,440
Speaker 1: many years. And we have to have that same appetite

944
00:50:18,440 --> 00:50:20,719
Speaker 1: for playing a long game if we want to bring

945
00:50:20,719 --> 00:50:23,719
Speaker 1: people on board. The beer you bring up a great

946
00:50:23,760 --> 00:50:27,480
Speaker 1: question then, um, which you brought up, how CEOs of

947
00:50:27,520 --> 00:50:32,320
Speaker 1: conservation organizations are judged? Um? How should we how should

948
00:50:32,320 --> 00:50:37,160
Speaker 1: we judge this new organization success or your success? Nick?

949
00:50:37,200 --> 00:50:38,719
Speaker 1: If we if we were to point the mirror back

950
00:50:38,760 --> 00:50:40,480
Speaker 1: and say, okay, five years from an hour or whatever

951
00:50:40,520 --> 00:50:43,759
Speaker 1: time length you think is appropriate, Um, what would be

952
00:50:43,760 --> 00:50:45,239
Speaker 1: some of the things we should look at and say, Okay,

953
00:50:45,320 --> 00:50:48,560
Speaker 1: yes they've done it or no they haven't quite um

954
00:50:49,080 --> 00:50:51,080
Speaker 1: anything kind of mind. Yeah, I mean I think that

955
00:50:51,239 --> 00:50:53,879
Speaker 1: I don't think that it's Lindsay that mentioned about never

956
00:50:53,960 --> 00:50:56,040
Speaker 1: being done. You don't hang up and say you've accomplished

957
00:50:56,040 --> 00:51:00,080
Speaker 1: the mission. So that's a change constantly changing landscape there.

958
00:51:00,120 --> 00:51:01,480
Speaker 1: But I think it's a couple of things. I think

959
00:51:01,560 --> 00:51:06,120
Speaker 1: number one it is are we a financially healthy and

960
00:51:06,360 --> 00:51:09,080
Speaker 1: stable organization that is building for the future. And think

961
00:51:09,160 --> 00:51:12,840
Speaker 1: that's that's one part of it. Um. Do we have

962
00:51:13,080 --> 00:51:15,279
Speaker 1: we have we moved the needle in terms of the

963
00:51:15,320 --> 00:51:19,640
Speaker 1: people that we have engaging on policy for for deer,

964
00:51:19,800 --> 00:51:25,040
Speaker 1: for wildlife conservation? Have we improved our footprint on UM

965
00:51:25,239 --> 00:51:28,520
Speaker 1: in the policy arena? Because that's the other thing that's

966
00:51:28,520 --> 00:51:31,200
Speaker 1: frustrated me over the years is that deer. Despite being

967
00:51:32,600 --> 00:51:36,360
Speaker 1: the most most iconic game animal that we pursue, we

968
00:51:36,440 --> 00:51:40,520
Speaker 1: haven't had the biggest voice when it comes to impacting policy.

969
00:51:40,520 --> 00:51:42,439
Speaker 1: And that's even with our partners when we get into

970
00:51:42,520 --> 00:51:45,600
Speaker 1: in the meetings with our partner organizations. So, UM, I

971
00:51:45,640 --> 00:51:48,759
Speaker 1: think that's part of it. Um. But I think ultimately,

972
00:51:48,960 --> 00:51:50,920
Speaker 1: in some ways, you know, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned

973
00:51:50,960 --> 00:51:53,600
Speaker 1: membership earlier, because in some respects it is important. But

974
00:51:53,640 --> 00:51:56,359
Speaker 1: I think what's more important is not necessarily how many,

975
00:51:56,440 --> 00:51:59,920
Speaker 1: but who are they? Are we still just a member

976
00:52:00,040 --> 00:52:06,359
Speaker 1: ship of forty two fifty something and up white guys. Now,

977
00:52:06,440 --> 00:52:08,640
Speaker 1: if we are we're in big trouble. We're in big

978
00:52:08,719 --> 00:52:12,799
Speaker 1: trouble in the future. Or if we attracted young people now, um,

979
00:52:12,960 --> 00:52:16,480
Speaker 1: do we have people wearing our gear and our merchandise

980
00:52:16,600 --> 00:52:19,359
Speaker 1: that don't intend to even shoot a deer, but they're

981
00:52:19,400 --> 00:52:23,120
Speaker 1: sensitive and they're supportive of what we do. UM. I

982
00:52:23,160 --> 00:52:26,759
Speaker 1: think those are the things to me are are ultimately

983
00:52:27,080 --> 00:52:31,320
Speaker 1: the more important. And I don't know in terms of years, UM,

984
00:52:31,480 --> 00:52:33,759
Speaker 1: you know, you you just don't know. UM, I guess.

985
00:52:33,840 --> 00:52:35,640
Speaker 1: I guess we have to to learn what the right

986
00:52:35,680 --> 00:52:38,640
Speaker 1: messages and we have to see how people respond to it,

987
00:52:39,480 --> 00:52:42,120
Speaker 1: and we need the more importantly, though, the most importantly,

988
00:52:42,120 --> 00:52:43,759
Speaker 1: we need to be willing to change along the way

989
00:52:43,840 --> 00:52:45,880
Speaker 1: until we find it and not just say, well, you

990
00:52:45,920 --> 00:52:48,480
Speaker 1: know what, this is too hard. Let's just let's just

991
00:52:48,520 --> 00:52:50,400
Speaker 1: get back to figuring out how to grow the biggest

992
00:52:50,400 --> 00:52:54,120
Speaker 1: deer and and hunt them. And that's just shortsighted. We

993
00:52:54,160 --> 00:52:58,600
Speaker 1: need to play the long game here. So then let's

994
00:52:58,760 --> 00:53:03,720
Speaker 1: send a similar question over to Kip and lindsay, Um,

995
00:53:03,760 --> 00:53:06,160
Speaker 1: you've been in a role with q d MAY for

996
00:53:06,440 --> 00:53:09,839
Speaker 1: a number long amount of time now, and when opportunities

997
00:53:09,840 --> 00:53:11,440
Speaker 1: like this come about where there's a big change in

998
00:53:11,520 --> 00:53:14,120
Speaker 1: leadership or direction or the organization as a whole, as

999
00:53:14,160 --> 00:53:16,800
Speaker 1: is this case, there's always this feeling, at least I've thought,

1000
00:53:17,160 --> 00:53:19,960
Speaker 1: there's this feeling of there's this new beginning, there's a

1001
00:53:19,960 --> 00:53:22,600
Speaker 1: new hope that we can finally do this or this thing.

1002
00:53:22,640 --> 00:53:24,520
Speaker 1: I've always been passionate about what we didn't have the

1003
00:53:24,600 --> 00:53:26,680
Speaker 1: energy to do, or the time to do, or the

1004
00:53:26,719 --> 00:53:29,839
Speaker 1: people or something. I gotta imagine there's been something for

1005
00:53:29,880 --> 00:53:32,280
Speaker 1: you in the back of your mind. You've always wanted

1006
00:53:32,320 --> 00:53:34,680
Speaker 1: to have this opportunity to tackle in a new way

1007
00:53:34,760 --> 00:53:37,799
Speaker 1: or better way, or something. Um, I'm curious if you

1008
00:53:37,800 --> 00:53:39,840
Speaker 1: could speak to anything like that. I asked Nick what

1009
00:53:39,920 --> 00:53:44,560
Speaker 1: some of his goals or dreams were for the future. Um, Kip,

1010
00:53:44,600 --> 00:53:46,600
Speaker 1: would you have is there anything on your wish list

1011
00:53:46,960 --> 00:53:50,160
Speaker 1: for this new organization or this to do better than

1012
00:53:50,160 --> 00:53:52,080
Speaker 1: we used to do list, anything like that that comes

1013
00:53:52,120 --> 00:53:54,160
Speaker 1: to mind as far as what you foresee for the

1014
00:53:54,160 --> 00:53:59,040
Speaker 1: future of this. Yeah, you know, to add to a

1015
00:53:59,120 --> 00:54:01,600
Speaker 1: question you asked earlier that I kind of prefaced my

1016
00:54:01,640 --> 00:54:03,880
Speaker 1: answer here. You know, are we doing this out of

1017
00:54:03,920 --> 00:54:06,960
Speaker 1: necessity or or not? In the answers? You know, I

1018
00:54:07,040 --> 00:54:09,080
Speaker 1: think there's a lot of things that are formed out

1019
00:54:09,080 --> 00:54:11,959
Speaker 1: of necessity, things that have to happen. I don't see

1020
00:54:11,960 --> 00:54:13,759
Speaker 1: this as being one of those at all. I see

1021
00:54:13,800 --> 00:54:17,960
Speaker 1: this being done out of an opportunity, capitalizing on an opportunity.

1022
00:54:18,400 --> 00:54:21,840
Speaker 1: And what I'm so excited about is I was heavily involved,

1023
00:54:22,160 --> 00:54:24,120
Speaker 1: you know back in two thousand and fourteen, you know,

1024
00:54:24,160 --> 00:54:26,719
Speaker 1: when we first started going through this, you know, it

1025
00:54:26,800 --> 00:54:29,120
Speaker 1: was all excited about, Man, we're gonna have this, you know,

1026
00:54:29,480 --> 00:54:31,920
Speaker 1: this new thing now that we can do a lot

1027
00:54:31,960 --> 00:54:34,359
Speaker 1: more advocacy work and we can be more focused on

1028
00:54:34,400 --> 00:54:37,239
Speaker 1: what we're doing. And uh got to go through, you know,

1029
00:54:37,360 --> 00:54:40,040
Speaker 1: the naming of it and sitting in and all that

1030
00:54:40,080 --> 00:54:42,040
Speaker 1: stuff and all the creation, and all of a sudden

1031
00:54:42,280 --> 00:54:44,680
Speaker 1: it was gone. So I mean, but we just worked

1032
00:54:44,719 --> 00:54:48,239
Speaker 1: for months to do something that we knew was right

1033
00:54:48,440 --> 00:54:51,239
Speaker 1: for for for deer hunters, and then we knew was

1034
00:54:51,280 --> 00:54:52,840
Speaker 1: what was best for the resource, and then all of

1035
00:54:52,840 --> 00:54:54,840
Speaker 1: a sudden it was gone. And now and not that

1036
00:54:54,880 --> 00:54:57,480
Speaker 1: it was competing against us, but you know, there was

1037
00:54:57,520 --> 00:54:59,759
Speaker 1: certainly duplication of a lot of the things that we

1038
00:54:59,760 --> 00:55:02,120
Speaker 1: were doing. And you know, Nick and I spoke at

1039
00:55:02,120 --> 00:55:03,920
Speaker 1: the same conference in a lot of cases about what

1040
00:55:04,040 --> 00:55:06,239
Speaker 1: we do this, and we do this. I'm thinking it's

1041
00:55:06,239 --> 00:55:08,960
Speaker 1: it's almost the exact same things. Like this just seems

1042
00:55:09,000 --> 00:55:13,359
Speaker 1: crazy to me. So I am very excited that, you know,

1043
00:55:13,920 --> 00:55:15,560
Speaker 1: this is what we set out to do, you know,

1044
00:55:15,600 --> 00:55:17,880
Speaker 1: a number of years ago, and now we're finally getting

1045
00:55:17,920 --> 00:55:21,120
Speaker 1: a chance to do it. So second chances many times

1046
00:55:21,160 --> 00:55:24,600
Speaker 1: can come around, we have that now. So uh, I

1047
00:55:24,640 --> 00:55:26,680
Speaker 1: think it's great that we really have a chance now

1048
00:55:26,800 --> 00:55:29,120
Speaker 1: to do what we thought we were going a while ago,

1049
00:55:29,440 --> 00:55:31,839
Speaker 1: so we can be more focused on what we're doing

1050
00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:35,279
Speaker 1: have a bigger impact for for the future of deer

1051
00:55:35,360 --> 00:55:38,839
Speaker 1: hunting and that is extremely excited to me. Not only

1052
00:55:38,920 --> 00:55:41,280
Speaker 1: is the QDM a or currency and make staff member,

1053
00:55:41,760 --> 00:55:43,600
Speaker 1: but as a hunter and as a father that have

1054
00:55:43,680 --> 00:55:46,640
Speaker 1: two young hunters, knowing that this is the right thing

1055
00:55:46,719 --> 00:55:49,480
Speaker 1: for the future. So I'll do everything I can to

1056
00:55:49,800 --> 00:55:52,319
Speaker 1: protect that, you know, while I'm here, but long after

1057
00:55:52,360 --> 00:55:53,799
Speaker 1: I'm gone. I want to make sure that you know

1058
00:55:53,800 --> 00:55:57,080
Speaker 1: that my kids and hopefully someday grandkids, you know, have

1059
00:55:57,360 --> 00:55:59,719
Speaker 1: some of those same rights and opportunities and privileges that

1060
00:55:59,760 --> 00:56:02,920
Speaker 1: i've to hunt the healthy deer hurt and uh, this

1061
00:56:03,000 --> 00:56:05,319
Speaker 1: is this is a step in that direction. So, um,

1062
00:56:05,360 --> 00:56:08,440
Speaker 1: I am super excited about that. What about you, Lindsey,

1063
00:56:08,560 --> 00:56:12,560
Speaker 1: What's what's on your your wish list or anything like that. Yeah,

1064
00:56:12,560 --> 00:56:17,880
Speaker 1: I guess that. Um, there's there's always the unexpected that

1065
00:56:17,960 --> 00:56:20,480
Speaker 1: comes along, so it's sort of hard to say, you know,

1066
00:56:20,680 --> 00:56:22,359
Speaker 1: here's the duration and like to see us go. I mean,

1067
00:56:22,360 --> 00:56:24,960
Speaker 1: we've we've always been a science based organization and always

1068
00:56:25,000 --> 00:56:28,359
Speaker 1: will be. And when new science comes up, whether it's

1069
00:56:28,360 --> 00:56:32,120
Speaker 1: related to c w D or policy matters, or hunting

1070
00:56:32,160 --> 00:56:36,320
Speaker 1: the animal itself or whatever, it can lead to changes

1071
00:56:36,320 --> 00:56:38,600
Speaker 1: in the direction of your mission and your organization and

1072
00:56:38,680 --> 00:56:43,160
Speaker 1: your focus points based on that new information, and certainly

1073
00:56:43,239 --> 00:56:45,239
Speaker 1: q you may has has done things like that in

1074
00:56:45,320 --> 00:56:48,080
Speaker 1: our history, where new science let us to focus on

1075
00:56:48,560 --> 00:56:54,000
Speaker 1: new educational focal points, but that that sort of unexpected

1076
00:56:54,120 --> 00:56:56,160
Speaker 1: is always coming along, comeing along. I think though, that

1077
00:56:56,840 --> 00:56:59,080
Speaker 1: when I think back over the trajectory just of my

1078
00:56:59,440 --> 00:57:02,960
Speaker 1: career at QOMNY, how much I love being here and

1079
00:57:03,360 --> 00:57:07,799
Speaker 1: engaging with our members and writing and teaching and being

1080
00:57:07,800 --> 00:57:12,160
Speaker 1: involved in things like trail camera surveys and how do

1081
00:57:12,400 --> 00:57:14,399
Speaker 1: you know why it matters how much fat there isn't

1082
00:57:14,400 --> 00:57:17,760
Speaker 1: a deer's kidney, and you know the difference between annuals

1083
00:57:17,760 --> 00:57:22,600
Speaker 1: and perennials. You know that I feel like, as I

1084
00:57:22,680 --> 00:57:26,800
Speaker 1: said before about looking at the trajectory of philosophy among

1085
00:57:26,840 --> 00:57:29,840
Speaker 1: deer hunters in North America, we've moved the needle on

1086
00:57:29,960 --> 00:57:32,439
Speaker 1: that we have educated hunters on those things, and there's

1087
00:57:32,480 --> 00:57:34,960
Speaker 1: so much more knowledgeable than they used to be than

1088
00:57:35,040 --> 00:57:38,600
Speaker 1: than they were before. Well, in the last few years,

1089
00:57:39,640 --> 00:57:44,080
Speaker 1: I've personally realized through watching the Field of Fault program

1090
00:57:44,120 --> 00:57:46,680
Speaker 1: and what we've touched on there, that for a hunter

1091
00:57:46,760 --> 00:57:50,240
Speaker 1: who knows all those things that we just talked I

1092
00:57:50,280 --> 00:57:52,600
Speaker 1: just talked about and and really is up on the

1093
00:57:52,640 --> 00:57:56,240
Speaker 1: habitat and the herd management and all of that. Suddenly

1094
00:57:56,280 --> 00:57:59,640
Speaker 1: discovering that instead of talking to someone about food plots,

1095
00:58:00,360 --> 00:58:04,400
Speaker 1: that there's someone else out there who might need you

1096
00:58:04,440 --> 00:58:07,800
Speaker 1: to show them how to feel dressed a deer, and

1097
00:58:07,880 --> 00:58:10,640
Speaker 1: taking knowledge you you sort of always took for granted

1098
00:58:11,360 --> 00:58:13,560
Speaker 1: of your own that you never really shared with anybody

1099
00:58:13,560 --> 00:58:16,720
Speaker 1: because you always thought, well, that's just the basics, and

1100
00:58:16,760 --> 00:58:23,400
Speaker 1: realizing that there's a whole community out there, untapped of

1101
00:58:23,480 --> 00:58:26,200
Speaker 1: people who need you to show them that, people who

1102
00:58:26,240 --> 00:58:29,240
Speaker 1: need you to help them understand when you're sitting in

1103
00:58:29,280 --> 00:58:32,680
Speaker 1: a deer stand how to be still and why you

1104
00:58:32,680 --> 00:58:34,600
Speaker 1: should be still, and what you should be looking for

1105
00:58:34,720 --> 00:58:37,960
Speaker 1: and all the all of the basics that come with

1106
00:58:38,000 --> 00:58:40,840
Speaker 1: deer hunting. And it's it's been inspiring to me and

1107
00:58:40,880 --> 00:58:43,720
Speaker 1: a lot of us on the team to to pivot

1108
00:58:44,000 --> 00:58:46,920
Speaker 1: toward some of that in helping folks who need that

1109
00:58:47,000 --> 00:58:49,920
Speaker 1: kind of help. And I think that's what I'd like

1110
00:58:50,000 --> 00:58:53,400
Speaker 1: to see, is okay, So we can measure in the

1111
00:58:53,440 --> 00:58:56,280
Speaker 1: trajectory of the North American deer hunter how they've come

1112
00:58:56,360 --> 00:58:59,280
Speaker 1: up the curve on herd management and habitat management. We

1113
00:58:59,280 --> 00:59:02,040
Speaker 1: can argue that compared to thirty years ago. The average

1114
00:59:02,040 --> 00:59:04,800
Speaker 1: deer hunter is way more knowledgeable by all that and

1115
00:59:04,920 --> 00:59:09,040
Speaker 1: produces way more successful food plot today, and you know,

1116
00:59:09,040 --> 00:59:10,920
Speaker 1: knows how to balance the deer herd with their habitat,

1117
00:59:10,960 --> 00:59:13,800
Speaker 1: knows how to identify some plants and all that. I'd

1118
00:59:13,800 --> 00:59:16,600
Speaker 1: like to my wishes. I'd like to be part of

1119
00:59:16,600 --> 00:59:18,840
Speaker 1: the new phase of this organization that leads to the

1120
00:59:18,840 --> 00:59:22,240
Speaker 1: point where we can measure and say the modern American

1121
00:59:22,280 --> 00:59:26,280
Speaker 1: deer hunter now has become someone who knows how to

1122
00:59:26,320 --> 00:59:30,680
Speaker 1: talk to people who don't hunt and people who don't

1123
00:59:30,720 --> 00:59:34,480
Speaker 1: look like them and don't fit in with their you know,

1124
00:59:34,560 --> 00:59:38,040
Speaker 1: old deer camp social group and teach them, get excited

1125
00:59:38,080 --> 00:59:40,080
Speaker 1: about teaching them and taking them and if we could

1126
00:59:40,120 --> 00:59:44,760
Speaker 1: see that become the next modern philosophy of the North

1127
00:59:44,760 --> 00:59:49,120
Speaker 1: American deer hunter. Yeah, there's my wish. Yeah, I like

1128
00:59:49,240 --> 00:59:51,200
Speaker 1: I like that one a lot, lindsay. And that that

1129
00:59:51,240 --> 00:59:55,040
Speaker 1: brings up a great question, which is what does this

1130
00:59:55,200 --> 00:59:58,400
Speaker 1: change mean for the field of FARK program. We've talked

1131
00:59:58,400 --> 01:00:00,800
Speaker 1: about it quite extensively here in the podcast, and most

1132
01:00:00,800 --> 01:00:03,560
Speaker 1: everybody should be pretty well aware of what that has

1133
01:00:03,600 --> 01:00:07,600
Speaker 1: been to this point. But now new organization, new leadership,

1134
01:00:08,200 --> 01:00:12,560
Speaker 1: new energy, maybe new opportunities, Nick or or anyone else

1135
01:00:12,600 --> 01:00:13,960
Speaker 1: if you wanna jump in. But but what do you

1136
01:00:13,960 --> 01:00:16,760
Speaker 1: guys foresee in the future for Field to fork? Given?

1137
01:00:17,240 --> 01:00:19,680
Speaker 1: Uh this new moment. Oh yeah, I'll start and I

1138
01:00:19,840 --> 01:00:22,040
Speaker 1: let the guys that have been more experienced with it

1139
01:00:22,880 --> 01:00:24,840
Speaker 1: talk more. I love I love with with the guys

1140
01:00:24,840 --> 01:00:29,680
Speaker 1: have said so far. UM, I'll just say from my

1141
01:00:29,800 --> 01:00:34,920
Speaker 1: perspective is that I'm going to be fully committed to it. Um.

1142
01:00:34,920 --> 01:00:36,320
Speaker 1: It was one of the things that we brought up

1143
01:00:36,360 --> 01:00:38,960
Speaker 1: in one of our earliest conversations we started working together

1144
01:00:39,000 --> 01:00:42,919
Speaker 1: as a staff, and so in my view, like, let's

1145
01:00:42,960 --> 01:00:47,200
Speaker 1: figure that thing out, let's invest resources in it and

1146
01:00:47,200 --> 01:00:49,200
Speaker 1: and see where it can take us, because I think

1147
01:00:49,240 --> 01:00:51,920
Speaker 1: it is one of those outside the box. Clearly, it's

1148
01:00:51,920 --> 01:00:54,560
Speaker 1: one of those outside the box programs in terms of

1149
01:00:54,560 --> 01:00:56,680
Speaker 1: how we think and how we do business. UM. So

1150
01:00:57,440 --> 01:00:59,920
Speaker 1: I'll just say I'm committed to it, and I'll let

1151
01:01:00,040 --> 01:01:02,400
Speaker 1: the other phone is taken away from there. I don't

1152
01:01:02,440 --> 01:01:06,280
Speaker 1: think there's any way that this group goes forward without

1153
01:01:07,080 --> 01:01:11,680
Speaker 1: looking at the success we've had with that. And by success,

1154
01:01:11,800 --> 01:01:14,600
Speaker 1: I don't necessarily mean you know, measurable and national scale.

1155
01:01:14,600 --> 01:01:17,520
Speaker 1: How many hunters have you recruited? I mean what Hank

1156
01:01:17,640 --> 01:01:22,320
Speaker 1: discovered by reaching out to adult non hunters with a

1157
01:01:22,360 --> 01:01:27,600
Speaker 1: food focused message, UM, and the success he found through

1158
01:01:27,640 --> 01:01:32,520
Speaker 1: that that we discovered this, UM, you know, this untapped

1159
01:01:32,520 --> 01:01:36,480
Speaker 1: group that was out there that and and then entirely untapped.

1160
01:01:36,480 --> 01:01:39,080
Speaker 1: I mean, certainly Steve and the Meat eat Or crew

1161
01:01:39,160 --> 01:01:44,040
Speaker 1: have been very effectively reaching folks like that for years now.

1162
01:01:45,000 --> 01:01:48,320
Speaker 1: But you know, with Hank's method of putting ourselves in

1163
01:01:48,400 --> 01:01:50,600
Speaker 1: front of them in public places and asking them to

1164
01:01:50,640 --> 01:01:52,800
Speaker 1: taste innocent and asking them do they want to learn

1165
01:01:53,320 --> 01:01:57,760
Speaker 1: to hunt? And the success we found with UM folks

1166
01:01:57,800 --> 01:02:00,440
Speaker 1: saying yes, and the success we found with running them

1167
01:02:00,480 --> 01:02:03,400
Speaker 1: through a program of teaching and guiding and training. What

1168
01:02:03,440 --> 01:02:06,960
Speaker 1: we saw from that with the result these people going

1169
01:02:07,000 --> 01:02:10,400
Speaker 1: through that short program and then literally going out hunting

1170
01:02:10,400 --> 01:02:13,320
Speaker 1: on their own, buying hunting equipment, taking other people all

1171
01:02:13,360 --> 01:02:16,520
Speaker 1: within the same season. UM, being with them when they

1172
01:02:16,560 --> 01:02:18,439
Speaker 1: took their first year, being with them when they cook

1173
01:02:18,520 --> 01:02:21,520
Speaker 1: their first year, and and guiding them through that process

1174
01:02:21,520 --> 01:02:26,320
Speaker 1: and realizing that, UM, we could build something. We should

1175
01:02:26,360 --> 01:02:30,919
Speaker 1: build something bigger out of this that's much needed. So

1176
01:02:31,960 --> 01:02:33,720
Speaker 1: it's one of like I said, I think It's one

1177
01:02:33,760 --> 01:02:36,240
Speaker 1: of the things we've hit on over the years that

1178
01:02:37,040 --> 01:02:41,440
Speaker 1: UM really surprised us in in the response and the results.

1179
01:02:41,840 --> 01:02:44,919
Speaker 1: And I don't think there's any way this group goes

1180
01:02:44,960 --> 01:02:50,240
Speaker 1: forward without making that one of the major UM, you know,

1181
01:02:50,320 --> 01:02:55,200
Speaker 1: cornerstones of what we do to address hunter access and

1182
01:02:55,280 --> 01:02:59,200
Speaker 1: hunter numbers. UM, We've got to expand it. That's going

1183
01:02:59,240 --> 01:03:02,200
Speaker 1: to be a challenge, UM. And it was already a

1184
01:03:02,280 --> 01:03:05,320
Speaker 1: challenge for q um A before came along. Is how

1185
01:03:05,320 --> 01:03:09,080
Speaker 1: do we make this bigger? How do we bring more

1186
01:03:09,120 --> 01:03:11,760
Speaker 1: mentors in? How do we get more hunters to see

1187
01:03:11,800 --> 01:03:15,600
Speaker 1: this opportunity and participate? That challenge is still there before us,

1188
01:03:15,800 --> 01:03:19,960
Speaker 1: and UM, I think under Nick's leadership and with this

1189
01:03:19,960 --> 01:03:23,720
Speaker 1: this new direction, the new group, UM, we're going to

1190
01:03:23,720 --> 01:03:28,640
Speaker 1: to solve that question and go forward and and really

1191
01:03:29,080 --> 01:03:32,200
Speaker 1: make a difference in a measurable way. Yeah. And I'll

1192
01:03:32,280 --> 01:03:34,280
Speaker 1: jump in real quick before you kept and just say

1193
01:03:34,320 --> 01:03:38,680
Speaker 1: that you mentioned something Lindsay that I think is an

1194
01:03:38,720 --> 01:03:41,760
Speaker 1: important thing to note on is that, yes, folks like

1195
01:03:41,880 --> 01:03:44,439
Speaker 1: Steve and what we're doing at meat Eator, we reach

1196
01:03:44,520 --> 01:03:46,080
Speaker 1: a lot of people and a lot of them are

1197
01:03:46,160 --> 01:03:48,720
Speaker 1: non hunters, and they get intrigued and they're interested and

1198
01:03:48,720 --> 01:03:51,480
Speaker 1: they're curious. Um, so we've got this wide top of

1199
01:03:51,520 --> 01:03:55,000
Speaker 1: the funnel and we're capturing people there. But as they

1200
01:03:55,040 --> 01:03:57,320
Speaker 1: get down further and further down there where they start

1201
01:03:57,400 --> 01:04:01,120
Speaker 1: listening and watching and they're intrigued and they're interested, a

1202
01:04:01,160 --> 01:04:04,200
Speaker 1: lot of people still get to a point where they

1203
01:04:04,240 --> 01:04:07,240
Speaker 1: hit this roadblock. And that is the roadblock of finally

1204
01:04:07,320 --> 01:04:09,280
Speaker 1: getting out there in the woods or buying a gun,

1205
01:04:09,480 --> 01:04:11,520
Speaker 1: or trying to gut their own deer, or trying to

1206
01:04:11,520 --> 01:04:14,320
Speaker 1: find a deer in the woods by themselves. Um. So

1207
01:04:14,440 --> 01:04:17,600
Speaker 1: many people really struggle once they get to that point.

1208
01:04:17,640 --> 01:04:21,640
Speaker 1: And that's where the Field of Fork program just fits perfectly.

1209
01:04:21,720 --> 01:04:24,480
Speaker 1: Is is that like Closer, It's like the closing picture

1210
01:04:24,520 --> 01:04:25,760
Speaker 1: at the end of the game that comes in And

1211
01:04:25,920 --> 01:04:27,880
Speaker 1: that's where Field of Fork really works. As you guys

1212
01:04:27,920 --> 01:04:30,160
Speaker 1: win the game there. We can get us in the game,

1213
01:04:30,640 --> 01:04:32,160
Speaker 1: we can get us you know, give us a lead

1214
01:04:32,200 --> 01:04:34,000
Speaker 1: heading into the last inning, but you guys have got

1215
01:04:34,000 --> 01:04:35,560
Speaker 1: to win it for us. With that kind of program,

1216
01:04:35,560 --> 01:04:38,720
Speaker 1: I feel like that's the that's the potential I see there.

1217
01:04:39,040 --> 01:04:42,960
Speaker 1: I've I've experienced firsthand people just like that that we're

1218
01:04:43,000 --> 01:04:45,680
Speaker 1: intrigued with the content, we put out there, but still

1219
01:04:45,760 --> 01:04:48,160
Speaker 1: couldn't quite do it all on their own and then

1220
01:04:48,200 --> 01:04:51,120
Speaker 1: got involved in the field of fork program and had

1221
01:04:51,160 --> 01:04:53,480
Speaker 1: a real person helped them with these things, and that

1222
01:04:53,560 --> 01:04:56,520
Speaker 1: made all the difference in the end. So personally, I

1223
01:04:56,520 --> 01:04:59,600
Speaker 1: will just tell you I absolutely echo what you're thinking

1224
01:04:59,640 --> 01:05:03,200
Speaker 1: that and um, I'm excited about that, Kip. Did you

1225
01:05:03,200 --> 01:05:06,080
Speaker 1: have any other thoughts on that? Yeah, we we are

1226
01:05:06,160 --> 01:05:08,520
Speaker 1: fully committed, you know, as a staff, to to go

1227
01:05:08,560 --> 01:05:11,320
Speaker 1: on forward with that, you know, and expanding it. We

1228
01:05:11,360 --> 01:05:13,560
Speaker 1: know we have a model now that works, and that's

1229
01:05:13,560 --> 01:05:16,160
Speaker 1: super exciting because you know, you can see as as

1230
01:05:16,200 --> 01:05:18,800
Speaker 1: we lose hunters and hunter's age out, you know, the

1231
01:05:18,840 --> 01:05:22,320
Speaker 1: wildlife profession. We've known this for for well over decades.

1232
01:05:22,400 --> 01:05:24,760
Speaker 1: You know, we've been watching the you know, the trends

1233
01:05:24,800 --> 01:05:27,480
Speaker 1: and just seeing a drop and drop. But the all

1234
01:05:27,560 --> 01:05:31,240
Speaker 1: the the youth programs and and different take one, make

1235
01:05:31,240 --> 01:05:34,880
Speaker 1: one programs and mentoring programs. Uh, you know, those are

1236
01:05:34,880 --> 01:05:38,240
Speaker 1: all great programs, and we're going to continue working with

1237
01:05:38,320 --> 01:05:40,960
Speaker 1: youth and encourage others too. But you know, they have

1238
01:05:41,040 --> 01:05:43,840
Speaker 1: never moved the needle. And so the fact that we've

1239
01:05:43,840 --> 01:05:47,040
Speaker 1: actually developed something here that really can move the needle,

1240
01:05:47,120 --> 01:05:49,720
Speaker 1: we have measurable impacts that that it will work is

1241
01:05:49,760 --> 01:05:51,840
Speaker 1: incredibly exciting, not just for us, but you know, for

1242
01:05:51,960 --> 01:05:55,560
Speaker 1: all of the hunting community. So yeah, we we recognize

1243
01:05:55,600 --> 01:05:57,880
Speaker 1: the value of what we have, UM and we are

1244
01:05:57,960 --> 01:06:00,240
Speaker 1: absolutely going to going to take that for small as

1245
01:06:00,280 --> 01:06:03,160
Speaker 1: we can because you know, that's that's exactly the shining

1246
01:06:03,240 --> 01:06:06,480
Speaker 1: star that the hunting world needs. And uh, well, we're

1247
01:06:06,560 --> 01:06:11,000
Speaker 1: very fortunate to have been a big part of developing that. Um.

1248
01:06:11,040 --> 01:06:13,320
Speaker 1: We have worked with it enough at local levels that

1249
01:06:13,400 --> 01:06:16,560
Speaker 1: we have mastered the fact that exactly how you do it.

1250
01:06:16,800 --> 01:06:18,640
Speaker 1: So now the next step is, hey, let's just figure

1251
01:06:18,640 --> 01:06:21,440
Speaker 1: out how to scale this up and make it so folks,

1252
01:06:21,480 --> 01:06:24,520
Speaker 1: you know, outside of the wallet community or outside of

1253
01:06:24,720 --> 01:06:28,280
Speaker 1: you know, hardcore hunters can can take the materials and

1254
01:06:28,320 --> 01:06:32,120
Speaker 1: actually contribute to the solution as well. So, um, we

1255
01:06:32,160 --> 01:06:34,640
Speaker 1: are at a really good place with that. So and

1256
01:06:34,840 --> 01:06:37,240
Speaker 1: I can assure you that the Kumy staff is fully

1257
01:06:37,800 --> 01:06:40,760
Speaker 1: invested in it and understands the value really of what

1258
01:06:40,800 --> 01:06:42,800
Speaker 1: we have and how important it is to the future

1259
01:06:42,840 --> 01:06:45,600
Speaker 1: of hunting. Hey, Mark, let me tag on one thought.

1260
01:06:45,600 --> 01:06:49,160
Speaker 1: They're real quick to what kids just said, is that um,

1261
01:06:49,280 --> 01:06:51,120
Speaker 1: if to anyone who's listening, and go and well, it

1262
01:06:51,160 --> 01:06:53,120
Speaker 1: sounds like you guys are just going to become you know,

1263
01:06:53,160 --> 01:06:55,440
Speaker 1: the field of four folks and and reaching out to

1264
01:06:56,040 --> 01:07:00,240
Speaker 1: new hunters. But the way I see that is, um,

1265
01:07:00,280 --> 01:07:03,240
Speaker 1: we all know that the hunting population, deer hunters are

1266
01:07:03,280 --> 01:07:05,840
Speaker 1: are aging as a group, and we're concerned about the

1267
01:07:05,920 --> 01:07:08,919
Speaker 1: numbers and the falling off. This is a way for

1268
01:07:09,000 --> 01:07:14,240
Speaker 1: us to create a source of new new voices, new

1269
01:07:14,280 --> 01:07:18,480
Speaker 1: our new customers, rather for our other messaging or traditional messaging.

1270
01:07:18,600 --> 01:07:21,040
Speaker 1: Because you take these folks, give me the wood, you

1271
01:07:21,040 --> 01:07:22,960
Speaker 1: get them hunting, You teach them, you know, how to

1272
01:07:23,160 --> 01:07:27,440
Speaker 1: field dress, in process, eat, cook, they're on deer, they

1273
01:07:27,480 --> 01:07:29,919
Speaker 1: go out, they buy a gun or a bow, they

1274
01:07:29,960 --> 01:07:34,680
Speaker 1: participate more. Well, guess what they That puts them on

1275
01:07:34,800 --> 01:07:38,240
Speaker 1: that stairway that we all followed, each of us, says

1276
01:07:38,240 --> 01:07:41,439
Speaker 1: deer hunters. That has them, you know, next year thinking

1277
01:07:41,480 --> 01:07:44,360
Speaker 1: about buying a trail camera, and you know, maybe the

1278
01:07:44,360 --> 01:07:47,320
Speaker 1: next year thinking about or what if I planted something?

1279
01:07:47,480 --> 01:07:50,120
Speaker 1: Or how can I improve habitat, or you know, the

1280
01:07:50,160 --> 01:07:53,520
Speaker 1: next year thinking, hey, in this choice I make in

1281
01:07:53,560 --> 01:07:57,280
Speaker 1: which deer I shoot, there are implications for my future

1282
01:07:57,280 --> 01:08:00,960
Speaker 1: deer hunting. So we're putting these people on the track

1283
01:08:01,520 --> 01:08:05,200
Speaker 1: that puts them sort of closes the circle and brings

1284
01:08:05,240 --> 01:08:09,360
Speaker 1: them back around to the traditional messaging of our organizations

1285
01:08:09,400 --> 01:08:12,720
Speaker 1: about wise deer management. So that's why, you know, going

1286
01:08:12,720 --> 01:08:14,360
Speaker 1: back to what I said earlier about how we'll never

1287
01:08:14,600 --> 01:08:17,000
Speaker 1: really get away from that, we will always be here.

1288
01:08:17,439 --> 01:08:19,240
Speaker 1: And really, I guess you'd say one trying to be

1289
01:08:19,280 --> 01:08:23,960
Speaker 1: a one stop shop for h deer hunters from start two,

1290
01:08:23,960 --> 01:08:27,639
Speaker 1: evolution through for those who want to, you know, take

1291
01:08:27,640 --> 01:08:29,960
Speaker 1: you further into into deer management, we'll be here for

1292
01:08:30,000 --> 01:08:34,599
Speaker 1: that as well. So we've we've kind of heard about

1293
01:08:34,640 --> 01:08:37,040
Speaker 1: what we have heard. We've heard about what's happening. We've

1294
01:08:37,040 --> 01:08:40,519
Speaker 1: heard about what your what your dreams and envision is

1295
01:08:40,560 --> 01:08:44,839
Speaker 1: for this thing going forward. As far as organizational focus

1296
01:08:45,479 --> 01:08:51,360
Speaker 1: goals um growing the membership. But an organization is only

1297
01:08:51,400 --> 01:08:54,000
Speaker 1: as strong as at least I think, is only as

1298
01:08:54,000 --> 01:08:57,840
Speaker 1: strong as its members in this kind of situation. Uh,

1299
01:08:57,880 --> 01:09:00,400
Speaker 1: you can have a great staff, you can have great ideas,

1300
01:09:00,479 --> 01:09:02,840
Speaker 1: you can execute in a lot of great things, but

1301
01:09:02,960 --> 01:09:08,000
Speaker 1: if if your membership doesn't engage, if your membership doesn't

1302
01:09:08,200 --> 01:09:11,040
Speaker 1: take action on things, there's not a lot you can do.

1303
01:09:11,120 --> 01:09:16,120
Speaker 1: It really makes a real significant difference. My question then

1304
01:09:16,160 --> 01:09:19,080
Speaker 1: for you is this, I've heard your wish list for

1305
01:09:19,120 --> 01:09:20,840
Speaker 1: the organization. Now I want to know what your wish

1306
01:09:20,880 --> 01:09:24,640
Speaker 1: list is for the hunters out there listening. Um I

1307
01:09:24,720 --> 01:09:27,360
Speaker 1: know one thing that came up five years ago was

1308
01:09:27,400 --> 01:09:29,760
Speaker 1: this idea that there are more deer hunters than any

1309
01:09:29,760 --> 01:09:32,320
Speaker 1: other type of hunter out there, right, but a much

1310
01:09:32,360 --> 01:09:35,519
Speaker 1: smaller percentage of those hunters are members of a deer

1311
01:09:35,600 --> 01:09:40,320
Speaker 1: organization than other species like duck hunters. There's got much

1312
01:09:40,439 --> 01:09:44,880
Speaker 1: larger conservation organization participation for example. That's one thing that

1313
01:09:44,920 --> 01:09:46,599
Speaker 1: I know back then we were talking about, like, man,

1314
01:09:46,640 --> 01:09:48,479
Speaker 1: we gotta get folks, these deer hunters need to get

1315
01:09:48,479 --> 01:09:51,800
Speaker 1: more involved. Simply become members. That's an easy wish. I

1316
01:09:51,800 --> 01:09:53,280
Speaker 1: don't know if that wish has come true or not.

1317
01:09:53,320 --> 01:09:56,519
Speaker 1: I'm curious to hear now your pep talk for the

1318
01:09:56,600 --> 01:10:01,479
Speaker 1: hunters listening, for members or future members, hope really, um Nick,

1319
01:10:01,560 --> 01:10:03,559
Speaker 1: what would be your talk to those people right now?

1320
01:10:03,600 --> 01:10:06,479
Speaker 1: What do we need from them to to take advantage

1321
01:10:06,479 --> 01:10:08,240
Speaker 1: of this new moment. This isn't just a new moment

1322
01:10:08,280 --> 01:10:10,519
Speaker 1: for for you guys. This could be a new moment

1323
01:10:10,560 --> 01:10:14,440
Speaker 1: for all this deer hunters and the future of our resource,

1324
01:10:14,640 --> 01:10:18,400
Speaker 1: of our places, of this thing that we love to do. Um,

1325
01:10:18,479 --> 01:10:20,080
Speaker 1: what would you say and what would you wish for

1326
01:10:20,120 --> 01:10:23,760
Speaker 1: these folks to uh to do? I think the first

1327
01:10:23,760 --> 01:10:27,479
Speaker 1: thing I'd say is that this isn't happening for for

1328
01:10:27,600 --> 01:10:30,720
Speaker 1: us as much as it seems like it is in

1329
01:10:30,880 --> 01:10:34,559
Speaker 1: terms of the organization or us on this call. This

1330
01:10:34,640 --> 01:10:38,920
Speaker 1: is this is necessary for deer and the future of

1331
01:10:38,920 --> 01:10:40,799
Speaker 1: the sport that we love, the future of the animal

1332
01:10:40,840 --> 01:10:46,080
Speaker 1: we love. And so our job, frankly, is too make

1333
01:10:46,120 --> 01:10:49,639
Speaker 1: it as easy as possible for people who care about

1334
01:10:49,680 --> 01:10:54,400
Speaker 1: deer to engage in issues, to engage in habitat conservation,

1335
01:10:55,600 --> 01:10:57,639
Speaker 1: to get involved with hunting if that's what they choose

1336
01:10:57,680 --> 01:11:00,920
Speaker 1: to do, And so we have to make it as

1337
01:11:00,960 --> 01:11:04,120
Speaker 1: easy as possible for that to happen. And that's what

1338
01:11:04,200 --> 01:11:07,759
Speaker 1: we see our jobs as being. Keep people informed, motivate

1339
01:11:07,840 --> 01:11:11,240
Speaker 1: them for action, get them to take action. And that's

1340
01:11:11,240 --> 01:11:13,920
Speaker 1: where deer hunters need to get to And because it

1341
01:11:13,960 --> 01:11:16,479
Speaker 1: starts with deer hunters right now, that nobody we talk

1342
01:11:16,560 --> 01:11:19,280
Speaker 1: about this future of more people caring about deer, while

1343
01:11:19,320 --> 01:11:21,559
Speaker 1: the reality is the ones who care most about deer

1344
01:11:21,640 --> 01:11:24,639
Speaker 1: right now are the hunters, and are the people who

1345
01:11:24,680 --> 01:11:26,960
Speaker 1: have taken the step to sign up for an organization

1346
01:11:27,520 --> 01:11:30,559
Speaker 1: like q d m A or others, so we need

1347
01:11:30,600 --> 01:11:32,720
Speaker 1: we need their support. For sure, we need to keep

1348
01:11:32,760 --> 01:11:35,080
Speaker 1: the ones we have, but we also need It's as

1349
01:11:35,120 --> 01:11:37,960
Speaker 1: simple as nudge and a buddy sometimes, or you know,

1350
01:11:38,000 --> 01:11:41,200
Speaker 1: maybe it's as simple. I have a good friend who's

1351
01:11:41,200 --> 01:11:44,920
Speaker 1: a long, long term time member of q d m

1352
01:11:44,920 --> 01:11:49,400
Speaker 1: A who has bought memberships for others to get them

1353
01:11:49,439 --> 01:11:52,840
Speaker 1: interested and show them what's happening, because he recognizes we

1354
01:11:52,840 --> 01:11:55,519
Speaker 1: need to grow the ranks. So the pep talk would be,

1355
01:11:55,600 --> 01:11:57,760
Speaker 1: this is not the good old days for deer. We

1356
01:11:57,840 --> 01:12:00,320
Speaker 1: can't take them for granted like we probably up to

1357
01:12:00,320 --> 01:12:03,719
Speaker 1: this point. And if you're someone that really cares about

1358
01:12:03,720 --> 01:12:07,080
Speaker 1: the resource and really wants to see us a strong

1359
01:12:07,120 --> 01:12:11,360
Speaker 1: future for this animal, then your options are do nothing

1360
01:12:11,400 --> 01:12:15,640
Speaker 1: and just hope it gets better, or engage. Being a

1361
01:12:15,640 --> 01:12:18,120
Speaker 1: well rounded deer hunter now is far more than just

1362
01:12:18,280 --> 01:12:22,200
Speaker 1: understanding what food plot mix to grow or what is

1363
01:12:22,200 --> 01:12:25,439
Speaker 1: the best bullet or broad head who has the best

1364
01:12:25,479 --> 01:12:29,880
Speaker 1: mapping app on their phone. That's helpful, but you have

1365
01:12:29,920 --> 01:12:31,600
Speaker 1: to be more well rounded than that. What are the

1366
01:12:31,680 --> 01:12:35,920
Speaker 1: issues that really impact my sport? Maybe they're local, It

1367
01:12:35,920 --> 01:12:39,000
Speaker 1: could be something just as much as a local management

1368
01:12:39,040 --> 01:12:41,840
Speaker 1: decision all the way up to the federal government. And

1369
01:12:42,000 --> 01:12:45,599
Speaker 1: it's not really hard to just jump into our system

1370
01:12:45,640 --> 01:12:47,760
Speaker 1: and send off a letter or make a phone call.

1371
01:12:48,360 --> 01:12:52,000
Speaker 1: So I would say the challenges ask yourself to do

1372
01:12:52,080 --> 01:12:55,080
Speaker 1: a little bit more this year beyond just what it

1373
01:12:55,120 --> 01:12:57,920
Speaker 1: takes to pursue a dear Maybe it's set yourself a

1374
01:12:57,960 --> 01:13:00,400
Speaker 1: personal goal to make one or two phone call, sort

1375
01:13:00,400 --> 01:13:04,400
Speaker 1: of recruit a body to be interested in issues, because

1376
01:13:04,479 --> 01:13:07,160
Speaker 1: if we don't do it, like I said earlier, if

1377
01:13:07,160 --> 01:13:08,960
Speaker 1: we think we're just gonna wait around and someone else

1378
01:13:09,040 --> 01:13:10,360
Speaker 1: is going to do it, or if you look to

1379
01:13:10,520 --> 01:13:12,840
Speaker 1: an organization like guards and say, oh, well they got

1380
01:13:12,840 --> 01:13:17,000
Speaker 1: that taken care of, Um, that's not how it happens.

1381
01:13:17,439 --> 01:13:19,280
Speaker 1: We're a team. If you if you join and you

1382
01:13:19,360 --> 01:13:22,519
Speaker 1: become a member, you're one bus. You're not just someone

1383
01:13:22,560 --> 01:13:25,080
Speaker 1: that joins us to get as a magazine or whatnot.

1384
01:13:25,240 --> 01:13:28,360
Speaker 1: You are one of us, and therefore we expect you

1385
01:13:28,439 --> 01:13:31,240
Speaker 1: to be part of that and to be excited about it. All. Right,

1386
01:13:31,320 --> 01:13:33,880
Speaker 1: then let's let's flip it over to to you guys,

1387
01:13:34,080 --> 01:13:37,720
Speaker 1: kipping Lindsay with with a similar question, what would your

1388
01:13:38,560 --> 01:13:41,320
Speaker 1: what would your wish list be for the for the listener,

1389
01:13:41,360 --> 01:13:44,240
Speaker 1: for the hunter. What are your marching orders for the

1390
01:13:44,720 --> 01:13:47,439
Speaker 1: member or future member the hunter? What would you have

1391
01:13:47,479 --> 01:13:50,720
Speaker 1: to say kip to them? Well, I think you know,

1392
01:13:50,760 --> 01:13:52,639
Speaker 1: I'm very proud of the fact that the average hunter

1393
01:13:52,720 --> 01:13:55,160
Speaker 1: today is is so much more engaged and then we

1394
01:13:55,160 --> 01:13:57,920
Speaker 1: were pin or twenty years ago. Uh. The other more

1395
01:13:57,960 --> 01:14:00,679
Speaker 1: knowledgeable about deer. They they know more about the animal,

1396
01:14:00,720 --> 01:14:03,080
Speaker 1: how it sees, how it hears, how it moves on

1397
01:14:03,120 --> 01:14:06,120
Speaker 1: the landscape. Um, they talk with the State of Wilife

1398
01:14:06,160 --> 01:14:08,639
Speaker 1: agency more So. I think that's all very good, that's

1399
01:14:08,760 --> 01:14:11,080
Speaker 1: very good for the future hunting. But my wish list

1400
01:14:11,200 --> 01:14:14,360
Speaker 1: is we engage at even a higher level now, you know,

1401
01:14:14,400 --> 01:14:17,160
Speaker 1: with the organization and take a look at cut and

1402
01:14:17,200 --> 01:14:19,040
Speaker 1: Made this past year. You know we have you know

1403
01:14:19,280 --> 01:14:22,400
Speaker 1: plus from our fifty tho members. Uh, but we had

1404
01:14:22,400 --> 01:14:26,160
Speaker 1: over three million unique visitors to our website. So you know,

1405
01:14:26,200 --> 01:14:28,280
Speaker 1: we have a tremendous number of people out there that

1406
01:14:28,320 --> 01:14:31,000
Speaker 1: are used in our information and our resources, which is

1407
01:14:31,040 --> 01:14:33,240
Speaker 1: exactly what we want. That's why we build it and

1408
01:14:33,320 --> 01:14:35,439
Speaker 1: create it. We want them to use it and be

1409
01:14:35,520 --> 01:14:38,480
Speaker 1: more knowledgeable and be better stewards of the natural resources.

1410
01:14:39,280 --> 01:14:42,280
Speaker 1: But my wish list is that you know what, they

1411
01:14:42,360 --> 01:14:45,479
Speaker 1: like that material, UM, so they take the next step

1412
01:14:45,520 --> 01:14:47,800
Speaker 1: and get more engaged with us and enjoy the organization.

1413
01:14:48,280 --> 01:14:50,000
Speaker 1: And you know, the way we look at it, all

1414
01:14:50,040 --> 01:14:52,559
Speaker 1: of the good stuff that we can do. Um, as

1415
01:14:52,600 --> 01:14:55,360
Speaker 1: we have more members, we can just do more good stuff.

1416
01:14:55,439 --> 01:14:58,479
Speaker 1: You know, more how to videos on you know, dear

1417
01:14:58,479 --> 01:15:01,320
Speaker 1: addressing deer and do this and that and all of

1418
01:15:01,360 --> 01:15:03,479
Speaker 1: these things are it's amazing to the request that we

1419
01:15:03,640 --> 01:15:06,120
Speaker 1: get for we write an article on this, will you

1420
01:15:06,200 --> 01:15:08,479
Speaker 1: do a video on this? Could you develop a program

1421
01:15:08,520 --> 01:15:11,000
Speaker 1: to do this? And you know there's we would love

1422
01:15:11,040 --> 01:15:14,040
Speaker 1: to do those. And as more people join, UM, that's

1423
01:15:14,080 --> 01:15:17,000
Speaker 1: just more opportunity for us to give back to them

1424
01:15:17,320 --> 01:15:19,720
Speaker 1: and help the future of hunting. So so that's my

1425
01:15:19,760 --> 01:15:22,640
Speaker 1: wish list. So real quick, lindsay, before you jump in,

1426
01:15:22,760 --> 01:15:25,000
Speaker 1: I'm just gonna throw a little aside in now that

1427
01:15:25,080 --> 01:15:27,599
Speaker 1: I've got uh some of the leadership of this new

1428
01:15:27,720 --> 01:15:31,880
Speaker 1: organization cornered and at my will, UM, I don't think

1429
01:15:31,880 --> 01:15:35,400
Speaker 1: you do have this because I always have my membership expire.

1430
01:15:35,760 --> 01:15:38,120
Speaker 1: Please make sure that OTTO renew is an option so

1431
01:15:38,080 --> 01:15:40,120
Speaker 1: that I don't need to keep on being like oh, crap.

1432
01:15:40,520 --> 01:15:42,080
Speaker 1: I haven't got my magazine for a few months. I

1433
01:15:42,080 --> 01:15:46,720
Speaker 1: need to go renew again. Can we just make that happen? Yeah, yeah, no,

1434
01:15:46,840 --> 01:15:48,960
Speaker 1: you can already do that with q many, so we

1435
01:15:49,000 --> 01:15:52,280
Speaker 1: will absolutely make sure that that continues perfect. And then

1436
01:15:52,320 --> 01:15:54,559
Speaker 1: that's a that's a good stegue to you, lindsay, do

1437
01:15:54,600 --> 01:15:58,960
Speaker 1: you have any final marching orders or wish lists for

1438
01:15:58,960 --> 01:16:03,080
Speaker 1: for the Hunter, for the snare, anyone like that. Yeah.

1439
01:16:03,200 --> 01:16:05,240
Speaker 1: One thing when you said this jumped to my mind

1440
01:16:05,320 --> 01:16:09,240
Speaker 1: was something that Nick actually put in my brain back

1441
01:16:09,320 --> 01:16:12,080
Speaker 1: during uh speech he gave at the Southeast Dear Study

1442
01:16:12,080 --> 01:16:17,439
Speaker 1: Group meeting back in February UM and it was he

1443
01:16:17,560 --> 01:16:20,120
Speaker 1: and Brian Richards were kind of doing a tag team

1444
01:16:20,160 --> 01:16:25,559
Speaker 1: presentation on chronic waste disease. But really what Nick what

1445
01:16:25,680 --> 01:16:27,519
Speaker 1: he kind of came down to what And it's been

1446
01:16:27,640 --> 01:16:31,040
Speaker 1: on my mind ever since, and and it goes beyond

1447
01:16:31,120 --> 01:16:33,200
Speaker 1: c w D, but he really was focused on c

1448
01:16:33,400 --> 01:16:36,160
Speaker 1: w D B, which is an extremely important issue that

1449
01:16:36,200 --> 01:16:40,439
Speaker 1: this organization will be dealing with going forward. It's it's

1450
01:16:40,439 --> 01:16:42,920
Speaker 1: going to be one of the big ones. And what

1451
01:16:43,640 --> 01:16:48,599
Speaker 1: Nick said that I left there with was our state

1452
01:16:48,600 --> 01:16:53,280
Speaker 1: wildlife agencies really are going to be ineffective at managing

1453
01:16:53,320 --> 01:16:57,800
Speaker 1: c w D unless they have the support and participation

1454
01:16:57,880 --> 01:17:00,720
Speaker 1: of their hunters. That's what it comes down to. That's

1455
01:17:00,800 --> 01:17:04,320
Speaker 1: that's what we've seen, is that to deal with this problem, um,

1456
01:17:04,439 --> 01:17:09,080
Speaker 1: you need a cooperative effort between hunters and their state

1457
01:17:09,120 --> 01:17:12,920
Speaker 1: wilife agency. And so that's you know, I guess one

1458
01:17:12,960 --> 01:17:14,680
Speaker 1: of my big wishes that I think and in this

1459
01:17:14,840 --> 01:17:18,360
Speaker 1: organization certainly will be working on is how to help

1460
01:17:18,439 --> 01:17:23,280
Speaker 1: those two groups work together, not see each other as opponents,

1461
01:17:24,040 --> 01:17:26,719
Speaker 1: but see each other as teammates. And I'm not saying

1462
01:17:26,760 --> 01:17:28,680
Speaker 1: that every hunter has to, you know, listen to your

1463
01:17:28,680 --> 01:17:31,760
Speaker 1: agency and do what they say, but engage with them,

1464
01:17:32,200 --> 01:17:34,640
Speaker 1: connect with them, listen to them, consider what they have

1465
01:17:34,720 --> 01:17:37,160
Speaker 1: to say when particularly when it comes to chronic waste

1466
01:17:37,200 --> 01:17:39,920
Speaker 1: disease and CWD management in the states that have that,

1467
01:17:40,680 --> 01:17:43,760
Speaker 1: So beyond just cwds, there's so many other ways that

1468
01:17:43,760 --> 01:17:47,439
Speaker 1: that relationship can be beneficial for the future. Having those

1469
01:17:47,439 --> 01:17:51,000
Speaker 1: wildlife agencies that manage our deer have good, good, positive

1470
01:17:51,040 --> 01:17:54,560
Speaker 1: working relationships with their constituents, their hunters, and it's a

1471
01:17:54,600 --> 01:17:57,920
Speaker 1: two way street. It is one that the agencies need

1472
01:17:57,960 --> 01:18:02,000
Speaker 1: to take seriously and carefully how they engage with and

1473
01:18:02,040 --> 01:18:05,439
Speaker 1: include their hunters and and keep them in form and

1474
01:18:05,479 --> 01:18:07,839
Speaker 1: listen to them, and it works the other way. Hunters

1475
01:18:07,880 --> 01:18:10,200
Speaker 1: need to do the same. So again going back to

1476
01:18:10,240 --> 01:18:12,360
Speaker 1: what Nick said that really we you know, we're not

1477
01:18:12,400 --> 01:18:14,040
Speaker 1: gonna be able to save c w D unless we

1478
01:18:14,080 --> 01:18:16,680
Speaker 1: get these two groups together. But it goes beyond that.

1479
01:18:16,840 --> 01:18:19,880
Speaker 1: So I think that's there's a wish for me that

1480
01:18:20,640 --> 01:18:23,360
Speaker 1: is something that can be a big part of this

1481
01:18:23,439 --> 01:18:27,840
Speaker 1: new organization Nick is going to be leading can focus on. Well,

1482
01:18:27,880 --> 01:18:29,639
Speaker 1: I think I feel like this is a good place

1483
01:18:29,720 --> 01:18:32,080
Speaker 1: for us to to wrap things up. We we've heard

1484
01:18:32,080 --> 01:18:34,439
Speaker 1: about what's happening, We've heard about what we're hoping to

1485
01:18:34,439 --> 01:18:36,400
Speaker 1: accomplish in the future. We know a little bit more

1486
01:18:36,400 --> 01:18:39,680
Speaker 1: about what we as listeners and hunters can do to

1487
01:18:39,760 --> 01:18:43,120
Speaker 1: try to help drive some of that positive change too. Um,

1488
01:18:43,160 --> 01:18:45,040
Speaker 1: thank you guys, thank you for your time, Thanks for

1489
01:18:45,080 --> 01:18:48,080
Speaker 1: sharing this with with with myself in the wire Dunk community,

1490
01:18:49,080 --> 01:18:51,639
Speaker 1: I'm gonna speak for the community a little bit myself,

1491
01:18:51,680 --> 01:18:53,960
Speaker 1: but we're we're all excited and we want to be

1492
01:18:54,000 --> 01:18:57,640
Speaker 1: part of this new positive change too. So with with

1493
01:18:57,680 --> 01:18:59,800
Speaker 1: all that said, then Nick, the last thing we gotta

1494
01:19:00,000 --> 01:19:03,680
Speaker 1: over is what people should do right now when they

1495
01:19:03,680 --> 01:19:05,759
Speaker 1: turn off their phones, when they hop off the treadmill

1496
01:19:05,840 --> 01:19:07,479
Speaker 1: or get out of the truck or whatever it is.

1497
01:19:07,560 --> 01:19:10,160
Speaker 1: What actions should they take right now? Should they be

1498
01:19:10,240 --> 01:19:12,280
Speaker 1: should we be waiting till there's a new website a

1499
01:19:12,280 --> 01:19:14,799
Speaker 1: new name for the organization become members then? Or should

1500
01:19:14,800 --> 01:19:17,360
Speaker 1: we should we become members of q d um A today?

1501
01:19:17,479 --> 01:19:20,479
Speaker 1: What he want us to do right now? Yeah? I mean, so,

1502
01:19:20,840 --> 01:19:23,120
Speaker 1: I'm glad you brought up membership because if you're already

1503
01:19:23,160 --> 01:19:25,400
Speaker 1: a member of q d um A, you're a member

1504
01:19:25,400 --> 01:19:28,800
Speaker 1: of this organization and your membership terms will remain the same.

1505
01:19:28,840 --> 01:19:31,000
Speaker 1: If you're listening to this though, and you're not a member,

1506
01:19:32,280 --> 01:19:35,559
Speaker 1: there's there's really no reason to wait. Uh, we'd love

1507
01:19:35,600 --> 01:19:38,200
Speaker 1: for you to sign up right now. Um. Of course

1508
01:19:38,240 --> 01:19:40,640
Speaker 1: we're gonna make some announ announcements here a little bit

1509
01:19:40,680 --> 01:19:43,680
Speaker 1: down the road in terms of name and whatnot, but

1510
01:19:43,840 --> 01:19:46,240
Speaker 1: your membership will still will still be good. So I

1511
01:19:46,280 --> 01:19:50,040
Speaker 1: think that's one easy thing that you can do, is join. Um,

1512
01:19:50,160 --> 01:19:52,320
Speaker 1: if you're not prepared to do that just yet, and

1513
01:19:52,360 --> 01:19:54,559
Speaker 1: you maybe you want to wait a little bit longer

1514
01:19:54,600 --> 01:19:57,720
Speaker 1: till the names announced, you want to hear more. That's okay, um,

1515
01:19:57,760 --> 01:20:00,920
Speaker 1: but definitely go to our online reach go go to

1516
01:20:01,000 --> 01:20:03,479
Speaker 1: the q d m A website, our social media pages,

1517
01:20:03,520 --> 01:20:06,280
Speaker 1: and also in the national gear lines because we still

1518
01:20:06,320 --> 01:20:08,320
Speaker 1: are going to be operating in parallel here for a

1519
01:20:08,320 --> 01:20:11,479
Speaker 1: while until we can get um the necessary things in

1520
01:20:11,560 --> 01:20:14,479
Speaker 1: place to bring us book together. So those will those

1521
01:20:14,479 --> 01:20:18,360
Speaker 1: will be great places for information. And uh yeah, that's

1522
01:20:18,360 --> 01:20:20,759
Speaker 1: a that's a good way to to start getting engaged,

1523
01:20:20,800 --> 01:20:23,599
Speaker 1: because again, as I said earlier, it's about everybody else,

1524
01:20:23,800 --> 01:20:26,800
Speaker 1: even more so than it is about us. Perfect all right,

1525
01:20:26,840 --> 01:20:30,320
Speaker 1: Well to Kip Lindsay Nick, thank you guys. I'm really

1526
01:20:30,360 --> 01:20:32,479
Speaker 1: excited to see where all this goes. Thank you for

1527
01:20:32,520 --> 01:20:35,639
Speaker 1: the opportunity. We appreciate it. They're always good talking to you. Mark.

1528
01:20:35,760 --> 01:20:37,760
Speaker 1: Thank you for the opportunity for us to be here.

1529
01:20:37,960 --> 01:20:39,920
Speaker 1: This This is a big deal, you know, for us,

1530
01:20:39,960 --> 01:20:42,320
Speaker 1: and so we thank you for us, for your help

1531
01:20:42,479 --> 01:20:45,200
Speaker 1: and what you did to make this happen, and certainly

1532
01:20:45,200 --> 01:20:47,120
Speaker 1: now to be able to get this out there to

1533
01:20:47,240 --> 01:20:50,120
Speaker 1: us why an audience is possible for sure, my my pleasure.

1534
01:20:50,120 --> 01:20:52,519
Speaker 1: I'm excited for you guys. I'm glad that there's it

1535
01:20:52,560 --> 01:20:56,280
Speaker 1: seems like some some positive directions, some positive energy good

1536
01:20:56,280 --> 01:20:59,280
Speaker 1: stuff happening, and I'm very really glad to hear that. So, uh,

1537
01:20:59,840 --> 01:21:01,479
Speaker 1: you know, you always know how to get a hold

1538
01:21:01,479 --> 01:21:03,960
Speaker 1: of me anything I can do to help. I'm consider

1539
01:21:04,040 --> 01:21:06,960
Speaker 1: me a third wing of your operation here to help anyway. Ken,

1540
01:21:07,720 --> 01:21:10,200
Speaker 1: That's exactly what we consider you. And thanks for being

1541
01:21:10,240 --> 01:21:12,679
Speaker 1: such a great friend of both groups. Hey, no problems,

1542
01:21:12,680 --> 01:21:15,720
Speaker 1: he thank you guys. All right, guys and gals, that

1543
01:21:15,920 --> 01:21:18,720
Speaker 1: is today's episode. I hope you enjoyed that one as

1544
01:21:18,800 --> 01:21:21,040
Speaker 1: much as I did. Um. You know, if you want

1545
01:21:21,080 --> 01:21:24,800
Speaker 1: to see what he'th spin up to and justin as

1546
01:21:24,840 --> 01:21:26,680
Speaker 1: we talked about last week, make sure check out that

1547
01:21:26,680 --> 01:21:30,040
Speaker 1: White Tail Addictions YouTube channel. Um, there's some cool hunts

1548
01:21:30,040 --> 01:21:31,960
Speaker 1: over there, And if you want to stay up to

1549
01:21:32,040 --> 01:21:34,599
Speaker 1: date on what I'm up to, make sure you are

1550
01:21:34,680 --> 01:21:38,040
Speaker 1: following my articles over in the Meat Eater dot Com.

1551
01:21:38,160 --> 01:21:41,160
Speaker 1: I'm writing weekly columns over there, lots of good stuff.

1552
01:21:41,240 --> 01:21:43,040
Speaker 1: Make sure check that out, and then of course follow

1553
01:21:43,040 --> 01:21:46,400
Speaker 1: Wired Hunt on Instagram where you're gonna see my stories

1554
01:21:46,400 --> 01:21:48,400
Speaker 1: and what's happening in my hunting world and the other

1555
01:21:48,439 --> 01:21:51,400
Speaker 1: things that got going on. So appreciate you tune in,

1556
01:21:51,680 --> 01:21:53,920
Speaker 1: Appreciate checking it all out. Good luck, out there is

1557
01:21:53,920 --> 01:21:57,040
Speaker 1: your scouting and preparing for hunting season, and until next time,

1558
01:21:57,640 --> 01:22:00,280
Speaker 1: stay wired to hold