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Why Join the IBA - Personal Opinion

ElkHunter

Life Member
What Does My $20 IBA Membership Get Me?

I watch people get out of $20,000 pickups or SUV's grab hold of their $700 bow with a $150 sight, $100 arrow rest and $75 arrows. Then have the nerve to stand there and ask me WHY they should spend $20 for an IBA membership. It's really simple folks, without this organization bow hunting as we all know and love will soon be a thing of the past. Then we can all stand around, kick the dirt and talk about the good old days.

I'm a bow hunter, that's what I love to do. I’m proud of that and WILL NOT apologize to anyone. I own a photography business and when people come into the studio and they see very tastefully mounted deer heads and bear rug. I’ve had a couple people turn their noses up at the animals and I just tell them "this is whom I am and what I do"; if there is a problem then you should find another photographer. It’s time to stand up for what you believe in.

Top 10 Reasons for Being IBA Member

10. Iowa Bowhunter Newsletter 4 times a year.

9. Spring Banquet with nationally known speakers, excellent dinner, and awards program to honor all the magnificent animals harvested the past year.

8. I.B.A. Fall Festival, the largest, two-day 3-D tournament in Iowa.

7. You get a Board of Directors from all over the state that drive to Des Moines six times a year to conduct business meetings. Not to mention work the Spring Banquet, Deer Classic, Des Moines Sports Show, and Fall Festival. Then they go home and help in their local archery clubs.

6. Large contribution to HUSH (Help Us Stop Hunger)

5. The IBA has pledged $5000 to the Archery in the Schools Program.

4. Strong supporter and contributor to TIP

3. Support BOW (Becoming a Outdoors Women) and Judy Kovar School Program

2. Try to bring all local archery clubs and pro shops into one united voice.

I’m not looking for sympathy or a thank-you. I knew what was expected when I were elected. It's called giving back to the sport.

If you still haven't got your twenty dollars worth here is the # 1 reason.
1. The IBA has become a grassroots organization with the ability to have some leverage at the state capital. With our own lobbyist and a network of people who will contact their legislators when the time is right, several people on the board will attend most meeting held by the DNR, and legislative sub committees to defend our positions on key issues.

Do we like going to the capitol? Absolutely not, we would much rather be hunting. As I sit here looking at a stack of legislation that would destroy ALL deer hunting in Iowa, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and protect the sport from anti-hunters, special interest groups, and forces that don’t like what we do.

So the next time you sit in your blind or tree stand stop and think about what you got for $20. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. So you and your buddies need to get off your butts and into the IBA.

Randy Taylor, IBA Member

This isn’t to be construed as IBA Policy
This is my personal opinion.
 
Well said, elkhunter. I sure appreciate all you and the other IBA board members do to protect the sport so many of us love.

I know bowhunters are an independent lot but this is the place where the more of us that stand together the more power we have. Is the future of bowhunting worth $20 to you?

Old Buck
 
Wow, well said!
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Great Post Randy, very well put. It's important that everyone knows and understands what exactly the IBA does, and how important it is to become a IBA member and support an organization that supports our rights as hunters in the state of Iowa. Hell, I just put $60 in gas in my expedition this morning, and ordered $140 arrows, what's $20. I would gladly accept a increase in my hunting fees and tags, opposed to having my hunting ground surrounded by a higher population of hunters. In my opinion the quality and quantity of the deer heard would be greatly depleted if we did'nt have an organization like the IBA around looking out for our better intrests, keeping the number of tags on the down low. Just my 2 cents.
 
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No way to say it better. Been a member since 1979.

35,000 or so Bow tags sold in Iowa and only maybe 10% IBA members at best.
Such is our nature, we are fat and happy until it is gone.

I don't much like politics any better than anyone else, but we need to be active in some way because the minority special interest finatics live for that stuff.
Bowhunting is not the staff of life, but relaxing and allowing someone to take a time honored family tradition away from the average majority concerns me.

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Thanks BW
I know bowhunters are loners and not very good about joining,but it's really sad when they won't join an organization that is working so hard to keep deer hunting as we ALL enjoy it now.
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