juststarting wrote:Uh, them...
Before I got my licence, I have done a bit of research and I emailed those guys, asking about whatever I was asking, don't remember exactly. After one unanswered email for a week or so, I thought I would email again. Then some guy responded, but actually forwarded my email to two other guys saying, hey maybe you got some info for this bloke. Excellent hand-balling technique.
One never got back to me, the other said there was a deer hunting workshop running and I was welcome, but the dates weren't confirmed yet.
Talking to that guy was like pulling teeth. Not forthcoming with any information, not engaging and never got back to me with the dates for the course. Questions were answered in the most obscure, not helpful way.
I thought, if you treat potential new members like that, then I want nothing to do with that dog and pony show.
Put yourself in their shoes.
They are volunteers giving up their own time to help new hunters learn about deer. I'm sure they would rather be hunting themselves, but instead they choose to contribute something to the hunting cause.
They get calls from heaps of non members (tyre kickers) wanting to be spoon fed info that could be readily obtained just by doing some basic work yourself, or heaven forbid, by actually joining the org to get yourself known and to tap into their members comms.
The course is always oversubscribed, and if they where operating like a business (in which case your criticisms would be warranted) then they would be well justified to jack up the price and you would be paying commercial rates for the service being provided.
You were referred to someone in the know, what makes you think it was their job to hold your hand every step of the way?
Full disclosure, I am the National President. It's just possible that it was me who read your email in Canberra, and flicked it to the guys on the ground in Victoria.
Those same guys in Victoria where probably busy working to keep public land hunting available to all license holders, members or not, or dealing with NFA reviews or Senate enquiries.
If that's a dog and pony show, show me a better one in town.
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