The latest mailing I received pleads with me to renew my membership 6 months early so the Club does not have to suffer the expense of billing me. The one I received earlier wanted me to spend nearly $300 to become a life member so they would never have to bill me but who are they trying to fool. NAHC is every bit a direct marketing company and they are going to continue to send me all kinds of offers and incentives to spend money with them. Funny thing is that neither of these recent solicitations contained any mention of how my club dues are used to promote and protect the hunting sports.

Now I realize I may be treading on sacred ground here but I joined this organization 5 years ago for the same good reasons as everyone else displaying the NAHC sticker on the back window of their trucks; to contribute to an organization whose purpose was to support and help sustain the American hunting & fishing tradition. But 500 junk mailings later I'm realizing that the club's mission seems far more monetary than missionary. The NAHC's magazine, The North American Hunter, is generally good although it's obvious that the revenue stream from advertising is the driving force not the content. Its unfortunate but everything I receive reminds me of those 800 number TV offers: "Call now and we'll include a second mopper/duster absolutely free - a $19.95 value!"

I know a little bit about publishing and marketing from back when I had a real job and North American Hunting Club has eroded its own credibility. There are two typed pages of reasons for me to renew my subscription early inside the envelope. Not to mention the fancy color sheet promoting a really cheap looking knife set - a free gift, if I act within 14 days! Is it really necessary to start selling me with a message on the outside of the envelope too?

The North American Hunting Club's authenticity of purpose is also damaged in other areas. For example the web site is all about membership offers similarly tacky to what you get in the mail. There is some real content but commercial links, sponsorships and advertisements are dominant on every page.

Beyond the desire to support a worthwhile organization, when I joined 5 years ago, I was interested in getting the official NAHC Hunting Resource Directory which is a listing of member approved outfitters. I still have the original copy I received back then and was able to compare it to the current edition posted on their website. They are pretty similar; Director Bill opens the book with a full page letter where he explains that the directory is a compilation of responses from members and that the NAHC has no part or parcel in whether these places are any good or not, after-all there are probably advertisers on the list. I remember reviewing that old copy and realizing that it was not the valuable research resource I was hoping for. You see in order to be on the list at least 75% of members submitting reports had to say mostly good stuff about the place and had to have been there within the previous 3 years. In that early edition they published the number of reports that had been submitted per outfitter and in many if not most cases only 2 or 3 members had filed reports. Certainly I could not rely on a sample so limited. But those folks at NAHC headquarters up in Minnetonka, MN are pretty perceptive and realizing that sample size and value are related, they no longer publish the number of submitted reports. Yup, I'm convinced now that there must be advertisers on the list.

Ok, so I know I've been pretty tough on these guys but I am renewing my membership anyway and I still like the leather jackets. That said, I can't help but point out, that inside the back cover of the March '08 issue of North American Hunter, you will find a full page ad for; you guessed it; the new North American Hunting Club Visa credit card.