Helena, Mont. – December 22, 2008 – Starting in March 2009, Montana Pheasants Forever (PF) will be giving away 52 guns – one per week for an entire year – in an effort to increase funding for the organization’s upland habitat work in the state. Tickets for the raffle, which is being supported by Sportsman’s Warehouse stores, are on sale now for $50 each. Only 1,200 tickets will be sold, or one gun for every 23 tickets sold!
The impressive gun list includes firearms by Weatherby, Benelli and Browning retailing in the $700 to $1,500 range. Winning ticket numbers will be placed back into the pool of tickets, so by purchasing just one ticket, you’ll have a chance to win every week! To purchase tickets for the Montana PF 52-gun raffle, contact Dan Hare, PF Regional Wildlife Biologist in the state, at (406)465-8126 or via e-mail at dhare@pheasantsforever.org or Jon Lee, President of the Five Valleys Chapter of Pheasants Forever in Missoula, Montana, at (406)396-1800 or Jon@MontanaPF.org. For more information and a complete gun list, log onto www.MontanaPF.org.
“For the cost of 96 cents per week, you can have a chance at winning some real dandy guns,” Hare said, “But more importantly, Pheasants Forever has the opportunity to raise $30,000 – all money that stands to benefit upland birds and other wildlife right here in Montana. And we’ve got the track record to prove it. Since the first Montana chapter of PF formed in 1987, the state’s 18 chapters and 1,900 members have spent over $1.7 million to complete 887 habitat projects, benefiting 30,171 Montana acres for pheasants and other wildlife.”
Through land acquisitions, Montana PF has helped acquire over 3,500 acres of land now open to public hunting and recreation. Montana PF has also partnered on other land acquisitions, including the 18,554 Tongue River Ranch in southeastern Montana last year. The ranch, in which PF partnered with the Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (DNRC), is PF’s largest project to date in Montana.
“This new 52-gun raffle is another unique and fun way to engage people with Pheasants Forever,” Hare said, “Ultimately, the raffle is an extension of Pheasants Forever’s local model, which is what make us work in Montana and everywhere else. Like all money raised through Montana Pheasants Forever, money raised through the 52-gun raffle will benefit habitat in Montana.”
At the heart of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever is the unique grassroots system of fundraising and project development that allows members to see the direct result of their contributions. PF and QF empower county chapters with the responsibility to determine how 100% of their locally raised conservation funds will be spent – the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. As a result, chapter volunteers are able to see the fruits of their efforts locally, while belonging to a larger national organization with a voice on federal and state conservation policy.
Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever are non-profit conservation organizations dedicated to the protection and enhancement of pheasant, quail, and other wildlife populations in North America through habitat improvement, land management, public awareness, and education. PF/QF has more than 129,000 members in 700 local chapters across the continent.
For additional information about Pheasants Forever, please visit www.pheasantsforever.org
