The banquet and awards night to honour area wildlife enthusiasts was held recently in the Ukrainian Catholic Hall in Kamsack.
A packed hall with a good number of youngsters in attendance is once again a good indicator of the area’s commitment to organized hunting and fishing, according to organizers.
Riley Barrowman, Kamsack Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation branch president, welcomed everyone to the event on February 29, and then called for a moment’s silence in memory of branch members who have died in the past year.
A banquet, door prizes, awards presentations, ping pong ball auction for some impressive prizes with Rod Gardner as auctioneer, and the gifting of a headlamp to every youngster in attendance was all part of the celebration.
Barrowman called on the Ukrainian Catholic Womens League (UCWL) group to come out for a round of applause in appreciation for the wonderful meal.
Tyson Leis, vice-president, updated those in attendance on the local initiatives, including a donation to the NASP (National Archery in the Schools) program, and the partnership of the SWF with the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR) which emerged from the 91st annual SWF convention held earlier in February, and touched on the FinS (Fish in Schools) program. This program provides Saskatchewan students with a firsthand look at fish and aquatic habitats in their very own classroom, and involves raising trout from eggs to fry before releasing them in a provincially stocked waterbody. FinS is a great opportunity for schools to get involved with their local SWF branch, and for SWF branches to give back at a local level. Branches are responsible for helping with equipment setup and maintenance, delivering eggs to the school, and assisting with the release of the fish.
The following awards were presented: Crystal Riffel, womens typical mule deer (123 2/8); Linda Scobie, womens moose (124 3/8); Brian Morgan, mens typical mule deer (166 3/8); Ty Thomas, junior boys typical white-tailed deer (135 1/8); Trevor Shabatoski, mens typical elk (295 5/8); Chloe Koroluk, womens typical white-tailed deer (148 4/8); Sienna Koroluk, junior girls typical white-tailed deer (114 3/8); Ty Thomas, junior boys typical white-tailed deer (135 1/8) Riley Eiffert, mens non-typical white-tailed deer (167 2/8); Lorne Woytkiw, mens typical white-tailed deer (163 7/8) and mens walleye (8 pounds); Walter Lesiuk, mens pike (18 pounds); Kelly Salahub, womens lake trout (six pounds) and womens pike (12 pounds); Craig Salahub, mens lake trout (seven pounds), and Carter Salahub, junior pike (11.3 pounds) and junior boys walleye (4 pounds).
