THE BANQUET

The following article was published in the

June 2022 issue of

The Rabbit Hunter magazine.

Unfortunately 

Due to unknown difficulties, the article was not presented as written.

The article is being presented here in its intended form for the reading pleasure of the Members of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny

and

subscribers to the magazine.

 

 From the World Headquarters of the

Conservation of the Snowshoe Hare

 

THE BANQUET

written and photographed

by

Joe Ewing

Founder & CEO

Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny

 

From Maine to Oregon to Texas thousands of children will be presented with the opportunity to enjoy the excitement and fun of trying an outdoor sport for the very first time this summer. Shooting a shotgun and breaking that first clay target or landing that first fish is a grand thrill for a youngster. Hitting the bullseye for the first time or the exhilaration and wonderment of watching a hunting dog work or shooting a bow and arrow for the first time could be the thrill of a lifetime for a youngster. These are just a few of the ways in which special memories are made during Youth Field Days events. These opportunities and more are part of Youth Field Day experiences that connect youngsters with important outdoor traditions like hunting, shooting, trapping, and fishing.

photo courtesy CCSfY

One way our youth discover the great outdoors is by attending Youth Field Day events organized by thousands of volunteers across our nation. Throughout the USA, sportsmen’s clubs, and sportsmen’s organizations put together special events to provide school-age children with a deep-seated relationship with the outdoors. Each Youth Field Day is distinctive with special activities like canoeing, muzzleloader shooting, fly-casting, or dog training. I’m not talking sack or three-legged races here. I’m talking about real learning experiences coupled with good, clean fun in the outdoors. Youth Field Day events emphasize the outdoors.

In Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa, for instance, activities include; Dutch oven cooking, turkey hunting, monarch butterflies, water safety, archery, bow fishing, .22-rifle, and shotgun shooting.  In Scarborough, Maine, activity stations range from archery, muzzleloaders, .22 rifle, skeet, and trap shooting, ATV operation, orienteering, fishing, kayaking, trapping, and wildlife identification. At many Youth Field Day Events activities are designed to provide parents with a hands-on opportunity to learn these skills with their children.

In Clarion County, Pennsylvania the Youth Field Days event is attended by 450 youths between the ages of 8 and 14 and offers at least 15 different activity stations. The day is the biggest event of its kind in the state of Pennsylvania.

Attendees at the Youth Field Day event get to try their hand at archery, shotgun, crossbow, duck and turkey calling, fishing, firearm safety, and much more! The day is offered free to all children regardless of color, creed, or financial background.

Not only do the kids participate in 15 hands-on events, but hats, event t-shirts, lunch, and door prizes are provided at no cost to the kids or their families. At the end of the day, over 100 firearms and other prizes are given away. Every youth goes home with at least a door prize and a wealth of outdoor education.

WHO PAYS?

Pictured above are members of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny; (L-R) beagler Brenda Ewing, veteran hare hunter Roy and guest Jan Towner, guest, and beagler Nicole Baker, and beagler and veteran hare hunter Matt Baker, and veteran hare hunter Mark Baker.

Where does the money come from for these Youth Field Day events? Here in my neck of the woods a magnificent charitable organization called “Clarion County Sportsmen for Youth”. Their many hard-working volunteers raise thousands of dollars so that hundreds of our local youths can attend a fantastic youth field day free of charge. In Forest County, Pennsylvania funds for the Youth Field Day event come entirely from donations from businesses and individuals.

Clarion County Sportsmen for Youth will be celebrating 30 years of providing instruction and education in the area of firearms, fishing, hunting, and archery, instilling in youth an appreciation of Pennsylvania’s natural resources.

On March 5^th the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny proudly joined over 500 sportsmen and women at the Clarion County Sportsmen for Youth’s 17^th Annual Fundraising Banquet. Tables were sponsored by over 40 civic-minded businesses, clubs, and individuals. The banquet was held at Clarion University’s Eagle Commons Dining Hall and the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny Foundation proudly sponsored a table with five members and their guests in attendance. Veteran hare hunters and beaglers, Mark Baker, Roy Towner, and Brenda Ewing joined beaglers Matt Baker and Joe Ewing at the sponsored table. Guests included; Kathy Baker, Jan Towner, and beagler Nickie Baker.

More than 500 sportsmen and sportswomen turned out to support our youth in the great outdoors.

Fighting a Federal Trapping Ban Rep. Grijalva, a devoted anti-hunter, heads the House Natural Resources subcommittee and is pushing a bill sponsored by New York’s radical Rep. Jerry Nadler that would end trapping on millions of acres of public land throughout the National Wildlife Refuge System. From SPORTSMEN’S ALLIANCE

Before the banquet was served all Armed Forces Veterans present were honored and presented a U.S. flag courtesy of the local VFW post. One lucky Veteran won a Jack Palou framed print. Members Roy Towner and Joe Ewing stood in the long line of veterans who were honored. Participating in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance with 500 fellow sportsmen and veterans was a moving experience for this reporter. Following the invocation, the veterans and their spouses were first to join the dinner line.

The long line of Armed Forces Veterans was honored and all presented a U.S. flag courtesy of the local VFW post.

Patrons served themselves buffet-style with roast beef and/or chicken as the main course with a wide range of side dishes. With four lines serving the magnificent spread was served in record time. Everyone gave a thumbs up to the dinner and the many desserts. Seconds were available for those big eaters.

With dinner completed the games of chance began with raffles like multiple gun raffles, a general raffle with hundreds of prizes, a puppy package raffle with a real puppy, and a pick your passion raffle. The evening ended with the sponsor table raffle.

 

Educating legislators, Media Legislators, and mainstream media don’t understand the North American Model of Conservation and the role of sportsmen. The Sportsmen’s Alliance is dedicated to changing that and has produced easy-to-understand economic impact infographics for every legislative district in the nation.

A live auction was held with Auctioneer Bill Bellis volunteering his talents to auction off multiple guns along with handmade knives, turkey call packages, walleye fishing charter, and more. Fifty-fifty raffles were held throughout the evening with over $9,000 being raised in this raffle alone.

Dinner was served

The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny has been attending the Fundraising Banquet for several years. Back on March 11^th, 2018, the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny posted the following analysis and it still stands, “The fundraising event is, in this writer's opinion, one of the most expertly run events ever attended. The event ran smoothly, the food was delicious and the fellowship with new friends and old neighbors was outstanding. President Kirk Byerly, fellow officers, board, and event staff are to be commended.”

President Byerly graciously replied, “Thank you for the positive comments!! We work really hard to make it the best banquet around!! With its success, we can provide an awesome opportunity for the kids to enjoy our youth field day!! Thank you so much for your support.”

Mark is a winner.

 

New Hampshire to Allow Year-Round Squirrel Hunting: On April 19, the Hew Hampshire Senate Eenergy and Natural Resources Committee heard House Bill 1356, a bill requiring the Fish and Game Department to permit hunting gray squirrels year-round. Under current law, the season runs from Sept. 1 through Jan. 31. This legislation was initially introduced to shorten the season by two weeks but was amended to provide for a year-round season during an earlier hearing in the House Fish and Game and Marine Resources Committee where extensive testimony was heard about the destructive nature of gray squirrels. New Hampshire sportsmen who want to express their opinion on this legislation should contact members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Protection Committee.    Above: Matt wins

Brenda wins.

 

DELAWARE TO BAN BARKING DOGS- April 19, 2022, From SPORTSMAN’S ALLIANCE A newly introduced bill in Delaware would fine people whose dogs bark for more than 15 minutes.   House Bill 378 spells real trouble for sporting-dog kennels, which are most often located in rural areas because the bill makes no exceptions for whether the barking occurs in metropolitan areas or in the country. Concerns extend beyond the kennel, however, as the bill also would apply to baying or barking hounds during a hunt. HB 378 would fine a dog owner $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second offense, and $300 for each offense thereafter. It also mandates that police officers assist the Office of Animal Welfare in the implementation of laws that protect and control animals, which means those police departments are required to enforce this law. Delaware Sportsmen should oppose this legislation by contacting members of the House Health and Human Development   Members won several prizes.

The 2022 Clarion County Youth Field Day will be held at the Fryburg Sportsmen’s Club Farm near Strobleton, PA. We know the August 6^th, 2022 event will be a blessing to the kids.

In the words of Mr. Tagge Forest, coordinator of Youth Field Day events in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, “Providing an introduction to positive outdoor activities forms a solid first foothold in a possible lifelong journey.”

The mission of the Clarion County Sportsmen for Youth is, “To promote and provide instruction and education of youth in the areas of hunting, fishing, firearms, and archery, and further, instill in youth an appreciation and preservation of the natural resources of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

ANTI-HUNTING BILLS INTRODUCED IN NEW JERSEY An outright attack on our outdoor heritage and way of life.  Assembly Bill 3732 requires hunters to provide 24-hour written notice to all property owners and occupants of properties that share a boundary with where the individual is planning on hunting. If this weren’t bad enough, this bill also prohibits even nocking an arrow within 450 feet of an occupied building or a school playground unless the hunter has written permission from such property owners to hunt on adjacent property. Assembly Bill 3409 and its companion legislation, Senate Bill 2409, would outlaw hunting competitions that provide any reward for hunting or “harassing” certain animals with a noted exception for field trials. The definitions under this bill are entirely too vague and may include trivial and friendly competitions between friends and family members for who could take the largest squirrel or rabbit. Any violation of this legislation would result in the individual facing jail time for a disorderly person’s offense and a loss of their hunting license for 5 years. These bills are a clear attack on sportsmen and women. From SPORTSMEN’S ALLIANCE

It’s crucial we invest in our youth in order to preserve the future of outdoor sports. Our youth will inherit the legacy we inherited from our forefathers. Our youth will be the beneficiaries of the outdoor culture. In Mr. Forest’s words, our youth will be “the protectors and promoters of our outdoor heritage.”

Beagling is one of those great outdoor legacies which offers a lifetime love affair with the great outdoors. Beagling promotes genuine excitement, boundless adventures, and lasting enjoyment alone or with friends we care about. Beagling offers a lifetime love affair with those delightful little hounds and the beagles never fail to love you back. You are never alone when beagling. When asked who I was in the field with I always reply, “my six best friends”. If beagling doesn’t afford all the benefits listed above and more why are so many people beaglers for life? We must find ways to introduce our youth to the wonderful world of beagling.

Awards dinners completed, we need to step back from patting ourselves on the back and awarding ourselves trophies and plaques. It’s time to consider more significant matters. It’s time to consider our youth. Introducing youngsters to the wonderful world of the outdoors is one of those vital matters. Introducing a young person to the rewarding sport of beagling could change a life. Beagling changed my life many years ago.

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