In a festive community get together April 8, Medstead hosted the 3rd annual wild game banquet and awards at the local community hall.
Close to 200 people attended the annual festivities organized by the Cater Lake Wildlife Federation, the local branch of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation.
The event commenced with a hearty dinner with food provided by community members, from the local store as well as T&C Meats. The management of the catering was taken care of by the local 4-H group. The well laid out tables were surrounded by silent auction items donated from a number of local businesses from both Medstead and surrounding communities. After the dinner concluded, door prizes were awarded.
A brief presentation on the success of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation Youth Conservation Camp was conducted. The program educates and empowers youth through its one girl and two boy camps for ages 12-15, with a variety of outdoor fun and skill training. This camp boasts a registration increase of 163 per cent since 2015.
The enthusiastic audience then was privy to a presentation put on by Sask. Environment’s Jamie Chartrand, an experienced dog handler who boasts 20 years as a conservation officer of which 10 were spent in the K9 unit.
Chartrand, accompanied by Belgian malamute, Jaks, conducted an informative session as to the generalities and specifics of canines in “investigating wildlife crime.” The dogs are trained according to the Saskatchewan Police Commission standard for police service dogs, on a positive reinforcement basis, without food incentive.
Jaks, referred to as a general purpose dog, serves the public in many ways. These include evidence (items that have come in contact with people and are traced through skin cells and gun powder), detection (substances such as narcotics) and tracking, which, according to Chartrand, “is an art.”
After a demonstration of Jaks’ abilities, the children were given a chance to meet and pet the friendly canine.
Following the presentation, the awards ceremony was conducted. The big game awards included 14 categories and were presented by Brett Seidle. Winners included: Brian Gatzke (typical white-tailed deer), Gary Funk (non-typical white-tailed deer and muzzleloader), Sara Edwards (junior white-tailed deer and junior overall big game), Dwaine Long (typical mule deer and overall big game), Tyler Long (non-typical mule deer), Brad Fast (Moose), Ray Sommerfeld (elk), Courtney Fehr (ladies’ big game) and Russel Alaers (archery).
Glenn Schmidt presented awards for the bird categories for which Bruce MacKenzie won all three, including duck, lesser Canada goose and Canada goose. The fish categories, also presented by Schmidt, saw winners in Tanner Long (junior northern pike, junior walleye, and junior overall angler), Glenn Schmidt (northern pike), John Martens (walleye), Brad Fast (lake trout) and Rain Sommerfeld (perch and overall angler).
This event was sponsored by many businesses and individuals, all contributing to both this event and greater purpose of the Cater Lake Wildlife Federation.
More than 40 items were awarded through the raffle, provided by countless donors and covering a variety of interests. Items were diverse and included flashlights, an Avon gift bag, wall art, toques and duffle bags. The final raffle draw was for the barbeque (won by Darcy Gatzke) and the rifle (won by Ryan Morrison of Saskatoon).
A golf ball live auction followed with guest auctioneer Rod White at the podium auctioning off 10 balls, each representing a 10 per cent chance at a three-day, two-night fishing trip in the beautiful Saskatchewan outdoors. After elimination of nine of the patrons, Glen Long won the big prize with runnersup receiving a consolation hat and smiling nonetheless.
The spirited crowd cheered for all the winners and all of the hunting and angling success of the past year. The co-ordinators noted that the CWF is a non-profit organization and touted its recent successes. These consist of installing a boat launch at Cater Lake with gravel and cement beds to help with smaller vessels and changing signs on wildlife land in the area.
As well, the group noted work done regarding oxygen testing at Little Loon Lake where efforts are being made in conjunction with the fisheries department to eventually restock the lake.
The evening concluded with refreshments for attendees and happy winners of the silent auction claiming their items. The event was a resounding success and a great example of small communities getting together to make positive change both in each other’s lives and for the environment in general.
