Central North Thompson Rod and Gun Club held its annual Wild Game Banquet on Saturday, March 24 at the Blackpool Hall. A total of 125 people, including club workers, attended this gala affair where stories were many and awards were given out to participants in the antler contest.
The youngest member to receive a trophy on the evening was Natalia Biagioni with her Typical Mule Deer Junior Member horns that scored 92 7/8. Eleven-year-old Natalia is a Grade 6 student at Raft River Elementary School. Besides hunting, she also enjoys hockey, baseball, and fishing with her family. She bagged her deer during the mule deer season for youth - Sept. 1 to Sept. 9 last fall.
Other winners were:
Typical Mule Deer, Men - Markus Wenzel, score 108 6/8 points.
Moose, Men - Markus Wenzel, score 154 4/8 points.
Typical Elk, Men - Doug Braaten, score 221 7/8 points.
Honorable mention in the moose category went to second Lyle Haughian 148 4/8 and third Don McKale 109 6/8.
Most Valuable Member Award - the Albert and Pat Lamberton Memorial Award was presented to club president Jeff Chase by Aud DeBock, a longtime friend of Pat Lamberton.
The club presented the CNT Rod and Gun Club Honorary Member Award to past president Elmer DeBock for his many dedicated years as member and president.
Marcus Wenzel and crew cooked the many types of donated meat.
Meats donated by various members were moose, elk, mountain goat, mule and whitetail deer, along with turkey, ham, beef, and salmon.
The prepared dishes were many and varied from roast meat, smoked salmon, goulash, meat loaf, lasagna, meatballs, roast turkey and ham, along with vegetables, salad and dessert.
Enlightening the crowd with varied tales of wisdom was master of ceremonies for the evening, Jim Lamberton.
The club has trap-shooting competitions on Thursday evenings at the range during the summer months. This is a very good place for youth and others to participate in firearms safety and learn the ability to down a flying object safely.
The gun club raises money for club activities, grounds upkeep and also offers a bursary each graduation to a student from Clearwater Secondary School entering the field of conservation, forestry, wildlife or parks management