ATHABASCA – Athabasca Fish and Game Association (AFGA) members celebrated their hunting and angling achievements during their annual trophy night and banquet, which also raises money to send youth to the Narrow Lake Conservation Centre for an educational summer camp.
The event, held April 22 in the fieldhouse at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex, saw 176 association members of the association gather for an evening of fun which featured a live auctioneer, as well as a silent auction, and raffles for firearms and gift certificates.
AFGA president Brian Rudyk said that the night was a success, noting the proceeds help send multiple kids to the camp this summer, where they’ll complete their hunter’s education course, as well as firearms safety, and safe boating classes.
“Passing along the cultural legacy and heritage to our kids is incredibly important to what we do as an organization. Hunting and fishing and just outdoor activities has changed over the years,” said Rudyk in an April 26 interview. “When I became involved as a hunting education instructor, roughly 10 to 15 per cent of Alberta’s population was involved in hunting and fishing. Nowadays, we’re between three and five per cent. For us to maintain our traditions, and our cherished outdoor lifestyle, we need to get our youth involved.”
It costs $550 to send each youth to camp, and while Rudyk didn’t know how much money the association had raised yet, he said that he felt that like they had done quite well.
Awards
Part of the way that AFGA tries to encourage youth participation is with awards; out of the 28 awards given out, 10 were aimed at the young adults that were getting into the lifestyle early. When asked during the dinner which award was the most “prestigious” Rudyk pointed to the Gisli Gislason Memorial, which rewards the youth that scored the highest on their hunter’s education exam. This year, Marshall Korth won after he finished with a 95 per cent on the exam.
Lois Robocon won the Ruby & Bert Taron Memorial for Wildlife Photography, with her entry Buck at sunrise, and Tyler Woytovicz won the scenery category for his piece, Fly Fishing
Unlike prior years, there were no entries for the conservation or the hunter’s education trophies.
Scoring for the exams varies on the species, but the club uses Boone and Crockett scoring system, named after the American Conservation Club, founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887. The scoring system has been adopted by Alberta Fish and Game as their official scoring system.
Antlers
“We take quite a number of measurements on these animals. You measure the length of the beams on the animal, the number and length of the tines, the circumference, as well as the width,” said Rudyk. “Boone and Crockett is looking for mass and symmetry. So, as long as the mass is symmetrical, and goes from side to side, that’s what is going to give you your best score.”
Hans Birkigt Memorial for Typical Moose – Brandon Majorow, 104 1/8
Alex Krawec Memorial for Junior Moose – Joe Safar 109 4/8
Henry and Irene Christensen & Hal Harris Memorial for Elk – Wade Gauthier 181 2/8
Senior Typical Whitetail Deer – Monty Doell 150 2/8
Art Miles Memorial for First Junior Deer – Taylor Eleniak 140 6/8
Second Junior Whitetail Deer – Marshall Korth 140 3/8
James Nazaruk Memorial for Non-Typical Whitetail Deer – Kyle Nazaruk, 176 4/8
Peter Pidzarko Memorial for Typical Mule Deer – Garth Gauthier 148 5/8
Non-Typical Mule Deer – Marshall Korth 175 6/8
George and Connie Wight Memorial for Bighorn Sheep/Antelope – Ted Hansen 72 4/8 Antelope
Open Season
Black or Brown Bear – Ted Hansen 20 2/16
Open Rifle – Kyle Nazaruk 176 4/8 Non-Typical Whitetail
Open Archery – Gavin Bergey 130 1/8 Velvet Whitetail
Youth Open Big Game – Leleand Gauthier 19 15/16 Black Bear
Birds
“For the most part, our bird entries are measured by weight,” said Rudyk. “The specimen would be weighed, except for the pheasant, which is measured by length due to its long tail feathers.” There were no entries for Sharptail Grouse, Spruce Grouse, Mallard Duck, or Pheasant this year.
Senior Ruffed Grouse – Greg Crosland Jr. 0.67 kg
Junior Ruffed Grouse – Ty Bowzaylo 0.70 kg
Canada Goose – Zach Davis, 5.07 kg
Fishing
“We used to measure fish by weight, but as the regulations changed to being a lot of catch and release fisheries, obviously you want to handle the fish as little as possible, so it changed to length. So, if someone catches a fish, they can just put it on a bump board, get a quick measurement of the length, and you can get them back in the water quickly,” said Rudyk. This year, there were no entries for Jr. Northern Pike, Jr. Rainbow Trout, Whitefish, or Sr. Goldeye.
Ruby & Bert Taron Memorial for Wildlife Photography – Lois Robocon
Gerry Williams Memorial for Senior Northern Pike – Harold Krawec 106.68 cm
Gordon Krawev Memorial for Senior Walleye – Terry Krawec 74.42 cm
Junior Walleye – Abigail Crosland and Sage Korth 51.5 cm
Senior Rainbow Trout – Kyle Czwil 51 cm
Senior Perch – Harold Krawec 35.5 cm
Dan Peredery Memorial for Junior Perch – Marshall Korth 33 cm
Nick Runik Memorial for Junior Goldeye – Marshall Korth 46.25 cm
Artic Grayling – Tyler Woytovicz 45.92 cm
