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Ponoka Fish and Game horn measuring event coming up

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(File photo)

Sponsored by the Ponoka Fish and Game Association and Alberta Laser Engraving, the 18th annual horn measuring event is coming up on Dec. 8.

Doors open at 11 a.m. at the Ponoka Fish and Game Club House at Lake Pofianga, organizers say.

This year's categories include whitetail (typical and non-typical), mule (typical and non-typical), elk (typical and non-typical), moose, sheep, etc. The event is open to association members and non-members alike.

"We measure them as per the Alberta Fish and Game scoring system," said treasurer and event chair Ray Abt, adding a winner is later named from each category for the biggest animal that has been brought in. Awards are also given out for both youth and adults. 

"If you are under 18 at the time of taking your animal, you are in the youth category," he said. "And so, it's really for everybody.

"We want everybody involved, and especially the youth," he added.

Abt said an awards banquet is held each February, where winning participants in the measuring event are recognized.

"It's also our biggest fundraiser of the year," he said. "We usually have between 300 to 350 people come out to the event."

The annual banquet, usually held in the Stagecoash Saloon on the Stampede grounds, is among several highlights and activities the association holds throughout the year.

It''s also a hit with both members and the community at large, said Abt, noting several tables have already been sold.

Meanwhile, each summer, there is also a youth camp for boys and girls between the ages 12 to 16.

According to the association's web site, "Fish and Game volunteers and certified instructors will be sharing their expertise in providing instruction in conservation, hunting education certification, survival, water safety, and many other activities."

The week-long camp is also held at the Ponoka Fish and Game Club House.

"Upon successful completion of the materials taught, students will then be certified in the Alberta Conservation and Hunter Education Program.They will then qualify for their Wildlife Identification number."

And then each September, there is the Rifleman's Rodeo at the Lake Pogianga Shooting Range, which brings folks in from across the province, said Abt. 

Other events to check out include a birdhouse building event for youth in March. 

Meanwhile, Abt has been a member with the Ponoka Fish and Game Association since the 1970s, and has been on the executive for the past 20 or so years, he said. He said there are currently about 50 association chapters in Alberta.

"There are about 50,000 people involved with the Alberta Fish and Game as well."

For more information, head to www.ponokafishandgame.ca or find 'Ponoka Fish and Game Association' on Facebook.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Mark Weber

About the Author: Mark Weber

I've been a part of the Black Press Media family for about a dozen years now, with stints at the Red Deer Express, the Stettler Independent, and now the Lacombe Express.
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