It was a positively balmy day of + 8 degrees, which only added to the perfect day at the range. Although it was a bit slippery from the melting snow, our Range Operator Mike Lahaye did an outstanding job by manually shoveling over 3000 lbs. of sand single handedly, after the spreader shaft failed. With more than 125 club members and the general public attending, the range was buzzing.
Outdoors, we were sledding, had a Bon Fire to cook the perfect marshmallow, build your own smores, or just hang out, keep warm by the fire, while waiting to shoot trap. The sound of shotgun blasts filled the air, as many people tried to improve on their trap scores from the previous year under the tutelage of Dave and Lucas.
Indoors, everyone was kept busy on the Club’s simulator, which has several different programs allowing you to test your skill and dexterity at hunting wild bores, geese, grouse, and deer, as well as several different marksmanship targets. Meanwhile, the younger kids scrambled to win prizes for their marksmanship skills by trying to hit their Hunter Dan spinning bottle targets. After mastering that event, kids moved on to the Face Painting by “Alanis Mooring Face Painting.” This was a big hit for the young and young at heart. On a more serious note, this year we had Search and Rescue attend the event. They were able to provide Adventure Smart ideas on how to survive in the wild, especially for the younger crowd.
In the basement, the small bore range was once again a favourite, with everyone getting a chance to fire several different rimfire rifles and handguns provided by Club members. Several hundred balloons were hit, as well as several splatter targets. Everyone was excited, as we encouraged people to try and shoot as many different firearms as possible.
Prizes were provided by the NPRGC for all youth participants. Furthermore, the entries to the Youth celebration of Hunting and Rich Petersen Youth Memorial White-Tail and Mule Deer Contest were recognized with rifle packages and assorted prizes. In the Mule Deer Category, Haden Hamilton took top honours, while Nicolas Querel accomplished the same in the White-Tail Category. Runner-ups were Kyle Bueckert and Turrel Peters. Congratulations to all!
An event like this requires planning and coordination. Thank you to all the North Peace Rod and Gun Club members who donated their time and resources to make this day such a success. Volunteers: Tim Carter, Ozzy Kehoe, Karl James, Harrison Nicoll, Rick Eckel, Marie Parkin, Guy Lahaye, Dave Bonar, Lucas, Tammy Drapeau, 2276 Royal Canadian Army Cadets.
Sponsors: North Peace Rod and Gun Club, Guy Lahaye, Royd Lusk of Skyline Wildlife Studios, Backcountry, Scott Ebert, Apex Valve Services, Doug Edie, Matt Loberg, Sunrise Tannery, Torque Mechanical, Royal Canadian Army Cadets.
Hope to see you all you kids next year, and don’t forget to bring your friends!
