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Pass It On

Bust-a-Clay
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Gun-a-Week Drawing

Adventure of a Lifetime

WACONDA LAKE PHEASANT HUNT SUCCESSFUL

News Release

                                                                                    Release Date:          December 21, 2009
                                                                                    Contact:                    Mike Nyhoff, Manager
                                                                                                                     Glen Elder Wildlife Area
                                                                                                                        (785) 545-3345

Struggling through snow drifts and cold temperatures, the participants of Saturday’s 2009 Waconda Lake Youth, Women & Celebrity Pheasant Hunt still enjoyed the day and even bagged a few roosters.  The morning pheasant hunt and afternoon trap shoot provided youth and other beginning hunters an opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy what Kansas has to offer.  The annual event sponsored by the KS. Dept. of Wildlife & Parks (KDWP) and “Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors, Inc.” had nearly 80 hunters, mentors, and dog handlers attend.  The Wichita based “Pass It On” organization (http://www.outdoormentors.org) and founder Mike Christensen work closely with the Kansas Big Brothers, Big Sisters program and many of the hunters were from this group.

Two members of the KS. National Guard who recently returned from Iraq attended the hunt as “Hero-Celebrities” and were recognized for their service to the country.  Major Dallas Hewett and son Andy from Andover, KS. and Staff Sgt. Clark Flynn, Wamego served as mentors to the beginning hunters and also spoke of their experiences.  Sgt. Flynn showed pictures of his units’ work with children in Iraq.

Saturday’s event began with a Hunter’s Breakfast at the Hopewell Church in Glen Elder State Park.  The local Waconda Struttin’ Dusters Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation sponsored breakfast and donated shotgun shells and clay targets for the trap shoot.  After a safety and orientation meeting, the 40 hunters were split into 5 groups and headed out to various locations around Waconda Lake.  Each group was led by a KDWP hunt captain and hunted until noon.  Crunchy snow had most of the pheasants flying out well ahead of gun range, but each group had several opportunities to shoot.  Thirteen roosters were bagged and several were the first pheasants for the beginning hunters.

All groups returned to the church at noon to relax, warm up and dry off.  A hamburger and hot dog lunch was provided by the Waconda Lake Association who also presented a check to Brendon Mason for bagging a rooster with the longest tail feather.  The final activity of the day was a trap shoot with mechanical throwers from KDWP and KS. Pheasants Forever.  The shooters gained experience in shooting at moving targets as nearly 1,000 shots were fired and many clay targets broken.

Local hunting participants included ; Quintin Silsby – Cawker City; Luke Chism, Ethan and Even Deneke, Trey and Davis Dubbert, Brendon Mason, Nicholas Vanpelt and Michelle Ellenz - Beloit;  Other novice hunters were Andrew and Latisha Campos, El Dorado; Cody Heiland, Topeka; Ethan Nortsworthy, Berryton; Ben Sewell, Owasso, OK; Spencer Rios, Lee’s Summit, MO;  and from Wichita, Little Sisters Hannah Fitzpatrick and Chantay Taylor-Collins with Big Sister Angie Elliot; and Little Brothers Ben Maier, Taylor and Tyler Tennant, Joseph Banuelos, Kenton Hardee, Jack Keating, Jesus Castillo, Randy Holman, Andrew Morton, Calvin Nelson, Eric Ravenscraft, Braiden Woodruff, Kenny McCoy, Devin Culver, Christian Wohlford and Carmen Culver. Mentors helping with the hunt included Ben Burgess, Ken Rohling, Dave Marble, Bill Vann, Robert LeForce, Jim Griffin, Terry Newberg, Tom Thompson, Mike Ruggerio, Jimmy Ogborn and Don Gribble.