Willow Valley Trophy Club holds annual Awards day

Levi  Sekella with one of his entries
Toni Lucas photos

Toni Lucas, Pincher Creek Voice

Willow Valley Trophy Club (WVTC) held their 64th Annual Awards Day on Saturday January 12, 2013 at the Pincher Creek Community Hall. This all-day affair started with the doors opening at 8 am. The club uses the Boone and Crockett method of scoring and rules of fair chase to determine of it is legal game. The club encourages conservation and best hunting practices. To reflect those ideals "High Country, Abuse it, You Lose it" was emblazoned on the banner that crowned the stage. Entries ringed the lower level and booths and vendors were upstairs.

Lindsey Paterson

The Livingstone Range Recreation Park Society ran the concession, proceeds of which went toward maintaining the historical Willow Valley Schoolhouse.

WVTC President Lindsey Paterson is in his third year as president and is very proud of the history and future of the WVTC. "We work towards this trophy day. They are generally more exceptional animals or animals that youths are proud of," Paterson said, indicating the displays on the walls. "Big or small we like to recognize them all. We are really getting into the youth programs now, with more awards for them and trying to encourage youth to get outside, hunting being just one of the many excuses to spend more time outside."

With new sponsors and grants, the WVTC is working on improving on that goal. "We are looking at many different things for youth. Registered Education Savings Plans, Youth Hunter Conservation Camps that we would sponsor youth to go to, and maybe a youth archery league, many different things," Paterson explained. "We are also getting more creative with youth prizes and youth programs. We now have a youth category in every single division that we have an adult category."

Fishing:  Youth winners

Bird:  Youth winners

One of the visible changes to the event is that more youth were in attendance on Saturday compared to the previous few years even though overall attendance dipped somewhat to approximately 600 this year. Discussing the history of the club Paterson said "We still have some of our founding members like Hilton Pharis. These people originally started in Willow Valley and that's where they ranched and farmed in that area. Some of them still show up at some of the meetings and we're looking at our 64th annual so it's pretty cool when you have some of these original members come out to the show, or the meetings."

To be eligible for the current categories, an entrant had to have been a member in the last year, and taken the animal in Alberta. "The Trophy Day Challenge is the biggest of that species, period. We have stuff that was shot back in the 50's and 60's that get brought in," said Paterson. To my knowledge, it's the biggest one day trophy scoring and display that happens in the same day in western Canada. We have anywhere between 150 to 200 heads, and that does not include the fish and the bird entries. That could be another 50 plus entries."

Wayne Lowry

Alberta Fish and Game Association 2nd Vice President Wayne Lowry talked about some of the proposed regulation changes that are proposed for hunting in the upcoming year. Working with Sustainable Resource and Development Lowry explained there may be changes in general archery, the hunting of the Sandhill Crane, ATV restrictions, black bear hunting regulations, and elk. To see these and other changes in hunting regulations you can visit www.afga.org. Lowry and his daughter Kim made the first of the door prize draws.

Dale Paton

Guest speaker Professional Biologist Dale Paton has been involved with a collaborative six year study with the University of Oregon, University of Alberta, University of Calgary, Alberta Conservation Association and Sustainable Resource Development studying Elk population in seven winter ranges in southwestern Alberta. Paton has been studying access management, genetics, elk response to human activity and migration through 180 collared elk. Paton focused his discussion on migration, focusing on three different movement patterns that elk employ: migratory, resident, and dispersing elk patterns.

The study employed GPS tracking collars for bulls and cows. He pointed out that some elk have some truly odd patterns that he tracked, some even going into the cities during the hunting season. Paton showed his sense of humour as he had a mischievous smile as waited until there were chuckles in the audience by those that got the joke, then he thanked all hunters that return research collars. Paton opened the floor to a question and answer period and was a well spoken and interesting presenter.

Paton will also be giving a presentation at the Nature Conservancy of Canada's 8th annual Eat and Greet, which will be held at Twin Butte Hall on Thursday, January 17.

Trophies and prizes were given out in the many categories, door prizes were drawn for, and recognition was given to the many members, volunteers and sponsors that worked so hard to make the day successful.

Related links:

www.willowvalleytrophyclub.com

Nature Conservancy of Canada to hold Eat and Greet

Last year's Awards event

2013 WVTC Big Game Rifle Award Winners 

  

Black Bear

Adult

1st Carter Marr 18 13/16
2nd Lorne Russell 17 15/16
3rd Clare Rose 17  4/16

  

Youth    

1st Kara Popson 15 14/16
2nd Savanna Koebisch 15 12/16
3rd Leighton Dyck 13      

Owen with winnings

Cougar

Youth

1st Taylor Ewing 13-0

Typical Whitetail Deer

Adult

1st Daylan Boyce 151-4
2nd Peter Koebish 147-2
3rd Wade Aebli 144-4

Youth

1st Lisa Dejax 125-7
2nd Jared Kunz 125-5
3rd Brady Douglas 120-1

Trophy Day Challenge Winner - Garry Lepard 173-2

Rear: Logan and Hunter, Owen front
Photography youth winners

Non-Typical Whitetail Deer

Adult

1st Gary Villemaire 186-4
2nd Clare Rose 153-6

Trophy Day Challenge Winner - Gary Villemaire 186-4

Typical Mule Deer

Adult

1st Bill Janet 193-4
2nd Andrew Horvath 184-5
3rd Don Boyce 181-6

Youth

1st Taylor Ewing 178 3/8
2nd Brady Douglas 166 1/8
3rd Tom Welsch 153 1/8

Trophy Day Challenge Winner - Bill Janot 193-4

Non-Typical Mule Deer

Trophy Day Challenge Winner - Darcy Brauer 233 5/8

Elk

Adult

1st Taylor Elliott 345-6
2nd Dillon Williams 336-5
3rd Jordan Rice 302-1

Youth

1st Thomas Garbiar 264-4
2nd Cale Otteson 229-0
3rd Lisa Dejax 227-2

Trophy Day Challenge Winner - Kane Brandt 372-2

Moose

Adult

1st Lorne Russell 172-7
2nd Ginger Garbiar 169-3
3rd Glen Szondi 122-1

Bert Frelink:  Longbows

Youth

1st Jonathan Erickson 68-2

Trophy Day Challenge Winner - Lorne Russell 172-7

Pronghorn

Adult 

1st Doug Ozar 72-3
2nd Tim Ewing 71-5
3rd Bill Messum 67-6

Youth

1st Jonathan Erickson 74-0

Trophy Day Challenge Winner - Jonathan Erickson 74-0

Big Horn Sheep

Adult

1st Glen Pickering 181-5
2nd Billy Macdonnell 167-1
3rd Dennis Cervo 157-6

Youth

1st Thomas Garviar 158-7

Trophy Day Challenge Winner - Glen Pickering 181-5

2013 WVTC Big Game Archery Award Winners

Black Bear

Adult

1st Chester Rudolph 20  9/16
2nd Pete Lehman 19 12/16
3rd Kaitlyn Popson 17 15/16

Presenter: Dakota Kuftinoff

Typical Whitetail Deer

Adult

1st Dennis Cervo 140-3
2nd Ivan Indenbosch 121-6
3rd Chris Eelart 113-3

Adult

1st Eric Proudfoot 143-7
2nd Frank Popson 69-6

Typical Mule Deer

Adult

1st Caillin Del' Rizzo 171-3
2nd Darcy Wakaluk 167-5
3rd Scott Collins 166-0

Non-Typical Mule Deer

Adult 

1st Chad Putzi 202-6
2nd Matthew Beckman 184-4
3rd Trevor Garbian 168 7/8

Elk

Adult

1st Todd Kennedy 223-6
2nd Dan Indenbosch 216-4
3rd Ivan Indenbosch 200-6

2013 WVTC Birds Award Winners

Turkey

Adult

1st Lindsey Paterson 9 1/2" beard
2nd Melisa Simpson 9 3/8" beard
3rd Len Verbaas 9" beard

Canada Goose

Adult

1st Louis Patterson 6.31 kilos
2nd Russ Norris 6.214 kilos
3rd Cliff Wiebe 5.986 kilos

Youth

1st Cathy Eisenlohr 5.216 kilos
2nd Bryce Crawford 4.955 kilos

Pheasant

Adult

1st Garry Hackler 39 3/4" long
2nd Cary Hackler 38 1/2" long
2nd Jason Dyck 38 1/2" long
3rd Walter Eisenlohr 38" long 

Youth

1st Cathy Eisenlohr 39" long
2nd Leighton Dyck 36.5" long
3rd Grady Dyck 35.75" long 

Sharptail Grouse

Adult

1st Cary Hackler 0.876 kilos
2nd Jason Dyck 0.83 kilos

Youth

1st Grady Dyck 0.79 kilos
2nd Jared Dyck 0.735 kilos
3rd Leighton Dyck 0.535 kilos

Blue Grouse

Adult

1st Tim Juhlin 1.391 kilos
2nd Jason Dyck 0.765 kilos 

Hungarian or Gray Partridge

Adult

1st Cary Hackler 0.438 kilos
2nd Jason Dyck 0.43 kilos

Youth

1st Grady Dyck 0.43 kilos
2nd Jared Dyck 0.42 kilos
2nd Leighton Dyck 0.42 kilos

Ruffed Grouse & Spruce

Adult

1st Jason Dyck 0.56 kilos
2nd Tim Juhlin 0.522 kilos

Youth

1st Grady Dyck 0.615 kilos
2nd Jared Dyck 0.59 kilos
3rd Leighton Dyck 0.535 kilos

Mallard Duck

Adult

1st Carey Hacker 1.572 kilos
2nd Cliff Wiebe 1.478 kilos
3rd Jason Dyck 1.235 kilos

Youth

1st Will Thorpe 1.365 kilos
2nd Grady Dyck 1.265 kilos
3rd Leighton Dyck 1.095 kilos

The 2013 Willow Valley Trophy Club Fish Award Winners

Lake Trout

Adult

1st Jake Funk 19 lb 3 oz

Cutthroat Trout

Adult

1st Ryan Leismeister 2 lb 13 oz
2nd Cale Otteson 2 lb
2nd Bill Messum 2 lb

Youth

1st Geraldine Price Award Winner 190% of 10 yr average - Clay Leismeister 3 lb 15 oz
2nd Makenna Leismeister 3 lb
3rd Brody Anthony 1 lb 6 oz

Rainbow (Lake) Trout

Adult

1st Yvonne Messum 2 lb 6 oz
2nd Anne Verbaas 2 lb 1 oz

Youth

1st Logan Desjardins 2 lb 11 oz
2nd Levi Sekella 1 lb 3 oz
3rd Logan Sekella 15 oz

Rainbow (River) Trout

Youth

1st Logan Desjardins 4 lbs
2nd Clay Leismeister 3 lbs 12 oz
3rd Hunter Austring 1 lb

Whitefish

Adult

1st Tim Juhlin 2 lb 15 oz
2nd Jared Dyck 2 lb 8 oz
3rd Jason Dyck 2 lb

Youth

1st Grady Dyck 2 lb 3 oz
2nd Leighton Dyck 2 lb
3rd Logan Desjardins 6 oz

Pike

Adult

1st Jake Funk 26 lb
2nd Rhonda Peake 19 lb 1 oz
3rd Bill Messum 5 lb 2 oz

Youth

1st Levi Sekella 8 lb 10 oz
2nd Logan Sekella 6 lb 3 oz
3rd Logan Desjardins 3 lb 12 oz

Walleye

Adult

1st Jake Funk 8 lb 3 oz

2013 WVTC Photography Award Winners

HM=Honourable Mention

Wildlife

Adult

1st Wendell Shaw
2nd Derek Shaw
3rd Tim Juhlin
HM Lorne Russell
HM Yvonne Messum

Youth

1st Matthew Erickson
2nd Tyson Mahli
3rd Owen Olsen
HM Hunter Olsen
HM Morgan Michalsky

Sportsman In The Field

Adult

1st Lorne Russell
2nd Bill Messum
3rd Jim MacGarva
HM Tyler Villemaire
HM Rene Desjardins

Youth

1st Logan Olsen
2nd Owen Olsen
3rd Morgan Michalsky
HM Hunter Olsen
HM Joshua MacGarva

Scenery

Adult

1st Paul Matlock
2nd Bill Messum
3rd Don Indenbosch
HM Louis Patterson
HM Taylor Elliott

Youth

1st Joshua MacGarva
2nd Indie MacGarva
3rd Owen Olsen

Best Of The Natural World

Adult

1st Mike Davidson
2nd Bill Elliott
3rd Don Lunn
HM Anne Lapointe
HM Tim Juhlin

Youth

1st Indie MacGarva
2nd Matthew Erickson
3rd Tyson Malhi
HM Hunter Olsen
HM Joshua MacGarva

2013 WVTC Challenge Trophy Competition Award Winners

Ed & Babe Burton Trophy

Members - current year, all categories

Moose Lorne Russell 172-7 113.0%

Charter Member Trophy

Roll call members - current year

Typical Whitetail Paul Erickson 142-0 88.8%

Peter Hucik Memorial Trophy

Members under 18 years - current year

Typical Mule Deer Taylor Ewing 178-3 103.1%

BJ Archery Trophy

Members - current archery taken

Non-Typical Mule Deer Chad Putzi 202-6 110.8%

Geraldine Price Memorial Trophy

Largest fish scored on % for all current entries

Cutthroat Trout Clay Leismeister 3 lb 15 oz 190%

Art of Taxidermy