Willow Valley Trophy Club holds 65th Annual Awards Day

2014 Willow Valley Trophy Club Day
T. Lucas photos except*

Toni Lucas

Willow Valley Trophy Club (WVTC) held their 65th Annual Awards Day on Saturday January 11, 2014 at the Pincher Creek Community Hall. This all-day affair started with the doors opening at 8 am. Entries ringed the lower level with booths and vendors upstairs. Several hundred people attended from all over southern Alberta. They came to enter. to see the trophies, to check the wares from the vendors, to hear the keynote speech by Andrea Morehouse, and to visit. The room was filled with people telling each other stories, relating experiences, learning and sharing information.

Kara Popson with Savanna Koebisch

Something new with for the club this year is the addition of the Savanna Koebisch Youth Huntress Award.

Koebisch is currently studying medicine in Germany.  She was on hand this year to present the award to the first woman to win it, Kara Popson. Koebisch is thrilled to be giving back to the club that she has been a part of for years. "I have been coming here ever since I was 12 years old and every year that I entered something, I've always got some kind of recognition or trophy. I think it's encouraging for youth if they get some kind of recognition for the time they spend out in the field. I thought it would be nice to see more girls get into hunting. This award is open to all youth females to enter a big game trophy as a raffle."

This year the award was sponsored through Cabela's. Koebisch is currently taking a course load that will  take her through her Masters of Science and International Health. Being an experienced hunter she is working toward a having a sister-club relationship with a hunting club in Austria. To that end the Austrian club donated a door prize for this show.

Koebisch with blank trophy plaque

Club President Lindsey Paterson

WVTC President Lindsey Paterson is very proud of the history and future of the WVTC. One of his goals during his time as President of the club has been to increase youth interest. He was pleased to announce that over the last two years, the youth membership has increased by 30% and that there was over $10,000 worth of prizes given at the award ceremonies.

Wayne Lowry

Alberta Fish and Game Association First Vice President Wayne Lowry acted as Master of Ceremonies and kept the agenda running smoothly. "I have been Emceeing this event for approximately 10 years, so it has become a tradition for myself, my family and the community, and it's great to be a part of it," he said between his duties. "It's always a great display. you can always count on there being big heads here from a whole range of species that are available here in the province." He remarked that he is aware of the bad press a few hunters have been creating as of late. "Poachers are not hunters, they are criminals." Lowry stressed that the Willow Valley Trophy Club has encouraged and taught ethical hunting practices to generations of hunters.

Tannis Protrowski

Tannis Protrowski set a new Provincial Record for an antelope she hunted this season. "I had never hunted before I got married to my husband, so it's been about twenty years. He was a hunter, so the only way we could spend time together during the season was if I went hunting." She got her animal October 21, the opening day of the season. She was drawn for antelope once before 8 years ago, but her work schedule did not allow her to take advantage of that season. "I let my tag go, and didn't fill it. Looking back on how hard it is to get a good antelope, and how seldom you are drawn, I really regretted that. So I was really happy to get this one."

Tanya Debroux

"I don't think it will win, it's small, well, medium sized," said Tanya of the moose antlers she had brought in to display. This was the first time she had ever got a chance for a  moose. She has been in for the draw for 16 years.  Even though she did not win in the category, she enjoyed the attention and the chance to talk with other hunters during the show.

Clay Leismeister with his mule deer

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. 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. The 2014 Youth Fundraiser Draw prize winners included Carey Hackler, Calgary - $1,000.00 Gift Certificate from Summit Home Hardware. Linda Findlater, Cowley - Rangefinder from Backcountry Butchering, Derek Shaw of Cardston - Nikon Binocs from Thriftway Pharmacy, and Dennis DeBoer, Lethbridge - Badlands Pack from Marksmen Guns and Sports.

Reid and Noel Cormack with wolf kill caribou

The Livingstone Range Recreation Park Society (LRRPS) ran the concession, proceeds of which go toward maintaining the historical Willow Valley Schoolhouse. The society has been running the concession for the trophy day for approximately 55 years. "This is our major fundraiser for the year," said LRRPS Secretary/Treasurer Wendy Davies. The LRRPS is appreciative of the partnership more than ever. According to Davies the schoolhouse will be 100 years old in 2014, and the LRRPS is planning to hold celebrations and have a write up available to commemorate the event.

Ericka Nichols at concession with Paul and Matthew Erickson

Keynote speech:  Hair Snares for Grizzly Bears with Andrea Morehouse

Andrea Morehouse

Andrea Morehouse has been working in the area since 2011 collecting data for a 4 year study on grizzly bears. She delivered a talk called 'Hair Snares for Grizzly Bears'.  She explained her project, what has been done up to now, and what direction it is going in. The project objective is to monitor grizzly bear populations, densities and distributions both locally and at ecosystem level.

To do this Morehouse has been working with other scientists in Montana and British Columbia. The local aspect of this project involved finding rub trees, poles and other likely objects that bears already rub on, and stringing them with barbed wire to collect hair samples from the bears that use them. "It's a non-invasive way to collect genetic samples," explained Morehouse. The study is being conducted on both private and public land. The hair samples are then collected dated and tagged. The samples are sent to a lab where the hair is analyzed to determine the species. Grizzly bear hair is then further tested to determine gender and individual identification of animals, while other bear samples have been set aside, as other species are not the current focus of the study.

"We will wrap up this analysis in 2015," said Morehouse regarding the project. "This was a pilot project, and one of the questions we will want to evaluate is how well it worked, and so far I think everyone has been pretty positive about it." Other directions they might take the project if it continues is covering other bear management areas or keeping this project up to date to keep track of the grizzly bear populations long term.

The 2012 local results for the study have resulted in 122 individual grizzly bears being identified, with 40 of the 51 that were identified in the 2011 study back to leave more samples.

Talking about the overall continental divide ecosystem that includes northern Montana, southeast British Columbia and southwest Alberta Morehouse said "We know through genetic work that this region over 1,000 grizzly bears in that population.  It's nice to have some real, concrete data. These are the minimum number of bears that use these areas sometime between June and November."

Some exciting news is that all the other hair samples that have been collected that did not come from grizzly bears may serve for scientific study down the road. "The black bear data is being stored in such a way that we can go back to it and analyze it later. Really, it wouldn't cost that much to get the black bear data analyzed as well, as all the field work is being done."

Thanks to the many volunteers!
Pictured:  Russel Rowledge and Alan Douglas

2014 WVTC Big Game Archery Award Winners

Black Bear
1st Frank Popson 20 4/16
2nd Helen Popson 19 3/16
3rd Pete Lehmann 19

Cougar
1st Wendell Shaw 14 3/16

Pronghorn
1st Tye Barrett 65

Typical Whitetail Deer
1st Savanna Koebisch 140 5/8
2nd Leonard Verbaas 125 6/8
3rd Devon Cervo 100 6/8

Typical Mule Deer
1st Jake Funk 164 5/8
2nd Leonard Verbaas 160 1/2
3rd Matthew Beckman 140 3/4

Non-Typical Mule Deer
1st Garnet Paton 188 3/8
2nd Lindsey Paterson 188 1/8

Elk
1st Jake Funk 222 5/8
2nd Dennis Cervo 170 3/4 

2014 WVTC Big Game Rifle Award Winners

Black Bear
1st Kent Keenan 17 10/16
2nd Dustin Neufeld 17 5/16
3rd Peter Sekella 16 12/16
Youth
1st Devon Cervo 18 1/16
2nd Alan Garbiar 17

Cougar
1st Kyle Green 13 5/16

Typical Whitetail Deer
1st Steven Brazzoni 161 6/8
2nd Derek Shaw 147 1/8
3rd Brent Austring 143 2/8
Youth
1st Peter Zmurchyk 139 4/8
2nd Alan Garbiar 138
3rd Chase Sheen 127 5/8

Trophy Day Challenge Winner
Curtis Siegfried 178-4

Non-Typical Whitetail Deer
1st Tyler Villemaire 182 2/8
2nd Art Hohn 96 4/8
No Youth Entries
Trophy Day Challenge Winner
Curtis Siegfried 201 5/8

Typical Mule Deer
1st Gary Villemaire 184
2nd Ron Babin 176 7/8
3rd Lanny Amos 173 6/8
Youth
1st Clay Leismeister 179 7/8
2nd Jonathan Erickson 171 6/8
3rd Tom Welsch 147 6/8
Trophy Day Challenge Winner
Andy Schlachter 185 5/8

Non-Typical Mule Deer
1st Allan Kuzyk 191
Trophy Day Challenge Winner
Allan Kuzyk 191

Elk
1st Fiore Olivieri 363 7/8
2nd Kevin Kenny 337 1/8
3rd Tiffany Olivieri 248 6/8
Youth
1st Brock Wakaluk 206 6/8
2nd Jared Dyck 177 1/8
3rd Blaine Dejax 172 3/8
Trophy Day Challenge Winner
Fiore Olivieri 363 7/8

Moose
1st Trevor Garbiar 149
2nd Brad Pisony 148 1/8
3rd Wayne Lowry 133
Youth
1st Kara Popson 105 3/8
2nd Levi Sekella 73 7/8
Trophy Day Challenge Winner
Trevor Garbiar 149

Pronghorn
1st Tim Jensen 71 2/8
Youth
1st Jared Dyck 66
Trophy Day Challenge Winner
Tannis Piotrowski 90

2014 WVTC Challenge Trophy Competition Award Winners 

Ed & Babe Burton Trophy Members - current year, all categories
Elk Fiore Olivier 363 7/8 111.28%
Charter Member Trophy Roll call members - current year
Non-typical Mule Deer Lindsey Paterson 188 1/8 102.8%
Peter Hucik Memorial Trophy
Members under 18 years - current year
Typical Mule Deer Clay Leismeister 179 7/8 103.98%
BJ Archery Trophy
Members - current archery taken
Black Bear Frank Popsen 20 4/16 106.58%
Geraldine Price Memorial Trophy Largest fish scored on % for all current entries
Pike Jake Funk 25 lb 10 oz 107%
Savanna Koebisch Youth Huntress Award
Moose Kara Popson 105 3/8 68.88 %

Logan Sekella likes to reel in the fish

The 2014 Willow Valley Trophy Club Fish Award Winners 

Brown Trout
1st Junior Olsen 4 lb 5 oz
Youth
1st Owen Olsen 6 lb 12 oz
2nd Logan Olsen 5 lb 14 oz
3rd Hunter Olsen 3 lb 10 oz

Lake Trout
1st Jake Funk 19 lb 6 oz
Youth - No Entries

Cutthroat Trout
Adult - No Entries
Youth
1st Grady Dyck 1 lb 5 oz
2nd Leighton Dyck 1 lb

Rainbow (Lake) Trout
1st Rene Desjardins 1 lb 12 oz
2nd Bill Messum 1 lb 4 oz
Youth
1st Logan Desjardins 4 lb 9 oz
2nd Levi Sekella 1 lb 2 oz
3rd Logan Sekella 1 lb

Rainbow (River) Trout
1st Adam Juhlin 1 lb 1 oz
Youth - No Entries

Whitefish
1st Jared Dyck 2 lb 12 oz
2nd Jason Dyck 1 lb 7 oz
Youth
1st Grady Dyck 1 lb 12 oz

Pike
1st Jake Funk 25 lb 10 oz
2nd Junior Olsen 22 lb
3rd Rob Chamberlain 21 lb 8 oz
Youth
1st Logan Olsen 10 lb
2nd Levi Sekella 9 lb 1 oz
3rd Owen Olsen 7 lb 14 oz

Walleye
1st Steve Prokop 10 lb 14 oz
2nd Alan Sparks 9 lb 12 oz
3rd Jake Funk 9 lb 5 oz
Youth
1st Lachlan Terpstra-Metzler 6 lb 6 oz
2nd Hunter Olsen 2 lb 14 oz
3rd Owen Olsen 2 lb 13 oz

2014 WVTC Birds Award Winners 

Turkey
1st Dan Kuftinoff 8 1/4" beard
Youth - No Entries

Canada Goose
1st Rod Taylor 6.395 kg
2nd Louis Patterson 6.275 kg
3rd Russ Norris 5.951 kg
Youth
1st Bryce Crawford 5.32 kg
2nd Grady H Dyck 4.78 kg
3rd Jarod H Dyck 4.62 kg

Pheasant
1st James Cook 41.25" long
2nd Russ Norris 38" long
3rd Don Mustard 37.5" long
Youth
1st Jared Dyck 38.5" long
2nd Grady Dyck 36" long
3rd Leighton Dyck 34.5" long

Sharptail Grouse
1st Rob Tayler 0.997 kg
2nd Tim Jensen 0.872 kg
3rd Cary R Hackler 0.804 kg
Youth
1st Leighton Dyck 0.886 kg
2nd Jared Dyck 0.88 kg

Blue Grouse
1st Tim Juhlin 1.331 kg
Youth - No Entries

Hungarian or Gray Partridge
1st Rod Taylor 0.454 kg
2nd Tim Jensen 0.42 kg
3rd Cary R Hackler 0.418 kg
Youth
1st Grady Dyck 0.438 kg
2nd Jared Dyck 0.416 kg
2nd Leighton Dyck 0.416 kg

Ruffed Grouse & Spruce
1st Tim Juhlin 0.908 kg
2nd Derek Shaw 0.726 kg
3rd Jason H Dyck 0.642 kg
Youth
1st Jared Dyck 0.64 kg
2nd Leighton Dyck 0.636 kg
3rd Brady Dyck 0.622 kg

Mallard Duck
1st Cary R Hackler 1.694 kg
2nd Tim Jensen 1.494 kg
3rd Rene Desjardins 1.406 kg
Youth
1st Jared Dyck 1.275 kg
2nd Bryce Crawford 1.18 kg

2014 WVTC Photography Award Winners 

Hunter, Owen and Logan Olsen showing some of their prizes

Wildlife
1st Bruce Cooper
2nd Anne Lapointe
3rd Patrick Horvath
Youth
1st Logan Amos
2nd Hunter Austring
3rd Hunter Olsen
Honourable Mentions: Wade Aebli, Brittney Semenoff, Owen Olsen, Wendell Shaw, Andrew Prokop

Tanya Debroux in the field
*Photo courtesy of  Jason Lewis

Sportsman In The Field
1st Tim Juhlin
2nd Tyler Villemaire
3rd Yvonne Messum
Youth
1st Logan Olsen
2nd Owen Olsen
3rd Logan Amos
Honourable Mentions: Curtis Siegfried, Hunter Olsen, Sarina Oliveri 

Scenery
1st Andrea Gedcke
2nd Jessy Pisony
3rd Brittney Semenoff
Youth
1st Matthew Erickson
2nd Owen Olsen
3rd Logan Olsen
Honourable Mentions: Larry Amos, Logan Amos, Tim Juhlin

Best Of The Natural World
1st Tim Juhlin
2nd Leland Kirk
3rd Patrick Horvath
Youth
1st Indie MacGarva
2nd Hunter Austring
3rd Taylor Ewing
Honourable Mentions: Jocelynn Olsen, Josh MacGarva, Lanny Amos

Related link:
Willow Valley Trophy Club