Chance Wabnegger from Keremeos won trophies for his Rocky Mountain goat, non-typical mule deer and typical whitetail deer. He also won the high junior overall trophy for his goat, which scored 44 and four-eights. Presenting him with one of his plaques is Courtney Streeter. Lyonel Doherty photo
Are you game for slow roasted cougar in Thai coconut curry, or spicy Tuscan moose sausage?
Nearly 300 people were at last Saturday’s 68th annual Game Banquet hosted by the Southern Okanagan Sportsmen’s Association.
Cooks Jim Anderson, Heinz Schmidt and Denis Fillion truly outdid themselves this year with a superb menu, which included venison pate, stir fry goose chow mein, roasted elk, and game meatballs in hunter sauce.
In total, they cooked up 45 kilograms of meat, 40 kilograms of vegetables, 20 kilograms of potatoes and 20 kilograms of salad.
The following individuals donated the meat/fish: Silvio Barreira, Geoff Neily, Phil Quaedvlieg, John Martin, Jim Wiens, Matt Lewis, Mark Mattes, Chris Bibby, Ken Coniff and Allan Falkenholt.
Sportsman Brian Amos said the banquet is so popular because of the menu and what the cooks do with the meat. He also noted the association is growing in membership because it is so diversified in what it offers. Visit www.okanagansportsmen.com for more information.
Association vice-president Ed Pedersen said there is so much to see and eat at the banquet.
“The highlight for me is the support from the community that we get . . . that and all the young people and their trophies.”
Pedersen said the incredible mount display at the banquet is always a big hit.
At every banquet, the association has an auction for which table eats first. After the dust settled, Andy Roberts from Penticton won with a bid of $280.
Numerous trophies were handed out to junior and adult hunters who scored big in 2013.
Not surprisingly, 16-year-old Chance Wabnegger from Keremeos won high junior overall trophy for his Rocky Mountain goat, which scored 44 and four-eights. He also won trophies for non-typical mule deer and typical whitetail deer.
Chance’s sister, 13-year-old Sydney Wabnegger, also won a trophy for typical whitetail deer.
Chance took his mule deer in the Keremeos area on September 2.
“On the first day I didn’t get him . . . I wasn’t in the right place for the shot, so I didn’t want to risk it.
But on the next day he saw it at 300 yards and dropped it with a heart shot. “It was really exciting; it was the biggest mule deer I shot.”
Chance has been hunting since the age of 10 and really enjoys the challenge. His next goal is bagging a bighorn sheep.
Dayton Hayes from Oliver has been hunting since age 4, when he got his first grouse with a .22 rifle.
“It (hunting) is a family tradition and my main hobby,” said the 11 year old who owns five guns and two bows.
Dayton won a trophy for typical mule deer.
He told the tale about the 156-point buck he took while hunting with his uncle Jim Wiens.
It was October on Anarchist Mountain near Osoyoos when Uncle Jim was scouting for a monster buck in the fog.
“We were close to a dead end and we saw two does being chased by a buck. He shot the buck and we went to retrieve it. Then we looked over on the hill and saw another buck. He told me to get down on the rock and use it as a rest.”
Dayton shot the buck and it started running. It fell down, but then got up and started chasing does again, the boy explained.
After tracking the buck for about a mile, they found it.
When asked if he ever gets overly excited during a hunt, Dayton said never.
“I don’t get hyper. I was calm. I knew I had to be calm to make the shot; it was 350 yards,” he said proudly.
Ashley Ganzeveld from Oliver won a trophy for her moose that she shot near Conkle Lake last fall.
She was hunting with her dad when they saw an 11×10 point moose in a canyon (125 yards away).
After the first shot, it started walking away, Ashley recalled. Then five seconds later it went down.
“I was happy it was my first moose.”
When asked why she likes hunting, Ashley said it’s the challenge.
Other trophy winners included: Ernie Millward (non-typical whitetail deer), John Martin (non-typical mule deer), Silvio Barriera (typical whitetail deer), Scott Thomson (typical mule deer), Robert Goltz (fish), and Wade Seidler (elk).
The high big game overall trophy went to Goltz for his caribou, which scored 332 and seven-eights.
First critter winners were Dillon Wiens (mule deer), James Ritchie (mule deer), Victoria Ritchie (mule deer), Conner Vu (grouse), Nole Dos Santos (mule deer) and Jose Mora (mule deer).
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
