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Hunting For A Cure Raises
$75,340
In its Mission Statement, the
Savannah, Tenn.-based Hunting for a Cure Youth Turkey Hunt
stresses the “joys of wildlife hunting and the outdoors” and the
raising of funds to “contribute to the fight against childhood
diseases.”
Consider both accomplished in
2008.
The fourth annual HFC event raised
$75,340 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and saw 15 of
its participants kill turkeys, including one each by brothers
Clayton and Hunter Webb of Bossier City, La. To add to the
story, the Webb brothers’ dad, who observed the hunt, is set to
be deployed to Iraq in May.
“They (the Webb brothers) both
received money to get their birds mounted by someone that
sponsored them,” said Lisa Hudson, a member of the Hunting for a
Cure Committee. Clayton’s bird weighed 18 pounds and sported 1
1/18-inch spurs and a 10-inch beard. He was guided by Parrish
Elliott; Jason Jetton was Hunter’s guide.
Five of the successful hunters
were from Savannah – Ben Hopper 11; Kevin Ripple, 14; Zion
Franks, 9; Emily Gray, 12, and Bailey Butler, 9. Their guides
and landowner hosts were John Adams/Chris Beckham (Hooper),
Keith Hickman/Beth Bates (Ripple), Cliff Butler (Franks), Joe
Shults/Dean Weatherford (Gray) and Steve Scoggins/Clark Rose
(Butler).
Other successful hunters (with
their guide and landowner in parenthesis): Kyle Green, 8, of
Lake Kiowa, Texas (Doug Max); Samantha Rowe, 12, of Sullivan,
Ill. (Rickey Doyle/Keith Hamm); Kyle Reeves, 11, of
Jacksonville, Ala. (Bubba McPhearson/Allen Wood); John Tanner,
11, of Carrolton, Ga. (Steve Turpin/Wade Gean); Nathan McCain,
15, of Shiloh, Tenn. (Chris Eck/John M. Neill); Dylan Pecora,
12, of Cordova, Tenn. (Bobby Dale/Wesley Durbin) and Veazey
Powell, 16, of Hernando, Miss. (Terry Franks).
Barney Davison and his son, Mike,
owners of Indian Creek Outfitters in Savannah, Tenn., came up
with the idea in the spring of 2004 to host a youth turkey hunt
that served as a benefit for St. Jude Children’s Hospital in
Memphis. Fifteen hunters participated in the first hunt (one
day) in 2005 and raised $3,400. Since then, the event has raised
more than $250,000.
St. Jude Hunting for a Cure is
open to all youth, ages 10 through 16, who are capable of
handling a shotgun and have completed a TWRA certified hunter
education course. The bag limit is one male turkey during the
two-day event. Each participant hunts with a guide, under a
stipulation that an adult family member or guardian accompany
the youth and guide. Headquarters for the 2008 event was the
Hardin County Fairgrounds.
Sportsman’s Warehouse served as
the 2008 event’s title sponsor.
Wolf River QU Hosts Open
Meeting May 13 At Bass Pro
The Wolf River Chapter #605 of
Quail Unlimited will host an open meeting on May 13, 2008
beginning at 6:30 pm at Bass Pro Shop 6140 Macon Road in
Memphis.
Quail Unlimited is a national
conservation organization founded in 1981 to combat the problem
of dwindling quail populations as a result of declining habitat.
In just the last five years, Quail Unlimited chapters have been
responsible for almost 20 million dollars in habitat
expenditures.
This meeting will feature guest
speaker Larry Rea of Outdoors with Larry Rea, broadcast on
Country Legends WMC 79 at 6:30 on Saturday mornings. John
Campbell, sporting clays chairman, plans to kick off the
chapter’s fundraising efforts, and will cover the big sporting
clays shoot to be held at The Willows Sporting Clays and Hunting
Center in Tunica. As well, members will be on hand to answer
questions about area hunting opportunities and habitat
restoration.
The Wolf River Chapter of Quail
Unlimited uses proceeds from its fundraising to support local
habitat projects benefiting quail and other grassland species.
The chapter is also involved in information and education,
working with local landowners and area youth. In 2007, the
chapter hosted its second youth hunt, introducing a number of
young hunters to the tradition of hunting quail over pointing
dogs.
For more information on the
meeting, please contact Johnny McFarland at (901) 545-5974 or
email: president@wolfriverqu.org; or visit the website
www.wolfriverqu.org.
DeSoto Friends Of NRA
Dinner/Auction May 16 In Southaven, MS
The DeSoto Friends of NRA Dinner
and Auction will be held May 16 at The Club at North Creek,
Southaven, Miss., 8770 North Creek Blvd.
There will be over $8,000 in
auction items and prizes.
This is the third year for the event that raises money for the
shooting sports.
Tickets for the event are $30 for
adults and $10 for children. Visit
www.desotofnra.midsouthwebsolutions.com or call Mike
Crum at (901) 581-5858 for more information.
Rising Fuel Costs Fail to
Dampen Anglers’ Enthusiasm for Fishing Away from Home
Despite gasoline costs expected to
approach $4 per gallon this spring and summer, nearly 6 out of
10 U.S. anglers are planning an out-of-state fishing trip in the
next 12 months, according to a recent survey.
In a March 2008 poll of almost
2,000 anglers by AnglerSurvey.com, respondents were asked if
they are planning a fishing trip outside their home state within
the next year. A clear majority (59.4%) answered in the
affirmative. Another 806 anglers surveyed (40.6%) said they are
not planning to fish outside their home state.
Clearly, many anglers remain willing to pay the increased cost
of traveling out of state to wet a line. Many people plan to go
on vacation and fish during that time, but knowing that many
well-intentioned plans never happen, we hope that a majority
still get to fish out-of-state, given the recent increases in
travel costs.
Source: AnglerSurvey.com is a
monthly national online survey of sportsmen and women providing
industry and policymakers with information on fishing trends and
activity. For more information, contact Rob Southwick at
Rob@southwickassociates.com.
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