Library donations underway
In the past few weeks, donations of library materials have been made at 13 area libraries for the benefit of the entire community. Each donation includes a collection of four different hardcover books and two DVD's. Check them out and you will discover a passion for the hunting and the outdoors.
These materials were written and produced by the Wensel and Mitten brothers from Iowa. The books are large-print, easy to read and very well-written. The DVD's have one numerous awards in recent years. The vivid descriptions and intense action will keep you on the edge of your seat and can be characterized by the opening lines from Buckskin and Bone: A Buck Named Woody.
“For some people, hunting deer is a hobby. For others, the activity is closer to a passion. When you do something all your life with intense eagerness, it becomes more than simply what you do. It becomes who you are.”
The above photo was taken of CWRC's donation to Pat Reich of Jean M. Thomsen Memorial Library of Stetsonville on September 21, 2011. If you would like to view these materials and do not have access to a local library, please feel free to check them out from our club if you are a member. Simply contact our club secretary.
Fall Pig Roast - November 19
Mark your calendars for the upcoming Fall Pig Roast and Ten Gun Raffle event. There will be hunting equipment, ladies raffle, paddle wheel and more all night long including additional individual gun raffles in which you must be present to win.
As usual, we're cookin' up Otis Famous Pig Roast with cheesy potatoes, coleslaw, dessert and all the trimmings. MEAL COST: Adult: $8.00, Youth (6-12): $4:00, Under 5 are free.The event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 19th Dot & Jerry’s Ballroom Hwy. 64, just west of Gilman. The Pig Roast will be served at 5:00 pm and the Ten Gun Drawing will begin at 8:00 pm.
If you would like to download the event poster for promotional purposes, please click here.
Senior Fishing Day Popular Event
Relaxing on the lake was the name of the game for area senior citizens this past Saturday, August 6 in Perkinstown. Chequamegon Wildlife and Recreation Club hosted their Annual Senior Fishing Day on Lake Kathryn with over 70 attendees. People from all over the area have heard about the event and look forward to returning year after year.
Members of CWRC spent days organizing local pontoon owners, fishing gear and bait, a robust meal, beverages and entertainment, all to provide a relaxing day for the enthusiastic group. CWRC supplies every senior with a fishing rod and reel combo, which they can take home if they choose. Dick Shotliff of Rock Point Bait and Gollon Bros Wholesale Live Bait generously donated all the live bait for the event. Marathon Cheese again gave cheese for event and Otis and Deb Gallett along with help of many other volunteers put together another unforgettable meal of chicken and fish. Propane donated by Lakes Gas fueled the cleaning station and rotisserie smoker-spit. Live bluegrass and classic country songs by club members and friends made lunchtime the highlight for some.
To assist seniors from the park to the dock, sideloading ATVs and golf carts are necessary. This allows even handicapped seniors to enjoy the event. Again in 2011, the Medford Fire Department volunteered their time and use of their four person mule to move people, in addition to several more machines brought in by neighbors and members of the club.
As usual, the seniors caught their fair share of panfish. Back at the park, a steadfast crew of volunteers worked in assembly to get their fish cleaned as the pontoons reached the shore. The panfish caught during the event are not served for lunch, but packaged and sent home with the seniors to be enjoyed later.
View more photos from this event on our photo website.
2011 Fall Raffle Guns Announced
Each year, we are amazed at the selection of firearms listed on the bid sheets when the committee presents the Fall Raffle Gun LIst at the monthly meeting. This year is no exception. The top prize is a DPMS Panther 24 Special .308 with a 16" Stainless Fluted Barrel. This gun is extremely popular right now and has to be ordered months in advance. This gun alone retails for $1,200! Click on the gun list at right to see an enlarged image of the 2011 ten gun line-up.
Thank you to all the gun shops who placed bids on CWRC's purchase. We appreciate your time.
Members should watch their mail in the coming weeks for their Ten Gun Fall Raffle tickets. This raffle has grown in popularity in recent years and taking these tickets to the workplace has led to increased sales. Matter of fact, you may find that people actually request a chance to get in this raffle. It isn't hard to ask when this is the case.
The drawing for these guns takes place at CWRC's Annual Pig Roast which takes place every year on the first Saturday of hunting season. This year, that fall on November 19. The event takes place at Dot and Jerry's Ballroom west of Gilman, Wisconsin on state highway 64. There are drawings and prizes all night long with lots of fun and a fantastic meal. Otis Gallett's Famous Pig Roast is all-you-can-eat and all the fixings make this an incredible feast to sure to delight.
CWRC Scholarship Recipients
The 2011 scholarship recipients were randomly chosen at the June 2011 monthly meeting. Congratulations Bradey North and Makaylyn Olson!
Every year, CWRC gives two scholarships to any PAID member or member’s child continuing their education. To apply, simply fill out this form and mail it to CWRC, W11114 County Rd M, Medford, WI 54451. (Make sure the address is correct with four ones. late applications will not be accepted.) Scholarships are given after successful completion of at least one semester and proof of continuing enrollment. Previous recipients are no longer eligible. Applications were due by May 31, 2011. More applications are available here for download.
Please check back next spring to apply for the 2012 scholarships.
Perkinstown Winter Sports Area Project
CWRC members have agreed to assist the Taylor County with “in-kind” hours for the Perkinstown Winter Sports Area Parking Area Project. This project is taking place right now. The county is in the process of applying for a state grant to see if proceeding with a new building - phase two - is an option. Volunteer hours are being tracked as matching dollars on behalf on the county in the grant application process for this second phase. At this point, the upper parking area will be more than doubled in hopes to draw more events and groups to this area recreation facility.
Land Stewardship Conference
If you possess an interest in wildlife on your property, please consider attending the Land Stewardship Conference on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at Rib Lake High School. The day will include informational sessions on Emerald Ash Borer and Other Potential Impacts on Markets, Woody Biomass Opportunities, Mushrooms: Food from the Backyard, Conservation Stewardship Program - Federal Help for Good Forest Practices, Fruit Tree Grafting and much more. Download the PDF brochure for all the details.
You may register either by mail or online, including secure payment via credit card. Go to: www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/price and follow the link for the Land Stewardship Conference. Early bird registration ends on March 18.Regular registration ends April 1.
CWRC is sponsoring a limited number of youth to attend the Land Stewardship Conference. If you are interested, please contact the club secretary at 715 427 1002 or by email.
Fifth Annual Perkinstown Outhouse Race
Chequamegon Wildlife and Rec's most exciting fundraiser, the Fifth Annual Perkinstown Outhouse Race took place on Saturday, February 26, 2011. We are currently working on getting the results online and uploading photos from this fun event.
You can find lots of OHR photos on our CWRC Facebook page if you would like to check it out!!
You can also view photos from the Outhouse Race on our photo site. More photos will be uploaded this week. Thanks for your patience!
Annual member banquet - fantastic evening!!
The much anticipated CWRC Member's Banquet took place on Saturday, February 12th in Gilman at Dot & Jerry's Ballroom. The member's who put this even ttogether did an awesome job. There were more prizes with a higher value than ever before and a profit was still realized. An excellent time was had by everyone!!
Congratulations CWRC on the increased membership and increased interest in our mission of providing outdoor education, improving wildlife habitat and enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities for everyone. And a BIG THANK YOU goes out to everyone who donated to CWRC's annual member's banquet:
THANK YOU
Abbotsford Sportsman’s Club
Bear Creek Canvas http://www.bearcreekcanvas.com/
Burzynski Insurance
Cecilia Sromek
Crass Sawmill
CW Logging
Dairyland State Bank http://www.dairylandstatebank.com/
Dave Fierke
Don Dombrowski
Friends of the Chequamegon
Gilman Bowl
Gilman Corner Store
Gilman Feed
Gilman Market
Holly’s Quilts http://www.hollysquilts.com/
Harold & Marian Fleischman
Joe & Rita Cigan
Kippenberg Creek Kids http://www.kippenbergcreekkids.com/
Krug’s Northwoods Game Birds http://krugsgamebirds.com
Krug’s Towing www.krugtours.com
Lageman Lite Excavating
Lake Holcombe Sales and Service
Mark & Gloria Carpenter
Medford Cooperative http://www.medfordcoop.com/
Nestle of Medford http://www.nestle.com/
Ogle’s Creamery & Coffee see their Facebook page here
OK Tower Service
Olynick’s Inc.
P Town Saloon
Pat Rose
Patty Deml
Paul Schmidt
Ray Lewan/Clearwater Systems
Rich’s Sausage Shack
Romigs Hardware
Roosevelt Rod & Gun Club
Skabroud’s Sheldon Store
Sparky’s Gun Shop http://www.sparkyssportshop.com/
Sue’s Village Cafe
Taylor County Sportsman’s Club http://www.tcsportsman.com/
TaylorMade ATV Club http://www.taylormadeatv.com/
The High View Inn
The Turtle Club
Tyler Pockat & Gilman High School Tech Ed Class
Utopia Day Spa www.utopiadayspallc.com
WalMart of Medford http://www.walmart.com/
Washington Creek Design www.washingtoncreekdesign.com
Recent club newsletter
We have just sent out a newsletter with some important information for members about our upcoming events and a few project reports from this summer. You should receive it by Thursday, November 4. If you do not receive it, please let us know right away. You can also download a copy here if you would like to print more. If your envelope included a membership application, that means that you are currently not a member-in-good-standing. Please submit your dues either online or in the mail as soon as possible. Pay by January 1 to make banquet planning easier please!
Don't miss a thing! Join CWRC's Facebook page >>
Annual Fall Raffle & Pig Roast Wrap-Up
Wow! What an awesome event!! Thanks to an incredible turnout and extremely supportive community, CWRC has realized the largest profit to date from our Annual Fall Pig Roast and Ten Gun Raffle. Thank you!! Now we can continue to do what we do for area sportsmen and women through projects and donations.
Congratulations to the winners of the $7,000 TEN GUN RAFFLE:
- Chris Weronke - TC Encore 209 x .50 Mag Stainless Composite with .25-06 Barrel & Forearm
- Dawson Campbell - Winchester Model 70 .30-06 with scope
- Paul Herod - Taurus Raging Bull .44 Mag SS Revolver
- Chad Brost - Howa 1500 .22-250 Rem Lam Thumb
- Beau Pockat - Tikka T3 Lite .25-06
- Bob Demesy - Browning BPS Hunter 12 Gauge
- Brian Gallick - Savage Model 111 .270 with Scope
- Kevin Bushman - Remington Model 870 Express Compact Pink Camo 20 Gauge
- Nick Giacone - Marlin 917S .17 HMR Stainless
- Heath Rosemeyer - Ruger 10-22 LR Snow Camo
CWRC Makes Donation to Clark County Disabled Hunt
What started out in 1999, as a simple suggestion to a group of 12 neighboring landowners with 1,370 acres in the Willard area, as a way to help reduce the expanding herd of whitetail deer, has since turned into an immense community effort to enable fellow disadvantage sportsmen enjoy the great outdoors. Now in it's eleventh year, the West-Central Clark County "Hunt for Hunters with Disabilities" is the largest organized gun/deer hunt in the nation with 110 generous landowners enrolling 14,145 acres of their precious private hunting land. Enabling a group of disabled sports-people, and sometimes total strangers, the opportunity to enjoy the tradition of deer hunting and the ambiance of a "deer camp."
The hunters disabilities ranged from high level paralysis to amputee to blind. They traveled from all corners of Wisconsin plus one each from Iowa and Minnesota to participate in this special season. The hunt also had it's misfortunes, as all hunts do. Eighteen of the seventy-four hunters returned home with empty tags. But not from lack of effort on their part. Some could only hunt one evening and some had equipment problems. Though in percentage of fulfillment and pleasure the hunt was 110% successful thanks to all the caring landowners, guides, assistants, and friends.
Read more about the hunt and view photos here >>
Senior Fishing Day Wrap-Up
The fishing was good, the weather was beautiful, the meal was the best yet, and the entertainment was just an added bonus. Senior Fishing Day in Perkinstown, hosted by Chequamegon Wildlife and Recreation Club, marked a record crowd with 90 senior citizens fishing on Kathryn Lake on Saturday, August 7.
PHOTO at left: CWRC members Gloria and Deanne welcome senior citizens to the event and assist them in getting their poles and gear for the day. View more projects >>
This year marks the sixth year for the event, which CWRC members take great pride in organizing. We estimate that local pontoon owners have taken nearly 400 senior citizens fishing since the event started in 2005. We’ve also handed out hundred of rods and reels. Many senior bring their rods back every year, but some pass them along to their children and grandchildren. Fishing is something that everyone should be able to enjoy, so our club members are just happy to create this opportunity for anyone and everyone.
Local pontoon owners who live on Kathryn Lake and many from nearby lakes guided seniors for a day of fishing and relaxing. There were a total of 16 pontoons available for seniors, recruited largely by Shaun Paul of Richter’s Lake Association. At lunchtime, attendees and volunteers were served a full meal free-of-charge including grilled fish with fresh veggies, grilled chicken and polish chop suey all prepared by club members, Otis and Deb Gallett. Cheese trays were donated by Marathon Cheese of Medford. Volunteers bring along all the fixings, including homemade desserts, which for some, makes the meal more memorable than the fishing. Dick Lekie and friends donated their time and entertained the crowd with good ol’ country songs during the meal under the Perkinstown Pavilion, a past CWRC club project.
To assist seniors from the park to the dock, sideloading ATVs and golf carts are necessary. This allows even handicapped seniors to enjoy the event. Again in 2010, the Medford Fire Department volunteered their time and use of their four person mule to move people, in addition to several brought in my neighbors and members of the club.
Chequamegon Wildlife and Recreation Club provides every senior with a fishing rod and reel combo, which they can take home if they choose. Dick Shotliff of Rock Point Bait worked to get his suppliers to donate live bait for everyone, in addition to supplying even more live bait on behalf of his business. An incredible crew of volunteers worked in assembly to get the fish cleaned as the pontoons reached the shore. The panfish caught during the event are not served for lunch, but rather packaged and sent home with the seniors. This year, nearly every senior went home with a bag of fillets.
Tonia Sromek, one of the event organizers noted, “I was extremely pleased with the number of seniors we were able to accommodate this year. Pontoons took out even more seniors by offering an afternoon fishing option. The outpouring of support by this small community and CWRC club members makes this event such a huge success.”
For more information or to sign-up to help for next year's Senior Fishing Day, please call Tonia Sromek at 715 785 7241.
Pheasant Ecology Project
Thank you Krug's Northwoods Game Birds for initiating this in-school wildlife education project. Krugs approached the club with the idea of letting kids rear young pheasants for release on private property. Krugs has a surplus of day-old hen chicks due to hatch in May, so they quickly went to the schools to see if kids would be interested. Youth from both Thorp High School and Gilman High School took part. Kids had to come to the farm and pick up their 50 chicks. They were taught how to brood and rear the chicks and a release was scheduled on private land with appropriate habitat. CWRC got involved by donating feed for the project.
PHOTO above: Kids checking out a rooster pheasant prior to a private land release. Involving youth in a project such as this puts an emphasis on the importance of wildlife habitat. View more projects >>
Krug's also donated adult pheasants for this spring's pheasant release. Jerry and Susan Krug have donated birds to CWRC for the past several years and we appreciate their continued support!
CWRC Teams-Up with Big Brothers, Big Sisters
It was a day of experiencing the outdoors first-hand for a select group of kids and their mentors. Chequamegon Wildlife and Recreation Club members, Otis and Deb Gallett hosted the Taylor County Big Brothers, Big Sisters at their homestead in Gilman on Sunday, July 25. The youth and their “Bigs” were taught how to tie a variety of fishing knots, shown proper casting technique and set the hook and bluegills, crappies, walleye and smallmouth bass. CWRC members were on hand to bait hooks, take fish off the line and of course, land all the lunkers.
For lunch the group, along with 15 volunteers from CWRC, made their own lunch around the campfire. Everyone had to learn the perfect pie iron technique with pudgie pie making on the hot coals. And a day in the outdoors is not complete without s’mores.
After lunch, the group went on a nature hike lead by CWRC members Rebecca Zuleger and Ron Sromek. Twenty different animal skins and tracks were on display along the way with a short stop at each to learn about that animal’s characteristics and habitat.
PHOTO at right: CWRC members Ron and Deloris demonstrate knot tying to Bigs and Littles. View more projects >>
BBBS of the Northwoods Case Worker Beth van de Berg summed the day up, “I think that all of the Bigs and Littles had a great time learning how to tie knots, casting, fishing - more like catching - cooking on the fire, and the nature walk. Rebecca did an excellent job with the nature walk, setting out all of the stops with hides and tracks. Very interesting, interactive, and well presented. CWRC has an awesome group of friendly, giving, helpful volunteers. I really appreciated all of the interaction with the kids...I don't even know how many times I heard 'Who needs a worm?' The weather was perfect. The activities were all interesting and fun. CWRC definitely made it memorable. Thank you!”
PHOTO above: Group shot from the Big Brothers, Big Sisters Outdoors Day hosted by CWRC at Otis and Deb Gallett's homestead. What a rewarding and beautiful day! View more projects >>
