ATHABASCA — It was a big day for local hunters as the Athabasca Fish and Game Association held its an indoor trophy event to recognize some of the accomplishments it members have had in the last few years.
The organization held its annual trophy day March 12 at the Athabasca and District Senior Citizens Centre to present awards from 2020 and were finally able to gather indoors to celebrate the achievements as the pandemic hasn't been able to stop local hunters and fishers from getting out into nature to particiapate in some of their favourite pastimes.
“No official fundraisers or presentations," said president Brian Rudyk. “For the 2020 season we did our awards presentation (at our lease) near Forfar Park by Long Lake. So, we did an outdoor thing so that we could do the social distancing and everything and we presented the trophies or awards out there. We haven't really been able to hold anything official. We've been doing Zoom meetings like everyone else.”
Sage Korth completed her hunter training with a 99 per cent and Lois Robocon was recognized for her photograph of a Barred Owl.
“Our membership has held really well, I think we had right around 250 members last year so that's kind of right in the ballpark of where we usually are,” said Rudyk.
In the big game categories Allison Rudyk won for typical moose with a score of 166 3/8 inches; Nikolai Bowzaylo won for junior moose with 113 6/8 inches; Lois Robocon earned the elk category with 311 2/8 inches; senior typical Whitetail deer went to Greg Crosland Jr. with 135 2/8 inches; Jake Safar won first in junior Whitetail deer measuring 151 4/8 inches and Taylor Eleniak won second with 126 6/8 inches.
“Essentially we use the Boone and Crockett scoring system, which is the most recognized scoring system in North America,” he said. “Two of our scorers here are from the Alberta Fish and Game Association and then I’m an Alberta Fish and Game scorer, but I also score for Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young as well. Alberta Fish and Game has adopted the Boone and Crockett system.”
Both scoring systems require the deer to be killed according to the hunting regulations of the area and while Boone and Crockett allow for any kind of kill (gun or bow and arrow), the Pope and Young system is for bow and arrow only.
“They recognize the number of tines and that but between the different scoring systems they'll use different methodology to come up with their final score,” said Rudyk. “For example, the Safari Club International has a scoring system. They’re a club that is made up with a lot of guides and so they really like the big numbers, so they don't have deductions, or any kind of penalties taken off the score for their entries where the Boone and Crockett system is kind of more looking for the perfect entry.”
Non-typical Whitetail deer went to Joseph Safar with 124 5/8 inches and he also won for typical Mule deer at 108 1/8 inches. Erin Wilde took the black or brown bear category with a measurement of 20 9/16 inches.
“Boone and Crockett was started by Theodore Roosevelt,” Rudyk said. “So, it was at a point in time in the history of ... North America where the wildlife populations were being badly over-hunted and were depleted. He and a bunch of like-minded individuals got together and that's when they started to bring in hunting regulations and limits to what you could harvest ... and through their work and of course, work that came after them, the wildlife populations now are higher than they've ever been.”
Jake Safar won the open rifle with a Whitetail deer measuring 151 4/8 inches, and Wilde won for both open archery and moose archery with the same animal, a moose measuring 168 3/8 inches. Bowzaylo also won youth open big game with a black bear measuring 18 10/16 inches.
“Usually, the entry scores for the record books are lower for bow hunters because it tends to be a lot more difficult to harvest especially something like a bighorn sheep with a bow,” said Rudyk. "You have to get close, which is not always that easy. With the rifle, you get a little bit more leeway in the distance.”
In the trophy bird categories Crosland Jr. won both senior Ruffed grouse and Spruce grouse with 0.69 kg and 0.57 kg respectively, Marshall Korth took the junior Ruffed grouse trophy with a 0.69 kg catch and Jake Safar won for Canada Goose with a 5.07 kg bird.
“Most of ours are just an open award for whether it was harvested rifle or bow,” said Rudyk. “But there are definitely record systems that recognize specific means of taking it, even some with traditional firearms like muzzle loaders.”
Harold Krawec picked up the senior Northern pike trophy at 93 cm; Jakob Bury caught a 95.9 cm Northern pike to win the junior trophy; Brenda Krawec took home the senior Walleye win at 71.4 cm and Samia Bury took the junior win for Walleye with a 69.8 cm fish.
“So many of our fisheries are catch-and-release so what we ask is that you use a solid measuring device like a bump board and take photos of the fish and that way if it is being released you've got the lengths to put in for entry,” he said.
Marshall Korth won the junior Rainbow trout trophy with 49 cm and his mother Crystal Korth won the senior perch category with a fish measuring 34.5 cm. Sage Korth also took the junior perch trophy home at 33 cm. Brenda Krawec won the senior Goldeye with a fish measuring 44.45 cm and Jake Safar won the junior trophy for a Goldeye, which topped out at 43.2 cm and to round out the trophies, Tyler Woytovicz took the Grayling trophy with a 31.75 cm catch.
