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EARLVILLE – The Earlville Conservation Club held their Annual Big Buck Contest and Chicken-n-Biscuit dinner in late January at the Earlville Legion.
Every year at this dinner, officers are nominated and elected. Ted Barker was elected as club’s President for the new year while Don Campbell was voted in as Vice President. Others to elected were Bev Clark at Treasurer and Betsy Campbell as the Secretary.
The Earlville Conservation Club also had the privilege of having two speakers at their annual dinner.
Stanton Baker, who is a junior at Norwich City Schools, was welcomed as he spoke of his good fortune to attend Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) youth Camps for four years.
Baker reported he was given the opportunity to learn and earn his hunting license while also learning how to tie flies, and how to build fires along with other hunting and survival skills. Baker employed these new skills during various day and overnight trips to go camping, fishing and hiking.
Baker also earned certificates for birding, fishing, and a polar bear plunge. He was motivated by DEC employees that spent time teaching these conservation and life skills as they made connections with these experiences to future endeavors such as college.
Baker’s mother, who ran the slideshow, added the parents’ point of view, stating what a great experience this has been for her oldest son. Not only are his younger siblings excited for their opportunity to go to the camp, but Stanton was able to meet new friends, do what he loves and the DEC officers connecting these times with Stanton’s goal toward being a vet.
Stanton’s talk was a perfect and natural transition to introduce the conservation club’s next speaker, Rick Grisolini, a DEC State Police who brought the evening to full circle.
Grisolini began his career in 2004 and was first stationed in NYC for two years before being transferred to Oneida County. He loves to focus any time he has, on and off the job, to pitch, support and help run youth and women hunting programs.
Grisolini stated there are many youth that want to hunt and/or fish, but simply don’t have adult leadership, equipment, and/or land to hunt and fish.
The youth hunting programs have built up to include sponsors that allow use of 15,000 acres to hunt and fish as well as paying for the necessary insurance. These programs continue to build the rate of success of youth hunts to successful bagging of the desired game. One hunt was broadcasted on The Outdoor TV channel.
Before the banquet ended, The Earlville Conservation Club presented the winners of their annual Big Buck Contest. Having had several members enter the contest this year, the club would like to extend a big thank you to Andy Migonis, Paul Orth, Jim Rodman and Jim Dowd for scoring the racks for the club.
Excited to award first place to lifetime member, the club announce that Ed Kohler obtained the largest rack with 10 pointer, scoring 130 6/8-inches.
The other successful Big Buck recipients are: Second place with an 11 pointer scoring 129 3/8-inches was Adam Bohnert. Third place was Craig Huntley with an eight pointer, scoring 127 4/8-inches. Fourth place was Sam Campbell, who came in with an eight pointer as well but at 125 7/8-inches.
Fifth place was awarded to Jordan Burdick, coming in with a 12 pointer that score at 100 4/8-inches. Ben Eaves brought in a nine point buck that scored 99 2/8-inches that was good enough for a sixth place finish. Seven place was Ted Barker with an eight pointer at 91 7/8-inches. And coming in eighth was Chris Patrick, who scored at 89 3/8-inches with a seven pointer.
Congratulations to all placed in the top eight of the contest.
 
 
– Submitted