Photo courtesy of the Fox River Valley (Wis.) Pheasants Forever chapter.
More than two-thirds of the country’s Pheasants Forever chapters hold their annual banquet during the months of February, March and April. These fun gatherings often become the social event of the community and are filled with new shotguns, hunting clothing, decoys, guided hunting trips, and artwork.
If you haven’t ever attended a Pheasants Forever chapter banquet, here’s a sampling of what you can experience.
Bird Hunting Fraternity. Ever been in a room with 200 passionate pheasant hunters sharing hunting stories and spinning yarns about their bird dog’s awesomeness? You may want to put on your hip waders because it’s going to get deep in a hurry, but I challenge you to wipe the smile off your face on the ride home.
Improved Local Habitat. Pheasants Forever operates through a unique fundraising model that empowers the local chapter volunteers with 100 percent control of the funds they raise through a banquet’s raffles and auctions. What that means to you is improved habitat and hunting opportunities in your local area, as well as improved habitat nationwide through the organization’s policy efforts in Washington, D.C.
Improved Hunting Access. In addition to improved habitat, Pheasants Forever chapters help open up millions of acres to public hunting each season. This improved access is primarily accomplished through either the purchase of tracts of land that become public wildlife areas or funding assistance for access programs that open up private acres to public hunting.
Win a New Gun. Browning, Beretta, Remington, Ruger, Benelli, Franchi, over/unders, side-by-sides, gold-engraving, camo, pink, .12 gauge, .28 gauge; shotguns in every shape and size are prizes in fun raffles with crazy names like the “Mad Hatter,” “Quail Poop Bingo,” and “Size Does Matter.” You can even win a beautiful new over/under simply by signing up for a Pheasants Forever Visa Card.
Meet a New Hunting Buddy. Got a great piece of property, but don’t own a bird dog? Own a great bird dog, but don’t have many places to hunt? Maybe you have a youngster at home with an insatiable thirst to learn about bird hunting? Whatever your situation, Pheasants Forever banquets are filled with folks interested in the same things you are – quality habitat, good bird dogs and autumn afternoons filled with flushing roosters.
Find your local Pheasants Forever chapter banquet this spring and you just might take home a new shotgun or meet the best hunting buddy of your life. Either way, we promise your attendance will make a difference for the birds today and a generation of pheasant hunters tomorrow.
The Pointer is written by Bob St.Pierre, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Vice President of Marketing. Follow Bob on Twitter @BobStPierre and listen to Bob and Billy Hildebrand every Saturday morning on FAN Outdoors radio on KFAN FM100.3.