Snake River Sportman and Gun Dog Association

February 2005 NEWSLETTER

Upcoming club events:

February

  * Fun trial and training day – February 12th –  Asotin County Wingshooters
  * Annual dinner and meeting February 25th – Helm Restaurant, Lewiston ID

March

    * Fun trial and training day – March 12th – Asotin County Wingshooters

April

    * Fun trial and training day – April 9th – Asotin County Wingshooters
    * SRSGDA sponsored NSTRA trial April 16th & 17th

May

    * Fun trial and training day – May 21st – Shea Meadows

June

    * Poker shoot – TBA

July

    * Family picnic – TBA

August

    * Sporting clays – TBA

September

    * Fun trial and training day September 3rd TBA

November

    * Youth hunt
    * Turkey shoot

Trial Events Change Location:

Hells Gate Trials Move to Asotin County Wingshooters

Feb. 12th, March 12th, April 9th, and April 16th&17th

*****To find the location of our events, a copy of the Asotin County Wingshooters brochure has been included with your newsletter.  Find the map on the back of the brochure and the directions that are down in the bottom left hand corner. ******

DID YOU KNOW?  

The website is newly updated and ready for your viewing!  This is a way for you to retrieve old newsletters, learn about upcoming events, see/post pictures of club members, dogs, and so forth.  Check out:

http://www.SnakeRiverGunDogClub.org

Our Webmaster, Devon St. Pierre, can be reached via email at:  Webmaster@SnakeRiverGunDog.org

Don’t forget – send in your ballots!
Dinner anyone?  See you on the 25th!

The February Fun Trial and Training Day NEEDS YOU!


GET INVOLVED!  Bring a dog – bring a kid – bring a dish to share for lunch!

Reservations for braces are gladly accepted in advance – contact trial chairpersons – Ed/Kay Westbrook 208-798-4450, or Bart/Monica Dearborn 509-334-3774, or Klayt Kinyon 208-746-0363.

Lunch is a potluck – club will have paper products and utensils provided.

Quail are going to be quick and fast!

There will be a “competitive” field and a training field.  Ribbons (and trial chairmanships) will be awarded at the conclusion of the day.
Volunteers should arrive at 7am – birds to be planted beginning at 7:30 – first brace to go at 8am.

Idaho fish and Game
February Flush count

Dennis newman - IDFG

(208) 790-2068, or (208) 799-5010

volunteers are needed!  You and your dogs are needed to assist counting birds in specific habitat and specific locations.
 
Call for details; assigned locations are available in Moscow, potlatch, and other palouse areas.

One Door Closes and Asotin County Wingshooters Opens Another

Bart Dearborn, SRSGDA President

Recent development of a habitat improvement project at Hells Gate State Park has closed the area to field trial use for the 2005 season.  After talking to the trial chairman from the Clearwater Pointing Dog Club that also uses Hells Gate State Park for trials and training, I learned that they rescheduled their club events to the Asotin County Wingshooters.  A quick call to Rich Eggleston, owner and proprietor of Asotin County Wingshooters, and I learned that he was interested in discussing the matter of being a host for the SRSGDA club events this spring.  Without much adieu, Rich took me on a tour of this little bit of South Dakota that he somehow has created in eastern Washington.  (If you don’t believe me, it is pictured in a well know bird dog magazine in an article about South Dakota.  Seems the writer of the article found himself at the Asotin County Wingshooters’ preserve and coincidentally learned that his original photographs for the SD article did not turn out.  Evidently, this author looked around was reminded of South Dakota and asked if it would be ok if he snapped some shots for an article on South Dakota.)  The upshot of all of this is a win-win situation for all!  SRSGDA has a host and location for the February 12th, March 12th, and April 9th and 16th&17th field events; and, Rich offered the members of the SRSGDA some additional benefits.

Through an agreement, the SRSGDA is a member of the Asotin County Wingshooters and the Asotin County Wingshooters is a member of the SRSGDA. There may be other activities ongoing at the property concurrent with SRSGDA events, but there is plenty of space for all.  Additionally, while you wait for your afternoon brace, you can hone your shooting skills at the clay range shooting 100 clays for $20.00, or experience an abbreviated pheasant hunt ($20.00/bird).  Rich also suggested some other events that the SRSGDA might be interested in (i.e. a bi-weekly evening lucky quail shoot in late spring and early summer; the lucky shooter who brings in the marked bird wins a “pot” equal to one-half of the weekly entry fees).  So, welcome to Rich & Shannon Eggleston and Asotin County Wingshooters.  Thank you for hosting our many spring events.

Benefits to SRSGDA members at Asotin County Wingshooters


As mentioned earlier in this newsletter, Rich Eggleston and Asotin County Wingshooters offer to members of the SRSGDA a special benefit. Current members (paid) of the SRSGDA may pay an “Annual Roster Fee” of $40.00 to Asotin County Wingshooters, and receive day privileges to hunt on a pay-as-you-go basis at the shooting preserve.


Once the Annual Roster Fee is paid, you may purchase birds (to be released) at $20.00 per pheasant rooster.  Guests may accompany you on your hunt for a $25.00 fee per guest, and they may purchase roosters for the same price ($20.00 per rooster pheasant).  You may only shoot the number of birds released (and paid for) on a daily basis. You may purchase as many birds as you wish each visit (day hunt).  Other visitors to Rich’s shooting preserve say:  “Don’t come here expecting your run of the mill shooting preserve pen raised birds.  These birds are strong flyers and wily.” 


This opportunity differs from Asotin County Wingshooters’ regular memberships in one way.  With a regular membership, a predetermined number of birds are released for your hunting pleasure.  Once all of the birds (associated with your particular membership) have been released, you may return to the preserve and hunt carryover birds until you have filled your membership limit.  For information on the other membership packages, refer to the brochure which is included with this newsletter.  Contact Rich Eggleston at Asotin County Wingshooters by phone at (509) 243-9404 or catch him at one or our next events.  So, if you’re looking for a way to extend your short three month hunting season here in the northwest or you have an old hunting buddy come and visit during the off season, this may be the answer for you.  SRSGDA thanks Rich Eggleston for this opportunity.

Read about club member Pete Minard's Misadventure in Montana.

STILL In search of:

A roving reporter, or six, to provide salient and scintillating sagas of SRSGDA members’ adventures in training, trialing, and traipsing a-field (hunting)…I guess we could also include trap!  Any thoughts are appreciated; pictures are nice; can be in final form or just simply “blurbs” to be edited.  PLEASE send to SRSGDA Secretary Nance Ceccarelli via USPS or Secretary@SnakeRiverGunDog.org