By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
Families flocked to Elkhorn Lake Hunt Club Saturday to take part in the hunt club’s annual Family Field Day.
Taking place on National Hunting and Fishing Day, Family Field Day featured numerous stations around the hunt club teaching outdoor safety along with fun for everyone.
Tom and Mikala Blankenship brought their son Josh and daughter Jenny to the event.
“This is our third year here, and the first year we really enjoyed it. We put it on our calendar every year we come back to see a lot of the outdoor activities and the shooting,” Tom said. “With Josh this is his second year doing the youth pheasant hunt so a lot of fun.”
“The hunt was my favorite part. It was fun,” Josh added.
Jenny who was reeling in her 11th fish of the day explained,
“Fishing has been my favorite part, probably catching this one has been my favorite,” Jenny said.
Using humor to educate hunting rules and etiquette, Rebekah Brown portrayed Wanna B. Bright, a character that does everything the wrong way at the Turkey Federation station. Brown, who is the daughter of Elkhorn Lake Hunt Club owners Peg and Sam Ballou, was one of 25 volunteers at the event and spoke about the Wanna B. Bright character.
“I pretend to be a poacher named Wanna B. Bright, and Wanna has no Idea how to be safe in the woods. She is red, white, and blue, which is a no, no when hunting turkeys because someone might potentially see it and think it is a turkey,” Brown said. “She is using her gun as a cane, muzzle down in the dirt, and it is getting plugged with dirt and debris, which could cause it to potentially backfire and explode the fire arm. I basically embody all the things that are not safe and legal.”
The morning featured a youth pheasant hunt and at noon a pause in the action took place for a lunch of venison chili, elk stew, cornbread, and brownies. While volunteers and attendees dined together, Peg Ballou spoke about the event, and what was new this year.
“Trapping is back, it comes and goes as we get people who are interested in putting it on, and we have waterfowl that’s halfway down the backside of the pond,” Ballou said. “Those are the new ones. We’ve lost a few people, they come and they go as they have obligations elsewhere they back out, and as they develop a passion for something they come and they teach it, and we are just appreciative of all of our volunteers.”
Leif Thompson, who has been coming to the event since he was 10, started as an attendee and became a volunteer to the event.
“I wasn’t old enough to go pheasant hunting when I started coming here. I had to wait 3 years or something like that and get my hunter’s education. At 13 I killed my first pheasant here which was 10 years ago, and I have been coming ever since,” Thompson said. “Four years ago I went to college, and hadn’t been back until now.”
Mike and Ruth Peters, who are part of the Christian Bow Hunters of America, have attended the Family Field Day event since its inception, and travel from the Dayton area to volunteer at the archery range. Serena Humphrey, who attended the Family Field Day for the first time, took part in Peters’ archery clinic.
“This is my first time coming out. I have only been to two stations so far, but I think the arrows have been my favorite,” Humphrey said.
Daniel Mason was also taking part in the archery clinic and explained that he had been coming for a few years.
“I have been coming here since I was a kid. We did the pheasant hunts and it’s a fun place,” Mason said. “I really enjoyed the pheasant hunts because it really got the blood moving.”
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