A Red River Area Sportsmen’s Club meeting was held at the Wahpeton Community Center on Thursday, August 26th from 7:30-9 PM. Curt Mund, Greg Gerou, Jerry Oren, Abby / Kelly Carlson, Rich / Becci Truesdell, Paul Sinner, Kevin Manock, Greg Braun, Cindie VanTassel and Wayne Beyer attended the meeting.
Motion-Second-Carried (MSC) – (Mund, Oren) to approve 7-29-21 minutes.
President’s Report
- MSC (Rich Truesdell, Manock) to approve $200 scholarship for Carter Gerou who attended a Lutheran Island Camp that included archery and kayaking.
- Brenda Thomson, Cub Scout leader asked for help during a ‘Hooked on Fishing’ event in late September or early October. They are hoping for three locations – Red River, Fergus Falls and Alexandria. Cindie VanTassel called her to find out a local pack already scheduled it on October 2nd.
- Busy fall events calendar was made available.
- 25-30 people attended the Tewaukon Refuge volunteer appreciation grilling event on Friday, July 30th.
- Several wood duck nest boxes were delivered to Tewaukon Refuge.
- Congratulations to Mary and Nathan Rausch on the birth of their beautiful daughter – Kamryn Josephine. Cindie VanTassel will send a card.
Parks & Recreation
- Probable botulism outbreak has resulted in a mallard duck die-off at a Chahinkapa Park pond.
- $3000 NDGF grant received for youth hunts can be used for a variety of youth hunting experiences.
- Chahinkapa Park fishing pier was pulled in for repairs due to broken steel rods.
- Aquatic Nuisance Species cleaning station will be installed this fall. Heitkamp Construction will widen the road by the fish cleaning station.
- PLOTS Guides are available.
- $200+ trap thrower expense will be submitted to NDGF for youth hunts.
Treasurer’s Report
- July expenditures included Game Wardens Museum – $250, Parks-Rec – $214.52 and Cindie VanTassel – $41.50 for Jr. Wildlife Club, $25 to Prairie Pothole Partners for Randy Hoerer oak tree memorial and Joe Keller – $474.89 for NDWF summer meeting in Bismarck.
- MSC (Braun, Mund) to donate $300 to Twist of Fate.
Sportsmen’s Smoker
- Oct 23, 2021 @ Wahpeton Community Center.
- Friday, October 22 for setup and Saturday, October 23 for preparation and the actual event.
- St. John’s Church Mehok Center kitchen for Friday, October 22 for food preparation.
- Kevin Huelsman donation: prints and framed picture.
- Four volunteers are needed to get potatoes from Chuck Haus.
- Korey Skovholt will donate 50 pounds of moose meat.
- Becci got permit and had posters, tickets and sponsor forms at meeting.
- Vern Shasky will help with ice fishing package. Some of it is already at the storage unit.
- Donation collectors are needed. Dakota Avenue bridge to 4th Street needs help. Some confirmations included: Curt Mund – 6th to 11th Street businesses. Abby Carlson – 4th to 6th Street. Greg Gerou – north Wahpeton. Jerry Oren – same as before. Kelly Carlson will take Vern Shasky’s businesses. Greg Gerou will take Barney and Mooreton. Greg Braun will ask Comdel.
- Get prizes to Becci Truesdell.
- Abby has a fish carving she will drop by the Community Center.
- Vegetable slicer at Manock Meats.
Members, Committees and Projects
- Rich and Becci will volunteer for a float at NDSCS homecoming parade on Saturday, September 25th.
- The Marv Manock Youth Waterfowl Hunt is scheduled on Saturday, September 18th. Kevin Manock reported Drew Bajumpaa will help with duck calling after the pre-hunt trap shoot on Friday, September 17th. Cindie VanTassel got prizes. Interested youth hunters can sign up and volunteers are needed.
- Greg talked to Mark Althoff and Chuck Haus about the Youth Pheasant Hunt on Saturday, October 2nd. Cap is 15. Chuck is looking forward to hosting it again. Tim Fenske, Great Bend has offered pheasant hunting land that could be used if interest exceeds 15 hunters. Interested youth hunters can sign up and volunteers are needed. Mentors with dogs will need to be coordinated by Mark.
- Head of Red Trap Club is having a fun shoot on Saturday, September 11th.
- Joe Pikarski Trap Club is hosting a turkey shoot on Labor Day.
- Jr. Wildlife Club toured the ‘Preserve the Tradition Museum’ on Thursday, August 19th. It features impressive critters from around the world.
- Neil Heitkamp Ice Fishing Derby is scheduled on Saturday, February 19, 2022.
- Vince Herding Youth Fishing Derby is scheduled on May 7, 2022.
- Dick Bell Catfish Derby on Saturday, June 4, 2022 needs a chairperson.
- Brunk’s Carp & Sucker Derby attracted 20 youths at its Wednesday, August 4th tournament.
- Fall Youth Goose Hunt is scheduled on September 11-12, 2021. Recruitment has started.
- The Ladies Rooster Roundup at the Chuck Haus farm on Saturday, October 16th already has 12 signups. Application is on the web site. Volunteers are needed.
- The National Wild Turkey Federation fund-raiser sponsored by the Richland Renegade Toms is scheduled on February 4, 2022.
- Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation spring fund-raiser is yet to be scheduled.
- The Veterans Hunt on Saturday, September 11th at Stiklestad Lodge, Ft Ransom has been cut back to one day due to lack of outside funding sources (grants, donations). Participant application and poster have been added to the club’s website and have been sent out. Four people have signed up. Volunteers are needed.
- Website domain has been paid up for another year.
- Some fixes are needed for the Mooreton Pond fishing piers.
- Bois de Sioux River fishing pier is displaced. Low river levels have revealed plenty of garbage in the river bed.
- Kidder Recreation Area / Red River bench plaques are a work-in-progress.
- Pop-up online store is being worked on.
- NAVHDA is tabling a $500 land grant application til next year. The land is in Richland County near Kindred. Grass seeding is planned by volunteers.
The next meeting is scheduled at the Wahpeton Community Center at 7:30 PM on Thursday, September 16th.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.