Shoba Dasari – October 11, 2025 Wahpeton Daily News
For more than three decades, the Red River Area Sportsmen’s Club has gathered friends, families and outdoor enthusiasts together for one of the community’s most anticipated fall traditions — the Sportsmen’s Smoker.
This year marks the 36th annual event, set for Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Wahpeton Community Center. Doors open at 4 p.m. and the evening will feature raffles, games, silent auction items, and a meal of homemade wild game chili and stew, free while supplies last.
Club president Greg Gerou said the smoker began simply as a fundraiser to support the club’s early projects. What started with about 100 attendees has grown into a night hundreds look forward to each fall.
“It evolved into what we have today,” Gerou said. “The number of people that look forward to this is just amazing.”
Over the years, the event has adapted to state rules on gaming, creating some unique twists.
The impact of the event stretches well beyond one evening. Proceeds fund three youth fishing events each summer and three youth hunting events in the fall, along with a ladies-only pheasant hunt and a hunt for disabled veterans.
“We’ve partnered with landowners near Hankinson for the pheasant hunt, and it’s just phenomenal,” Gerou said. “The kids have a great time, and that’s really what we’re trying to do — get the kids interested. If it catches on, it’s a lifetime thing.”
The club also works on projects that benefit the broader community. In recent years, funds have supported fishing access ramps, partnerships with the DNR and Game & Fish, and improvements at Mooreton Pond and other local lakes in Richland County.
Gerou said the event takes months of planning, beginning each July, and about 30 volunteers pitch in on the day of the smoker. The chili and stew are prepared by members themselves under the direction of Curt Mund, with donated venison, and once even moose meat, forming the base.
“It was the best chili we ever had,” Gerou laughed, recalling the moose harvest that provided an extra-special recipe.
This year’s smoker will include around 30 firearms among the raffle prizes, along with numerous other items donated by businesses and community supporters.
Tickets are $20 per person and can be purchased from club members or by calling at 701-640-5136 or 701-403-9010. Advance ticket buyers will also be entered into additional cash drawings.
“This is our one and only fundraiser,” Gerou said. “Everything else we do depends on how well we do at the smoker. If it’s a really good year, we can take on a couple extra projects. Even an average year still supports a lot.”
The event is open to the public, with anyone 18 and older welcome, or under 18 if accompanied by a parent or guardian.
“If you want something good to eat and a fun night out, come on down,” Gerou said. “We’ve got raffles and games for just about everybody.”