The Central Arkansas Chapter of Ducks Unlimited will honor Steve Smith, president emeritus of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, with its 10th annual Jerry Jones Sportsman's Award tonight at Chenal Country Club.
Doors open at 5:45 p.m. and there will be a social hour and dinner. A live auction will take place after dinner, and there will be a silent auction.
Smith was president of the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation from its inception in 1998 until 2014, when he was succeeded by Chuck Dicus. Smith was instrumental in conceptualizing and launching the Arkansas Outdoors Hall of Fame. He also was instrumental in promoting the Arkansas Youth Shooting Sports Program.
Earl Phillips, treasurer of the Jerry Jones Sportsman's Award Banquet, said Smith is a giant in Arkansas' outdoors heritage.
"There's not anyone who has done more for the outdoors in Arkansas than he has," Phillips said. "I think he's a great example of how people should be to the outdoors."
The award is named for Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys and a member of the University of Arkansas' 1964 undefeated national championship team. He won the first award. Previous honorees are Stephen Jones, the Dallas Cowboys general manager; Sheffield Nelson; Marion McCollum, founder of Mack's Prairie Wings; former U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor; former governor Mike Huckabee; George Dunklin, president of Ducks Unlimited; Butch Richenback, founder of RNT duck calls; and Steve "Wildman" Wilson.
Phillips said the Jerry Jones Sportsman's Award Banquet usually raises about $17,000. The money helps fund Ducks Unlimited youth programs and educational programs in Arkansas. They include DU Greenwing events, including the annual Greenwing camp.
Auctions are always the highlight of DU events and include special edition firearms, original artwork, prints and guided hunting and fishing trips. The marquee item at tonight's event will be a seven-day African safari for two hunters with white lion safaris. The safari will take place in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
The package includes five-star lodging , meals, drinks, guides, trackers and skinners. Each hunter also will get $650 for trophy fees, as well as free transport for their trophies to a shipping agent. Phillips said the value of the package is $10,000.
Another auction will be for a fishing trip for two at Wildlife Farms.
There also will be a hand-made fly rod from a maker in North Carolina, as well as a Terry Redlin canvas. Redlin is one of the world's most revered outdoors artists. Other artwork will include an Arkansas duck stamp print and a governor's turkey stamp print.
The DU Knife of the Year also will be available. The winner gets an automatic entry into the drawing for a Yamaha UTV.
Tickets will be available at the door for $125.
WINTER SQUIRRELS
Even though only 11 days remain in duck season and 45 days in archery deer season, there is still a lot of great squirrel hunting to do before the season ends Feb. 28.
Squirrels are lightly hunted in Arkansas during the peak of autumn compared to ducks and deer, but hunters virtually ignore them in winter. That's odd, because January and February are the best times to hunt them. The trees are bare, so squirrels can't hide among the leaves. If you can see them, you can bag a few.
On the other hand, squirrels seem to sense they are more vulnerable in winter than in fall. When the leaves are on, squirrels shake branches like pom-pons as they scamper around and try to dislodge hickory nuts and acorns. You can see and hear the commotion from a long distance.
Winter is more of a sight game. If you're stealthy, you can see a lot of squirrels foraging on the ground, but you can really see them in the trees against the sky.
They can see you, too, so it's hard to get close enough to shoot them with a shotgun. It's perfect for rimfire hunting, though. With a scoped .22-cal. rifle, you can pick them off from a distance. For some reason, it doesn't seem to spook squirrels the way a shotgun blast does. You can knock one down, pick it up and get back to work in short order.
It's a great way to secure a little meat for a stew, but it's also an excellent way to enjoy a fun time in the Arkansas woods.
Sports on 01/15/2015