The first World Championship Snow Goose Conservation Hunt, organized by Mack's Prairie Wings in Stuttgart and held Feb. 9-10, raised $31,000 for charity. One-third was donated to Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry.
Arkansas Hunters Feeding the Hungry is mostly known for accepting donations of deer. The venison is processed into meals for food banks and for snack sticks that are distributed to the Snacks in the Schools Program.
Program Director Ronnie Ritter has tried to incorporate water fowl for awhile, he said. The first World Championship Snow Goose Conservation Hunt produced 1,160 light geese over the two days. Ritter was able to contribute every goose to the John 3:16 Ministries in Batesville for processing and for feeding its clients.
"The cost of getting ducks or geese processed was difficult in that we're talking $4 to $5 for a pound of meat, where for $5 we can do 5 pounds of deer burger," Ritter said. "It was just cost-prohibitive. But when we hooked up with John 3:16, and they will do all the plucking and cleaning, it was just a win-win for everybody."
The championship hunt drew 31 teams of 10 hunters each to the two-day event, with team entry costing $1,000. Every dollar of the entry fee was divided evenly among Hunters Feeding the Hungry, Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl.
The winning team, Wings of the Prairie Outfitters, was an assemblage of armed forces veterans from around the country who get together annually for hunting or fishing trips. The veterans had a big Sunday, harvesting 148 geese to total 184 for two days and win the event by three over a team of 10 friends whose homes span from West Memphis to Dumas, dubbed Lilly Company.
Wil Hafner, an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission educator based at Cook's Lake in Arkansas County, attended the event and presented various ways to cook snow geese.
The Light Goose Conservation Order continues in Arkansas through April 25. During the order, there is no daily or possession limit on snow, blue or Ross's geese. Shotgun magazines do not require a plug, electronic calls are allowed and shooting time runs from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
Sports on 02/19/2019