The number of antlers brought in for scoring on December 6 at the annual antler measuring day of the Canora branch of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation was down considerably and the executive is trying to answer the question, 鈥淲hy,鈥� said Mike Zbeetneff, branch president.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Brought in for measuring were trophies from two moose, two mule deer and five white-tailed deer, he said.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The bottom line was that the executive members could not come up with a definitive reason, said Zbeetneff. If there were fewer hunters this year or if there were fewer big bucks to be harvested are both possible reasons.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 However, the hunters that did attend said they were seeing more deer this hunting season than during the past few years, he said.
Darcy Rewakowsky, who was in charge of measuring antlers, said hunters reported seeing a lot of does and young deer. There was even one report of a doe with triplets. Hunters reported seeing more moose than usual, especially in the farmland area north of Canora.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The general deer population took a hit because of two very harsh winters back to back, so it is nice to hear stories about the population rebounding, he said. The Canora SWF members take pride in reports that the deer numbers are way up in an area northeast of Canora where the Canora SWF branch has been feeding deer during harsh winters. Those numbers are proof that the feeding program works.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 For the antler measuring this year, Rewakowsky and Vince Bailey did the measuring while Gerald Pozniak was in charge of recording the scores. Keith and Lindsey Ostafie recorded the scores on a computer and printed out the official scoring results.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In November, a letter was sent out to the branch鈥檚 275 members inviting them to attend the annual antler measuring event, but more so to encourage members to attend a special meeting to decide the future of the branch on December 9, said Zbeetneff. He said it was sad to see only 13 members present.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The main problem facing the branch is that new blood is needed on the executive, he said. Most members of the executive have indicated that they would be stepping down at the annual meeting on January 12 and if no one is prepared to take over, the branch may have to fold.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Using himself as an example, Zbeetneff said he has been the president for 14 years and it is time for someone else to take the reins. From a membership of 275, there must be a few who are willing to step up.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It was hoped that a number of members would indicate that they were willing to serve, but only two indicated some commitment, he said.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Though the purpose of the meeting was to determine whether or not the branch would disband, those present indicated that they wanted to see the branch continue even though a full slate of officers had not yet indicated interest, Zbeetneff said. It was decided that at the annual meeting on January 12, if a new executive is not found, then the process to disband would commence.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥淵ou do not need to love fishing or own a firearm to be a member or sit on the executive, you simply have to love wildlife and their habitat.鈥�
