Dick Herfindahl, Woods & Water

The Southern Gateway Chapter of the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association will hold its annual banquet on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010.

The local chapter will be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the chapter at the annual banquet with 20 guns to be given away at raffle. The 20th Annual Memorial Banquet will be honoring Clair Friday and Debbie Olson. This event will be held at the American Legion Club in Albert Lea. The social hour starts at 6 p.m. with dinner to follow at 7 p.m. There will be drawings, raffles and wildlife prints along with a special silent auction. Cost for the evening’s festivities is $50 per adult, $25 spouse and $20 forkhorn (17 and under). This banquet is held each year and is the major fundraiser for the local chapter so plan on attending.

For information or to register for the banquet contact Sandy Norby at 507-373-4645

Another annual project that they do is Hides for Habitat. Hides are collected throughout the fall hunting season. Money raised from this project is maintained in a special fund to be used for land acquisition, research and youth education. Seventy-five percent of the money raised is kept in the local chapter for projects, and 25 percent is kept in the State Habitat Fund. Most habitat projects receive matching funds from the State Habitat Fund.

The MDHA started the Hides for Habitat program in 1985 to give deer hunters a chance to ensure future years of deer hunting and Minnesota wildlife habitat. By collecting over 650,000 donated deer hides from successful hunters, MDHA Chapters have raised over $3.5 million dollars to date. There is an ongoing need to keep viable places for whitetail. It is vital that we continue to support the hide program, for without this valuable resource, these projects would not be available. Keep recycling those hides and encourage others to join in. Make sure the drop box has an official MDHA poster on it. The satisfaction of seeing kids at camp and the addition of new land far outweighs any small reward you might otherwise garner from the hide.

Sandy Norby of the Southern Gateway Chapter said “our chapter has contributed $29,700 towards land purchases of approximately 1,200 acres for expansion of the Grass Lake Wildlife Management area. The State MDHA Habitat Fund matched these funds. We also work closely with Pheasants Forever in the land acquisitions and it would not be possible without their resources and additional funding.”

Youth education is an invaluable part of the local MDHA chapter. They sponsor scholarships for area youth to attend forkhorn camps throughout Minnesota. Minnesota is a state rich in natural resources, but the greatest of our resources is our children. The Minnesota Deer Hunters Association believes that educating hunters is key to perpetuating Minnesota’s outdoor heritage and that the best tool of wildlife and ecosystem education is instilling a greater appreciation for our natural resources in our children. The MDHA’s method is forkhorn youth summer camps. These camps focus on ecology, biology, ethics and skills in a fun atmosphere that lends experiences that affect every fiber of a youth’s life. “We are not trying to entertain kids. We are purposefully educating boys and girls to become better, more responsible stewards of our natural resources. The fact that they love it indicates that we do it right!” said Mark Johnson, MDHA executive director.

All Forkhorn camps include a firearms safety certificate. The youth of today are our future hunters, and we need to encourage as many as possible to partake in this opportunity to receive excellent training and a valuable experience.

Following are some of the other projects the chapter undertakes:

Funding to area schools to help establish the DNR-sponsored National Archery program in the schools, including Glenville High School, Blooming Prairie School and Albert Lea Community Education.

Funding to support shooting sports for Boy Scouts

Local kids field days to demonstrate such things as setting up a deer stand, rattling techniques, tracking game, target practice for both gun and archery.

Norby also said that “to date we have contributed over $20,000 in educational projects for the youth in our community.”

It is obvious that the Southern Gateway Chapter of the MDHA is doing its part to educate and instill in our youth the value of habitat. Purchasing and maintaining habitat for deer also benefits other wildlife and it goes a long ways towards preserving our great Minnesota outdoors heritage. They should be proud of all that they’ve accomplished. The challenge of preserving habitat and educating our youth will always be there. You can do your part by donating your hides or becoming a member.

For membership information or to inquire about forkhorn camps you can go online to www.mndeerhunters.com and check it out.

This is indeed the time of year when many outdoorsmen are turning their thoughts to hunting but nowhere is it written that you can’t still do both — a little hunting and a little fishin’.

Please remember our brothers and sisters who are proudly serving our country so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have today.