Safari Club International’S Michigan Learn About the Importance of Hunting and Conservation
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Tracker SUMMER 2019.qxp_Safari Tracker Magazine 6/24/19 9:23 AM Page 1 Tracker SUMMER 2019.qxp_Safari Tracker Magazine 6/24/19 9:23 AM Page 2 Exclusively For Michigan SCI Chapter Members… Come To The “Tom Miranda Approved” 7,000 Acre Lazy CK Ranch In The Hill Country Of Texas And Hunt Any Of These Trophies… Classic Whitetail Trophy Whitetail Blackbuck Antelope BlackHawaiian Sheep Corsican Ram Nubin Ibex Addax Fallow Deer Mouflon Sheep Nilgai Antelope Painted Desert Sheep Scimator Oryx Texas Dall Sheep Gemsbok Antelope Blue Wildebest Sika Deer Axis Deer Aoudad Sheep Grants Gazelle Thompson Gazelle Wild Hogs Take $500 Off Your First Animal Plus… $300 Off Each Additional Hunt with your Rifle, Muzzle-loader, Handgun, Bow, or Crossbow We Are Open For Hunting… September – June [10 months] To find out all the details, check available open dates, have questions about our Easy Payment Plan or have other questions…Please call Allen at 1-830-640-3200 or send him an email at [email protected] Visit our Website at www.LazyCKRanch.com Tracker SUMMER 2019.qxp_Safari Tracker Magazine 6/24/19 9:23 AM Page 3 Director E-mail Phone Joe Pedersen, President [email protected] 616-262-1468 Bryan Judge, Vice President [email protected] 616-745-1187 Mike Kwast, Secretary [email protected] 616-822-4127 Ron Grenadier, Treasurer [email protected] 574-612-8878 Craig Bade [email protected] 616-405-3800 Stony Bing [email protected] 616-293-4659 Todd Cook [email protected] 616-318-0515 Don Dixon [email protected] 616-450-4644 Bob Mills III [email protected] 616-340-5735 Ron Northman [email protected] 616-402-9004 Dan Olson [email protected] 517-927-4474 Jay Platz [email protected] 616-485-3129 Dale Ringerwole [email protected] 616-915-9852 Bob Schantz [email protected] 616-550-6968 Larry Smith [email protected] 616-279-2926 Dennis Sprick [email protected] 616-443-4403 Non-Michigan Board Members: Chapter Liaison: Michelle Ghareeb [email protected] 616-446-4743 Director at Large for SCI: Lee Murray [email protected] 616-293-0070 Awards & Recognition: Guides & Outfitters: Nominating: Chair – Dan Olson Chair – Joe Pedersen Chair – Jay Platz Bylaws: Guns & Equipment: Publications: Chair – Dan Olson Chairs – Larry Smith & Jay Platz Chair – Craig Bade Conservation/MUCC: Chair – Stony Bing Humanitarian Services: SCI Chapter Award: Convention: Chair – Denny Sprick Chair – Bryan Judge Chairs – Ron Grenadier & Major Donors: SCI-PAC: Ron Northman Chair – Craig Bade Chair – Dan Olson Convention Celebrity: Membership: Sensory Safari: Chairs – Dan Olson & Chair – Joe Pedersen Chair – Stony Bing Joe Pedersen Convention Floor & Service Team: Michigan Involvement Committee: Website & Marketing: Chair – Don Dixon Chair – Stony Bing Chair – Mike Kwast Education & AWLS: Monthly Meetings: Youth: Chair – Larry Smith Chair – Don Dixon Chair – Bryan Judge 1 Tracker SUMMER 2019.qxp_Safari Tracker Magazine 6/24/19 9:23 AM Page 4 one day. None of that would be possible, however, with- My Last out the understanding and patience of my wife, Julie, as we raise two small children. Attending Chapter meet- ings and events, attending National board meetings, working on various committees, and responding to countless emails and calls on a weekly basis is time- consuming. I appreciate being given the opportunity to serve, and we have both enjoyed the numerous friend- ships that we have formed, both at the local and national levels. Dan Olson While this is the end of my term as President, I President intend to continue serving as a Board member and am As I write my last column as Chapter President, I happy to help your new President, Joe Pedersen, in any reflect on the last four years. It has been an honor to lead way that I can. Thank you again. Happy hunting. this Chapter and to see its membership increase and its involvement and its impact at the local, national and international levels grow. This is all possible because Continuing Forward the Chapter has been blessed with hard-working and dedicated board members who commit their time and by Joe Pedersen talents to SCI to preserve hunting and the outdoors. If you do not regularly attend the monthly meet- ings, you are missing out on forming new friendships and enjoying the special speakers. Regular monthly attendance is now in excess of 100 members. Our Youth Committee is active with an annual pheasant hunt, youth memberships, sending girls to Jada Johnson’s summer camp, and a free youth gun raffle at every monthly meeting. We also sponsor a local youth skeet shooting team. The Tracker has won best SCI chapter publication four years in a row. The Sensory Safari trail- er is traveling around West Michigan allowing children and adults to get up close and personal with wildlife they may only read about in books or see at the zoo. Our Membership Committee has been busy hosting events for the whole family to enjoy, including Berlin Raceway and the Whitecaps. Our Humanitarian programs have Summertime is on full display in our beautiful expanded as a result of your generosity so that, in addi- state of Michigan -- a time for fishing, camping, hiking, tion to our annual Purple Heart and disabled youth and cookouts with family and friends. Some of you may hunts, we now provide fishing trips to 40 disabled local be traveling to Africa on safari or using your free time youth, and sponsor a youth to attend Camp Iron Sights to prepare for the upcoming fall and the hunting season. in Alaska to give a him a second chance while gaining Whatever your summer brings, I pray for safe travels self-confidence and learning about the outdoors. Our and good times for everyone. Education Committee sends at least five local teachers I am excited to have been elected the 26th annually to SCI’s camp in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to President of the Safari Club International’s Michigan learn about the importance of hunting and conservation. Chapter. We have a dynamic organization that I am real- At a monthly meeting earlier this year, one of our teach- ly proud of. Thank you to Dan Olson for four years of ers who attended last summer told us how this opportu- outstanding leadership. We have a lot of exciting plans nity caused her to re-evaluate (and change) her views on for the next couple of years and I look forward to work- hunting and gun control. Finally, our Fundraising ing with each of you creating the next chapter for SCI Committee has increased the profitability of the Michigan. Fundraiser every year so that we have funds available to The team at SCI Michigan had a busy May before support all of the above. Again, none of these events and the summer break. From May 8 thru 11, representatives sponsorships would be possible without your Board from our chapter attended lobby day and the SCI Board members, and our Chapter’s success is due to their hard of Directors meetings in Washington D.C.; and from work. May 29 thru June 1, SCI advanced chapter leadership The last four years have flown by. Little did I training at the American Wilderness Leadership School know that when I attended my first Chapter event in (AWLS) in Wyoming. The Washington team included 2010, that I would have the privilege of being President chapter members Stony and Alma Bing, Don and Mary 2 Tracker SUMMER 2019.qxp_Safari Tracker Magazine 6/24/19 9:23 AM Page 5 Harter, Lee Murray, and me. All of us spent a full day on ‘The Hill’ talking with elected officials about issues Editors Note: important to the hunting community. SCI’s staff of lawyers and advocates prepared talking points, outlines, Request for Contributors and training on the issues for all of the team. Some of the topics discussed included: The Tracker Magazine is FOR the mem- • Senate bill S.831 for the delisting of gray wolves in bers of SCI - Michigan and BY the members. the Western Great Lakes and Wyoming, and House I certainly relish the regular articles we bill H.R. 1445 directed at grizzly bear delisting in the read from the likes of Terry Blauwkamp and greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Ron Johnson. I’m sure our magazine would be • One of the more interesting issues is SCI’s opposition less if it wasn’t for their contributions. to bills put forth by the anti-hunting community, dis- Nevertheless it is OUR magazine and it guised as conservation initiatives. One example is could be even better yet with a contribution H.R. 2245 “Conserving Ecosystems by Ceasing the from you, and our other members. Importation of Large Animal Trophies Act.” The bill If you have an idea, past article, photos, introduced by Representative Raul Grijalve D-AZ comments/reflections or a journal addition that would ban all imports of large animal trophies from you would like to share, either send it to me at other countries into the United States, effectively end- ing all over-seas hunting by Americans. 371 Waukazoo Drive, Holland, MI 49424 • On an issue directly related to the missions of your or E-mail it to me at chapter, H.R. 877 Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson [email protected] Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act. This legislation or simply call me at would allow tax dollars currently collected from 616-405-3800 hunters and shooters to be used for the recruitment, training and retention of new and existing hunters. Photos can be e-mailed or sent USPS Recruiting young and female hunters is a top priority and I will be sure to return them.