On Saturday, March 7, members of the
Pushmataha County Sportsman Club held their Annual Awards Banquet. The banquet was held at the Antlers High
School cafeteria and featured a meal of smoked ham & pork chops, rolls,
soft drinks and side dishes prepared by club members and their spouses. After the meal was finished, wildlife
biologist Buddy Prather presented a program on the McGee Creek Wildlife
Management Area.
.After Buddy had finished his presentation, members
were presented their awards. For spring
turkey season, the club awards a prize for the heaviest turkey and for the
turkey with the longest beard. This year
however, none the members that entered the contest harvested a turkey. Hopefully, we’ll have better luck this year.
Next to be recognized were the Top Ten
Anglers of the Year. Each received an
embroidered patch. They were, from
number ten to number one, Chuck Beck, Jason Reed, Terry Thurman, Kaleb Hensley,
Billy Latham, Mike Burrage, Eugene Hensley, Billy Hensley, Judd Thomas, and
Bass Angler of the Year, Ellis Silvey.
Ellis also received a plaque and a check.
The Heaviest Stringer of the Year Award went
to Billy Hensley. Billy had the largest
stringer weighed in by a club member in a bass tournament. His stringer weighed 25.04 pounds. Eugene Hensley won the award for Big Bass of
the Year. Eugene’s bass was caught at Sardis Lake and weighed 9.23 pounds. Both received a plaque. The club recognizes anglers that catch over
100 pounds of bass in our yearly tournaments by presenting the “100 Pound Club”
award. Only two members qualified for
the award this year. They were Ellis
Silvey and Judd Thomas. Both received a
plaque.
In the deer archery season contest, Kaleb
Hensley took first place honors with Eugene Hensley finishing in second
place. For deer primitive firearms
season, Billy Latham won first place and Eugen Hensley came in second. Billy Hensley won first place in the deer
rifle season contest. Kaleb Hensley finished
in second place for the deer rifle season contest. Each received a plaque and a check for their
share of the entry fee money. Winners
were determined by measuring the deer’s antlers using the Boone and Crockett
scoring system.
The Grand Slam Award is given to members that
harvest a deer in all three seasons; archery, primitive, and gun season. Three members were presented this award. They were Billy Hensley, Kaleb Hensley and
Eugene Hensley.
Each year the club recognizes a business or
person that consistently supports the club through their donations to club
events. The 2014 Sponsor of the Year
Award was presented to Jim Ray’s Quick Stop.
The club’s most prestigious award is the
Sportsman of the Year Award. This award
is based on success in hunting, fishing, and other club activities. Points are awarded in each of these
activities. The member with the most
points at the end of the year is the Sportsman of the Year. The 2014 Sportsman of the Year Award was
presented to Billy Hensley.
The final award was presented to club
president Billy Latham for a year of dedicated service to the club. After awards, door prizes were awarded. Every child that attended received a prize. The ladies door prize, a $75.00 Wal-Mart gift
card, was won by Kathy Smith. Billy
Hensley won the men’s door prize, an Ambassadeur Revo “S” baitcasting reel.
The club’s first bass tournament of the 2015
season will be held on March 14, at McGee Creek Lake. The tournament will launch from Buster Hights
Landing. Fishing times will be decided
at the club’s regular meeting on Thursday, March 12. Meetings are held at the Wildlife Heritage
Center and Museum and begin at 7:30 p.m.
You can keep up with club activities on the internet by visiting the
club’s new blog site. The web address is
www.pushcountysportsmanclub.blogspot.com.
Billy Latham, president
Pushmataha County Sportsman Club
