CANORA - It was taking that extra road, spending that extra time looking that allowed Desiree Owchar to secure her prey – and the award.
Owchar won the Big Game Aggregate award at the River Ridge Fish and Game League’s annual banquet and awards night on March 1 with 70 points.
“I was pretty excited because I worked hard,” she said. “This is probably the one and only time that I'll be able to get this award, because I was drawn for moose and I was drawn for mule deer. It's one of those things that I was hoping to achieve once in my lifetime.”
The hunter won the Moose award with a measurement of 145 7/8.
In the morning, Owchar had shot at the moose – and missed. She and her husband Mike continued to scout, but it ended up being a quiet day. Owchar said she had a meeting that night and her husband didn't want to go out for a drive that evening.
“I said, ‘oh, let's just go. What's the worst that could happen?’ We went for a drive and there he was.”
In the last few moments, Owchar said her adrenaline was pumping.
“I was just hoping to hit him. I did miss this moose in the morning, so it was kind of ironic that he was back in the same kind of place in the evening.”
Owchar also won the Ladies White Tail award with a measurement of 147 2/8.
“We were actually finishing our hunt for the day, and instead of turning to go home, we just took another road and he was just right there.”
Fourteen awards were presented to seven hunters at the banquet, which was held at Canora’s Rainbow Hall.
Also at the event, Kate Lockert, River Ridge’s membership chair, announced that she was certified to perform measurements in the Boone and Crockett, Pope and Young, and Henry Kelsey measurements systems. She said she attend a four-day class in Yorkton during the summer, where she was instructed by representatives of Boone and Crockett, as well Pope and Young.
“They instructed us, we did measuring of all sorts of animals, and then we wrote our test and got certified.”
The Boone and Crockett system is the standard to measure North American big game animals, Pope and Young is a variant for archers, while the Henry Kelsey system is the Saskatchewan-based variant that does not require a 60-day drying period.
In the past, wildlife clubs have had to bring in trained measurement experts from afar to perform the measurements.
Owchar said she suggest others take up hunting.
“I encourage people to get out, experience nature, see what's out there and try something new,” she said, adding that it’s more challenging than one might think, as a hunter has to consider terrain, types of rifles and different animals, making everything a different experience.
“You can't predict how your hunt is going to go, because you just don't know what's going to happen or what's going to walk out.”
Award winners
Category Sponsor Score Winner
Ladies White Tail Ernesto's Guns & Such 147 2/8 Desiree Owchar
Archery White Tail Hiway 9 Ag Services Ltd 133 4/8 Mike Owchar
Junior White Tail The Chase Kraynick Memorial 143 2/8 Parker Kraynick
Muzzleloader White Tail North American Rail Safety 148 1/8 Michael Owchar
Typical White Tail Ernesto's Guns & Such 142 4/8 Darcy Ripa
Typical Mule Deer Quality Tire Service 172 4/8 Jayden Bisschop
Non-Typical Mule Deer FMC Ag Solutions 163 2/8 Michael Owchar
Moose Magnificent Seven 145 7/8 Desiree Owchar
Elk North American Rail Safety 323 4/8 Cooper Kraynick
Bear Ryan's Rat Ranch Ltd 16 2/16 Devon Paley
Big Game Aggregate Good Lake Electric 70 pts Desiree Owchar
Goose Community Insurance 13.7lbs Cooper Kraynick
Junior Northern Pike Haas Nissan 39 in Devon Paley
Junior Perch Brad & Pat Thompson 12 1/4 in Devon Paley
Other sponsors:
The Damian Gebhard Memorial
The Lockert Family
Hal & Kathy Thomas
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