Records Chairman Roger Atwood (right) congratulates Oregon bowhunter Don Pritchett for his Sitka blacktail deer.

While P&Y is the major records keeping organization, the Club is also a major force in conservation and the fight to preserve hunting. Conservation Committee Chairman Mike Schlegel reported on grants that annually total more than $100,000 to conservation and prohunting causes. For the 2009-2010 fiscal year, the Club will financially support: American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP) • Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) • Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation • U.S. Sportsman's Alliance • National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) • P&Y/NASP Equipment Matching Grants Program • National Shooting Sports Foundation (prohunting videos for schools) • Jack Creek Preserve Foundation youth camp • AWFA 75th annual North American conference sponsorship • National Conservation Leadership Institute • CWD Alliance • Archery Hall of Fame and Museum • Deer DNA study -- Arizona Game and Fish Department • Absaroka elk study -- Wyoming Game and Fish Department • National Hunting and Fishing Day sponsorship • National Bowhunter Education Foundation -- Project STAND • Kicking Bear Foundation -- youth camps • Conservation Leaders for Tomorrow • Big Game Profiles TV show partnership with Boone and Crockett Club

WRAPPING IT UP
At the Friday night banquet, Club President M.R. James recognized out-going board members G. Fred Asbell, Stan Rauch, and Warren Strickland for their years of faithful service.

That was followed by the presentation of three prestigious awards. The Pope and Young Conservation Award, which recognizes achievement in promoting bowhunting and the conservation and wise use of our natural resources, went to Kelly Semple, from Edmonton, Alberta.

The Stewardship Award, which recognizes a bowhunter or organization that has conveyed a positive, good-citizen image to the hunting and nonhunting public, went to New York Bowhunters Inc.

And the Lee Gladfelter Memorial Award, which recognizes a wildlife professional who has made a significant contribution to bowhunting and wildlife conservation, went to Ken Mayer, currently Director, Nevada Div. of Wildlife.

Colorado folk singer, Chuck Pyle, finished off a great evening with some down-to-earth music.

The Saturday night banquet wrapped up the convention in grand fashion. One highlight was the drawing of the winning tickets for the Club's 2009 Conservation raffle. Crist Newcomer of Pennsylvania won the grand prize, a seven-day, fully guided hunt for Alaska/Yukon moose in the Yukon Territory, courtesy of Ruth and Terry Wilkinson of Ceaser Lake Outfitters (www.ceaserlake.com), in association with Bowhunting Safari Consultants (www.bowhuntingsafari.com). Lynda Denton of Indiana won second prize, a five-day, semi-guided bowhunt for pronghorn antelope on the Spearhead Ranch in Wyoming, donated by Frank, Elaine, Keith, and David Moore of the Spearhead Ranch (www.spearheadranch.com).

Gary Morris, himself a serious bowhunter, gave the keynote presentation. As a popular singer and opera star, Morris has sung in front of five presidents and the Queen of England -- and now the bowhunting community. His performance was great, as he sang several stirring songs, concluded with his signature hit, "Wind Beneath My Wings."

The banquet and convention closed with presentation of the big game awards, all 105 of them. What better way to wrap up a biennium than to honor so many tremendous animals and the hunters who took them?

The 2011 Biennium National Convention and Awards Banquet will be held in Rochester, Minnesota. I personally am looking forward to that rendezvous. The Pope and Young Club is a tremendous force for bowhunting that deserves the full support of every bowhunter in North America, and the conventions are just a lot of fun. I personally would not miss the next rendezvous, and I hope to meet you there.

Established in 1961, the Pope and Young Club is a nonprofit North American conservation and bowhunting organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of our bowhunting heritage, hunting ethics and wildlife conservation. The Club also maintains the universally recognized repository for the records and statistics on North American big game animals harvested with the bow and arrow. For information and to join, contact: Pope and Young Club, PO Box 548, Chatfield, MN 55923; (507) 867-4144; www.pope-young.org.