THE NEXT GENERAL MEETING, REMEMBER THE DATE: THURSDAY OCTOBER 2ND, 7:30 PM,  AT THE CLUB HOUSE, LINCOLN PARK ROAD, IN DERBY TOWNSHIP.

For the October meeting our guest speaker will be professional deer and turkey hunting guide Trevor Aljoe. Trev has promised to cover both bow and gun hunting techniques for deer, with special emphasis on calls and lures.

Members will remember past visits by Trevor to the SSA meetings, his enthusiastic and  knowledgeable approach to  skilled hunting methods.

Conservation Officer Scott Wilson will also be on hand to answer enforcement questions.

New Members

The following new members have joined the S S A
 

Bill Wall  family Pam Mathers  adult  John Morton  family Moon Rahemtulla adult

Another successful derby and although all the numbers are not complete, going from last years inventory on the bar, compared to this years, it looks like this year was as good as or better than 2002.

I would like to send a huge THANK YOU to all the volunteers that worked the bar this year. It was a lot of hard work but I am sure everyone had fun. I know I had a lot of fun working with everyone. Also, THANK YOU to Stan Fleming Scott Fleming and Verle Barfoot for building the liquor service bar-it has proved to be a great labor saving device.

This is only the second year that I have been in charge of Bar Operations and will try to answer all the concerns and take any suggestions seriously. Everyone's opinion is valued highly. One question I heard repeatedly was "When are we going to have another Smart Serve course?" In my final report to the Derby Committee I will be asking them to put one on in either January or February 2004. We will provide everyone with the date either in this newsletter or by phone.
So if you are interested please call me at my home and leave a message should you wish to take it.

Again, to everyone that worked the bar, other committee members that pitched in at the peak times, the security guys, Kevin "Have a good day" ( inside joke), thanks for keeping us smiling and out of trouble, Murray for keeping his cool when I screwed up the register, not once but twice. THANK YOU...

Hope to see you back in 2004.

Carol Barfoot
Bar Operations 2003 Salmon Spectacular

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Bill Beamish has been spearheading a massive effort to create a new skeet range for the club. In spite of certain, rather serious physical obstacles, the project is still carrying on. Keep up the good work guys...we look forward to enjoying the finished product.

The derby committee is to be congratulated on a magnificent effort in once more putting on a highly successful variety of programs. Now, if the fish would only co-operate a little better, everything would have been perfect.

Speaking of fish, there would seem to be some problems with salmonid size and numbers in Lake Huron/Georgian Bay. Many are the suspected causes of the problem, and the MNR is co-operating with its U.S. counterparts in a major investigation of this very serious issue.

At a recent meeting with the MNR to discuss the foregoing, Fred Geberdt gave an extremely lucid outline of the various parameters that needed investigation. It is good to know that our club is being so well represented by a person who is so well-informed and knowledgeable on this vital issue.

Now, fall is upon us...fishing is gearing down, and hunting is on the upswing. Blessed indeed are those who engage in both sports, for verily, they have the best of two worlds.

Enjoy the season, everyone.

Blake Smith.
President

NATIVE AFFAIRS

Just when it seems like there is some light at the end of the tunnel in our dealings with our local natives, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in the Powley case that the Metis {mixed blood aboriginal X European) have a constitutional priority right to Canada's fish and game.

The newspaper accounts have presented a very muddy picture of what is a Metis...the Powleys, father and son, are 1/32 and 1/64 Indian blood. Also, what constitutes a Metis community is equally ambiguous.
It should be quite interesting to see what happens when the Indian and Metis communities both try to exercise priority rights on the same population of fish or game.

One thing is for sure...without prejudice to our native friends, it is quite apparent that we who do not have native blood have been relegated to the status of third-class citizens in our own country, as far as fishing and hunting rights are concerned. For this, we can thank Pierre Trudeau for the way he set up our constitution without protecting our rights concerning fish and wildlife, and as well, the activist judges who interpret it. And to think, we hunters and fishermen are forced to pay taxes to pay the salaries of the politicians and judges who have perpetrated these erosions of our hunting and fishing rights upon us.

Blake Smith.

ARCHERY NOTICE:

Deer hunting season is just around the corner and this is the time of year that everyone is out practicing and tuning their bows. With this in mind I would like to remind everyone that Broadheads are not allowed on the practice facility or on the archery course. We have had some problems with this in the recent past and hope no one will destroy our targets in the future.

Bill Douglas
Archery Chairman

Get Outdoors Youth Activities Program

Now that school is back, we will have to work around everyone's schedules with our activities.

It was a great summer with Sarah Stephenson our chairperson heading off to Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation Conservation Leadership School in Prince Albert Saskatchewan where she did an exchange with two of their youth coming to our leadership camp in Haliburton.  7 of our youth members participated in the Haliburton Leadership camp as well.

We are also proud of Jesse Henrich for winning the first Zone H Bursary.  Good Luck in your studies at Trent Jesse!

What amazing opportunities our youth have once they become involved in our program.  Laura Stephenson spent the summer working out of Peterborough for the OFAH doing the traveling Tackle Share Program.  We have lost some of our best youth volunteers as they head off to college and university this fall.  We can't wait till they come back and give us a hand as adult mentors for our youth. 

For any of you wishing to learn about upcoming events, you must be on my phone list which is made up with active members numbers only.  To be eligible for any of the conferences and other great events you need to come out and get involved.  We have lots of fun, work hard, play hard and make great friendships as we go.  As our youth members grow up and leave we need to replace them with more new and enthusiastic members.  Come on out and give it a try.

Mary Stephenson 
Youth Activities Co-ordinator (363-2893)

Fisheries Advisory Committee

Our brown trout should be all stocked by now with the last half of the 82,888 total transported out with the assistance of our junior members. These fish were released at various sites like the yacht club, Pumkin Seed, Indian river and Red doors.

In residence we have about 42.000 rainbow trout which are doing well now.

Some of our fisheries committee members were invited to the local M.N.R. Fisheries office for an information and  discussion session of the results of some of there studies and theories as to the status of the various aquatic species within our Great Lakes. Attend our next meeting to get an update on what our members learned.

The Zone H, O.F .A.H will be having their Annual conference on November 21-22 in Orillia. This meeting is open to all O.F .A.H. members but you must register by October 24th. If you need info, contact me at 371-3827 or see me at our next meeting.

Mike Prevost
F.A.C.Chairman.

FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The early goose season was a bit of a bust for many of us. It seems that most of the birds were south of us...now we will see what happens with the rest of the fall hunting season.

The Sydenham Sportsmen's Association recently spearheaded a joint effort by the Rankin Resource Group to rehabilitate an approximately 20-acre degraded woodcock cover at Isaac Lake. We had MNR stewardship rangers and technicians there, along with members of the Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen, the North Grey Hunters and Anglers, local
farmers, a local woodcutter and staff from the Bluewater Feed Company from Tara (along with their kids) .The project consisted of creating openings in over-mature poplar, as well as the erection of a solar-powered electric fence around the whole area. In all, this is a very worthwhile project, and we believe, a first in our area.

John Ford, Fred Hunt and this writer will be participating in the ongoing discussions with local agricultural representatives regarding turkey depredations of farm crops.

Scott Wilson, an MNR conservation officer, requests our assistance with any information concerning hunting and fishing violations that we may have occasion to observe during our outdoors activities. It has been my experience with fish and game law enforcement that public eyes and ears supplying information on poachers is hands-down one of the most valuable tools that fish and game officers possess.

Be aware that any information supplied to Scott should be both current and accurate, such as license numbers, description of participants, precise location, etc., in order that officers can act in a timely and efficient manner. Remember that it is our fish and wildlife that the officers are sworn to protect. Let's see what we can do.

Scott can be reached by phone at: 376-3860 (office) or 373-6349 (cellphone)

Blake Smith,
Co-Chair, F.W.A.C.