Marching ahead to outdoor banquets

Welcome to February. The weather continues to amaze us, but as long as I don't have to shovel more snow I'll take it. Coach Randy Swinford and I can remember the U of I parking lot at the state wrestling finals where they used big endloaders to clear the lot so fans could park. So, I'm not sure it is over yet.

Outdoorsmen and women certainly enjoyed the Wild Turkey Federation banquet and all the festivities. Now we are ready to move to the next two organizations whose banquets will be in the month of March.

Bureau Valley Pheasants Forever will be hosting its annual membership banquet on March 8 at the Metro Center in Princeton. Doors open at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m. and auction around 7 p.m. The dinner is a two-meat buffet with all the trimmings and a cash bar. There will be a silent and live auction with numerous raffles and drawings. A total of eight guns will be available throughout the evening including a 12-gauge over/under SKB dinner gun.

Banquet and gun tickets are available in advance from committee members. Contact Joe at 309-895-3671, Scott at 815-408-1276, or Eric at 815-646-4844 for info or tickets. More committee members names and info will follow in a couple of weeks. Also, info about the spring ringneck hunt will soon be published.

Following the BVPF's, the Whitetails Unlimited banquet will be held at Wise Guys the following March 16. I will publish Whitetail info in two weeks. Mark your calendars for both events.

• The 44th annual Henry Decoy Show will be held Feb. 12 at Henry-Senachwine High School from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be a great display of decoys. For more information, call Susan or Bruce Bauter at 309-364-4104.

• Here are some important hunter safety course information: March 10-11 at the Met; call 815-872-0840 to register; and April 14-15 at Time on the Water in Spring Valley, call 815-663-1000 to register. Register now as these classes might fill up quickly. For info, call Bob Stevens at 815-646-4146.

• The Spring Valley Walleye Club will host a pre-Super Bowl luncheon from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at the Barto Landing "Mule Barn." Walleye 1 Bill Guerrini says the menu will include a variety of chilli dogs and much more.