Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International slates sportsmen’s auction, banquet

Safari Club International is known for supporting conservation and sportsmen, and their active Oklahoma Station Chapter provides a chance for sportsmen to contribute through its annual banquet and fundraiser, scheduled this year for March 6.
            The chapter’s 25th Annual Awards Banquet and Charity Fundraiser will be held March 6 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The event will feature a live auction where bidders will have a chance to buy guided hunts around the globe, ranging from feral hog hunts at Oklahoma’s Chain Ranch and a variety of whitetail deer hunts in several states to big game hunts in Africa and fishing trips in Alaska. Other auction items include selections of firearms, outdoor art, pickup bed-liners, hunting gear and much more. A continually updated list of auction items can be viewed on the Oklahoma Station Chapters Web site at oklahomastationsci.org.
            ”This is a special celebration of our hunting heritage,” said Mike Mistelske, current president of the Oklahoma Station Chapter. “The auction will feature more North American big-game hunts than ever before, banquet ticket prices have been reduced, there will be many other activities, and there will be great value and fun for everyone — all for the benefit of Oklahoma hunters and non-hunters.”
            The banquet begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 6, but registration and opportunity to visit with outfitters and vendors begins at 4:30 p.m. The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum is located at 1700 N.E. 63rd St. in Oklahoma City 73111.
            SCI membership is not required to participate in the banquet and raffles, or to be eligible for door prizes. Tickets purchased before Jan. 31 are $45. Tickets may be purchased after Jan. 31 for $70 or at the door for $95. A limited number of sponsor tables will be available as well. To purchase tickets or for further information, contact Judy Rork at 405-703-3381 or oscsci@yahoo.com. Ticket forms also may be printed and either mailed, faxed or e-mailed through the Chapters Web site at oklahomastationsci.org. Bid cards for the auction are available to members at no cost. For non-members, bid cards ($50) or memberships ($85) may be purchased at the door if desired. For questions relating to the banquet and auction, contact Mike Mistelske, current Oklahoma Station Chapter of SCI president, at mjmistelske@yahoo.com.
            The Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International offers support and funding to local conservation efforts that benefit the sportsmen and wildlife of Oklahoma. The chapter is a supporter of projects conducted by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, such as the Hunters Against Hunger program that coordinates the annual distribution of over 30,000 of pounds of venison to needy families. The Chapter is also a sponsor of the Wildlife Departments Oklahoma Wildlife Expo, which educates tens of thousands of Oklahomans each year on the value of wildlife and the outdoors to quality of life in Oklahoma.
            The organization also has helped fund the purchase of an airboat used by the Wildlife Department on waterfowl surveys and other wetland management tasks, and several trailers for use in the Department’s Shotgun Training Education Program (STEP). The STEP program introduces both youth and adults to shotgun shooting techniques and the proper handling of firearms. The Oklahoma Station Chapter also partners with the Wildlife Department each year to hold an annual youth essay contest that provides youth a chance to share their feelings about Oklahomas outdoors and to win great prizes, including a guided pronghorn antelope hunt in New Mexico. Additionally, the chapter purchased eight elk for introduction into an existing herd in southeast Oklahoma.
            For more information on the Oklahoma Station Chapter of Safari Club International, log on to oklahomastationsci.org.