Gage Watson of Winner High School placed 10th at the Chamberlain golf meet on Aug. 30.
Placers for middle school boys include Karson Keiser, 2nd; Ryder Halligan, 3rd and Landon Calhoon, 6th.
Gage Watson of Winner placed 4th in the Big Dakota Conference golf tournament Sept. 6 in Chamberlain.
Watson shot an 88.
Nathan Monk shot a 112.
Chamberlain won the team title.
Winner Area cross country team took part in the Nike Heartland preview cross country meet on Saturday.
In the girls varsity, Sidda Schuyler placed 9th; Saige Schuyler, 48th; Meagan Blare, 78th; Melanie Brozik, 81st; Aryn Meiners, 92nd and Jaclyn Lapath, 99th.
In the junior varsity boys race, Wyatt Turnquist was 57th and Joseph Laprath was 106th.
The next meet for the Winner Area team will be Sept. 13 at Chamberlain and Sept. 15 at Lyman.
Colome volleyball team defeated Lyman on Sept. 4. The scores were 25-23, 25-12 and 25-15.
Serve leaders were Rayne Hermsen, 18 points, 4 aces; Makayla Shippy, 8 points, 2 aces; Saydee Heath, 7 points, 1 ace.
Kill leaders were Kaydee Heath, 11; Haley Krumpus, 6 and Hermsen, 5.
Rayne Hermsen, Kaydee Heath and Saydee Heath each had 1 block.
Shippy had 9 digs, Saydee Heath, 8.
Shippy had 22 assists.
The Cowgirls played Tripp-Delmont/Armour on Sept. 8. The Cowgirls lost the match.
Serve leaders were Saydee Heath, 10 points, 1 ace; Shippy, 6 points, 2 aces.
Kaydee Heath and Hermsen each had 8 kills.
Hermsen and Kaydee Heath each had 1 block.
Shippy had 12 digs, Krumpus, 9 and Kaydee Heath, 8.
Shippy had 14 assists.
By Katie Hunhoff
Just imagine that we all dress alike for one autumn weekend in South Dakota. We cook big pots of chili and make ham sandwiches and taverns (or sloppy joes, if you prefer). We invite family and friends and retired baseball stars to go for long walks with us through the fields and weeds.
We bring our dogs and we take rides in the back of grandpa’s old pickup truck. We tell stories and enjoy the sunshine and blue skies of October in South Dakota.
Wouldn’t that be the perfect weekend?
Of course, I am describing the opening weekend of pheasant season. It would be a special occasion with or without six million pheasants. This year, there may actually be even more. Our wildlife experts predict there’s a 47 percent increase. But few of us are counting. This is the 100th consecutive “opening day” in South Dakota and the hunt is no longer all about the birds. It’s a festival of our grand outdoors.
To commemorate the centennial hunt, we devoted much of our September/October issue to stories. We didn’t have to do much hunting. Just about everybody has a pheasant tale.
Senator John Thune told us of the day he was hunting with a group that included Twins slugger Kent Hrbek. They knocked on a farmer’s door to ask permission to hunt, and as it turned out the man was then watching a replay of Hrbek hitting a home run in Game Six of the ’87 World Series.
“He wasn’t that pleased to meet me,” laughs Thune. “But Hrbek got it done for us.”
We learned that the Dunse family of Beadle County has been gathering on the family farm for decades, and it’s really special when all 10 grandsons arrive. They usually dine at the Presbyterian Church supper in nearby Bonilla.
Madison artist John Green remembered hunting with some out-of-staters who had seen horned rabbits at a gift shop before they went afield. Once they reached the corn, a jackrabbit jumped up. It had big ears but no horns so one of the novice hunters yelled, “Don’t shoot, it’s a doe!”
Watertown attorney Lee Schoenbeck wondered if it’s sacrilegious to secretly help the bishop bag a bird. Peggy Schiedel remembered when actor Cary Grant visited her family’s Faulkton farm. Yankton broadcaster Monte James told of guiding a group of Coca Cola executives from Atlanta who hardly knew how to hold the gun.
Rapid City journalist and sage Kevin Woster penned a story about his family’s tradition of meeting at cousin Donnie’s farm. Kevin noted that his brother Jim called everyone last year to warn that the bird numbers were down and to ask who might still be coming.
“Well, is there still going to be some sloppy joes in the tool shed before the hunt?” Kevin asked.
Jim thought so.
And are at least some of the Irish cousins and neighbors going to gather there in the shed and hang out for awhile and swap a few lies?”
Jim was sure they would gather.
“That’s all I need to know,” Kevin said.
One hundred years of South Dakota socialization will be celebrated in October. Toss in a few million pheasants and we’ve got a real party.
PIERRE, S.D. – According to the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks (GFP), this year’s pheasant brood survey shows a 47 percent increase over last year. The 2018 statewide pheasants-per-mile (PPM) index is 2.47, up from the 2017 index of 1.68.
“A substantial increase in the pheasants-per-mile index is an exciting prospect for South Dakota’s 100th pheasant hunting season this fall,” stated Kelly Hepler, GFP Secretary. “Weather conditions continue to play a significant role when it comes to bird numbers and better weather helped this year with the average pheasant brood size increasing 22 percent over last year.”
From late July through mid-August, GFP surveyed 110, thirty-mile routes across the state’s pheasant range to estimate pheasant production and calculate the PPM index. The survey is not a population estimate, but rather compares the number of pheasants observed on the routes and establishes trend information. Statewide, 85 of the 110 survey routes had a higher PPM than 2017.
“We are pleased to see pheasant numbers improve across the state; particularly in the far eastern part of the state where hunters will have more opportunities to harvest birds than in recent years,” stated Hepler. “The full report provides an overview of upland habitat; which remains a concern for all wildlife across the state. Just as changes in landscape-level habitat conditions have produced peaks and valleys in the pheasant population for 100 years, habitat will again be the key to preserving pheasant hunting for another century.”
The Walk-in Area (WIA) program added 39,000 new acres in addition to 8,000 new acres last year. With 1.1 million acres of public hunting land within the heart of South Dakota’s pheasant range, great opportunities remain for public access to pheasant hunting. Hepler said hunters should notice far fewer disturbed CRP fields compared to last year when emergency haying and grazing was authorized in response to severe drought conditions.
The annual hunting atlas and a web-based interactive map of public lands and private lands leased for public hunting can be found at https://gfp.sd.gov/hunting-areas/. In addition to printed and interactive maps, hunters can utilize GPS downloads and smartphone applications to locate public hunting lands throughout the state. Hunters are again asked to hunt safely and ethically, respect private landowners and those public hunting areas scattered across the state.
“Challenges exist to maintain habitat, desirable pheasant population levels, and to recruit a new generation of hunters to preserve this truly special sport of pheasant hunting. Take time this fall to celebrate the hunt, the sense of community and comradery while appreciating how deeply rooted the tradition of pheasant hunting has been for the last 100 years,” concluded Hepler.
South Dakota’s traditional statewide pheasant hunting season opens on Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018, and runs through Jan. 6, 2019.
John & Marie Condon of Millboro are among the South Dakotans who will be recognized by South Dakota Farmers Union for giving back to their communities with the Rural Dakota Pride Award which will be presented during a ceremony held at the South Dakota State Fair on the Freedom Stage at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 1. All are welcome to attend.
John and Marie Condon have been 4-H volunteers for more than two decades. Their son, KC, likes to tease them about their dedication.
“He says he graduated from 4-H in 11 years, but John and I must have flunked because it’s 22 years later and we are still involved,” Marie says.
Of all the 4-H projects he participated in, shooting sports was the area that KC enjoyed most. So, when there was a need for volunteers, John and Marie became certified shooting sports instructors.
“We saw that it was so good for the kids and that they needed volunteers,” Marie says.
John adds, “It teaches kids safety. They have to learn safety before they can participate. I know firearms are dangerous. But, if they are handled right, they aren’t.”
From the beginning, KC excelled, qualifying for state and national competitions. Marie and John did more than tag along. Since 2006, they have served as range officers for the national muzzle loader event.
Results include:
Bailey Fairbanks
Junior Ranch Riding: Purple (3rd overall) , Junior Trail: Blue (5th overall), Junior Showmanship: Blue, and
Junior Stockseat: Blue
Kyla Mammen
Junior Ranch Riding: Red, Junior Trail: White, Junior Showmanship: Blue, Junior Stockseat: Blue, Barrels: Purple (5th overall), Poles: Purple, Flags: Purple (3rd overall), and Reigning: Blue (2nd overall)
Tyson Wetzel
Beg. Showmanship: Red, Beg Stockseat: White, and Beg Trail: Red
Bailey Fairbanks, Tripp County
Chase Dufek ran for 166 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Colome Cowboys defeated Burke/South Central 62-12 Friday. The victory gives Colome a 3-0 record.
Jackson Kinzer ran for 81 yards with a touchdown.
In passing, Kinzer had 13 completions for 193 yards.
Layton Thieman had 103 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Colome has a bye week this week with no football game.
The next game will be he homecoming game on Sept. 14 when they host Gayville-Volin.
Winner High School football team made a strong showing as they defeated West Central 36-7 Friday night in Winner.
The Warriors scored 28 first half points. Coach Dan Aaker says this is best first half Winner has played in a year and a half.
“We came out focused and ready to play,” he said.
The Warriors scored on its first four possessions. Trevor Peters opened the scoring on a 7 yard run. At the end of the first quarter, quarterback Brady Fritz scored on a 21 yard run.
Fritz got on the board again with 5:27 left in the second quarter on a 11 yard run.
Aaker explained the Warriors drive at the end of the first half was really big. The team did a good job of utilizing the clock with Peters scoring on a 6 yard run with 28 seconds left in the first half.
The coach said the Warriors had good balance with Phillip Jorgensen, Brady Fritz, Trevor Peters and Sam Kruger running well.
West Central scored in the 4th quarter with 8:50 left in the game.
Winner’ final score came on a 20 yard run by Fritz.
The Warriors had 417 yards rushing and 23 first downs.
Fritz was the leading rusher with 116 yards followed by Jorgensen, 98; Peters, 76; Kruger, 37 and Nolan Sachtjen, 33.
In passing, Fritz was 2-5 for 26 yards.
Winner’s defense was led by Shea Connot with 9 tackles, Brandon Volmer, 7; Preston Norrid, Colton Schroeder and Oscar Pravecek, 5 each and Kruger, 4.
Aaker said in the second half Winner did not play as sharp. “Our guys learned that they need to keep focused all the time,” said the coach.
This will be a bye week for the Warriors as they will have no football game. The next game will be Sept. 14 at Valentine, Neb.
This week in practice the team will get back to fundamentals like they worked on earlier in the season.
The coaching staff will start introducing information on Valentine game but basically this will be a Winner Warriors week.
The Winner Area girls cross country team took fourth place at the McCook Central/Montrose Invitational on Aug. 28.
Sidda Schuyler led the Lady Warriors as she placed fourth.
Also placing for the Winner Area girls were: Saige Schuyler, 12th; Meagan Blare, 26th; Melanie Brozik, 32nd; Aryn Meiners, 37th; Jaclyn Laprath, 47th.
Placing for the varsity boys were Wyatt Turnquist, 41st; Joseph Laprath, 71st.
In the girls junior varsity race, Madison Thieman was 16th and Gabby Kocer was 41st and Trinity Vrbka, 57th.
The next action for the team will be Sept. 8 in Sioux Falls.
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