The Dowagiac Conservation Club will host the 25th Annual Hunter’s Rendezvous this year on Saturday, February 12th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This primary fundraiser for their Youth Education Fund helps provide youth with admission to summer camps, free hunters safety classes, the donation of hundreds of Nature and Conservation books to little free libraries in the area, and has started various programs in schools.
Admission to the Hunter’s Rendezvous is free, and the event is open to the public. Throughout the day, the club’s Trophy Barn will be open with displays, and anyone who brings a trophy by 2 p.m. will be entered into a raffle to win a 20 gauge turkey gun. There will also be an antique gun appraiser on site from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
They will also host a silent auction, with items like South Bend Cubs tickets, passes to the Potawatomi Zoo, outdoor equipment, gift cards to local businesses and restaurants, and more.
The main raffle this year will provide participants with the opportunity to win one of many large items available, such as a fully stocked freezer by Clearwater Meats, a Ruger .350 Legend with Vortex Scope, an 18 Gun Safe, Blackstone Griddle, or camouflage recliner. There will only be 1,000 raffle tickets sold, and they cost $10 each. Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at Hale’s Hardware or Imperial Furniture. Miller’s Custom Knives has also provided a 25th Anniversary knife for raffle, with only 100 tickets being sold, for $10 each.
This event promises fun for the whole family, with free raffles for youth 16 and under, an information booth with a representative of the DNR, and a John Ball Zoo presentation from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Stay warm by the bonfire with s’mores, and enjoy pulled pork, hot dogs, and 25th Anniversary t-shirts that will be available for purchase. The Annual Squirrel Hunt will take place the following day, Sunday, February 13th, and you can register your two-person team during Saturday’s festivities.
Established in 1947 as a non-profit organization, their mission, “to stimulate interest in, and advance the cause of conservation in all phases, promote sound management of Michigan’s natural resources and environment”, allows club events, hunter education programs, scholarships, and memberships to be available to any and everyone interested.
The Dowagiac Conservation Club is located at 54551 M-51 N in Dowagiac, and has raised over $150,000 for Youth Education over the past twenty-five years. In 2021, Camp at Home kits and Build Your Own Bat House kits were provided by the club to interested youth in the area, furthering their efforts among covid restrictions and summer program cancellations.
For more information about this event and those upcoming, please visit dowagiacconservation.org, or find the events on their Facebook page.
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM contributor
