Banquet to feature wildlife biologist

"Hearing a deer biologist (speak) is pretty significant when it comes to understanding how to better hunt deer," said Kevin Horning, member of the Ephrata Area Churches annual New Holland Sportsman Banquet committee. The guest speaker for this year's event will be C.J. Winand, "Hunting Whitetails" columnist for Bowhunter magazine. As the committee approaches nearly two decades of organizing the event, finding an appealing speaker is always of the utmost importance, and Horning noted that the committee was pleased to secure Winand for this year's banquet.

The family-friendly banquet will be held on Friday, March 8, at Yoder's Restaurant, 14 Tower Road, New Holland. Doors will open at 5 p.m. so attendees can view vendor and other displays. Dinner will be served at 6:15 p.m.

According to Horning, 60 or more door prizes, which in the past have included rifles and bows, will be given away at the event as well. "We usually give away quite a few prizes, and they are pretty significant ones," he said.

As a speaker, Winand offers credentials that include a Master of Science in wildlife management from West Virginia University, where he studied under David Samuel, conservation editor for Bowhunter magazine. Winand has served on the Educational Review Committee for the National Rifle Association (NRA) Whitetail Deer Hunter Clinic, and he is a seminar speaker on the NRA's Great American Hunters tour. He also serves on the conservation committee for the Pope and Young club board of directors for the National Bowhunter Education Foundation.

Winand is known for presenting information heavy with data for the purpose of elevating a hunter's ability to make good judgments. Banquet organizers are encouraging attendees to come prepared to take notes, and they have referred to Winand's talks as "Advanced Deer Hunting 101." Information presented will be based on field data research conducted by Winand or other wildlife biologists, which is then presented in a way that allows hunters to use scientific results in their own hunting techniques with the goal of harvesting bucks.

This year's dinner menu will include broasted chicken, ham balls, potatoes, peas and carrots, and pie and ice cream for dessert.

The Ephrata Area Churches group that sponsors the event includes about a dozen churches located in Ephrata and Akron.

There is a fee to attend the dinner, and a limited number of tickets are available. Tickets may be purchased at http://www.eventbrite.com by searching for "New Holland Sportsman Banquet." Readers who have questions may call 717-738-0963.