Game board in Wasilla; ice fishing everywhere

The Alaska Board of Game begins its Central/Southwest Region meeting in Wasilla at the Lake Lucille Inn (the Best Western) this morning. The meeting runs through Feb. 20 and will address more than 100 proposals affecting hunting and trapping in the region.

Proposals range from sheep hunting concerns to the community hunt program for moose and caribou in the Nelchina area. Virtually all big and small game species found in the region have proposals being deliberated at this meeting.

Today will start with introductions of board members along with their ethics disclosures, identifying various Alaska Department of Fish and Game staff, and an overview of the meeting’s purpose. The rest of the day will see staff reports about various issues the board will be facing during this meeting.

A sheep hunting public work session is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. this evening. If you have any concerns about sheep hunting, you might want to attend this workshop.

Those wishing to testify about any of the proposals coming before the board must signed up by 10:30 a.m., Saturday morning. Public testimony will be heard until all testifiers present when called have spoken. The Board of Game will then begin deliberations on the proposals and will continue daily until all proposals have been addressed. All daily sessions are scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.

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We are coming into what many folks, myself included, see as the best part of the ice-fishing season. The days are getting longer with more sun, and the nasty below-zero daytime temperatures are pretty much done.

Two ice-fishing derbies are scheduled in the next couple of weeks. The first is Feb. 15 on Lake Lucille. The Best Western will serve as the base of operations. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. with the derby getting underway at 10 a.m.

Sportsman’s Warehouse is the primary sponsor, and the derby is intended to be a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids, with children 5 years and under free.

The plan is to give away lots of prizes. Sled dog rides will be available along with activities for kids. Food and fun are also a part of the day’s activities.

The second ice-fishing derby is scheduled for Feb. 21 on Finger Lake near Palmer. Butch and Jehn Ehmann will host the Mat-Su Kids Ice Fishing Derby, a free event with four age classes for kids up to 15 years old. Medals will be presented to all kids participating in the derby.

This is also a fundraiser event, with all proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Tons of items will be raffled off and tickets are $10 each.

I would love to win one of the Jiffy brand propane power augers that will be available. A kids’ four-wheeler, ice-fishing shelters and gear, a guided fishing trip, an iPad, gift certificates, and other great items are part of the raffle.

I plan to attend and buy some raffle tickets. You should, too!

I finally got a chance to participate in a blackpowder pistol shoot held the second Tuesday of every month, year-round, at the Matanuska Valley Sportsman’s Range on the Glenn Highway, just south of Palmer. With 12 shooters, the guys said this month’s shoot had the largest attendance in recent months.

Since one of the 12 indoor shooting lanes was down, I paired with Cal Pope on lane 11. Cal was shooting a revolver, while I was shooting a little 32-caliber percussion pistol I had recently acquired. I didn’t set the world on fire, but my one target was good for a third- or fourth-place score — but who’s counting anyway. Like Cal said, I go for the socializing — the shooting is just extra!

The Roland Maw Board of Fisheries fiasco just won’t go away. Craig Medred reported last week that Maw’s claim of identifying a new species of fish in Canada didn’t appear to be accurate. Medred contacted the co-author of the award-winning book where Maw claimed to have identified the new species, only to learn that the co-author said the book had never won any awards and that Maw had never identified a new species.

When asked over the phone, Maw didn’t remember making the claims. In a Facebook response on the United Cook Inlet Drift Association webpage to Medred’s reporting, Maw claimed he had not spoken with Medred and that the whole story was a fabrication. A good friend commented to me that you just can’t make up this kind of theater.